As anyone reading this blog more than once could probably figure out, I’m a big supporter of digital formats being a way to bring the written word to the world quickly, cheaply and efficiently. There’s a lot of strengths to the format and I’ve talked about them frequently. But, while every format has its strengths, it also has its weaknesses. One of the weaknesses, I’m afraid, is that there’s no physical copy… who knew?
This may come as a shock to you, but I’m not just a writer, I’m a gamer. Go figure, right? But the thing about it is that recently the two worlds have been merging more and more as games with real plots have started to become the standard bearers for the rest of the industry. Writing for games has actually, in some studios, become respectable. And at the forefront of a lot of this was a game series called Mass Effect.
And then they fucked it up.
I’m not saying that as a judgment of the quality of their last game but rather as a judgment of their position in the eyes of their fans. You see, if you’re unaware, there was a bit of a controversy not long ago about the release of the final game in the trilogy, Mass Effect 3. The ending for this game was apparently so counter to what the fans expected that there was what could be called a… nuclear meltdown. The fans of the series, at least a large portion of them, have said they felt betrayed by the results of Mass Effect 3’s last 10 to 20 minutes of game time. How betrayed? Well one person actually reported them to the Federal Trade Commission for, apparently, fraud.
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| Even the characters are confused |
I swear I’m not panicking.
So there you have it, I’ve laid out what I believe. Though, really, it’s not what I believe, it’s what I know. I know the things I’ve talked about here happened, I can prove it to myself and to others. I don’t know what exactly triggered the start of the universe, but I do know that it’s not something described in any of the religious texts that exist today. Regardless of what religion you are, it’s not my cup of tea. And yeah, some people may be worried for my “soul” or my mental well-being. But I’m not.
No religion out there can really claim to be absolutely sure they’re right. They all try to, of course, but when you consider how many religions there are out there and how many variations there are you start to wonder just what exactly would be the deciding factor in not blowing it. After all, look at the schism in just Christianity.
And most of the times its a matter of wording and translation. So most of what people believe in is not based in an actual infallible word because…why would they argue about it? But you can’t really convince people otherwise because, well, the book tells them it’s telling the truth.
And in the end, regardless of what your belief system is, there’s really only one sure-fire way to live a good life: Don’t be a douche-bag. Whether you think you’ll get an eternal reward or that it’ll make life a lot easier during this one beautiful moment of time, your best bet for a good life is to not make other people miserable. And, if you’re not an asshole, you can’t go wrong regardless of whether your opinions and beliefs are right or wrong.
Continue reading I am what I am: religious edition: conclusion
So then, I’ve admitted I believe in Evolution. So the obvious conclusion from most people I know (but not most people reading this) is “So that means you believe the whole universe started from nothing?”
Well, no. But I do believe there was a big bang.
The rapid expansion of the universe from a chaotic beginning is assured. The question now is what set it off, not whether or not it happened. That’s a pretty bold statement to some, I’m sure, but it’s not one that I take lightly. It’s not that I’m speaking of this out of simple faith but rather out of simple observation. We look into the sky every night and we see stars and galaxies that are so far away from us that we could not see them if the universe wasn’t extremely old already. Light travels at a constant and these things are far far away. To put this into perspective, this picture takes up a space in the sky that could be covered by your finger.
Continue reading I am what I am: religious edition: cosmology
So, inevitably when you make the statement I made in the last post you get the same question: “So you believe in evolution?”
Yes, yes I do.
Continue reading I am what I am: religious edition: evolution
A couple days ago I put the finishing touches to my manuscript, attached a cover and published my works to e-reader markets. In the process of doing it, I happened to put in a dedication to the people who really pressed the creation of my story the most. One of them was thanked for provoking me into debates. That woman passed away a couple years ago and I find myself thinking about her right now and realizing I need to address this topic.
It’s time to talk about God.
This is a post that’s been coming for a while. Back around New Years I was invited by a religious blogger to come and follow him on his sermons. I did not respond positively to this. Mind you, I’m not against religious people, but I have a history with being preached to that makes it apparent the poor man didn’t realize who he was talking to.
Continue reading I am what I am: religious edition: introduction
Today, on this first day of the new year, I reflect back on the last couple of years and the stuff I’ve heard from people, seen from others and have had to put up from still others. Why do I reflect on it? Well, to be honest, I kind of got trolled on my Blog. And, if you’re out there reading this, hi Steve!
But what Steve did, with his drive by invitation, reminded me of a few things that should be put blatantly here. See, I started this blog for the expressed purpose of letting people know who I am and how I sound (in the literary sense, I’m giving a view of my voice). This blog is, essentially, the window into just what the hell people are getting into if they ever have to deal with me or ever actually find themselves liking my writing (heaven forbid). And not long after I started it, someone informed me that they felt I should avoid politics and religion.
I think Steve just reminded me why I didn’t want to do that originally.
You see, someday there will be a time when people are going to want to know who I am. Regardless of whether that person matters or not, I need to be honest with myself and those around me. And as such, I make my new years resolution: To live by the code of a great philosopher known far and wide.
Popeye, wise soul that he was, famously said, “I am what I am and that’s all that I am.”
Truer words never spoken.
One of my favorite songs, for reasons I can rarely understand, is “Be Human”. It’s a little tune from the soundtrack of Ghost in the Shell that often drifts to mind whenever I find myself worrying too much about whatever may be. I guess it’s strange that, from time to time, I relate better to the mechanical people that the song represents. But one section of the song, more than any other, sticks with me almost constantly.
I analyze and I verify and I quantify enough
100 percentile no errors no miss
I synchronize and I specialize and I classify so much
Don’t worry ’bout dreaming because I don’t sleep —
It’s the part that always springs to my mind first, which is good, because it’s the first part of the song. But I’ve always felt it represents me and my near lifelong battle with insomnia. Sometimes I wish I could shut it off, just, turn it off and make it stop. I try to sleep and I end up face down in a pillow for over an hour while worrying about things that shouldn’t be a problem. I know everyone has problems sleeping when they worry, but not as many people keep the hours I do…
I can’t help it, I just can’t sleep.
So, I was going to update on the next step of BS with writers, and I still will, but in the meantime, I have a personal update that I figured was amusing and required attention.
Today I got a rejection letter.
Now this in itself isn’t uncommon and I’m totally cool with the concept of it. Aside from bad timing, it was almost expected and I’m happy to send this story that was rejected somewhere else. But as I stared at the form letter they sent me, I came to wonder one thing: What do I do with it?
