Apparently, aristocratic families have a very different sense of values from most other types of families.
Long ago, while working as an English instructor at Berlitz, I once read an article about how a certain hypothetical aristocrat, a certain Harry Stow-Crat (try pronouncing this name quickly), never cleaned up after eating, because he knew that his maids would always clean up for himself, instead. Similarly, he didn't care about spilling wine on the tablecloth, either, because he knew that... moreApparently, aristocratic families have a very different sense of values from most other types of families.
Long ago, while working as an English instructor at Berlitz, I once read an article about how a certain hypothetical aristocrat, a certain Harry Stow-Crat (try pronouncing this name quickly), never cleaned up after eating, because he knew that his maids would always clean up for himself, instead. Similarly, he didn't care about spilling wine on the tablecloth, either, because he knew that his maids would always replace the soiled tablecloth with a clean one.
My mother, born in 1930, grew up in an aristocratic Japanese _samurai_ family. This caused her to be raised, and subsequently to raise me with, certain values that were very different from those of most other people.
For example, she used to tell me how her own mother had forbidden her from becoming friends with other classmates at her college unless they were considered to be of the same "social class." Similarly, she forbade me from becoming friends with other classmates in elementary school unless she knew both the identity of the students and the occupation of their parents.
She once told me that "social class" was not related with capital, but with birth and upbringing. Although she was raised until college in a large mansion, complete with maids, in a foreign country occupied by Japan during the beginning of the Second World War, her family was forced to abandon the mansion when that country was invaded by the Russian Army. Consequently, she was forced to cut her college education short, and her family lost most of their finances there. However, she never lost her sense of pride as an aristocrat, and refused to become acquainted with most other people unless she considered them to be of similar birth and upbringing.
Ironically, most other people of similar birth and upbringing from her country had not lost their finances and did not trust her because she had lost her finances, and therefore, she was unable to become acquainted with anyone of whom she approved. As a result, I, her only child, eventually became the only person with whom she could speak readily.
This situation resulted in a rather curious set of circumstances: Because she was very wary of anyone whom she considered to be of a different "social class," she refused to allow me to become friends with anyone during my high school years, when she insisted on having me home-schooled to avoid _ijime_ (group bullying) in Japan.
However, she herself spent most of her time at home doing either chores (mostly washing dishes and clothing) or errands (chiefly shopping).
This meant that, for the most part, she did not have time to interact with me (other than to scold me whenever either I did not earn 100% on an exam, or made any type of mistake, which she considered to be an act of tarnishing the family reputation).
Her chief concern, it seemed, was to avoid my verbal language from becoming "corrupted" by mingling with others of whom she did not approve. She became obsessed with the quality of the verbal language that I used, and often said, "Corruption of language leads to corruption of culture." She insisted that I speak using language that was simultaneously formal and polite, and often said, "There should be etiquette even in a close relationship."
As a result, I was raised, in a sense, as a human _bonsai_ (an artificially raised small tree that mimics the shape and scale of a full-size tree).
One of the most significant differences between her set of values and those of most other families was that because of her strong distrust of anyone whom she considered to belong to a different "social class," she disapproved of any real-world social activity that she could not directly monitor, and insisted that I report all details of any conversations or interactions with other people outside. However, she did not disapprove of activities that I could perform alone and under her supervision, even including games.
For this reason, she did not allow me to play sports with other children of my age until I entered college, but did allow me to play role-playing games alone, so long as I earned a grade of 100% on every exam that I took and obeyed everything that she said.
Curiously, she could not tell the difference between an offline and an online role-playing game: To her, anything that did not occur in the "real" world was insignificant, and did not need to be reported to her, even including interactions with other people.
This created the rather unusual set of circumstances in which she insisted that every conversation with anyone outside the home in the "real" world was frowned upon and required to be reported to her in detail immediately upon returning home, but in-game textual "chat" conversations with other players in any online role-playing game were not subject to any type of monitoring (even when it was explained to her that those conversations occurred with other people).
This may be one reason that, in a certain sense, I was conditioned so as to perceive the "real" world as a type of walled garden under her supervision, yet to see environments within online role-playing games as a type of free world where I was not subject to her continuous unrelenting intense scrutiny.
One day, I might write an autobiography, detailing the particular set of circumstances that eventually gave rise to the birth of a certain perhaps rather peculiar _otaku_.
Just now, I had a sudden revelation of one key distinguishing factor between a merely half-decent role-playing game, and a great one: humor.
This is also the reason that I remember the comedy _A Midsummer Night's Dream_, by William Shakespeare, better than most other pre-modern works of literature as well.
Most of the titles that I have enjoyed most, and remember most clearly, have made me laugh, either at the story, or at some eccentric behavior of some character, at some point.
A comedy is... moreJust now, I had a sudden revelation of one key distinguishing factor between a merely half-decent role-playing game, and a great one: humor.
This is also the reason that I remember the comedy _A Midsummer Night's Dream_, by William Shakespeare, better than most other pre-modern works of literature as well.
Most of the titles that I have enjoyed most, and remember most clearly, have made me laugh, either at the story, or at some eccentric behavior of some character, at some point.
A comedy is much more difficult to create than a tragedy. In the same manner, a RPG that both plays well and causes the player to laugh is much more difficult to create than one that merely plays half-acceptably but is completely devoid of humor.i
Humour is perhaps one of the most valued expressions of humanity: for example, many people will admit they are ignorant or unskilled, but how many will admit they have no sense of humour?
"Astronomers have found the biggest black hole ever measured — it's 40 billion times the sun’s mass, or roughly two-thirds the mass of all stars in the Milky Way. The gargantuan black hole lurks in a galaxy that’s supermassive itself and probably formed from the collisions of at least eight smaller galaxies.
"Holm 15A is a huge elliptical galaxy at the center of a cluster of galaxies called Abell 85. A team of astronomers captured a snapshot of Holm 15A’s stars in o... moreAccording to the article,
"Astronomers have found the biggest black hole ever measured — it's 40 billion times the sun’s mass, or roughly two-thirds the mass of all stars in the Milky Way. The gargantuan black hole lurks in a galaxy that’s supermassive itself and probably formed from the collisions of at least eight smaller galaxies.
"Holm 15A is a huge elliptical galaxy at the center of a cluster of galaxies called Abell 85. A team of astronomers captured a snapshot of Holm 15A’s stars in orbit around the galaxy’s central black hole and created a model to help them calculate the black hole’s mass. The team described their findings in a recent paper posted to the preprint site arXiv and set to be published in _The Astrophysical Journal_."
Currently, there are three major corporations that I have placed on my personal list of corporate entities for which a special degree of suspicion is warranted.
3. Microsoft
2. Google
1. Oracle
Oracle, you've managed to beat both Microsoft and Google for especially egregious behavior. Microsoft is a big bully always trying to corner the market, Google is a traitor that only cares about profits, but Oracle, you're the big, bad boss on the top of the hill who'll literally do anything for bot... moreCurrently, there are three major corporations that I have placed on my personal list of corporate entities for which a special degree of suspicion is warranted.
3. Microsoft
2. Google
1. Oracle
Oracle, you've managed to beat both Microsoft and Google for especially egregious behavior. Microsoft is a big bully always trying to corner the market, Google is a traitor that only cares about profits, but Oracle, you're the big, bad boss on the top of the hill who'll literally do anything for both ends.
"According to the court filing, Daramola, a resident of Montreal, Canada, worked for Oracle's NetSuite division from November 30, 2016 through October 13, 2017. He served as a project manager for an Oracle cloud service known as the Cloud Campus BookStore initiative and dealt with US customers. Campus bookstores, along with ad agencies, and apparel companies are among the market segments targeted by Oracle and NetSuite.
"Daramola's clients are said to have included t... moreAccording to the article,
"According to the court filing, Daramola, a resident of Montreal, Canada, worked for Oracle's NetSuite division from November 30, 2016 through October 13, 2017. He served as a project manager for an Oracle cloud service known as the Cloud Campus BookStore initiative and dealt with US customers. Campus bookstores, along with ad agencies, and apparel companies are among the market segments targeted by Oracle and NetSuite.
"Daramola's clients are said to have included the University of Washington, the University of Oregon, the University of Texas at Austin, Brigham Young University and the University of Southern California.
"The problem, according to the complaint, is that Oracle was asking Daramola to sell vaporware – a charge the company denies.
"'Daramola gradually became aware that a large percentage of the major projects to which he was assigned were in 'escalation' status with customers because Oracle had sold his customers software products it could not deliver, and that were not functional,' the complaint says.
"Daramola realized that his job 'was to ratify and promote Oracle's repeated misrepresentations to customers' about the capabilities of its software, 'under the premise of managing the customer's expectations.'
"The ostensible purpose of stringing customers along in this manner was to buy time so Oracle could actually implement the capabilities it was selling, the court filing states."
There is something suspicious about the motivation of a corporation preventing the archiving of records of past history.
Remember Ingsoc, from the novel _Nineteen Eighty-Four_, by George Orwell? One of the primary means used by Ingsoc to maintain control was to render history mutable.
Perhaps George Orwell's prediction is coming true after all....
Apparently, Libella Gene Therapeutics, a Kansas-based company that says it is developing a gene therapy that can reverse aging by up to 20 years, is charging $1 million for participation in an experiment on anti-aging therapy at a clinic north of Bogota, Colombia.
According to the article,
"The aim of Libella’s therapy is to lengthen a person’s telomeres, which sit at the tips of chromosomes like caps on the end of shoelaces. First discovered in the 1970s, telomeres have been linked to aging ... moreApparently, Libella Gene Therapeutics, a Kansas-based company that says it is developing a gene therapy that can reverse aging by up to 20 years, is charging $1 million for participation in an experiment on anti-aging therapy at a clinic north of Bogota, Colombia.
According to the article,
"The aim of Libella’s therapy is to lengthen a person’s telomeres, which sit at the tips of chromosomes like caps on the end of shoelaces. First discovered in the 1970s, telomeres have been linked to aging because they seem to shorten as a person gets older. By delivering a gene called _TERT_ to cells, which in turn makes a telomere-rebuilding enzyme called telomerase, Libella thinks it can prevent, delay, or even reverse aging."
Although the cost of participation is too high, the technology might be promising. One of my primary goals in life is to lengthen my lifespan substantially, and eventually to figure out how to extend it indefinitely, with the option of ending it at will at any time (in the event that something happens that might cause me to wish to stop living).
Eighty years is simply not nearly enough time to earn a doctorate-by-thesis-only in computer science, publish a major work as a poet, create a virtual work in which all _otaku_ can live and do whatever they wish to do without prejudice from non-_otaku_, explore the universe, and fulfill all my objectives in all my hobbies.
A lifespan of at least approximately 10,000 years would be more practical. Then I might eventually find a way to rewire my brain so that I could actually become cut out for computer science without losing my talent for writing _haiku_ poetry.
With a lifespan of 10,000 years, perhaps one day I could become a second Leonardo da Vinci -- the supreme polymath, my ultimate goal in life.
For some bizarre reason, at least to my knowledge, there does not seem to be an online role-playing game-related social media service that is tailored specifically to lengthy, detailed posts submitted by college graduates, and which is aimed at forming a community of like-minded, like-educated fellow users.
Discord, for example, is essentially a chat-based service that seems to be tailored to elementary school graduates.
Reddit, by contrast, has a collection of sub-reddits by topic, not by use... moreFor some bizarre reason, at least to my knowledge, there does not seem to be an online role-playing game-related social media service that is tailored specifically to lengthy, detailed posts submitted by college graduates, and which is aimed at forming a community of like-minded, like-educated fellow users.
Discord, for example, is essentially a chat-based service that seems to be tailored to elementary school graduates.
Reddit, by contrast, has a collection of sub-reddits by topic, not by user, and which seem to serve as a sort of alternative to online discussion fora tailored to high school graduates. Because it is grouped by topic, rather than by user, it is difficult to use for forming a community of like-minded, like-educated fellow users.
My objective is to find a counterpart, on a social network service with a number of users roughly equivalent to that of the former Google+, to the discussion communities that I used to own back there, which could be used simultaneously for lengthy, detailed posts and for increasing the number of my own followers.
It is not clear how to do this immediately. Although the grammatical accuracy of expressions in in-game chat channels can be increased by restricting participation to British servers, it is not clear how to form a community of players who use grammatically correct English in lengthy, detailed posts on an online social network service.
For example, if I tried to create a community entitled, say, "Solo-play in Elder Scrolls Online for Grammatically-correct Pedants with College Degrees Using British English, Not Necessarily Restricted to Those of British Nationality," the title would be excessively long, and in the most likely case, the community would not gather enough players, and might even trigger flames from players feeling subject to intellectual contempt.
However, creating one entitled, say, "Solo-play in Elder Scrolls Online" is likely to gather a high number of players with only an elementary school degree who are either ignorant or indifferent to using correct English. This must be avoided at all costs.
What I do NOT need is a collection of ignoramuses who can only write such comments as "yo man whassup wanna team up." No.
What I DO need is a collection of mature, educated players who can write such comments as the following:
"Greetings, fellow adventurers in Tamriel. Regarding the etymology of the Notable home entitled "The Orberservatory Prior" in the Clockwork City, the term "Prior" seems to be a pun based on the poem entitled _The Prelude_, by William Wordsworth. Does anyone else have an alternative opinion on this matter?"
To me at least, an online role-playing game should primarily be treated as an interactive version of a work of literature, populated by human players.
In other words, it should be treated primarily as a work of art.
Apparently, a study of more than 500 second graders at Yale University showed that a computer-based brain training program, Activate, helped improve student performance in reading and mathematics. Furthermore, "The effect on math achievement scores was greater than what has been reported for one-on-one tutoring and the effect on reading scores was greater than what has been reported for summer reading programs."
According to the article,
"In a study of more than 500 second graders, math and ... moreApparently, a study of more than 500 second graders at Yale University showed that a computer-based brain training program, Activate, helped improve student performance in reading and mathematics. Furthermore, "The effect on math achievement scores was greater than what has been reported for one-on-one tutoring and the effect on reading scores was greater than what has been reported for summer reading programs."
According to the article,
"In a study of more than 500 second graders, math and reading scores on school- administered tests increased significantly more in children who used the brain training program Activate during the school year than in control classes. The effect on math achievement scores was greater than what has been reported for one-on-one tutoring and the effect on reading scores was greater than what has been reported for summer reading programs.
"The findings illustrate that the benefits of the training, conducted three times a week for a four-month period, extend beyond getting better on the training games themselves and lead to improved learning of material that is very different from that in the games.
"'The program increases focus, self-control, and memory — cognitive skills essential for learning,' said Dr. Bruce Wexler, professor emeritus of psychiatry at Yale and lead author of the study. 'And these are the exactly the cognitive skills affected by poverty, so we believe brain training programs like Activate can help reduce the achievement gaps related to poverty that are seen in schools across the country.'
"In a second finding from the same study, researchers discovered that doing a five-minute brain warm-up game just before beginning an Activate math or reading curricular content game can increase math and reading performance. Different warm-up games produced maximal 'cognitive priming' effects for math and reading. Cognitive priming with short video games could be more powerful than techniques teachers currently use to create mind-sets to facilitate learning, Wexler said.
"The study was conducted along with researchers from the National Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing, CRESST/UCLA. Wexler is also a founder of C8 Sciences (C8Sciences.com), a Yale startup that markets Activate and other teaching support services.
"Primary funding for the study came from the Roddenberry Foundation."
The study, "Cognitive Priming and Cognitive Training: Immediate and Far Transfer to Academic Skills in Children," is published in _Scientific Reports_ (see https://www.nature.com/articles/srep32859).
Apparently, my seemingly nonsensical idea of my alma mater, Yale University, eventually discussing games in an academic setting might not be so far-fetched after all: Last year, _The Yale Tribune_ ("a student-run newspaper on tech, politics, and everything in-between" ) published an article, "Gamers changing the landscape of professional sports" (see https://campuspress.yale.edu/tribune/gamers-changing-the-landscape-of-professional-sports/), by "JL2977," dated "December 3, 2018," which discusse... moreApparently, my seemingly nonsensical idea of my alma mater, Yale University, eventually discussing games in an academic setting might not be so far-fetched after all: Last year, _The Yale Tribune_ ("a student-run newspaper on tech, politics, and everything in-between" ) published an article, "Gamers changing the landscape of professional sports" (see https://campuspress.yale.edu/tribune/gamers-changing-the-landscape-of-professional-sports/), by "JL2977," dated "December 3, 2018," which discussed video game players playing esports as a means of earning income.
According to the article,
"In 2018 alone, gamers worldwide were expected to spend around 138 billion dollars in video games, esports and mobile, with the possibility of increasing by 13.3 percent annually. _Fortnite_ has easily become one of the most popular online games since its release in 2017, with no looks of slowing down in 2019. After its release, the online role playing game has easily gained 125 million players worldwide with and has even helped create professional gaming careers for many including a 13-year-old player from Kent, United Kingdom. Although some skeptics may disagree and think that the odds are against one’s favor when creating a career in professional gaming, it’s actually more common than one would think.
"Esports has become evolutionary in just a short period of time. With gamer festivals like SXSW – an annual film, music, comedy, interactive, and gaming festival held in the United States– the topic of esports is considered to be one of the highlights in the 2019 festival lineup. One popular attraction at these festivals includes the esport tournaments that take place featuring the best up and coming esports players in a variety of games including _Starcraft II_, _League of Legends_, _DOTA2_, _Street Fighter V_, and even mobile game, _Clash Royale_. SXSW’s three-day festival also includes a gaming expo which draws in thousands of developers, manufacturers, and even celebrities worldwide in exhibits and online broadcasted tournaments. Other unique gaming features at these conventions include a full-table tabletop games, arcades, and video games using the PC entertaining gamers from different skill levels and backgrounds.
"While it may be hard to believe, professional gamers actually do earn quite the salary and sometimes even more than the developers themselves. For a _League of Legend_ Championship series, a competitive strategy and battle experience role playing online game, each player is compensated up to $12,500 for a 28-match season. For the more popular games like _Fortnite_, the prize pool can easily add up to millions of dollars. With its growing popularity now, _Fortnite_’s creators and developers, Epic Games, has agreed to provide a 100 million dollar prize pool for the esport’s first year of competitive play."
Worth special mention is the aspect that _League of Legends_, an online role-playing game, was mentioned in the article. This title is essentially in the same category as a number of other titles, including _Final Fantasy XI Online_, _The Elder Scrolls Online_, and _Secret World Legends_, that I have mentioned in other posts.
If a title in this category can be discussed in _The Yale Tribune_, it might also be discussed in a college seminar (I have participated in college seminars that have discussed borderline topics in the past, so this is a real possibility). And if it can be discussed in a college seminar, eventually, perhaps a department for this type of discussion might eventually be created as well.
This is just one more reason that I deleted my account on Facebook last year (after previously having deactivated it back in _circa_ 2012), and refuse to use that service ever again.
