#zache

[sakimcgee]

"I love you." "Do you, really?" "...I don't think so. But I wish I did."

[english-tibetan-dictionary]

zache

za byed mkha' 'gro - Zache Khandro, a wrathful dakini related to a practice of purification using fire [RY]

za byed mkha' 'gro - Purification practice, based on Zache Khandro [RY]

[techno-identity]

Work and Video Games

Video games, with the addition of motion control, add an different environment that they can be used on. I know from my countless hours on the internet that some jobs, like ColdStone Creamery, are training workers using video games. But how does this affect the training. For some it may be beneficial. The worker gets an interactive working experience rather than sitting watching a video. They are able to learn quantities of the items needed without wasting any of the product. They can learn to work with speed and precision before serving a single customer. It is hard to say though if this type of training makes a good worker. What if the person is just good at the game and the skills do not translate over and can an employee take a company seriously if they train them with video games.

[techno-identity]

David Shields

"Anything processed by memory is fiction."

While it is difficult to disagree with a lot of what Shield puts into his book, I will make an attempt at it. While I agree that our memory can be problematic and fabricate detail or make something bigger than it was it does not always. In fact our memory is a wonderful thing.

There have been times when I remembered an event, like a party. My memory created the party to be one of the most fun things ever. I remember bowling in my socks, sleeping in the bowling alley and even breaking the lanes a couple of times. I know for a fct that my memory is not fiction. In fact I have photographic evidence as well as the memories of friends that were there with me.

If what Shields is saying is true my memory would be a fabrication which it is not. In fact most memories are not fiction unless you want to believe something is true, then they become a reality and at least to you fact. While it is impossible now to understand how memory works what can definitely be understood is that memory is not all fiction. Our memory is based on a lot of facts based on what happened in our lives.

[techno-identity]

Final thoughts on WOW

Since playing WOW for class has finally ended I thought it would be appropriate to give my final thoughts. Getting all the things we needed to complete the assignment was pretty easy except for the dungeons. After trying to complete one last dungeon with a group of classmates I learned just how difficult it is to complete when the enemies are just one level higher than you. Our group stood no chance in any of the dungeons wee did. Once we attacked I, as a tank, was killed faster than the healer could heal me. Once I was gone the group fell apart. I got to see just how frustrating the game can be. Before the quests that I have done and the exploring I have done made me believe the game was easy and fun but the dungeons proved to be a task that overly frustrated me on occasions. I still have one month of WOW left and plan on at least playing out the month.

[techno-identity]

Deviance

The Leroy Jenkins WOW video is probably the most famous and popular machinema from any game (outside of red vs blue). The video has been parodied many times including Leroy invading the GOP debate that was featured on the Daily Show. The video while hilarious shows a glimpse of what could piss off many people that take WOW seriously. Leroy Jenkins ruined the already slim chance of what the group had to succeed.

In Digital Culture, Play and Identity there is a chapter dedicated just to deviance of some players. Leroy Jenkins shows just how annoying they can be for a group. Often when doing activities like dungeons or raids you often have to play with complete strangers. This could pose huge problems. While some may be beneficial to your group most will probably try to screw you over, like Leroy Jenkins. If you have a Leroy Jenkins in your group you are screwed. Not only to you have to deal with an ass that same person ruins your chance of accomplishing things. With people like that playing the game it ruins the experience and a chance of accomplishment that those unfortunate to have him in his team (while giving an audience a chance to laugh). Deviants troll around WOW hurting the experiences of many people.

[techno-identity]

WOW

After having played both a battleground, a dungeon, and the story I learned that each are very different. In the battlegrounds to capture the flag you are supposed to work as a team. Yet communication was difficult and it turned into chaos, as players were lost on where to go and the Alliance got crushed. Communication was critical to work as a team but not 100 percent needed. The dungeons however required each member of the team to work together. If any member slacked the whole team could suffer a death of an important member of the team like a healer. Unlike the battlegrounds and the story the dungeons required teamwork and communication, which could be difficult with only text communication. Finally the story is completely different. I only have to worry about myself (and occasionally an NPC) if something goes wrong it is only my fault. I cannot slack and have to be the leader no matter what. Each of these options that I have tried so far show just how open the world is to different playing styles. A player level up and get items anyway they see fit.