Oops

Seems like my posts might not be showing up on a timely basis.  I think I've been saving and/or just previewing the posts without actually publishing them proper to the blog...  I'll be extra cautious about this next time!  :)

Scale of the Universe

Found this cool link not too long ago.  Imagine: the universe is just so big.  Planets with life, and intelligent life like in Mass Effect or Star Wars, are out there.  Galaxies and star systems with infinite possibilities.  And what exactly is the universe "contained" in?  Is it just a tiny particle within another universe in a never ending Inception-like cycle??  Sadly, I don't think any of us will know within our lifetime.

Mass Effect: Organics vs Synthetics

The Mass Effect franchise started in November 2007 when the first game launched on the Xbox 360.  The narrative is an epic space opera, with a somewhat realistic take on our own future (not a far, far away galaxy like in Star Wars, but rather our own Milky Way in the 2180s).

I love all of the 3 main games that have come out since.  Mass Effect 3 recently came out in March (during spring break nonetheless!) and I spent 30+ hours over a few days, completing every quest and exploring as much of the galaxy as I could.  I was happy with the game (one of my rare game purchases), but the ending was... not satisfying.  For those who already played the game or do not intend on playing, read on, as there will be spoilers!

The reason for me bringing up ME3 now is that, earlier this week on June 26th, Bioware (the developers) released free DLC (downloadable content) for the game.  "The Extended Cut" makes some changes to the ending of the game for the many that voiced their anger and frustration at the original ending.  The new content mostly just expands and explains a few details, but overall, is "too little, too late" for most gamers, myself included.  Still, I am ok with this.  The story always did revolve around the struggle between organics and synthetics, and I feel the new endings (and the supposed "best" and "most canon" Synthesis ending) are for the best.  This ending, seen below, delves into a lot of philosophical thought regarding this struggle (the "new" Refusal ending delves a little further).  "When fire burns, is it at war?  Is it in conflict?  Or is it simply doing what it was created to do?"  "The created will always rebel against the creators."  The only way for peace and ultimate evolution of all life, organic and synthetic, is the synthesis of both, a harmonic combination.

Second Life

Second Life is, in my opinion, a bad representation of a virtual/alternate reality world.  Long story short, the graphics and controls are horrible, and the learning curve would probably turn away a lot of people.  Nonetheless, I spent some time with it and made a PANDAMAN named Tyrael.  Screenshots below.

A fantasy world Destination.  PANDAMAN approved.

A beautiful island resort that unfortunately, doesn't belong to Tyrael.  :(

Stanford University.  Really?  A little too unrecognizable...

THE MARMALADE

A friend shared this video on Facebook.  The marriage of art and technology, and not to mention the editing in the video itself, is amazing.  All those cool videos and commercials?  This is how they do it.  Wow.

THE MARMALADE Identity from schoenheitsfarm production on Vimeo.

Plastic Surgery...

We were talking about plastic surgery in a class or two, and it's certainly a debatable topic.  Personally, I feel that if you want to use plastic surgery as a means to change yourself or for art, and not for injury related reasons, then you're probably insecure about something.  No matter how brutally honest you might be, you are subconsciously insecure about your looks.  Could be due to past trauma or experiences.  Just my quick two cents.

On a related and rather interesting and funny note, I mentioned in class that Koreans have a supposed high rate of plastic surgery.  A quote straight out of the article: "In a 2009 survey by the market research firm Trend Monitor, one of every five women in Seoul between the ages of 19 and 49 said they had undergone plastic surgery."

I mean, look at their stars and singers...

The women are.. "too perfect".

(*They're Korean, but this song is their Japanese debut.)

And the men have some... "feminine" undertones...

Not hatin' or judgin', but analyzin'!!

Crash Course World History

All this talk about art and its historical backgrounds has made me want to review and refresh some topics...  Here's a great weekly web series that touches upon various world history topics.

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBDA2E52FB1EF80C9

Their channel also has videos on biology/chemistry.  Hilarious, yet somewhat effective (if not more), way to learn and review!