A Critter's View

Games, games, and more games

2009-09-02T10:10:00.000-07:00

It's been a big a couple of weeks for the online gaming community. Aion, by NC Soft, concluded their closed beta to much acclaim and has announced the open beta beginning on September 6th; Cryptic, Atari, ran their open beta of Champions Online and has officially launched the same ... to somewhat less acclaim; and Blizzard announced their newest expansion to World of Warcraft, the Cataclysm. This announcement was met with both fanatical jubilation and raucous outcry and dismay. I wouldn't have expected any less from the WOW critics and fanbois, what with them not being all that shy for the most part. For my part, I like change and welcome all new games. It's hard on the pocket book (as I end up buying most of them) but the excitement and experience makes it all worth it.

Anyway, at the moment, my husband and I are playing Champions Online. It's a super hero based game with the best costume and character customization I have ever seen. You can go with one of the dozen or so premade power trees or you can mix and match to make up your own. The possibilities are literally endless which, for me, gives the game a whole new dimension. The unfortunate thing about Champions is the content. It is pretty much entirely PVE based and the end game seems to be missing. I don't personally know anyone who has made it that far but the chat on the message boards and in-game would seem to indicate that once you reach level 40 there is not much to do.

The way I see it, MMO's are evolving creatures that need time to grow and truly realize their potential. This was true for World of Warcraft, a game with more content now than any one person can reasonably do, and I hope it will be true for this next generation of games. I'm willing to stick it out in Champions to see as long as the journey to the end is entertaining. If it becomes boring or tedious, well, call me a rat fleeing from a sinking ship.

Keeping up with the times

2009-06-18T11:05:00.000-07:00

I probably speak for many technology buffs out there when I say this has been a big week.

First there is the iPhone 3.0 OS. You can officially buy the new and improved iPhone 3GS starting tomorrow, or you can download and install Apple's latest operating system on your current iPhone. That's what I decided to do. I was one of the first people to jump on the iPhone bandwagon way back when it was introduced. I was one of the lucky few who paid way to much for a gadget whose price would be slashed only days later.

Yeah, yeah, I know ... such is the price for technology. If you want the latest and greatest, you pay for it. Well, I learned my lesson and decided to wait (anxiously) to see if Apple comes out with something better, or if they reduce the price <-- this would be great! Oh yeah, and on top of all that, I hate Apple and their whole goofy, predatory iTunes gimmick!!!!!!!! Anyway, the second thing that's happenned this week comes from Amazon. The Kindle DX starts to ship this week. I'm really, super excited about the whole ereader thing. Imagine all the books and papers and magazines magically housed in a tiny, super thin, sleek, white reader. Ahhhh ... the modern age. I've been sitting of my hands for weeks now trying not the order the gadget. Like the iPhone 3GS, the Kindle DX is expensive - $489 as compared to $350 for the Kindle 2. The jury is out as to how functional and user friendly the ereader phenomenon will end up being, but I personally can't help but think it will ultimately outdo the traditional paper and ink reading. The big hurdle I see though is the need companies like Amazon and Sony have to make their ebook formats proprietary. As it stands now, technically, if you want access to all ebooks you would have to buy Sony's ereader and one of Amazon's Kindles. Why would anyone do that? It would be nice if you could just buy the ereader that works best and suits your needs and then download whatever ebooks you want from whereever. Yeah, I know, wishful thinking. It's more likely everyone will follow Apple's example and find ways to make things more proprietary.

When Technology Attacks!!!

2009-06-18T10:58:00.000-07:00

I just read this article in Wired magazine and laughed my butt off. I can almost picture a geek with too much money and too little brains actually installing the Outlet Wall!

On a side note ... the TV is not bad.

EMBA Costs

2009-06-05T14:58:00.000-07:00

I decided to look up the costs of the Executive MBA programs at a few of our country's finer institutions. Let me just say - WOW!!!

I could go on and on about the cost of education these days, but I figure you can find that information in about a thousand places. And that's really not the point of this post. I just wanted to share with you some helpful information, in case you are thinking of attending. Note, these numbers are for two years and should only be used as an estimate:

Northwestern Kellogg - $128,000
Columbia - $139,800
Duke - $102,000
NYU Stern - $137,000
Wharton - $156,600

Personally, I think it might be time to make the husband get a second job.

How much would you pay for a virgin?

2009-06-05T11:07:00.000-07:00

That's the question I found myself asking the bad guys as I watched Taken, a Liam Neeson and Famke Jansen movie. In case you haven't heard of this particular flick, in a nut shell it's about a father whose estranged daughter is taken by sex traffickers while traveling in Paris with her wealthy friend. As the story unfolds, we see the father, who is also some kind of ex-special agent/super spy, mow down tons - and I mean tons - of bad guys on a quest to find and rescue his daughter.

As a movie Taken was okay, interesting if somewhat predictable. Where it earns its money, though, is as a motivator of discussion.

First, there is the central theme, sex trafficking - clearly a deplorable industry deserving of only the most harsh and cruel punishments. Apparently, it is easy to lead young girls astray. Parents pay attention to your daughters, particularly if they are pretty. While wealth and affluence can draw attention to a girl, it does not necessarily provide a motive. Unlike kidnappers, sex traffickers are not looking for ransom. The relative wealth of their victim's family is somewhat irrelevant. The only thing that really matters is that the girls be attractive and apparently pure. Now that I think about it, the sex trade seems to have the same criteria as high school popularity.

The second thing I found myself thinking about was where the break even point was for the bad guys. Multiple times during the movie Liam Neeson (the father) tells the bad guys all he wants is his daughter back. While this is a pretty standard line for these kinds of movies, I actually believe that the father is sincere. He bypasses several (think dozens) of drugged, bound, and brutalized young women without so much as a pause. Clearly, he has been desensitized to a point where there is no overriding social indignation fueling his actions. Really, all he wants is his daughter.

Which raises the big question. Assuming profit is the overriding motive for the bad guys, why didn't they just give the father back his daughter? Throughout the movie they throw one pogue after another at the father, ostensibly so they can keep the girl long enough to sell her (and her virginity) to some wealthy reprobate. Now, she's pretty - brunette, 5'11", slim, etc. - but, come on, how much did they really expect to make? $300,000, $350,000, $450,000, $500,000. To the super rich, apparently her value is quite substantial as these are the bids we hear during the flesh auction at the movie's climax. Are these figures the standard or the exception? The movie doesn't really indicate the latter so I would have to assume we are meant to believe these values are representative of the norm. That said, there is no way the girl covered her upkeep. She must have cost the bad guys a substantial amount of money in personnel and capital costs alone!

To the bad guys I have to say this. Its simple finance, don't let sunk costs determine whether you pursue an investment.

Drag Me from Hell

2009-06-04T14:31:00.000-07:00

That's how I felt last night when my husband and I went to see Drag Me To Hell, the newest Sam Raimi film.

Now, I'm a huge fan of horror flicks. I make allowances for shoddy story lines, poor acting and substandard cinematography. In fact, I don't demand much more than a snazzy, newish concept and maybe a few well executed jolts. That said, Drag Me to Hell, failed in almost all regards.

First, the heroine is about as sympathetic as a drug-addicted, puppy killer. I think we are suppose to feel for her (after all she's pretty and young and always talks in a just-this-side-of-baby-talk voice), but she made one stupid, self serving decision after another to the point where you really didn't care what happened to her as long as it happened soon.

And that brings me to my next gripe. BORING!!! There were few scenes where the shadow/goat/demon monster thingy attacks the heroine and throws her around the room for a minute or so (a fact that usually made me smile - I really didn't like the heroine), but other than that nothing happened. A couple of conversations but nothing else. Nada. Zip. Zilch.

To be fair though it did have a couple of good scares. Sam Raimi definitely does a good job of setting a creepy atmosphere. Unfortunately, it seems like he couldn't decide whether to make the movie frightening or funny. Every time the film started to build up genuine suspense, some ridiculous, slap-stick would destroy it all. If you've ever seen Tales from the Darkside, Drag Me to Hell was alot like that. Sort of goofy, sort of wierd, but mostly just bland, stay-at-home, made-for-tv fair.

Life After School ...

2009-06-03T12:42:00.001-07:00

Since I graduated, I've been trying to figure out what I should do next. Or more specifically how I should go about doing what I have to do!

Over the next couple of years I have do the following: complete the education requirement of CPA (30 credits or ten courses) and pass all four parts of the CPA exam. One top of that I would like to get my MBA while working my way up in Deloitte and Touche.

My husband and family have made the following suggestions:

Start the CPA prep course this summer; start taking random undergraduate courses at Rider this fall ($460 per credit); and forget about the MBA.
Start the CPA prep course this summer; start taking MBA courses at Rider this fall ($770 per credit).
Start the CPA prep course this summer; start taking random undergraduate courses at an inexpensive community college this fall; and then take Rider MBA courses in a year or two.
Start the CPA prep course this summer; start taking random undergraduate courses at an inexpensive community college this fall; and then take MBA courses at one of the big, reputable schools next year.
Start the CPA prep course this summer; concentrate on work this fall; and then take MBA courses at one of the big, reputable schools next year.

After discussing my situation with several people (including my professors) I've opted for option five. The first option doesn't really accomplish what I want, and taking my MBA at Rider is a good idea if I don't have any other options. I think I would at least like to give one of the big schools a shot. I may end up having to go with option four, depending on the CPA requirements, but I figure option five will give me more experience, allow me to really learn my new job, and open up the most options for the future.

Dogs, Cats, Horses, and the Mandarin Language

2009-06-03T11:59:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago I started the Chinese (Mandarin) module on version 3 of Rosetta Stone. So far I'm 3/4 of the way through the first of three levels. I'm happy to say things are going fairly well. I have never had much luck learning any foreign languages and at the moment I can say and identify several items like cat, dog, horse, man, woman, child, eat run, swim, and the all important car, bicycle, policeman, doctor, red, yellow, white, black, blue, and gree. I know this list seems really random, but I'll take my victories where I can get them.

All that said, I figured I would share with you some of the high (and low) lights of the program thus far:

Pros:

Phrases rather than words. My understanding is that foreign languages don't translate well on a word-for-word basis. Rosetta's approach translates on a concept for concept basis.
An excellent speech component. It's one thing to recognize words and phrases on a screen, and a whole other challenge to pronounce it correctly.
Reinforcement without redundancy. Rosetta has found a nice balance between repeating importing concepts enough so that you remember them (for example: hello or nai hao) without making you want to turn off the software because it has become mind-numbing boring.
Incorporating previous lessons. The software does not just introduce material and forget about it after you have learned it. Instead it builds on previously learned phrases and information creating a smooth progression that mimics natural learning.

Cons:

No tutor. There are moments in the program where I would love to have an English speaking instructor explain the concept the program is trying to illustrate. Rosetta does not provide one of these (or if it does I can't find it) so I find that I am spending a good deal of effort trying to figure out what is happening as well as how to express it in a different language.
Intimidating. Because the software just immerses you into the material without any explanation or introduction, the lessons can be intimidating - especially at first. My advice in this regard is to just grit your teeth, be prepared to get the answer wrong, and work through the material.
Easy to game the system. They say that the key to success in an academic environment is to figure out how to take the tests. That is, how to figure out which answers are wrong or what the key words are that make some answers better than others. Because Rosetta Stone uses a modified multiple choice approach to a great deal of the material, I find myself using these test-taking methods to get the right answer rather than actually learning the material. I am hoping that the concepts will sink in eventually regardless, but we'll see.

Advice:

Have a pen and paper handy. While you can do the program entirely on the computer, it is a huge help to have a pen and paper available so you can draw out the individual characters. The program does have a reading and writing module that simulates this, but I am finding it much more useful to go through the process of writing.
Invest in a microphone. As mentioned above, one of the strengths of the program is the speech component. Make sure your computer is equipped with a microphone (or, alternatively, purchase an inexpensive one). A fundamental part of being able to interact with any foreign culture is making yourself understood. Mandarin phonics is sufficiently different from English that you can't just sound out words and expect people to know what you are saying. Further, there are several sounds that don't occur commonly in the English language. Rosetta Stone's lesson (and feedback) is indispensable in this regard.

Graduation, guests, crafts, and painting my toe nails

2009-06-01T13:20:00.001-07:00

So it's the beginning of June and I'm finally done school :) After two years of studying, you would think that I'd be happy and relieved. The truth is I'm pretty bored - go figure.

On the plus side, my mom came down from Canada to visit and see my grad at the end of May. We had a really great visit and she introduced me to the art of Mosaic (see picture). It's supposed to be a bear. I don't know that I really have the hang of it yet, but it's pretty neat so I'll keep at it.

Also, a couple of weeks ago I received my Becker CPA review course materials. Holy man ... talk about a ton of books! I started looking through the flash cards and realized that maybe I should have been a convenience store clerk instead of an auditor. Talk about overwhelming! Maybe my mind is just overloaded and needs a break - I hope so. I figure I will give it another week or so and then start working on the course in earnest.

Right now, I think I'll just paint my toes nails ... I have two new colors, red-blackberry and bronze. Ooooo ... pretty, pretty toes.

Take care all.