Geeking out with tech

I do have to say that Geeking out with my friends is the best. It's great to get a group together and start talking about everything nerdy. Tonight was more of a tech talk. We got into the age old debate of apple vs Microsoft. 

Now personally Apple has been a driving force in the geek world. It's a simple and easy system that everyone can use without much hassle. They were the first to take listening to music to the next level. The first to come up with the concept of apps. So honestly Apple has been a significant driving force. Both at work, at school, or even on the go.

However,

Microsoft has been up and coming. They not only came up with windows 8, but they took gaming to the next level. They took entertainment to the next level. With the new XBOX coming out, just the way you can connect to everything. It's like you have a super controller all the time. With Microsoft adding in the concept of apps, they have far excelled Apple's mini-game market. Not just mini-games, but everything else. The new things that are branching out of Microsoft is new technology and the wave of the future. Even in the art world the new touch screen computers are enough to make any graphic artist smile. 

I have always been a fan of Microsoft, just never had the updated tech to really truly enjoy my experience. Which is why I had an IPad to begin with. It's a simple system that's good for now. But Im really hoping that changes soon.

So our friendly debate ended as we all compared our notes. We went on to talk of other social things going on. Either way it was good friends and good conversation.

My salute to math

Most nerds know their mathematics. I have gamed with a lot of intelligent individuals who just know how to calculate in their heads. Out of all the nerd traits that I do possess, being a math nerd is not one of them. I can't calculate in my head like most people can. My strengths were always more for the arts and a little bit of science. Science that didn't really include hardcore math problems. 

Though I truly think that my issue, deep down is with college. In the community college level you take a placement test if you are not right out of high school, or don't remember what your ACT SAT scores are. They then embarrass you further by making you take what I like to call stupid math. Now those courses, the ones under 100 don't count towards your degree. 

So, problem 1-

You are going to make me test in math that I will never use beyond this point in my life just so I can score under the 100 level.

The problem is that I WILL NEVER USE THIS MATH! Anything below 100 is not worth it if I am never going to use it.

LAME

Problem 2-

You are going to make me take classes that don't even count toward my GPA just so I could get up to speed.

The problem is that it's not even worth any credit and it is going to cost me more money. So at least make it free! That way I won't feel like I am wasting time.

Problem 3-

You are killing my self confidence...

Seriously...that is a huge hit to my confidence especially since I am smart and that I do excel at other awesome subjects.

I know math and nerds usually go hand in hand, but Im still nerdy. I'm an art nerd, a gaming nerd, all sorts of nerd here. Just because I suck at one subject does not mean you have the right to hold me back when I am one semester away from graduating with my associates. 

Personally...I would rather slay a beholder. My advice would be to just take the prerequisites early, so that you can graduate on time. For everything else, there is always alchemy. 

Elder Scrolls

I honestly don't think there is any more I can say about this particular piece of news. Other than the fact that it is only for the PC, but the box set itself would be an amazing piece to add to any gaming collection. It's like adding that gold plated Zelda Nintendo game still in it's box. 

Pure gold and still full of awesome. Ladies and gents I present to you the anthology of Elder scrolls.

September 10th is when this box of awesome comes out. No I don't take credit for this little announcement, but I am spreading it like wildfire. I do love being a geek, considering my jaw dropped to the floor. Funny enough it's going to be inexpensive. A whole 80$ for this beautiful set. If it were encased in stone it would probably be Excalibur. So...how about those frost giants?

Back to school advice from a gamer

The huge hype right now is going back to school. All students have about a month to go before it starts up again. Some are even just starting out. I know that I have many friends who have kids, and they are all happy that their children are starting out. I always believed that school was not just a place of learning, but a place where creativity can thrive. I know that is where I got my start. I would doodle dragons and fairies  during class. Usually when the teacher was talking about things like learning to write cursive. When my teachers put a math problem up on the board I never saw numbers, but shapes that they could become.

School is a good start for imagination and for writing a good story. Just like everything else, there has to be a begining. So taking what I learned in class and applying it to my gaming habits was a helpful in expanding my imagination. I got to socialize with imaginary characters and interact with others who were like me. Looking back I am pretty grateful for everything that my teachers taught me. It was like reading Harry Potter for the first time and opening a whole new world. So for those who are afraid of going off to college, don't be. It's like going on an adventure and meeting people who can inspire you. Who can open you up to something new. For those who are just starting out, look at it as a way of inventing yourself, and share in the knowledge that new classmates are just like you. 

That's how I always viewed it. If it were not for the adventures I use to have with my best friend, I don't think I would be a gamer. Or a writer for that matter. It's not like I want to go back to my save point, but if I could relive any of it I wouldn't change anything. I like learning and expanding my own creative universe. I like talking to others and getting their take on certain aspects of life. I feel that it can lead to a more out of the box creative thinking. I also remind myself that people who make video games accomplish spectacular feats. If they didn't have the influences of others, mentors, teachers, professors and the like I think the world would be a boring place. 

Recently I downloaded an app on my ipad and it's an app about a little vampire running in the woods. The simplest of ideas that can spawn up even a little world is really fascinating to me. Even a guy sitting in his basement thinking, 'hey I want to make an imaginary game with characters that people can portray!' Can turn a boring industry into a world full of imagination. My main point is that going to school might spark the littlest of ideas and from there can be created that will last for years to come.

So no worries about school jitters, it's just another adventure that can gain you EXP.

On Fair Tales

Lately I have been watching disney movies. Everyone knows disney and knows that they market to everyone and anyone. It's like they sell happily ever after. At least the concept of it anyway. I grew up with disney, but I branched out to fairy tale stories. Written stories by authors such as the Brothers Grimm or Hans Christian Anderson. These things fuel my imagination, and still to this day they affect the kind of games I am into. I do some video gaming, but I am not really a fan of first person shooters. Though give me a good story and I could get into it.
The most recent video game I purchased was Bioshock Infinite. Its short, and I don't play first-person's very well, but the story keeps my interest and allows my imagination to roam. To follow the steps of the hero and unveil the mystery of the whole game. To get to the bottom of things. I always love a good story, a fantasy in which I can fuel my imagination with. Those sorts of stories I continue to have dreams about. It is nice to know that even without the disney fairy tale influence that we all have, we can still dream up good stories, and still have the illusion of a fairy tale ending.

Being a nerd is ok

Being a girl gamer means the world to me. Ever since I was little my imagination was the most important thing to me. Fighting dragons and evil wizards was what my typical Friday night consisted of. We would gather around a table and face the evil undead army with swords drawn, bows strung, and spells being prepared. It was like being in a lord of the rings novel. I look back and can not help but smile at how amazing it was to have an imagination like mine. 

Outside of my imagination was me. A shy girl who would just wander the labyrinth known as middle school. The lockers looked as if a monster was hiding behind them, or a secret passage. Though there was no such luck. I was stuck, stuffing my imagination away just to get past my own reality. Just like I stuffed my role-playing books into my locker. Other pre-teens were part of something better, or so it always seemed. 

I was part of a different world entirely. I felt like a world apart from them. Those people that taunted me and called me cruel names behind my back. Just because I was shy, nerdy, not like them. I felt like I was never like them. 

As time went on, so did my imagination. As I got older and wiser, I realized that I could be like them, without losing me. Society had slowly to become more accepting of me, of who I am. No longer did people look at me, and taunt me like they used to. They look up to me, knowing that I came from an age of a close-minded society. Now I walked into a book store and see those pre-teens paging through batman comics and gaming books. 

I hear them talking about Japanese animation and it warms my heart. I never had that kind of acceptance. That kind of understanding, when I look back now I think it was ok for me to be that shy nerd girl. That girl who spent her Friday nights flying with dragons and facing monsters. I always though I was a monster, but really I should of taken a deeper look inside and should of realized that it's  ok to be me. It's ok for me to be nerdy.