Wednesday, December 12, 2007

4K.Grubby: Fickle balance

Fickle balance

Some useful definitions:

fickle adjective 2. liable to sudden unpredictable change; “erratic behavior”; “fickle weather”; “mercurial twists of temperament”; “a quicksilver character, cool and willful at one moment, utterly fragile the next”

balance noun 1. a state of equilibrium or equipoise; equal distribution of weight, amount, etc.

fickle balance 1+2. a state of equilibrium liable to sudden unpredictable change; “fickle balance”; “a quicksilver strategy, strong and unbeatable and one moment, utterly fragile the next”

Metagame: the strategic analysis of a single strategy, or the most commonly played strategies in any given region of the country, in the hopes of creating a strategy that will be more likely to beat strategies of the original type when played in a tournament environment.

One of the most debated and controversial issues in the Warcraft III scene, is that of balance.

We humans have an irresistible urge to categorize everything that we see. In order to understand new data that we come across more readily, we put these pieces of information in boxes with fitting labels. In this way, we build a vast library in our brains concerning all topics, especially those topics that we are concerned with most in our daily life. For many of us, a game has become part of our routine and often these games require us to study and learn great amounts in order to advance. By organizing the information in our head, we create new neural pathways in our brain for actions we do repeatedly. Calling upon our memories and skills for certain actions will go increasingly faster as we repeat these actions more often. Hence the saying, ‘practice makes perfect’.

We are intent on creating ranks for everyone and everything. I myself have noticed that the majority of people have a strong desire to know at any given point, all year round, exactly who are the top 10 players for each race and which Country produces the best players.

Last but not least, we are obsessed with finding out which race is the strongest and which is the weakest. Game balance comes in to play in our community when people attempt to use facts based on balance to produce a ranking of the races, which they at heart feel most comfortable with.

If Rick’s favorite player is the Undead user FoV then it is unlikely that Rick will be willing to accept arguments that support Undead being the strongest race. This is because FoV’s accomplishments will appear far more convincing to Rick if Undead was the weakest race. FoV would lay a spanking despite the shortcomings of his race, which would then be all the more impressive to fans. Some spectators take this one step further by also attempting to convince everyone else that FoV is constantly fighting against the odds because Undead is the weakest race. However, this attempt is most likely futile as usual (since everyone plays a different race and has different favorite players); it would be good to remember the basic motivation that people crusade against each other on forums.

People are very good at deluding themselves to obtain peace of mind. We do this when faced with concepts we aren’t comfortable with. For example, believing in resurrection to help us accept death is similar in a lot of ways to believing that orc is imbalanced so that we may accept loss, without being forced to admit that the other player is more skilled. Personally I have no problem allowing people their reasons so that they may find peace of mind, so long as people don’t mistake these arguments for irrefutable proof of their claims.

The greatest wisdom can be found by considering all points of view before coming to a conclusion. Which strategy is balanced and which is imbalanced? It seems there is an opinion for every grain of sand in the Sahara Desert and like the sand; they are blown away just as easily with every gust of wind. Indeed, I find that the balance in Warcraft III can be viewed just so: waves ripple through the community with a fresh wind every few weeks and completely shatter our previous suppositions. Those people that stick with their earlier conclusions find themselves outnumbered by the ones who ride the wave, unless their mind stays unchanged until the next wave when a strategy becomes imbalanced – for the second time.

A good example of this wave theory is the Druids of the Talons strategy. It was early 2005 when Moon had chills of despair running down the spine of every Orc player with his unbeatable DotT strategy. Those who did not have the misfortune of meeting the father of the DotT strategy Mr. Moon, would meet one of his many followers attempting to replicate his strategy, and with great success. Orcs were helpless for a year, or longer, against the DotT’s, winning only when the Orc apparently out skilled the Night elf by a huge margin. With no new patch at all, there was a sudden shift of power. A new wave rippled across the WarCraft III community, not because the balance had changed, but the balance as we perceive it.

Was it not after I defeated Moon 3 to 1 in WEG Masters (on Night elf biased maps, no less) that it seemed the DotT strategy had lost its once dominant appeal? It was shortly before the WEG Masters semi finals that players had begun to pick up on playing Druids of the Claw instead. This was a notion that would become all the more attractive after the conclusion of WEG Masters. Orcs were starting to counter DotT strategies all across battle.net, now claiming ‘it’s not hard to play against’, and ‘bears are much more difficult’.

I find that the balance of confidence is often a large influence on the outcome of matches. Don’t be overconfident, but have a firm resolve and believe that you can win as long as you play it right. The confidence of all Orcs increased after I beat Moon in China.

The confidence of Orcs would once again decrease after the figureheads of the race start to lose matches yet again (you’d be surprised how quickly this wildfire of despair spreads if you haven’t seen it!). It is certainly no boost to the morale when I watch Satiini or Satiini clones defeat Lyn 2 – 0 again and again or how Zacard tries to hold his own with the mass of experienced Chinese Night Elves.

Some players become desperate when their fellow race users start to lose; to them it seems impossible to win.

It was only a matter of time before a talented and hard working Night Elf player would pick up the DotT strategy again and play it so effectively that it would create a new shift in the meta-game.

HoT has started playing DotT’s again, not like Moon once had – but a new way. With subtle nuances he has reshaped the strategy just as so many other players reshape existing strategies time and time again. In the end it’s not about an arbitrary truth of how the balance really is. It is in fact a constant shift and waves of the meta-game which has players always trying to stay one step ahead of everyone else.

Many people ask me how to make it to the top. The most important thing is not to get carried away on the waves, on waves of opinions of other people. Only your own opinions matters when you are determining your own luck.

The first step is to get to know your equipment well, your utensils and all the hotkeys of the game.

Secondly you must follow the example set by others, so that you understand the meta-game. Thirdly you must be stubborn, because being on the top means not being just another sheep in the flock.

Lastly I’d like to mention that the real challenge is not the climb to the top, but staying on top once you are there. This is not a static position, but an ever-moving one.

It doesn’t get any easier once you are there.

Source: http://www.esportsglobal.com/articles/1

Sunday, November 25, 2007

Afternoon Delight

This is the song of the day after I watched Good Will Hunting :)

Afternoon Delight - the Starland Vocal Band

Gonna find my baby, gonna hold her tight
gonna grab some afternoon delight.
My motto's always been; when it's right, it's right.
Why wait until the middle of a cold dark night.
When everything's a little clearer in the light of day.
And you know the night is always gonna be there any way.

Sky rockets in flight. Afternoon delight. Afternoon delight.

Thinkin' of you's workin' up my appetite
looking forward to a little afternoon delight.
Rubbin' sticks and stones together makes the sparks ingite
and the thought of rubbin' you is getting so exciting.

Sky rockets in flight. Afternoon delight. Afternoon delight.

Started out this morning feeling so polite
I always though a fish could not be caught who wouldn't bite
But you've got some bait a waitin' and I think I might try nibbling
a little afternoon delight.

Sky rockets in flight. Afternoon delight. Afternoon delight.

Please be waiting for me baby when I come around.
We could make a lot of lovin' 'for the sun goes down.

Sky rockets in flight. Afternoon delight. Afternoon delight.
Sky rockets in flight. Afternoon delight. Afternoon delight.

Thursday, November 15, 2007

Can't Take That Away From Me

I have two job interviews tomorrow and even though there is a small chance that I am going to get the job, I will not accept the fact that I am not good enough to be hired. It just can't be true. It is a high chance that I won't be hired because I am a foreigner, and also because I am not a genius. What I can say for myself is that I know I am above average, and I will, unlike many other people, contrary to popular belief, work hard and do my utmost best to get to where I want. If all else is lost, I know that I will always have my desire, the burning desire to be all I can be. They just can't take that away from me.

Can't Take That Away From Me - Mariah Carey

Mmmmh
Whoaaa

They can say,
Anything they want to say,
Try to bring me down,
But I will not allow anyone to succeed hanging clouds over me,
And they can try
Hard to make me feel that I,
Don't matter at all,
But I refuse to falter in what I believe or lose faith in my dreams

'Cause there's,
There's a light in me,
That shines brightly,
Yes, They can try,
But they can't take that away from me
From me

No no nooo

Oh they,
They can do
Anything they want to you,
If you let them in,
But they won't ever win,
If you cling to you pride, and just push them aside,
See I..
I have learned,
There's an inner peace I own,
Something in my soul that they can not possess
So I won't be afraid and the darkness will fade

'Cause there's,
There's light in me me,
That shines brightly,
Yes, They can try,
But they can't take that away from me

No oh oh,
They can't take this
Precious love I'll always have inside me,
Certainly the Lord will guide me where I need to go

Woah, woah
They can say
Anything they want to say,
Try to bring me down,
But I won't face the ground,
I will rise steadily sailing out of their reach,
Oh, Lord, they do try,
Hard to make me feel that I,
Don't matter at all
But I refuse to falter
In what I believe or lose faith in my dreams,
'Cause there's a light in me,
That shines brightly

Yes, They can try but they can't take that away from
Me
From me
No no nooo
Me

Monday, November 12, 2007

Ode To Joy

There are just days where no words can explain them. They are just what they are. Nevertheless, we have the opportunity to celebrate life, hence, I have decided to give you guys Mozart's Ode To Joy, no words, simply an ode to joy.

Mozart - Ode To Joy

Life Soundtrack

One of my professors, Karl Voss, wisely said that one of the greatest shortcomings of life is that it lacks a soundtrack. You should have happy music playing in the background for happy times, sad music for sad times, romantic music for romantic times. I tend to agree with him. So from today onwards, I will start a project, of creating a soundtrack for my life, and I will post a download link for the song that basically describes the general outcome at the end of each day, and I take no responsibility in justifying or confirming what you may think or deduce about my life from the songs that I post. I just hope you celebrate life with me, in a more melodious way.

I posted below the song "Had a Bad Day" by Daniel Powter, not because I had a bad day, but because some other people did and I wish them well and hope that they can bounce back and exhibit their true worth eventually, of course, better sooner than later.

Sunday, November 11, 2007

Had A Bad Day

Had A Bad Day - Daniel Powter

Where is the moment we needed the most
You kick up the leaves and the magic is lost
You tell me your blue skies fade to grey
You tell me your passion's gone away
And I don't need no carryin' on

You stand in the line just to hit a new low
You're faking a smile with the coffee to go
You tell me your life's been way off line
You're falling to pieces everytime
And I don't need no carryin' on

Cause you had a bad day
You're taking one down
You sing a sad song just to turn it around
You say you don't know
You tell me don't lie
You work at a smile and you go for a ride
You had a bad day
The camera don't lie
You're coming back down and you really don't mind
You had a bad day
You had a bad day

Well you need a blue sky holiday
The point is they laugh at what you say
And I don't need no carryin' on

You had a bad day
You're taking one down
You sing a sad song just to turn it around
You say you don't know
You tell me don't lie
You work at a smile and you go for a ride
You had a bad day
The camera don't lie
You're coming back down and you really don't mind
You had a bad day

(Oh.. Holiday..)

Sometimes the system goes on the blink
And the whole thing turns out wrong
You might not make it back and you know
That you could be well oh that strong
And I'm not wrong (yeah, yeah, yeah, yeeeah)

So where is the passion when you need it the most
Oh you and I
You kick up the leaves and the magic is lost

Cause you had a bad day
You're taking one down
You sing a sad song just to turn it around
You say you don't know
You tell me don't lie
You work at a smile and you go for a ride
You had a bad day
You've seen what you like
And how does it feel for one more time
You had a bad day
You had a bad day

(Oh, yeah, yeaaah, yeah)
Had a bad day
(Oh, had a bad day)
Had a bad day
(Oh, yeah, yeah, yeeeeah)
Had a bad day
(Oh, had a bad day)
Had a bad day...
Had a bad day...

Thursday, November 8, 2007

Mutatis Mutandis

Change only what needs changing. This Latin phrase is usually used in mathematics to save lazy mathematicians (FYI, all mathematicians are lazy) but for some reason, this phrase keeps playing in my mind. Isn't this how we approach life? Maybe "life" is too big a word. How about relationships? More specifically, relationships that we wish to retain. I mean, why bother about people that we have no intention in developing relationships with? I am not talking about couple relationships, but just relationships in general, platonic, business, and of course, sexual. I venture to claim that people who have "perfect" relationships, and by this, I mean the ideal, unconditional relationships, in their dreams. For example, guys play ignorant and claim that they are who they are and girls should never try to change them, or the more ridiculous, "I have a girls' night out with my friends and this is what girls do". Well, sad news, guys and girls, in this life, we always have to have priorities, something must be done before the other, just because time is irreversible. So if you place more importance in your relationship with a particular someone, you have to change your priorities to fit with that person's wants, and sometimes needs. This doesn't go so far as to say that we have to change our lives completely for the sake of someone that we deem is important to us. Hence, mutatis mutandis.

From my personal experience, change is vital in maintaining a strong relationship. I used to be very stubborn in being who I am. I didn't care what other people thought about me, I didn't care if I hurt someone else's feelings, not because I am mean, but because I felt that they should just get over it because there is more to life than just "that something that was troubling them", usually something I deem as very trivial such as "my cat died", or "I think I might get a C in my mid-term test", or "I can't find my notes". That must have been the longest modifying clause ever. So anyway, when someone means a lot more to you than anyone else does, things change. I was ready and willing to change my ways, to try to be gentler, and more sensitive, and in a more metro-sexual context, not detest shopping. But then again, people then say, "but, but, but... that would mean you're not yourself anymore". Well, I say, "mutatis mutandis". Change only what needs changing

Thursday, November 1, 2007

A Walk Worthwhile...

I have been thinking about this for a while now and I never really got around to answer it myself. Why do people keep blogs? Specifically, why do bother maintaining my personal blog? I mean, it is one thing to share my thoughts and feelings with the world, but is that it? There just has to be more than this. I even titled my blog, "A Walk To Remember". I guess that really says it all for me, or so I thought. I am not known for ranting about whatever shit that happens in my life, in fact, I am very seldom in a sharing mood. Why do I keep a blog if I don't intend to share? Well, it's not that I don't like sharing, I actually love to share my thoughts and feelings and especially experiences. But just not in a blog. But just as the word share would suggest, I'd like sharing to be a two-way exchange. I'd like some feedback every now and then. But I digress.

So why is this "walk" worth remembering? I think about all the posts that I have written thus far, and I don't remember all of them. Maybe that's why I need to write them down. But why let other people into my private thoughts? Or are they really meant to be private? Am I just letting off steam? Am I just expressing the pent-up frustration that resides within me most of the time? Do I have anger-management issues? I'd like to think that I am actually a pretty laid-back guy. I work best when I am relaxed. My mind works like magic when I feel no pressure. Maybe that's why I suck at exams. But the funny thing about all of this is, my mind refuses to work at all if there is no impending deadline. This is pretty ironic, but this is what America does to you. The lack of challenge in my final semesters at college is just dulling my sharpest tool (Fuck you, Kok, not what you're thinking about).

I can't wait to go out to "the world" and be who I am meant to be. As Philip Zimbardo put it, "Every one of us has the capacity to be a hero... a hero is not someone extraordinary, but someone ordinary put in an extraordinary situation doing an extraordinary deed." Maybe, just maybe, if you believe enough, at some point in our lives, we will be put into a situation when you know was you were just meant to be there, you were born for that moment, and that is when you know your "walk" was worthwhile, a walk worth remembering.

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

A New Cause

One of the cool things in college life is that your professor brings a movie to class and lets you watch it during class time. One of the 25 000 wonders in life. Just the other day, Professor Kirby, who is my Geology professor, brought Al Gore's documentary, "An Inconvenient Truth" to class for the students "pleasure". Now, I am not going to go on a rant about what the movie is about, or praise how good it is, or criticize how bad it is, but what I would like to point is not that global warming is a fact, but the movie has inspired me to pursue a cause. Not that, all of a sudden I am going to be super environment-friendly or anything like that. What I am saying is that I believe that by pursuing a cause, will definitely give me, and most probably you, a more fulfilling life. I stress the phrase, "... a cause...", not Al Gore's cause. I mean, it's not like I had no aim in life or anything, I have always wanted to reduce world poverty and all that good shit, but that is where the difference is. The difference is between having a cause, and "pursuing" a cause. I had a cause, but I never really tried hard to do anything about it. I kept telling myself I am not ready, but we all know it's an excuse. The pursuit of a cause requires motivating people, other than myself, to have a common goal, to work and contribute towards an ideal. So anyhow, I just wanna comment that Al Gore did a good job motivating people towards the common goal in reducing global warming. I stress that it is not that he single-handedly reduced global warming, but I think that he has successfully put across the message to the general public that global warming is coming, whether we like it or not, and it's coming fast. So, in short, pursuing a cause is about leaving messages, messages that induce thought and awareness, which is always a good start, which of course, should always be followed by action, otherwise, nothing would happen anyway. So as I have preached (overly so), it is very important that the world needs to know how to be financially intelligent, so that they can stay rich and not squander their money away through debt and interest payments. So, hopefully, after you read this, you will think about what financial intelligence means and what you can do to be financially intelligent.

Monday, September 17, 2007

HARD Talk

Check out the video on this link.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/hardtalk/6992908.stm

You need Real Player, but if you don't have it, it will be worthwhile to get it, especially if you are Malaysian.

I like the way how the reporter schools Syed Hamid Albar, but her research was not enough to finish him off and let him escape at the end of the interview with some good comeback punches. If only I was the one doing the interview... Hmm... but you guys would probably have to apply for a visiting pass to prison to see me then.

Sunday, September 16, 2007

10 Things I Hate About...

This marks the beginning of my "10 Things I Hate About (Something)" series. What inspired this? Well, you are about to see that real soon. In this episode, we are going to discuss the 10 things I hate about life. So, here we go:

10. Computer viruses

Ern's computer caught a fucked up virus that freezes her computer at the "Welcome" screen of windows. I spent about 2 hours trying to fix it to no avail. Oh how I hate computer viruses.

9. Computer viruses

OMG, did I say I hate computer viruses? I REALLY REALLY HATE COMPUTER VIRUSES!!

8. Liars

I can stand liars. I mean, I lie all the time, but we all know it's in good fun. But real liars are intolerable. People who say one thing, and then behind your back, they change their word, and some are just worse; they don't even bother to do it behind your back. But I guess that's in some ways better than those who do it behind your back. At least they come out in front of you. But I still detest liars.

7. Pretenders

Why are pretenders worse than liars? Or rather, why do I hate pretenders more than liars? What is the difference anyway? Liars just speak things that are not true. But pretenders, they live it. Why is living a lie worse than telling lies? Well, it's pretty intuitive, don't you think? I guess if you really want to look on the bright side from my perspective, at least they are cheating themselves.

6. Leechers I

The first kind of leecher is more of a geekspeak kind of leecher. In the world of file-sharing, leechers are people who download from others and never let others download from them. Oh wow, you can't even share free stuff. What the hell is wrong with you?

5. Leechers II

The second kind of leechers that I hate, are those that leech off of my abilities. Now, I am not boasting here because I don't have many abilities that people can leech off of. But I really hate people who never talk to me for over two years and all of a sudden, they want to know why the government or the central bank can control economic activity through open market operations or want me to vet some report for them. Don't you find this ridiculous?

4. Whiners

Everybody hates whiners. 'Nuff said.

3. Sore losers

Wow, there's a limit to being bitter about losing. You can suck it up, go home and wait to fight another day. You don't need to insult your opponents after you lose.

2. Idiots/Assholes (many other names for this group)

How can you ever skip this in a hate list, right? I can't stand people who just do ridiculously ridiculous things. I mean, they are not stupid people, I have nothing against the ill-informed, but I just despise those who keep doing stupid things over and over.

Now, for number 1...

1. Computer viruses

Did I say computer viruses already? HOLY SHIT, nothing has ever pissed me off more than computer viruses and idiots who keep sending them to other people and infect other people's computers. Seriously, if your computer has been infected, please get it repaired AT ALL COSTS, not ignore it and deal with it while it kills other people's computers as well.

Saturday, August 4, 2007

This Cannot Be It

This cannot be it. Yet it is.
For many people, the year ends on the 31st of December. For me, the year ends when a new one begins. For many people, their senior years will seem to be the most significant of their lives up to that point. For me, I just felt like I already had the most significant year of my life up to this point. My junior year was full of ups and downs, and most definitely filled with lots of character building experiences. The first semester of junior year seemed to last longer than all other semesters because of a very special vertically challenged, yet horizontally inclined woman who tried to teach me Statistical Modelling. Plus, I was suffering (I like to think that it was induced by this special woman) from what one of my other professors referred to as "senioritis".
Senioritis: Senioritis is an imaginary syndrome attributed to students nearing the end of high school and college in the United States and Canada. Its symptoms can include laziness, procrastination, apathy toward schoolwork, and truancy.
Well, just to clarify, I was most certainly not truant, and definitely not apathetic towards school work. But I was lazy, and I procrastinated. I felt like I needed to get out of college, and do something more practical. But after the long Fall semester ended, I had the great fortune of being able to study abroad in Melbourne. That would probably be the best time of my life, with almost no problems and stress, and also filled with what I reluctantly claim to be, happiness.

However, towards the end of this year, I suffered (not sure if this is the right term, but I will use the word in accordance to what normal people would feel if they had the similar experience) a pretty significant setback. I managed (somehow) to fail my Financial Mathematics final exam which meant that this was my first fail in the history of my life. I am sure many of you feel sorry for me, even those of you who don't know me that well. The trouble with this is, I may have been disappointed for a short while, but for some reason, I can't seem to think of this as a setback. It feels more like an achievement. Mainly because when I keep thinking about why and how I failed the exam, I realized that I have done so much more in terms of my life. I had given my priorities to things that were more important in my life while putting less effort into the exam. I did not expect to fail, don't get me wrong. I did not even give up. But I sure as hell did not study hard enough. I know that for sure because I felt that I needed more time during the exam. This can only happen because of the lack of practice. I know what I lacked. But that was not why I failed, at least not the root of it.

I think I took the path less traveled by. I know many people have read Robert Frost's poem and thought that taking the path less traveled by simply meant choosing the path that is less taken, making an outrageous decision that is contrary to public opinion. But I was later informed that Frost was talking about having two very similar choices, not a choice that fits the norm while another that doesn't. He was talking about making a choice that is less chosen among two very similar and difficult choices. Basically that was what happened before my final exam. I realized that even though doing well in my final exam was very important for my future, I decided that I could afford to not do as well while placing my priorities on where my heart was. I guess Ern's happiness means so much more to me than just a grade on my exam.

That being said, I still feel disappointed about my failure. Many people are shocked, so was I. But in a more positive light, this feels more like an achievement than many of the As that I have throughout college. Not only is this a humbling experience, but it is most definitely eye-opening. Just as Bruce Wayne's father used to ask him when he was a boy,
Bruce, why do we fall? Because we can learn to pick ourselves up.
So I cannot say that I actually fell, but in the eyes of many, I probably did. I am not one to dwell on what others think about me. I just know that in light of such events, I realized that by trusting my heart, no matter what happens, even in the face of the darkest hours, I still feel strong and brave and march on.

It is still a black mark in my otherwise clean history. But as they say,
People who have never failed in life have never really succeeded either.
Is it as simple as that? The justification of my failure? This cannot be it. Yet it is.

Tuesday, April 17, 2007

Internet Explorer... you pathetic piece of shit

Okay, I haven't posted anything in a while, but that's because there isn't much to post at all. It is not that there's nothing interesting worth sharing in my life, rather, it's just that there's nothing that I want to share or can share with the public at this point. However, I just tried to access my blog using IE from the Math Library in the University of Melbourne and my blog looked like crap. So I tried accessing with Firefox and everything was completely fine. This clearly shows that IE is a piece of garbage and if you are still using IE, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE go download Firefox before you come back to my site again. Or else, I will ban you from visiting my site.

Tuesday, January 30, 2007

Too Fast Too Furious

Immediately our mind races over to the engine throttles and the smooth gear shifts as well as the breakneck speed or the weak drifting, depending on which movie you watched. However, recently, I have discovered something that goes even faster than the nitro-charged street-cars (barring planes and shit), that is, my haste.

Time and again I have failed to think before I speak. Often times, I hurt people and sometimes I infuriate them without realizing what I have done, and what is ultimately worse, without intension. For the better (in terms of length and quality) of my life, I strive to think before I speak. Or so I think. Several events of late have in some sense, humbled me, and in a larger sense kick-started a process of self-reflection and transformation.

Without going into detail, I feel that I have been very careless with the way I speak to people. My sense of humor, albeit sensational (self-praise is no praise), is usually derived at the expense of a certain someone and in most cases, towards the person I am speaking to. Now that I have thought about it more carefully, some of those people must have felt hurt or angry because of my nonchalant comments. In the past, I have always disregarded the feelings of others, mainly because I was ignorant, but also because I couldn't be bothered. Furthermore, I excuse myself by thinking that some people just can't take jokes.

Fortunately, I am an advocate of personal change. For too long I have hurt people without caring. For too long I have let my speech exceed the speed limit, and what's ultimately worse, for too long I have pissed people off without realizing or intending to do so.

Thursday, January 11, 2007

Old vs. New

This is a blog about almost absolutely nothing. I would just like to highlight a few differences that I have discovered between the old Windows XP Pro and the new Windows XP Media Center thus far. Needless to say, I could only figure out these differences because I just bought a new computer.

1. The new Office 2007 is uber (for those of you who use Equation Editor, Office 2007 comes with it, even the pirated version). You no longer need to original version to get the plug-in. However, you need SP2 to install it. Hence, I couldn't install Office 2007 in my old computer because the XP Pro is pirated and is stuck at SP1. For those of you who have no clue what I am talking about, damn, it's time you learn about computers!

2. Windows Movie Maker has "fixed" some bugs. In my old computer, I could convert *.rm (Real Media Player) files to *.wmv format. One wonders why I would want to do that, but just for your information, some people don't have and don't know how to download Real Media Player (You know who you are!). The new computer, however, no longer supports this conversion. Clearly, monopoly at its peak!

If you have any funky differences to share, please do comment!