Medium Difficulty - Latest Comments

Re: EQUIP WOLF SHIRT; USE:WHISKEY// ON: SURVIVAL

Ruby Rhod — Sat, 18 May 2013 23:00:35 -0000

Wrong. He had no right to out her as transgender, I don't care what she did or how people might try to rationalize it. The "fraud" had already been dealt with and the money refunded. There was no reason for him to start tweeting about her, and definitely no reason to tell the world she is transgender.

Cis people don't seem to understand the threats transgender men and women face, both from people out in the world wanting to physically harm us for being different, and the mental issues we face from depression and self hatred.
More than 40% of transgender individuals have attempted suicide. He already knew she was a suicide risk due to fear of being outed, and what does this asshole do after she attempts to kill herself? He makes her fear a reality and outs her anyway.
Getting fired is the least that could happen to Alistair in my mind.

Re: Pandora’s Lunchbox: Deregulating Decency With Dorks’ Dollars

FatherTime — Fri, 17 May 2013 22:29:40 -0000

"The problems with a card game that makes abduction and heavily implied
rape its main scoring mechanic should be fairly self-evident to the sane
and sexually undisturbed,"

I say the problem begins and ends with "it's disgusting and I don't like it"

You say it trivializes real rape and to me that sounds like the people saying GTA trivializes murder.

". Nuanced caveats have to be added for things like hate speech,
threatening elected officials, and yelling “fire” in a movie theater,"

Generic hate speech laws/anti-slur laws violate the first amendment. Also fire in a crowded theater was a supreme court precedent that got overturned decades ago.

"The fuss is minimal when award-winning Pakistani student filmmakers are denied visas"

Nice use of a red herring. This isn't about Pakistani students and it never was. The fact that they might not have heard this doesn't make their points any less valid.

Re: The Doubt of the Benefit: Fake Progress and Lumosity’s “Brain Games”

Jeff Little — Fri, 17 May 2013 01:57:12 -0000

It depends. Do you want to be a successful real estate investor or a successful physicist?

Re: The Doubt of the Benefit: Fake Progress and Lumosity’s “Brain Games”

Amy — Thu, 16 May 2013 19:17:39 -0000

Hopefully after graduate school you will find a better vocabulary.

Re: EQUIP WOLF SHIRT; USE:WHISKEY// ON: SURVIVAL

in-the-closet — Thu, 16 May 2013 14:00:35 -0000

You can only defend Chloe's statements in this way if you know she's transgender. That this fact bolsters your argument about the metal poisoning story, demonstrates that it is a quite relevant, even central, fact. Alistair shouldn't be fired for reporting that.

Re: Depression Quest Impressions

Mark Duval — Thu, 16 May 2013 08:54:03 -0000

Thanks Samantha. Yeah learning that the world won't fall apart and to be okay with feeling uncomfortable was the best step for me too :)

Re: EQUIP WOLF SHIRT; USE:WHISKEY// ON: SURVIVAL

MICHELLE WRONG LOVE — Thu, 16 May 2013 02:47:27 -0000

let's put you on the spot though, asshole. how crazy is it that the only comments you've ever made are on this story. are you some kind of sycophant defending this guy? are you this guy?

Re: EQUIP WOLF SHIRT; USE:WHISKEY// ON: SURVIVAL

MICHELLE WRONG LOVE — Thu, 16 May 2013 02:41:50 -0000

the articles under the equip wolf shirt use whiskey masthead are more of a personal conversation with the reader. if someone wants an academic take on X game or situation they're more than welcome to read the works of any other people we have doing articles here. the piece isnt cryptic and all over the place as the others have been largely in part because of the subject matter. why i decided to do it was the responses i've seen in the past of sweeping shit under the rug. allstair tried to sweep doing something horrible under the rug under the pretense of "doing the right" thing despite the horrible consequences it'd have. the fact is it had consequences. the idea of "further" outing someone is idiocy at this point. the depth of information was a swamp, and the idea that i'm grandstanding and making it worse despite the fact there is a fucking wikipedia article on this person's life is more liberal whitewashing garbage. all of this is written in black ink. this is why the tone towards allistair is punitive, and i sympathize with chloe. the damage is done, and any chance at mitigating it went out the window the moment he started the conversation, cultivated it, couldn't decide on a direction to give it, and summarily continued as if nothing had happened to retain a job

grandstanding? poster girl? do you have any idea how low of a shelf life these articles have? if anyone talks about this a week from now i'll be fucking amazed. the statement was made on the basis all of these statements are like banging your head off the fucking wall, still constantly seeing the same problem over and over again

Re: EQUIP WOLF SHIRT; USE:WHISKEY// ON: SURVIVAL

ITS ME PORPENTINE — Thu, 16 May 2013 00:51:25 -0000

"A piece of shrapnel was killing her."

yes. this is what people are missing.

laws, language, rules, all that bullshit is arbitrary and determined by the dominant culture.

we are forced to resort to "lies" to tell our truth. we say we have a sore throat when we're depressed because one has stigma and the other doesn't. we talk about one kind of life-saving surgery instead of another life-saving surgery for the same reason.

it is not that she was false, but that mainstream language is so limited and uncaring. chloe did nothing wrong.

Re: EQUIP WOLF SHIRT; USE:WHISKEY// ON: SURVIVAL

Nosebleed — Thu, 16 May 2013 00:23:46 -0000

The irony here is that Allistair has apologized and deleted his messages, and the only place to read about Chloe's most private and embarrassing information is here.

Now blogs like this one and those tweets are the only footprints of that poor girls' trauma. No media is touching this as far as I can tell -- its you that wants this on the front page, not him.

I think its unfortunate that the trans community has taken to grandstanding and making a poster girl out of Chloe instead of trying to actually protect her.

Re: EQUIP WOLF SHIRT; USE:WHISKEY// ON: SURVIVAL

Viet Le — Wed, 15 May 2013 19:16:11 -0000

Thanks for this. Gonna try and signal boost as much as I can. Ain't much, but I'll try.

Re: The Doubt of the Benefit: Fake Progress and Lumosity’s “Brain Games”

Jorge — Wed, 15 May 2013 14:18:31 -0000

I was lucky enough to have been offered a limited access account for free from Lumosity, it came as a pop-up on my Words With Friends app and I've been using it for since like Nov. 2012. I'll try keep it short for anyone reading this (Vs the author of this article). These games wake me up and it feels like I'm doing something good for my brain by paying more attention to things before I click on my keyboard or mouse. I typically start my day at work off by getting a cup of coffee and playing Lumosity, so I personally believe it helps. Yes, after playing a few games a few times, some have a few things that can be figured out to help me improve my BPI scores (kind of like cheating I guess), but they still require me to use my brain and I might not have gotten a chance to use those cognitive skills on a certain day otherwise. I've personally experienced a better flow of speech and thought that a friend of mine (that I know since childhood), also noticed. I'm now looking at my options to purchase the service.

Re: Depression Quest Impressions

Samantha Allen — Tue, 14 May 2013 01:02:49 -0000

Thanks for these thoughts on Depression Quest, Mark. I struggled with OCD for several years during a period of time when I was intensely religious. I've since been able to move on but I appreciate the way in which your article draws a through-line between OCD and depression.

This is a really familiar pattern to me:
"It helped me appreciate that about myself. I’d be speaking in conditionals to myself – I should’ve done this, I could’ve done this, I would’ve done this. It wasn’t supposed to be like this! But the past is over and cannot be changed and perfectionism is not realistic."

For me, OCD was very much tied to this notion that there was one *right* thing to do in every situation. Learning to let go of that conviction was my first step toward healing.

Re: The Doubt of the Benefit: Fake Progress and Lumosity’s “Brain Games”

Abby Dachman — Fri, 10 May 2013 03:45:03 -0000

At times you need to take the "facts", science (especially when you are simply regurgitating someone else's findings, not your own), and papers, studies, journals, etc. out of the equation, and simply ask yourself, "Has (insert here) made life more worth living either for today or for the future?" I have used Lumosity for a month or so, almost everyday for about an hour ... Am I smarter? No. Do I find myself having capabilities now that I did not have before? No. I can say however, that I have more confidence in my thought processes; they feel cleaner as long as I am combining the exercises with adequate sleep. I can also say that I have more energy for said cognitive processes. Where before I may have perceived a task at school, work, etc. as tedious, my completion of the task feels more organized. I think the end result of any similar "brain training" may not be to raise your IQ or awaken any dormant areas of your brain, but simply to tune up whatever it is your already working with. I don't really even care if Lumosity markets itself as a new engine for the car that is your mind, anyone should know by adulthood that such advertised revelations aren't real ... any product that promises miraculous improvement in anything is a ploy. I however am happy to pay a small amount a month for a mental "oil change and tire rotation". The world is by majority a lie; always has been, always will be. Find what makes that easier to accept and don't spend so much time bitching and moaning about it.

Re: Opening the Door: Exploring “The Closet” in Games

Ada Makawee — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 21:03:50 -0000

I've played the Fable series and played as a lesbian, that one was controversial at first as well.

Re: Opening the Door: Exploring “The Closet” in Games

Luke Griffiths — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 16:05:30 -0000

This reminds me a bit of the kerfuffle over Anders in Bioware II and the gay panic that arose. ..

Anders in Bioware II...

Bioware II...

Made my day and do hope you write that artical!

Re: Opening the Door: Exploring “The Closet” in Games

Callimachus Cyrene — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 15:28:25 -0000

I find it a bit odd that you glossed over Dragon Ag II in your survey of games, as that game contains elements that you actually mention to be lacking in most games.

Specifically I'm referring to NPC Anders. Not only is it possible to engage in a gay romance with Anders, if the protagonist is a man, Anders will reveal that he has had a romantic relationship with a man in the past, and will make a pass at the protagonist. This has actually led to much uproar, resentment and vitriol against BioWare and AE.

It may be strange (but then again maybe not) that the same resentment was NOT directed towards Isabela - who also flirts with the protagonist (regardless of the latter's gender), as David Gaider noted in one of the recent entries in his blog.

Re: Gamer Profiles: The Split-screener

Michael Hancock — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 18:35:38 -0000

I'll admit, it drives me crazy when I'm having a one-on-one conversation with someone and they start paying more attention to their phone than the conversation. But it's a very subjective thing, and how much it bothers a person seems to vary a lot. Honestly, I think focus is a lot more divided than we generally think it is--the human mind (or maybe just my mind) works associatively or paradigmatically rather than in systematic or syntagmatic ways. And you can probably see my English background poking through when I cite decades-old semiotic theory over recent cognitive theory.

Re: Gamer Profiles: The Split-screener

Michael Hancock — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 18:27:14 -0000

This probably goes without saying, but there's a big difference between productivity and entertainment. (And even the productivity depends on the task--when something's particularly boring or routine, sometimes a bit of of a change can increase attention.) It all depends what kind of engagement you're looking for. Facebook games, for example, are designed to be asynchronous, and played with rather varying amounts of attention. On the other hand, I wouldn't want to break up something like "War and Peace" with a game of Halo--both require a lot of focus, and don't really work well with divided attention. In the particular case above, the combination of pain killers and tooth ache meant that, for a while, I couldn't focus well on any one thing, and dividing my attention between Dead Space and House of Cards was just how I decided to cope with it.

Re: Gamer Profiles: The Split-screener

Rick Sheahan — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 22:42:24 -0000

Actually, you're right, I think I framed it as way more black and white than it actually is. When I typically think of either scientific or anecdotal information about multitasking, it's in the form of productivity of some sort where if you aren't giving 100% effort, it might as well be 0% effort. I'm sure there is a middle ground for games.. but in terms of games that have been made specifically to be played as kind of a side-diversion, like on my phone, I still can't say that (personally) they're as enjoyable or as deep an experience as I typically want out of games, even proportional to how much of my attention they're commanding

Re: Gamer Profiles: The Split-screener

Kyle Carpenter — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 19:55:07 -0000

While I certainly believe you that the studies are there to suggest that splitting ones attention drastically reduces what one is capable of focusing on, I want to point out one of your assumptions: that media demand our whole attention. For my part, I find that, say, many television dramas only require the most cursory degree of investment to be satisfying - especially since narrative genres allow someone to guess pretty readily where a story is going in a lot of cases. I think it's worth noting that "enjoyment" can survive a hell of a lot of informational noise, and doesn't require a high degree of, say, audio/visual fidelity to function.

Re: Gamer Profiles: The Split-screener

Rick Sheahan — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 19:18:01 -0000

The human brain isn't really built to multitask like this - or at all, really. Engaging media like this doesn't just lessen the depth of interaction with your chosen medium in a theoretical, critical way - it vastly lowers any meaningful intake in a pretty concrete way with a lot of science to back it up.

Re: Opening the Door: Exploring “The Closet” in Games

AngryFoxGames — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 22:52:22 -0000

Its interesting that queer romances are often a sideshow in Videogames. Its added as an "option". Me programmer: "gay_Option == true;" I dont' feel like queers are integrated into the main story line, its mainly an Easter egg to be found. I don't think a strictly queer game would sell big numbers to make a AAA production. So its not like we can exclusively cater to a queer audience. I just didn't like the side show feel and I didn't like that there was only one or two "Gay Options" in Mass Effect. I like that stereotypes aren't being presented. But in Skyrim, I felt the NPCs you could marry didn't really have personality. I did not enjoy visiting my husband or my wife with the Original Gameplay. (My experience was on the PS3, no Modding)

Re: Gamer Profiles: The Split-screener

ed — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 18:48:37 -0000

this is along the same lines as adhd entertainment and general phone rudeness in public for me.. try focussing on one thing

Re: Gamer Profiles: The Split-screener

Robot Parking — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 11:22:24 -0000

This is pretty much how my fiancee and I spend our evenings: something on Netflix or DVD and my laptop or 3DS on my lap. It's probably less radical than saying Pokemon Black will forever be linked to the entire Fast & Furious movie franchise, but I cannot re-read House of Leaves without hearing Dillinger Escape Plan's Miss Machine album (or vice versa.) Certain episodes of West Wing will forever by linked to Magical Diary, and Season 2 of Game of Thrones has recently become pretty associated with my learning the ropes (strings?) in Twine.