Game Charged as Accomplice

Two 18 year old douchebags were racing their parents' luxury cars last night when one of them hit a cab and instantly killed the driver. Both guys were arrested and will be charged with some serious offences. I think their lives are pretty much over at this point, since they'll spend most of the next 10-15 years going to court and sitting in jail, and all the time after that regretting what they did.

The older I get, the more I subscribe to the belief that people are completely incapable of making rational choices until after the age of 22 (and sometimes never).

The illusion of invulnerability is likely responsible for more deaths in the 16-22 age range than any disease. I personally think it's due to permissive parenting and not enough exposure to the real world. This is a disease of affluent living in the 'burbs, where the worst thing that happens is getting caught smoking weed in the park late at night. In this case, though, a car racing videogame was found in one of the cars and will very likely be blamed for the disconnect from reality that these guys suffered (and are surely cured of by now).

It's really kind of funny to see the reporters holding up a copy of the game and talking about how it involves illegal street racing and encourages reckless behavior. They are charging the game with being an accomplice to a crime, or maybe even positioning it as the perp, with the teens being just naive followers of every command given to them by a box. I think "people" (and by that I mean everyone over a certain age that doesn't have a clue) are just scared of a relatively new art form. Mind you, video games have been around for over 30 years, but they've only recently evolved from things that we could easily separate ourselves from (moving rectangles on the screen) to completely real looking simulations of things that we might see or (psychopathically) do in real life.

It seems perfectly natural to blame a street racing game on the real life enactment of the things depicted in it, but really it's no worse than watching a movie featuring the exact same things (The Fast and The Furious).

I think the problem is not in the content of video games, but in the value players place on their own lives. There are no 1-UP's in real life; you only get one go of it. Young people tend to forget this and end up fucking things up before they even get to the interesting part of the game (where they face off against the boss/spouse character). Parents should strive to keep their youngens grounded by not spoiling, sheltering, or (God forbid!) boring them.

On Ego and Intelligence

I was just thinking today about how much smarter other people are than me and how little I appreciate it. The problem is ego; I have a big one.

To a certain extent it's beneficial to have a lot of confidence in one's own abilities because fear and doubt are not the factors holding you back in what you want to do. However, too much self-assurance can also lead to ignoring the best resource available for learning, which is other people. Many "enlightened" managers cite hiring people smarter than themselves as a key strategy. I would have a serious problem doing that because 99% of the time I feel like I have completely figured out a person and their critical flaws within 10 minutes of conversation. If someone has more book smarts than me, I just compensate by telling myself that I'm more well-rounded and sociable. If they're more sociable, I take solace in my technical/thinking/numchuk skillz. If they're both more book smart and sociable than me, I give them a wedgie and call it a day.

I think what's needed is to be humbled by the trials of life. Not that life is easy for me by any stretch, I just think that more adversity is needed in order to truly appreciate where I really stand. This level of introspection is difficult and dangerous, which is why I think people prefer to go on thinking they are the smartest person in the room, in every room.

To close this somewhat pointless post, I'll quote Nelson Muntz: "Some of us prefer illusion to despair". That's the kicker! Maybe I am an idiot, but damned if I'll waste my time thinking about what an idiot I am instead of putting what energy I have into solving the various problems of being alive, like how to be smart.

Party Last Night

So my pal Ian had some people over at his house last night. It was quite chill, not too many people and with tea candles providing the ambience. I had two interesting conversations during the party, which was two more than I was expecting so I considered it a success.

#1 was with two ladies with very different backgrounds. I was telling them about the BodyWorlds 2 exhibit that I'd be seeing today, and was interested in getting their perspectives on the subject. One studies animal behavior and so was (like me) keen on the aspects of humanity that are basically animal and reminding ourselves of the similarity between us and other animals. The other was quite opposed to the exhibit and felt like it was a violation to show these bodies devoid of the so-called higher aspects that define what it is to be a human.

#2 was with a longtime friend who has been kind of directionless in life for a while now and trying to get him to see why he should play the game of life rather than have the game of life play him. This was a pretty moving exchange between us, but in the end I got the feeling that nothing I say will be the cause of any substantial difference in his behavior or outlook. So I let it be.

Here are a couple of pictures I took:

Some of the guys huddled over the laptop picking music prior to having a competition to see who has the nicest block handwriting. I have no idea why they did this but it was for some constructive end.

Ian, Tal, Me. Sure I'm making a stupid face, but at least I'm making a stupid face. Your face is stupid all the time!

This is me with Dan, once he showed up. I'm making no face at all but for some reason when I look at this picture I see right down into myself. Next time I'll drink less and smile more.

I am an ad-whore

Yes, that's right, I added google ads to my blog. Mostly it is an exercise to learn more about adsense and how it works. I don't expect to rake it in, but if you want to you can click on the ads to support my $1000 a day habit. Okay so I have no such habit... But just think, you may be helping me get on the wagon!

... Or is it off the wagon? Does the wagon even apply for drug use? Is there some other relevant cliche I can use here?

Things That Induced Smiles

I am in the mood to list and remember/appreciate the things that put smiles on my face, so here goes:

• A few days ago I went to lunch with coworkers, after one of them finished talking about how google will create targetted advertising on tv based on internet habits, I blurted out that I'd be worried people would see porn ads on my tv. It wasn't especially funny but they all burst out laughing. Thinking about how loud and genuine the group's reaction was, is what put the smile on my face.
• I thought about a girl who was a very close friend in high school, and about how she saw the goodness in me when I didn't.
• I was walking down Yonge street on my lunch break and I spotted 3 dudes in suits walking towards me. I thought they were big shots, until I observed that the middle guy had dark navy blue trousers and a light beige suit jacket. It was the silliest business outfit I'd ever seen. That was one smile. Thinking about how I've committed worse fashion atrocities was another.
  
• My pal David got his first full review published in the Village Voice. Don't forget me when the invites to the model/coke parties start rolling in!
• While on the subway listening to the Black Eyed Peas, I idly fantasized about being an incredible breakdancer.
  

Flexed Nuts

So while everyone agrees that new year's eve is an overrated shitty night, I still think that we manage to be disappointed when it ends up worse than we could even imagine beforehand. I'm not going into detail about what went down, except to say that people decided instead of celebrating and appreciating their friends and lives, to get angry about their not-friends and their not-lives and take it out in the form of alpha male monkey conflict-seeking motherfuckery. I abstained.

So, best wishes to everyone out there, I predict this year will be amazing.

Mantra to live by in '06: Life takes strength, all different kinds.