“What motivates you is a strive to do good, a concern for others and a desire not to be noticed throughout any of it.”
As weird as this may sound to some, I just hope I achieve at least half of the above statement on a daily basis. Later Gators.
Archive for November, 2008
Motivation
Tuesday, November 18th, 2008We Certainly Can.
Wednesday, November 5th, 2008“We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity…”
I am so inspired today. In 75 days, a new era will begin. I believe the preamble to the US Constitution may say it best as seen above : “a more perfect Union” is being formed before our eyes. President-Elect Obama confirmed this as well in the opening of yesterday’s amazing acceptance speech:
“If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible; who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time; who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.”
Yesterday I voted for the second time in my life. I know I am young and understand how that is seen by some, but for possibly the first time in my life, I am truly inspired. Seeing the obvious choice America made yesterday should humble and inspire any citizen of this nation regardless of race, creed, or party affiliation. And watching it unfold made me feel more American than I can put into words.
New Shepard Fairey poster illustrates history perfectly
In this day and age, it’s far too easy to take what we have for granted. However, seeing our nation speak together with one voice — for one purpose, made me cherish the freedom I have and realize the power of my own voice and the voice of my generation that has been discounted so many times before.
A weight is lifted.
Our nation has been wrapped in a shroud of cynicism for the last few years. We’ve faced national tragedies beyond imagination that, I personally believe, we have yet to recover from. The “perfect union” has been broken and bruised. It has shown in the faces, actions, and loss of trust so many Americans have carried on their backs for so long.
I understand that President Obama my not always know every answer, but I am comforted by the prospect of change and believe that he has the stubborn and consistent disposition to make well-informed choices for America. I am also comforted by the fact that, if he does not meet his epic challenges head-on, the voice of America will speak again and continue to shape this nation as we move forward together.
As President Obama so perfectly stated last night :
“Tonight is your answer…
…It’s the answer that led those who have been told for so long by so many to be cynical, and fearful, and doubtful of what we can achieve to put their hands on the arc of history and bend it once more toward the hope of a better day.”
In closing, I’d actually like to end with a piece of Senator McCain’s honorable speech from last night. I pray that all Americans can remember these words along with the history and hope made on the night they were spoken :
“Whatever our differences, we are fellow Americans. And please believe me when I say no association has ever meant more to me than that.”
Oh Fallout 3. You’re going to ruin my life aren’t you? You too Fable 2? Awesome.
Monday, November 3rd, 2008Buying birthday presents for myself is always pretty predictable. It’s always a videogame, a videogame or a videogame. This year I actually bought Fable 2 and Fallout 3 even though we’re broke as all get out. Special thanks to my loving family members for wanting to send me money so I can further explore the depths of my nerddom.
Both games are visually and logistically stunning but, I think that Fallout will be trumphing any time I spend in Albion (Fable) for quite some time.
Don’t get me wrong, Fable 2 is a great game. It mixes the best part of a traditional RPG (magic, hit points, inventory management, etc) with a hack-n-slash adventure game. The first Fable was great fun and kept me entertained for about 8 – 10 hours of gameplay. I can’t say I finished EVERY quest but I did beat it and it is still a game I have fond memories of.
Both games allow you to have your own in-game doggieface!
Fable 2 feels very similar to the original. The graphics are obviously better on the 360 but there is quite a bit of lag which affects gameplay when a lot is going on. Even the menus seem laggy and there is almost a 3 – 5 second delay everytime you change menu options. The one plus though is the areas that are rendered at once (towns, forests and the like) are substantially bigger than in Fable (again, thanks to the 360 I assume). Load times are still quite long between areas but again, the areas rendered are larger which is nice. I believe I will continue playing but am somewhat distracted now by Fallout 3.
Speaking of which, Fallout 3 owns. I’ve played it for around 10 hours and am basically nowhere yet! The game is truly an open world RPG with real-time action elements. It is a true RPG in every sense of the word and I am finally getting used to the massive amount of numbers and figures describing everything from your ammunition, health, weapon / clothing conditions, location, and how many times you pooped in the game day. Just kidding about the latter…
Fallout takes place in 2277 I believe and you’re a 20 year old guy (or girl) who has spent your whole life in “Vault 101″…kind of a massive bomb shelter. Basically there was a giant nuclear war 200 years prior that has turned everything to shit above you but now you’re thrust top side in search for your runaway father. Whatever. All you really need to know is this is Oblivion with guns (no matter how many people are saying it isn’t), a less annoying leveling system, and a greater divide between good and evil and which one you are.
The main gameplay consists of going from town to town and meeting people, bartering with them, shooting them in the face, and being good or evil. There is a ton of sidequests and I’ve read the main quest can take 20 hours but the game can last 100+ if you want to see EVERYTHING. The great thing is there are many ways to finish one mission. Many missions can be completed with just the use of your speech skills (depending on how high you’ve made them) or the use of your guns.
One of the most interesting things is the optionally used targeting system called V.A.T.S. I am a little too tired drunk to explain it so just check this out :
Anyway, I am quite content in both my purchases but am definitely more in awe of Fallout and it’s amazingness at the moment. I just wish it could stop scaring the shit out of me. Seriously.
Later Gators.