... of losing

"Losing's a bitch."

Damn right, Donald Trump. Nobody takes a liking to losing. Never have I've seen anyone who cared for a game so much, lost, and still be able to keep cool. Let's see...

Donald Trump? That's right, let's take the boardroom for our first example. How is it that a team that has been winning constantly have not much qualms about anything turn so suddenly and eager to bite at the point of losing? Threat of elimination the cause - why not? But they lost. As simple as that.

The opening phrase was quoted from Mr Trump himself, which brings us to our second example. In the corporate world, people who work absolutely well with each other will start to blame each other in the event of failure, and I quote again, "all the time".

Local settings... local settings...

LAN gaming. Everyone loves a good game now and then. Of course, with good there's always the bad, and people just can't seem to accept it. It's a rosy world where everyone's a winner, isn't it? HA! What used to be infuriating, it now turns amusing and sad to see people starting to curse and swear at the weaker teammates, believing that their cause of loss is not themselves. Amusing because their illogical statements, like a silly character in a comedy to amuse the viewer; sad because how many new players have turned against the culture, and losing so many potential experts.

Soceer is also, how you say... wierd. How is it that classmates can talk to each other well in class, fight and threaten each other at soceer because they think they've lost pride in a game or when they lose, then go back to class, pretending nothing has happened? By all that is good, I have nothing better to describe these people but wierd. THAT'S RIGHT, class of 2B. Don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about, wierdos.

Are these people bad? Only for the 2B guys, yes. You see, anger is an important emotion, and losing oft sparks it off. Dissatisfaction, fustration, sense of imcompetency, loss of pride, and maybe sometimes loss of tangible goods. My, these are surprising just few of the things we can lose just by losing! Can we pull ourselves back and say, "Woah! Better control myself before I do anything stupid!"? Nope, 4-letters words are already happily flying from your mouth like Teletubbies hopping around in La La Land.

Trust me, if you find people who can not lose it, those may be worthy friends. And for those who does lose their cool? Forgive them. Like you would of Teletubbies or Spongebob Squarepants.

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DAMN YOU SPONGEBOB! There, I said my piece. Sue me.

... of hand held gaming

If you are oblivious to what is going on in the world of gaming, in particular the world of hand-held gamin, I say it's about time to wake up to the New World.

In retrospective, it was not too long ago that the Game Boy was introduced by Nintendo. Starting out in 1989, it revolutionized the hand-held industry for being the first portable game system with interchangable game cards (compared to the bulky cartridges that Sega and NES uses). It remained a technological innovation, with no worthy competitiors matching its model, and retaining its success, with product improvements such as GB Color and GB Advance. Till 2004 that is.

It was not till mid-2004 when competitor Sony entered the market with its own version of hand held - the Playstation Portable (PSP). It is also about the same time Nintendo defended its kingdom with the introduction of Nintendo DS. It is futile to compare they successes right now, since not only are these products in their growth stage, they are susceptible to changes in the future (eg. PSP's online updates)

What are the fundamental differences between PSP and DS?

Upon physical inspection, PSP has the expected screen of 16:9, while DS offers a dual screen. More equates better? That's for you to decide.

PSP has well-designed, comfortable-to-use buttons, while DS includes a stylus (as advertised "Touch!", an attempt to create the word association in consumers). In fact, DS has risen itself to a higher level: direct interaction with the screen.

PSP reads its data through UMD (Universal Media Discs), while the DS retains its old method of game cards. PSP's motive is clear. UMDs are like mini-DVDs, able to store up to 1.8 Gig of data, including music, photos and movies. What this means is that PSP to moving itself towards being a portable entertainment system. Of course, DS chooses not to follow the same path, since it will mean that the price of the DS would shoot beyond what its customers are willing to pay for.

What I mean to "wake up to the New World" of hand held is the essence here. Sony and Nintendo has brought this industry to another level in terms of interactivity. DS's Touch has involved th stylus in chatting, organising and even gaming. Offering wireless connection, both consoles allows up to 16 connections with other PSP/DS users.

Perhaps the most distinctive high-tech feature within the DS is the microphone. Some games involve voice recognition, eg Nintendogs, where you, as the user, will be able to train the dog with your voice. Another amusement comes when you are required to blow (yes, literally) towards the DS to activate certain features of the game.

Did anyone saw this coming to hand held gaming? Perhaps what this suggests is that with today's advancement of technology, the gaming industy can really push itself beyond any gamer's imagination. And all we can really do is ask "What's next?"

fake wings

Shine bright morning light
Now in the air the spring is coming
Sweet blowing wind
Singing down the hills and valleys
Keep your eyes on me
Now we're on the edge of hell
Dear my love, sweet morning light
Wait for me, you've gone much farther, too far.

- Fake Wings