Yesterday - well actually today between midnight and 2 AM :) - I had a very interesting conversation with Salvaes, an ADV on AO. We chatted about the concept of MMOGs and the people who play them.
It is already known that some computer games can cause a type of addiction very similar to drugs or alcohol, when the player feels physically bad when he cannot play. This danger is more likely when we talk about MMOGs since these kind of games offer a very complex and time-consuming gameplay. I don't have any scientific or statistic proof of this but there are people who are literally always online when I am too. There are players with two or more 180+ characters which require a lot of time to build. It would be interesting to conduct a research on the effects of MMOGs on one's lifestyle. What happens to his social connections, friends? Does he go out? What else does he do in his free time?
At the current level of computer technology MMOGs have much to evolve. But if the pace of evolution of technology is this fast as it is now imagine what can come in a few years only: With the new improvements of computer technology people can experience a much sophisticated and more realistic gameplay. 3D glasses, VR, force-feedback, if all these are implemented we won't be able to tell the two worlds - real and MMOG - apart. Combined with our biological knowledge we can feed and keep alive a player automatically, connected to a computer. This way one won't need to sleep or eat at all, but can be online 7/24. One can choose to leave this misery what we call real life and choose to live on Rubi-Ka for example.
In addition these games offer a special way of gaining and holding power. Power is a thing men desire all the time. Why be a worker or learn at the university if you can be a sorcerer, a Nano-Technician and crush your enemies with deadly nano-programs.
If we are not careful enough we can end up like in Matrix bathing in chemicals and playing a grandiose MMOG we call life. And we don't even need vile robots to take over us.
This Christmas was freezing indeed. Yesterday at the break of dawn the temperature outside was below minus eighteen degrees Celsius as my mother reported. Luckily I was fast asleep that early because I tend to play AO late at night. ;) But days aren't warmer either: my cheek itched as if it was pinned with little icicles when we were walking towards my grandparent's house from the railway station. (My family has no car.)
Christmas itself was happy, I got tons of presents and it was much of a relief noting that all of my presents were a good choice.
What bothers me though is the period of hard work I am standing before as I will start exams almost in a week now and I still have much to learn. Luckily most of my subjects (Sociology, Mathematical Analysis, Statistics, Law, Civilisation History) are at least a little interesting and that makes learning way easier.
I am better now, tomorrow I will be good as new I am sure. :)
While having a shower I just made a very interesting recognition. Shower is the best place to think about journal posts. With all the quiteness and the hot water running on me, ideas what to write about just flocked to me. I guess I'll have a pre-shower every time I want to write a neat post.
Yesterday - though I was ill - great luck shined on me as I could finish with Smuggler's Den once and forever. I have a full set of MKII armor now! Yep. And 6,4k HP. Which r0xx. Yeehaw!
Now I am busy with tons of mails I am sending to different friends and relatives of mine to wish merry Christmas. I cited a message for them from the Bible as well, from the thirteenth chapter of the first letter to Corinthians about love. Not that I am a believer in God (what I believe in is a difficult question which I have to think about myself as well. Maybe one day I'll post it. I am not baptised, that is for sure.) but once my father showed this to me and I liked it very much. That's all.
I don't think I'll post tomorrow, so: I wish you, readers, a very merry and peaceful Christmas!
I'm sick. Some kind of a virus. Symptoms are simple: I feel bad. I wish I could cast Invocation of the Phoenix on myself to heal up completely. Or just let me be Fawkes so that I can light myself up and burn to ashes and reborn renewed. Not to mention the cool look, red feathers and the ability to fly. :) Well, tomorrow I will be better I am sure. Just sleep a little and that is it. Happy Golden Sunday to all.
It is snowing for 2 days now, and this makes me much more happier than I were without snow. Well, apart from the little accident I had with ice-covered steps at my accomodation the world is much greater covered in snow. What more I just realised, that I haven't seen Budapest in winter ever. It is good! :) Trams are sloooow and drivers seem to reduce the inasne speed they usually drive their cars. For me everything seems much more relaxed and joyful. And really in this great Christmas atmosphere who cares about late buses and trams. ;)
I am going to buy presents for my family now. Fun, fun, fun. :)
Well, I got my very first signature today, that I have completed a subject at the university. It is communication and my closing mark is 4 (good, equivalent to B). Of course it could have been better, but I am satisfied for now, as communication was a realtively easy subject. The more difficult ones are ahead yet. So expect more to come.
I agree with the common opinion that the second {Harry Potter movie} is better than the first one. The story feels more like a flow and it can keep up one's attention even if he read the book earlier. However the problem persists that the filmmakers want to show too much of the book. It must have been a very hard decision what to put in and what to cut from the movie. I stick to the belief that Harry Potter cannot be made into a film very easy and Chris Columbus does his very best to do it.
The character of Dobby for example was flawless. I think he is the current top of computer animation. He was so alive and every move he made was perfect. Waht more, the animators could catch the personality of Dobby very precisely. Dobby's grimaces and mimicry were very realistic.
The scene I liked most was - strangely to some people - the end of the movie when Hermione and Harry hugged each other and Ron shook hands with Hermione. Some may say it is very Hollywood-ish or Disney-ish. However this scene filled me with emotions of friendship and love and I think this is the real value of both the book and the movie. The Harry Potter series lay a great emphasis on showing true human values which is in scarce in nowadays life.
As far as I remember I haven't mentioned here that it is freezing cold this week. At least in Hungarian terms. I think it is not the very low temperature that makes people chill to the bones but the sharp wind and the suddenness of the frosty weather. It crept here and surprised everyone on a morning last week: when people wake up, they saw everything around covered with frost and when they stepped out of their houses they were hit by the evil icy blows. And it seems the frigid weather likes Hungary and is willing to stay here for a long time.
As for me I will go to the cinema soon to watch Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Critics say it is much better than the first movie, though not perfect yet. Well, I'll see if it meets my expectations.
Danger coming up. At school the exam period is approaching at an enormous and unpleasant speed. After Christmas and New Year's Eve I will have to sit and study. However I have certain fears about this namely the fact that I feel very drawnback in comparison to other students in my group. And this causes me much unrest lately.
Remember that I mentioned I am working on a "secret" project? I guess it doesn't matter keeping it a secret anymore. I am translating the novel {Rules are Rules} by Ragnar Tornquist. I do not know what do I need to have the rights to translate a short story liek that. I wrote an e-mail to Ragnar for permission that is still unanswered. I don't think I can do much more about this, so when the translation is ready I will make it available on this site, for I think Rules are Rules is very good but the problem is many of my friends I wanted to show it don't speak English. This was my main motivation when I started to work on the translation. Pity I couldn't do it the way I wanted to, i.e. with the author's permission.
Regardless of the fact that Ragnar keeps ignoring my letters I am reading his {journal}. On 7th December he wrote this: "Of course, I could always get uncomfortably personal and start talking about my feelings. But I don't think any of us want to go there quite yet." this made me think about my journal here. Do I write about my feelings? Yes I do. (Here it worths mentioning that in my opinion ragnar does as well.) But I don't see that as a problem. I was asked by one of my ex-schoolmates a couple of weeks ago if it bothers me that many people I don't know a heck about can look into me. Well, the original goal of this journal was to provide information about me. If someone is not interested he doesn't read. So simple. And the ones that read do it for they have found something that interests them. And the question if it was a problem that these people can read about my personal stuff as well... no it's not. At least not by me. And if the only use of this journal will be that in the far future I will be able to look back and see what kind of a person I was now, it's OK. A journal is to store events, feelings, motives, any stuff. Not less and not more.
Just a fast post before I leave for the train. The things I whined about last time are mostly done. ;) And I managed to reach 152 in AO as well, in addition to participating in 3 Tara raids. So successfulness shined over my weekend. Not to mention the very interesting conversation I had with Salvaes - a fellow nanomage adventurer - while waiting for Tarasque to spawn.
And now next week awaits me with many challanges, including a Communication exam. May the force be with me!