Saturday 26 April 2003

Pic of the day: Imaginary Magnus with imaginary friends. Here EQ, Tekken, Civ and Sonic. (That's with the clock, as if it wasn't glaringly obvious who is who.) What's up with this? (Screenshot from The Sims.)

Return of the rain

I'm feeling a bit unwell tonight. But I guess no more than can be expected from the amount of chocolate and ice cream I had for brunch ... and the lack of sleep last night ... somehow I forgot to drink alcohol again, so that's not it at least. Of course, the Norwegian collective subconscious is probably having a massive hangover, but somehow I don't think it works quite like that.

I thought perhaps I might have a fever, but then I realized that it actually is a bit chilly in here. Yesterday was partly cloudy and much more chilly than usual, and today was cold and rainy. I guess it isn't quite summer yet.

I took an umbrella and walked to the supermarket again. It's almost half an hour each way, and varied slopes too, so it's probably good for my health. Us old people, we need that.

***

Of course, later I sat down and played DAoC half the evening. There must be a balance in life, evidently ... My paladin is now level 38, two levels higher than I've ever been before. This is a kinda boring part of a character's life, I understand. You are so high level that progress is rather slow, but too low to take part in the more exciting activities for high-level players. Like keep raids, prince raids and stuff like that. I think I would have been bored already if not for the Fireblade. But enough about that.

Oh, and Tash recognizes me now. She waves and says "Hi hun!" when our paths cross in the demon-filled dungeons. This is kinda special because I think this is the first time that I have noticed a character first, before they noticed me. Truth to tell, I noticed her because of her funny hat. Also there aren't all that many clerics. I think we did cooperate briefly, though I don't remember if we were in the same group. Later we met again because of a fellow acquaintance. He was asking her some game-related question, and when she could not answer, he asked me "Do you know Itlandsen?" He meant to say "Do you know, Itlandsen?" but because of his poor grammar she thought he asked whether she knew me, which she didn't, but evidently she does now. Although for some reason she thinks I am a Hun, while my character is clearly a Saracen.

I am not sure if it has happened in real life either, any time in my life, that I have noticed anyone first and then they noticed me later. It uses to be the other way around. Of course, people rarely wear funny hats in real life. Perhaps they should.

***

There is just so much good anime out there. But one of my favorite series, Azumanga Daioh, has been licensed in America. This means that all the fansubs are banned. Otaku are very serious about their imaginary agreement with the Japanese anime and manga industry. When something is licensed in the USA (or indeed Australia, from what I hear) all fansubs are removed from the Net. I've kept the 11 episodes that came out, though. I don't even live in the same DVD zone, so it's no help for me that it's licensed. But I still think it is a good thing, because now lots of people will be able to buy it in the shops. OK, not for a few months I guess. But still. I think the good of the many (make anime, not war!) outweighs the loss of the few (people in small remote countries like Norway).

Narue no Sekai is getting better and better. In episode 3 there's like 3 seconds all together of panties glimpsing, including the standard cut scene in the middle. The rest is tender, clumsy, blushing, helpless teenage falling-in-love. This week's lesson: If your girlfriend might suddenly decide to visit, don't keep boys-only stuff lying around your room. (Actually this is probably a good thing to not do anyway. And the same goes for Windows wallpaper and screen savers.) Oh, and mothers: Try to act natural when your son comes home with a girl.

Speaking of which, an online forum has a discussion about the presence of girls in the anime and RPG milieus. It is generally agreed that the boys dominate, but some girls think there's quite a bit of them too. The boys are making a point of how much they like gamer girls, and I guess in a way that's true. But my impression is that gamer boys tend to think of gamer girls as friends with breasts. They may occasionally look at them from the side, but it's not the kind of girl they really wish to ask out but don't dare because they are afraid of being rejected and then they sit at home angsting. Actually, they are probably confessing all of this to the gamer girl, and the other way around. Gamer girls are like cousins. They're one of the guys, only more decorative.

So moms and dads: If your 15 year old boy comes home with a girl and says they are going to his room to play Tekken, don't fret. It may sound slightly indecent, but it's actually a violent computer game. Besides, if he was in love, there is no way he would allow the girl anywhere near his room, not if dragged by a herd of wild elephants. (Well, not until it's way way too late for you to worry at least!)

There, today's lovingly wrapped gift to humanity is finished. Enjoy every byte!