Skill Points

Sports video games often have "Create a Player" options that allow users to design a character to play with in the game. Part of creating the player is granting "skill points." Sometimes they are called something different, but the concept is the same--the more points granted to a player in a certain area, the more skilled that player is in that area. For example, if the most points possible is 100, and I give my player 100 skill points in the "Sprinting Speed" category, no one will be able to outrun my player. Some games have a cap on the number of total skill points. (If they don't, then the 5'10" white guy named Miles is always unparalleled in every category.) When there is a cap on the total amount of skill points that can be awarded to one player, it is important to distribute the points strategically between the different categories. It wouldn't do to have a striker (soccer) that is faster than anyone else but can't shoot worth beans. But it might be okay to sacrifice some points in more defensive categories to make him faster and a more accurate shooter.

I believe that we truly are granted skill points in life. There is only so much the human brain and the human body can do. While some people may have more total skill points, I think that everyone chooses, to some degree, how to distribute them. We can choose to put all our points in one category, or we can divvy them out to different categories. Those who decide to put all of their points in one category will become great at that skill, but they will be one-sided people with narrow interests. Those who decide to evenly distribute their points will be well-rounded, but they will never be the best at anything.

How we decide to allot our points is no mystery. When we dedicate time and effort to a certain skill we get better and better at that skill. We usually put time and effort into things that we enjoy or that we think are important. And so we get good at those things. Some people are just wired with more skill points in certain areas. Idiot savants are the extreme example. Their "Social Skills" bars read 0, while something else, maybe the "Math" bar, reads 100.

My personal preference is to evenly distribute my skill points among several different areas. I will never be a world-renowned surgeon, a professional athlete, or an award-winning novelist. But I might competently assist with surgeries, win rec league championships in basketball and soccer, and one day get a book published. Most people want to be the best at one thing. The minority, myself included, believe that being good at many things is more rewarding.

Here are some examples of how people have distributed their skill points. (50 points is average.)

Jessica Simpson: Music--60, Appearance--70, Intellectualism--5

Shaquille O'Neal: Athletics--80, Appearance--5, Rapping--49

Paris Hilton: Skankiness--90, Athletics--5, Intellectualism--6

Conan O'Brian: Comedy--80, Intellectualism--65, Dignity--15

Michael Jackson: Music--95, (oops, already used up all his skill points)

Maria Sharipova: Athletics--80, Appearance--80, Social Skills--30

There Can Only Be One

Congratulations to the mighty Celtics.

Team chemistry, hard work, and tough defense have triumphed over...

...arrogance.

Boston 131

Los Angeles 92

Series 4-2

Band Names

There are some stupid band names out there. Really stupid. Some of them are funny and some of them are just lame. Examples?

The The--supposed to be ironic and cool but lame.
Butthole Surfers--supposed to be funny but lame.
Insane Clown Posse--so ridiculous it's funny.
Barenaked Ladies--supposed to be funny but lame.
Deathcab for Cutie--supposed to be cool? Supposed to be funny? It's lame.
Nickelback--I think they're trying to be cool by not caring that their name is lame--like their music.
Goo Goo Dolls--beyond lame.
The Mr. T Experience--funny.
The Beatles--why?

So I thought I'd come up with my own ridiculous band names. If they're stupid, they can't be worse than Nickelback. If they're funny, well, I struck gold. If they're cool...they won't be cool. And, for the record, I have no aspirations of ever naming a band so feel free to take my names.

Up-Down-Left-Right-A-B-B-A-Select-Start
Last of the Oaxacans
Shakespearean Ninjas In Love
Chronic the Hemp Hog
I'm Sorry, I Don't Speak Klingon
Encephalomegaly
Five Finger Discount
Jack Bauer's Apprentice
Vitamin H

Leave your own ideas.

It's Not a Habit, It's Cool, I Feel Alive

This week I got a break from school. With gas prices how they've been and a wife that still had to work, I was stuck in Pocatello. So I renewed my subscription to xbox live so I could finally enjoy the Call of Duty 4 multiplayer experience. My intentions were to get my fill of xbox so I wouldn't be tempted to waste time playing video games when school started back up. A variation of aversion therapy. If I played too much, I'd get sick of it.

Wrong.

I might as well have given a crackhead a bag of coke and said, "Here, snort this whole bag and then next week you won't want to snort crack anymore."

My neck is stiff, my left thumb has a blister, my eyes are blurry, and my head is pounding. And all I can think about is getting back online, getting out my G3 assault rifle, and capping some terrorists.

"Just a few more kills and I'll make gunnery seargent," I think. "Just a few more headshots and I'll unlock a new sight for my gun. Just a few more wins and I'll make 1st Lieutenant." It's endless.

-Sigh-

My name is Miles, and I'm addicted to video games.

Gasoline Prices: The Silver Lining

With gas prices nearing $4 per gallon, Americans are beginning to panic. They work extra hours, sacrifice other luxuries, and cry out for government intervention. The most obvious solution appears to be the least acceptable--use less gas. But high gas prices may be just what the doctor ordered for our country.

Motor vehicles, as much as I hate to admit it, are a contributing factor in several of our nation's biggest problems. When people finally begin to abandon their cars, we might make some headway in resolving the following problems:

1. Pollution--we've all heard plenty about this one. Smog, global warming, junkyards full of old cars and tires, etc.

2. Obesity--maybe people will drop a few pounds when they're forced to ride bicycles to work every day. (Although we might see an epidemic of hemorrhoids.)

3. Depression--exercise is helpful in treating depression. It's also good to have a few minutes of fresh air everyday without a nagging boss or client, the radio blaring, or the TV on.

4. Motor vehicle accidents--MVAs account for more deaths every year than all natural disasters combined. I'm guessing that bicycle collisions would be less fatal. And it's probably harder to ride a bike drunk than to drive drunk.

5. Health care costs--the movie stars all want to fight for AIDS awareness, but the biggest problem in American health care is obesity--a major factor in so many chronic illnesses. Depression is another big one, and so are motor vehicle accidents. Who pays for all of this? You do--taxes and health insurance go up with health care demands.

6. Consumer debt--the average American spends thousands of dollars per year on their cars. Because they are a status symbol, many people spend much more on their cars than they can truly afford. And then they have to pay for maintenance, fuel, and insurance all year.

7. Foreign policy--I can't help but think that we, the citizens of the United States, would be looked upon in a much more favorable light by the international community if we didn't need oil. And we could finally flip the bird to those corrupt middle-eastern governments. What else could we possibly need from them? Camels? Sand?

The Club

Some people think of traffic tickets as a punishment. Some co-workers introduced me to a different, more optimistic perspective. Instead of thinking of tickets as a punishment, they felt that they were simply paying their dues to be members of an elite club. This club did not have a name, but all of its members were allowed to drive as fast as they pleased.

I pointed out that, depending on how often they were pulled over, everyone's dues were different. They said that this was one of the fun rules of the club--people that were able to avoid the police would pay lower dues. It was a mix of cunning and the roll of the dice and it made the club more exciting.

I suppose I'm a junior member of the club because I always drive about 5-10 mph over the speed limit and I haven't had to pay dues for a few years.

Gender Stereotyped Toys

I feel terribly sorry for any child raised by people that insist on avoiding "gender-stereotyped toys." They subscribe to the ridiculous notion that boys and girls are the same until they are taught to be different. No nature, just nurture. I think that these people have some major issues in their own lives and are making their kids suffer for it. Maybe they were the weird boys that liked to play with dolls and dress up. Maybe they are trying ever so hard to break into that intellectual, self-righteous, "open-minded" crowd. Or maybe they've been deceived by foolish, misled psychologist pushing their own untried hypotheses on childhood development. Whatever the case, their children are cheated out of the COOLEST TOYS!

Well, I'll tell you something. If my parents had tried that crap with me, it wouldn't have worked. Nope. I didn't need Mattel to manufacture guns and swords. I made my own. Anything and everything was a potential weapon--puzzle pieces, spoons, severed doll legs--anything.

Fortunately, I had normal parents that let me play with normal toys. I had my weapons, my cowboy boots, and my sports equipment and I was happy.