As of late I've taken to reading fmylife.com. It's an interesting little website where people submit terriblt, horrible, no-good, very bad things that have happened in their day/week/month/year/eternity, and then others can either say "Why yes, that is most horrible" or "Wow, you really had that coming"...
It's essentially one giant way to receive sympathy for all of your woes. Or, if you're someone like me, it's prime entertainment and a way to make yourself feel better about the things in your life. I don't really care who you are, you can't be down on your life after reading some of the things on this website. It's golden. So why am I, one who made this blog to complain, writing about it?
Because it is the devil. It is the devil that is spawned by a global information sharing network.
I imagine about 10% of the stories on fmylife.com are genuine, and genuinely terrible occurences. That's a pretty high percentage considering my skepticism towards all things on the internet and their level of truth. 10% out of who knows how many. And for those 10%, I fully understand that sometimes you just need to vent to a faceless entity about how much life sucks. The other 90%, however, are assholes.
Imagine the kid who just found out his fiancee is pregnant, and his best friend is the father. That poor boy's world was just shattered, so he posted a small paragraph to vent and maybe get some sympathy. Nothing wrong with that.
Now that gets buried under the slew of others submitting things like "I spilled coffee on my new pants" from people who just had a mildly uncomfortable moment. And people who make up stories just to see how many people on the internet will express sympathy for it. Now that kid with his genuine problem is lost at the bottom, and realizes that 200,000 people agree that spilling your coffee is terrible, while only 5 people agree his best friend nailing his girl is awful.
I guess I'm not really complaining about the site. I understand why it's helpful to some, and I certainly wouldn't want it to not exist. Yes, by the way, I do feel a small bit of guilt that I'm entertained by the suffering of the genuine stories. But anyway, I'm not complaining about the site. I'm complaining about assholes on the internet.
Like that LonelygirlWhatever crap a few years back. Way to be assholes on the internet. People were genuinely concerned about the wellbeing of a video blogger, only to find out the whole thing was scripted. That's a dick move. In life there's a line between being funny, and being a jerk. On the internet that is a thin, very pixellated and broken line. Suddenly the two are one and the same, because we're interacting through a keyboard and monitor.
I'm not entirely sure now what fmylife had to do with this post from the beginning. I guess I just wanted to plug it so others can get a chuckle out of some of the stories.
I think the whole problem could be resolved in a simple manner, however. Build a contraption to slap someone in the mouth whenever they cross the line between "Funny" and "Jerk" while on the internet. You can get slapped for being a jerk in person, why not on the internet?
Problem solved. You're welcome, world, that one's on the house.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Friday, April 17, 2009
Kids on the internet
I am, for the most part, against children on the internet. I realize that there is a wealth of knowledge and fun activities available for them in this magical cyber paradise. I am fully aware that there are hundreds of websites devoted to entertaining children. Unfortunately, I am also aware that most children lack the basic understanding that is necessary to remain safe on the internet.
Let's break this down a bit. First, adult oriented materials on the internet. The most "security" offered to prevent minors from accessing these materials? A link that states "If you are not 18, please click here". Riiiiight. If little Timmy wants to see what's on the big boy page, that isn't going to stop him.
Maybe I'm old fashioned, but I don't really think it's appropriate for small children to have access to this type of material. Then again, I'm also old fashioned in that I think sex should be between two people in a loving relationship, as opposed to a recreational activity.
Point two is directly related to the ignorance of the young mind. I said ignorance, not stupidity, there's a difference. Let's take, for example, the case of my younger sister. We shall call her Ann, since to my knowledge I have no relatives by that name, or at least none I ever associate with. Ann isn't what I consider the brightest bulb of her age group, which I blame in part on the school system, and in part on a somewhat spoiled upbringing. Ann had several friends, and together they joined the internet melting pot known as "Myspace".
Let me make it a point to say that I have nothing at all against Myspace. I think social networking is a useful thing to have, provided the people on it are not ignorant or particularly stupid. Unfortunately, as I've said, Ann falls into that category that is ill-suited to the internet.
This is a breakdown of what happened with Ann... Ann makes a Myspace account. Ann then finds me on "the Myspace", and adds me as a friend. Seeing as I don't feel my then 10 year old sister should be on said website (I believe the terms of use stated 13 and over?), I choose to not accept. Instead, I click on the link to her profile to find it is not blocked. So far we have a 10 year old with a fully public Myspace profile. It gets better.
According to Ann's profile, she is a senior in fifth grade (her exact wording), very athletic, and a very hot chick. I've gone ahead and corrected spelling errors. She goes so far as to state that she goes to Paintchip Elementary (a fictional school I'm choosing, as opposed to her actual school which she listed). She goes on to list sports teams and activities she is involved with, along with pictures of her and her friends and the other Myspace essentials. Her profile also happens to state that she is 19 (hence why it is open, all profiles below 18 are private), she drinks, etc.
So, to recap... 10 year old girl, acting older than she is, giving information on where she can be found and when. And she drinks. This is an example of why I dislike ignorant and stupid people on the internet. My sister became, in less than 5 minutes, a child predator's complete fantasy. She wasn't the only one to fail, mind you.. I called my father and let him know that he needed to rein her in before something terrible happened, and it took several weeks before all the information that should be removed, was removed.
I believe that gives more than enough reason why children shouldn't be allowed to play on the internet. And this is without getting into the kids on Xbox Live and MMO games.
Let's break this down a bit. First, adult oriented materials on the internet. The most "security" offered to prevent minors from accessing these materials? A link that states "If you are not 18, please click here". Riiiiight. If little Timmy wants to see what's on the big boy page, that isn't going to stop him.
Maybe I'm old fashioned, but I don't really think it's appropriate for small children to have access to this type of material. Then again, I'm also old fashioned in that I think sex should be between two people in a loving relationship, as opposed to a recreational activity.
Point two is directly related to the ignorance of the young mind. I said ignorance, not stupidity, there's a difference. Let's take, for example, the case of my younger sister. We shall call her Ann, since to my knowledge I have no relatives by that name, or at least none I ever associate with. Ann isn't what I consider the brightest bulb of her age group, which I blame in part on the school system, and in part on a somewhat spoiled upbringing. Ann had several friends, and together they joined the internet melting pot known as "Myspace".
Let me make it a point to say that I have nothing at all against Myspace. I think social networking is a useful thing to have, provided the people on it are not ignorant or particularly stupid. Unfortunately, as I've said, Ann falls into that category that is ill-suited to the internet.
This is a breakdown of what happened with Ann... Ann makes a Myspace account. Ann then finds me on "the Myspace", and adds me as a friend. Seeing as I don't feel my then 10 year old sister should be on said website (I believe the terms of use stated 13 and over?), I choose to not accept. Instead, I click on the link to her profile to find it is not blocked. So far we have a 10 year old with a fully public Myspace profile. It gets better.
According to Ann's profile, she is a senior in fifth grade (her exact wording), very athletic, and a very hot chick. I've gone ahead and corrected spelling errors. She goes so far as to state that she goes to Paintchip Elementary (a fictional school I'm choosing, as opposed to her actual school which she listed). She goes on to list sports teams and activities she is involved with, along with pictures of her and her friends and the other Myspace essentials. Her profile also happens to state that she is 19 (hence why it is open, all profiles below 18 are private), she drinks, etc.
So, to recap... 10 year old girl, acting older than she is, giving information on where she can be found and when. And she drinks. This is an example of why I dislike ignorant and stupid people on the internet. My sister became, in less than 5 minutes, a child predator's complete fantasy. She wasn't the only one to fail, mind you.. I called my father and let him know that he needed to rein her in before something terrible happened, and it took several weeks before all the information that should be removed, was removed.
I believe that gives more than enough reason why children shouldn't be allowed to play on the internet. And this is without getting into the kids on Xbox Live and MMO games.
Friday, April 10, 2009
On internet security
Today we're going to talk about a special type of person. The person who thinks the internet is "private"...
It's important to note that the internet is a global information sharing network. This is different from your home PC. Your home PC can be disconnected from sharing information with the rest of the world, and this information on it can be (relatively) private.
The internet is not the same. Anything that is on the internet and can be accessed by you can be accessed by someone else, provided they want to see it enough. This is what leads to things like identity theft, discovering adultery, and finding out where your roommate is hiding his stash of candy.
Wise up, people. The internet does have areas which are secure, or protected, but they are not by any means impervious. Take your email for instance. Sure, it's got a password on it. Fancy. But there are programs out there which can figure out those passwords, no matter how complex, given time. Then you have businesses which allow you to pay online by secure check or credit card. Are they secure? For the most part. Are they encrypted for your safety, like the little icon says? Most definetely. Still not perfect, otherwise there would be far less identity theft in the world today.
This isn't to say that you should be afraid of using your credit/debit card or checks to pay for things on the internet. For me to suggest that would be hypocritical, especially since I've paid for at least 4 things online in the past week. Any reputable company provides protection from liability for false transactions, and I know for a fact my bank does. I know this for a fact because I've had false charges appear on my statement before (misposted to my account, not fraud) and they explained it to me at great length. So go ahead and use that Visa to buy your new trinket on eBay.
Go ahead.
Done shopping? Great. Now, the reason that I bring this up is because, as we all know, the internet is full of stupid people. For instance, a female friend of mine, whom we shall refer to as Susan. I choose this name because I know, at the most, 3 women named Susan, and have not spoken to any of them in a considerable period of time. So if they read this, they know it's not them.
Susan is, for all intents and purposes, an idiot. Fun to hang out with, fun to talk to, pretty to look at, but stupider than a box of stupid. Susan was trying to explain to me recently how everything on the internet is secure and private. I calmly told Susan that she was an idiot.
"You see, Susan..." I explained, "The internet is a global information tool... Anyone on the internet can access anything on the internet, provided they have the time and the proper tools. Nothing is ever really secure there."
"But almighty Dna!" she replied, "Of course it's secure! If I write in my myspace livejournal xanga facebook, no one else can ever see it!"
It was at this point that I, almighty Dna, choose to show her the folly of her beliefs.
I logged into her email.
For those of you not "in the know", it is a good idea to choose a password that has nothing to do with you, your loved ones, or your username. It is not, for instance, a wise decision to make your password your highschool sweetheart's name. This was the downfall of Susan.
Having proven my point, I was confident that another person would now be more educated on the internet, or as people of her stature refer to it, the interweb. I was incorrect.
"OMG YOU'RE A HACKER! YOU STOLE MY CREDIT CARD NUMBER!!"
"Why no, Susan, you spoony bard. I did nothing of the sort. You picked a terrible password. I have proven my point, the internet is not, and never was, 100% secure."
Susan has, for the record, relented in her accusations that I stole her banking information. She has also, I hope, changed her passwords.
But let her shortcoming be a lesson to all others who prowl the internet! Nothing is ever 100% secure! Except of course unplugging your connection. But outside of that, nothing is 100% secure! Change your passwords often (I change mine every 2-3 months, or when I feel like it), and don't make them silly things! And if you DO make your password something easy to guess, throw some numbers in the middle.
Also, if your identity is stolen and it is due to your use of credit cards and such on the internet, I am sorry for your hardship. It is a serious problem in the world today, and not one that is likely to disappear soon. But, if it is NOT stolen through that method, and you claim it is, kindly walk outside and kick a tree. Kick it very hard, and let the pain of your possibly broken foot remind you not to be an idiot.
It's important to note that the internet is a global information sharing network. This is different from your home PC. Your home PC can be disconnected from sharing information with the rest of the world, and this information on it can be (relatively) private.
The internet is not the same. Anything that is on the internet and can be accessed by you can be accessed by someone else, provided they want to see it enough. This is what leads to things like identity theft, discovering adultery, and finding out where your roommate is hiding his stash of candy.
Wise up, people. The internet does have areas which are secure, or protected, but they are not by any means impervious. Take your email for instance. Sure, it's got a password on it. Fancy. But there are programs out there which can figure out those passwords, no matter how complex, given time. Then you have businesses which allow you to pay online by secure check or credit card. Are they secure? For the most part. Are they encrypted for your safety, like the little icon says? Most definetely. Still not perfect, otherwise there would be far less identity theft in the world today.
This isn't to say that you should be afraid of using your credit/debit card or checks to pay for things on the internet. For me to suggest that would be hypocritical, especially since I've paid for at least 4 things online in the past week. Any reputable company provides protection from liability for false transactions, and I know for a fact my bank does. I know this for a fact because I've had false charges appear on my statement before (misposted to my account, not fraud) and they explained it to me at great length. So go ahead and use that Visa to buy your new trinket on eBay.
Go ahead.
Done shopping? Great. Now, the reason that I bring this up is because, as we all know, the internet is full of stupid people. For instance, a female friend of mine, whom we shall refer to as Susan. I choose this name because I know, at the most, 3 women named Susan, and have not spoken to any of them in a considerable period of time. So if they read this, they know it's not them.
Susan is, for all intents and purposes, an idiot. Fun to hang out with, fun to talk to, pretty to look at, but stupider than a box of stupid. Susan was trying to explain to me recently how everything on the internet is secure and private. I calmly told Susan that she was an idiot.
"You see, Susan..." I explained, "The internet is a global information tool... Anyone on the internet can access anything on the internet, provided they have the time and the proper tools. Nothing is ever really secure there."
"But almighty Dna!" she replied, "Of course it's secure! If I write in my myspace livejournal xanga facebook, no one else can ever see it!"
It was at this point that I, almighty Dna, choose to show her the folly of her beliefs.
I logged into her email.
For those of you not "in the know", it is a good idea to choose a password that has nothing to do with you, your loved ones, or your username. It is not, for instance, a wise decision to make your password your highschool sweetheart's name. This was the downfall of Susan.
Having proven my point, I was confident that another person would now be more educated on the internet, or as people of her stature refer to it, the interweb. I was incorrect.
"OMG YOU'RE A HACKER! YOU STOLE MY CREDIT CARD NUMBER!!"
"Why no, Susan, you spoony bard. I did nothing of the sort. You picked a terrible password. I have proven my point, the internet is not, and never was, 100% secure."
Susan has, for the record, relented in her accusations that I stole her banking information. She has also, I hope, changed her passwords.
But let her shortcoming be a lesson to all others who prowl the internet! Nothing is ever 100% secure! Except of course unplugging your connection. But outside of that, nothing is 100% secure! Change your passwords often (I change mine every 2-3 months, or when I feel like it), and don't make them silly things! And if you DO make your password something easy to guess, throw some numbers in the middle.
Also, if your identity is stolen and it is due to your use of credit cards and such on the internet, I am sorry for your hardship. It is a serious problem in the world today, and not one that is likely to disappear soon. But, if it is NOT stolen through that method, and you claim it is, kindly walk outside and kick a tree. Kick it very hard, and let the pain of your possibly broken foot remind you not to be an idiot.
Saturday, April 4, 2009
What can I say, I'm on a roll.
One failure of the internet down, only thousands to go.
This one is focused purely on WoW, so if you have no interest in said topic, skip along. I'll come back for you later.
Ready? Good.
People in WoW are generally people. This means that sometimes they're smart, sometimes they're reasonable, but the vast majority that you see on a regular basis are idiots. Idiots due not only to their failures in spelling and general knowledge, but idiots due to their failure to understand the basic concepts of the game.
My character in particular is a level 80 Blood Elf Paladin. This means that I'm the most normal looking race of the Horde (supposedly the bad guys, but not)... Which means Blizzard, the company responsible for WoW, decided we had to look like a race of metrosexuals with anime themed haircuts. Were it up to me, I would have chosen a different race for my Horde Pally, but alas, the Blood Elves are the only race that can choose said class. And all my friends played Horde, so there you have it. The fact that I'm a paladin means that in my class-specific gear I happen to look like a cross between a Power Ranger and a lightbulb. No joke. The "Tier" armor sets for Paladins are ridiculous in appearance.. Tier 1 includes odd points of gold that look like bananas. Tier 2 is the only nice looking one, but only from the waist up, as below that is a skirt. Tiers 4, 5, and 6 are full of flashy lights and crystals, and generally make us look like walking disco balls. Tier 7 is kind of ok.
Anyway, level 80 paladin. Lightbulb. Lightbulb with a shield, to be more precise. If you look up at the URL for this blog, where it says "lightbulbdna", that's a reference to my WoW character, as I tend to be playing the game when I get annoyed with the internet. As a paladin, I can fill any roll in the game, but realistically only one at a time. I choose to be a "tank", meaning I make things hit me until they die. I make them hate me more than life itself, which is what leads to this death. Because that's how I roll. By contrast, a "dps" attacks whatever hates me in order to make it die faster, and a "healer" does just that... They heal me so that I don't die first.
So, when a healer is an idiot and doesn't understand how to play the game, what do you think happens? That's correct, class. The tank dies. So now I'm dead, and whatever was hitting me repeatedly (reminder: I'm a lightbulb with a shield, meaning I can take those hits fairly well) is no longer hitting me. With my death, the "npc" (non-player character) and I are now cool. He/she/it has no beef with me.
What it does have, however, is a beef with everyone still alive. Usually starting with the healer ("Curse you for healing that tank! It hurts to punch a shield!") the npc goes on a rampage, slaughtering all virtual entities in his path until none remain. This is referred to as a "wipe." So when a wipe happens, there are usually only two people to blame... The tank, for not being able to take a hit, or the healer, for not keeping the tank alive. Just to make sure we're clear, I can take a hit. I'm a rather durable lightbulb, with a big metal case surrounding me. This means that 9 times out of 10, if there's a wipe when I'm tanking, it's the healers fault. That other 10 percent is usually me not paying attention, and making large groups of virtual people want to kill me.
I've healed before. I know how it works. Remember, I'm a paladin, it's one of those things I can do. So I know that when a tank is getting hit, taking 3 to 5 seconds between landing a heal on them isn't going to keep them alive as well as, say, taking 1.5 seconds. I know it's a short time, but in the game it's forever. So once I hit level 80, I started tanking "instances" (you and a party of friends clear out a dungeon of all residents, for the promise of gold and glory. And cake.) and so I started meeting several healers. Some are good. Some are bad. Some are very very bad.
For instance the gentleman who felt that the only way to heal a tank is to throw the largest spell he has, over and over. This is not effective. This is the opposite of effective. This is basically telling me that I hate myself and I want to die. Big heals means big cast time. Big cast time means no heals in between. No heals means Dna takes a nap on the cold floor. From what I understand, the most effective way to heal a tank is to get enough gear on so that your little heals act like big heals. That way, instead of leaving me to get pummeled for 4 seconds, I'm only getting hit for 1.5. This means I continue to live, the healer lives, and we all have cake. People who make it to 80 without understanding the way this works need to be... Well.. not level 80 (the current level cap).
I can honestly say my biggest annoyance in WoW outside of spelling is people who fail at their assigned task.
Second biggest are people that are genuinely stupid.
There is a young gentleman in the guild my paladin is in. I tend to refer to him as a girl, mostly because he sounds like one on voice chat. My paladin is not the only character I play, however. I have many characters, all of which are on the same server, meaning I play with the same bunch of gamers every time I log in. This particular story involves another character of mine, a Death Knight. Think the opposite of paladin, and thats basically what a DK is.
So anyway, I'm working on leveling up this death knight, as he is not level 80. Part of this involves questing, and this particular quest involves killing a certain type of NPC repeatedly for a crazy old man that lives in a mud house. This particular NPC also grants reputation with a certain faction. A faction that, when you have achieved maximum reputation with them, sells a particular type of "mount" (horse, wolf, etc... Things that you ride from point A to point B to go faster).
I'm killing these NPCs on my death knight, minding my own business, grinding out the quest, when I see this young gentlemanlady run past me to kill one of the NPCs I need. Thinking nothing of it, I go to find another one to kill. Then I get a private message...
"F*** OFF. GO AWAY"
Now, this child is a level 80 character. The area I am in is for levels 64-68 to quest and gain experience so they can level. Seeing as he gains no experience from this, and I do, it is now time for me to be a jerk. I won't bore you with the conversation that followed... Just know that it involved a lot of profanities on the part of this child, and a lot of clever and witty retorts from me.
What I will bore you with is the voice chat that followed. I logged into Ventrilo (the voice chat program our guild happens to use), and start talking to everyone there. Soon, the child in question yells at me to get out of his area. Mind you, at this point I'm a jerk. So I deny all knowledge of the character he's referring to, especially since no one on at that point knew said character was me. Our friend the child continues to throw a fit, so I ask him what seems to be the problem with this individual he's dealing with...
"Freakin Dr. Horrible keeps on stealing my mobs! I'm trying to farm rep in Nagrand so I can buy a Talbuk!"... Drhorrible - The Death Knight. Nagrand - The Area. Talbuk - The fancy horse.
Now mind you, Drhorrible is the appropriate level and was completing quests. Our friend was being quite silly when he made his argument, as it allowed me to be more of a jerk.
"So you're telling me that this... What level is he? 65? Death Knight, who by all rights should be there to level, is stealing YOUR... A level 80 warrior... Stealing YOUR mobs? Something about this seems quite backwards... Hmm..." ...Mob - Another term for NPC.
Within moments the rest of chat is ridiculing him for his poor choices. Since this event, they have learned it was in fact me on Drhorrible. It is also worth noting that this individual has not repeated his previous mistake. Another clear cut case of a jerk making a difference in the world.
You're welcome, Internet. That one's free.
This one is focused purely on WoW, so if you have no interest in said topic, skip along. I'll come back for you later.
Ready? Good.
People in WoW are generally people. This means that sometimes they're smart, sometimes they're reasonable, but the vast majority that you see on a regular basis are idiots. Idiots due not only to their failures in spelling and general knowledge, but idiots due to their failure to understand the basic concepts of the game.
My character in particular is a level 80 Blood Elf Paladin. This means that I'm the most normal looking race of the Horde (supposedly the bad guys, but not)... Which means Blizzard, the company responsible for WoW, decided we had to look like a race of metrosexuals with anime themed haircuts. Were it up to me, I would have chosen a different race for my Horde Pally, but alas, the Blood Elves are the only race that can choose said class. And all my friends played Horde, so there you have it. The fact that I'm a paladin means that in my class-specific gear I happen to look like a cross between a Power Ranger and a lightbulb. No joke. The "Tier" armor sets for Paladins are ridiculous in appearance.. Tier 1 includes odd points of gold that look like bananas. Tier 2 is the only nice looking one, but only from the waist up, as below that is a skirt. Tiers 4, 5, and 6 are full of flashy lights and crystals, and generally make us look like walking disco balls. Tier 7 is kind of ok.
Anyway, level 80 paladin. Lightbulb. Lightbulb with a shield, to be more precise. If you look up at the URL for this blog, where it says "lightbulbdna", that's a reference to my WoW character, as I tend to be playing the game when I get annoyed with the internet. As a paladin, I can fill any roll in the game, but realistically only one at a time. I choose to be a "tank", meaning I make things hit me until they die. I make them hate me more than life itself, which is what leads to this death. Because that's how I roll. By contrast, a "dps" attacks whatever hates me in order to make it die faster, and a "healer" does just that... They heal me so that I don't die first.
So, when a healer is an idiot and doesn't understand how to play the game, what do you think happens? That's correct, class. The tank dies. So now I'm dead, and whatever was hitting me repeatedly (reminder: I'm a lightbulb with a shield, meaning I can take those hits fairly well) is no longer hitting me. With my death, the "npc" (non-player character) and I are now cool. He/she/it has no beef with me.
What it does have, however, is a beef with everyone still alive. Usually starting with the healer ("Curse you for healing that tank! It hurts to punch a shield!") the npc goes on a rampage, slaughtering all virtual entities in his path until none remain. This is referred to as a "wipe." So when a wipe happens, there are usually only two people to blame... The tank, for not being able to take a hit, or the healer, for not keeping the tank alive. Just to make sure we're clear, I can take a hit. I'm a rather durable lightbulb, with a big metal case surrounding me. This means that 9 times out of 10, if there's a wipe when I'm tanking, it's the healers fault. That other 10 percent is usually me not paying attention, and making large groups of virtual people want to kill me.
I've healed before. I know how it works. Remember, I'm a paladin, it's one of those things I can do. So I know that when a tank is getting hit, taking 3 to 5 seconds between landing a heal on them isn't going to keep them alive as well as, say, taking 1.5 seconds. I know it's a short time, but in the game it's forever. So once I hit level 80, I started tanking "instances" (you and a party of friends clear out a dungeon of all residents, for the promise of gold and glory. And cake.) and so I started meeting several healers. Some are good. Some are bad. Some are very very bad.
For instance the gentleman who felt that the only way to heal a tank is to throw the largest spell he has, over and over. This is not effective. This is the opposite of effective. This is basically telling me that I hate myself and I want to die. Big heals means big cast time. Big cast time means no heals in between. No heals means Dna takes a nap on the cold floor. From what I understand, the most effective way to heal a tank is to get enough gear on so that your little heals act like big heals. That way, instead of leaving me to get pummeled for 4 seconds, I'm only getting hit for 1.5. This means I continue to live, the healer lives, and we all have cake. People who make it to 80 without understanding the way this works need to be... Well.. not level 80 (the current level cap).
I can honestly say my biggest annoyance in WoW outside of spelling is people who fail at their assigned task.
Second biggest are people that are genuinely stupid.
There is a young gentleman in the guild my paladin is in. I tend to refer to him as a girl, mostly because he sounds like one on voice chat. My paladin is not the only character I play, however. I have many characters, all of which are on the same server, meaning I play with the same bunch of gamers every time I log in. This particular story involves another character of mine, a Death Knight. Think the opposite of paladin, and thats basically what a DK is.
So anyway, I'm working on leveling up this death knight, as he is not level 80. Part of this involves questing, and this particular quest involves killing a certain type of NPC repeatedly for a crazy old man that lives in a mud house. This particular NPC also grants reputation with a certain faction. A faction that, when you have achieved maximum reputation with them, sells a particular type of "mount" (horse, wolf, etc... Things that you ride from point A to point B to go faster).
I'm killing these NPCs on my death knight, minding my own business, grinding out the quest, when I see this young gentlemanlady run past me to kill one of the NPCs I need. Thinking nothing of it, I go to find another one to kill. Then I get a private message...
"F*** OFF. GO AWAY"
Now, this child is a level 80 character. The area I am in is for levels 64-68 to quest and gain experience so they can level. Seeing as he gains no experience from this, and I do, it is now time for me to be a jerk. I won't bore you with the conversation that followed... Just know that it involved a lot of profanities on the part of this child, and a lot of clever and witty retorts from me.
What I will bore you with is the voice chat that followed. I logged into Ventrilo (the voice chat program our guild happens to use), and start talking to everyone there. Soon, the child in question yells at me to get out of his area. Mind you, at this point I'm a jerk. So I deny all knowledge of the character he's referring to, especially since no one on at that point knew said character was me. Our friend the child continues to throw a fit, so I ask him what seems to be the problem with this individual he's dealing with...
"Freakin Dr. Horrible keeps on stealing my mobs! I'm trying to farm rep in Nagrand so I can buy a Talbuk!"... Drhorrible - The Death Knight. Nagrand - The Area. Talbuk - The fancy horse.
Now mind you, Drhorrible is the appropriate level and was completing quests. Our friend was being quite silly when he made his argument, as it allowed me to be more of a jerk.
"So you're telling me that this... What level is he? 65? Death Knight, who by all rights should be there to level, is stealing YOUR... A level 80 warrior... Stealing YOUR mobs? Something about this seems quite backwards... Hmm..." ...Mob - Another term for NPC.
Within moments the rest of chat is ridiculing him for his poor choices. Since this event, they have learned it was in fact me on Drhorrible. It is also worth noting that this individual has not repeated his previous mistake. Another clear cut case of a jerk making a difference in the world.
You're welcome, Internet. That one's free.
I guess I have to start somewhere...
"Hello, internet.
I would like you to know how I feel about you. Internet, I both love and loathe you. All at once I'm addicted, and yet I wish you would go away. No doubt I'm going to say some things here that offend you, as well as the people on you. But I guess that's bound to happen."
The internet is both my best friend and my worst enemy, a case I'm sure is true for many of you as well. I love using the internet to gather information, play games, and talk to friends. My problem with the internet stems from other people desiring to use it for these purposes as well.
First thing's first. Spelling. Grammar. General use of the English language on a worldwide platform designed to help person "A" communicate with person "B". I'm not concerned with people who are from other countries, or genuinely don't speak English. No no, that's not what this is about. This is about all of you kind folks out there in internet land who choose to sound like a blithering idiot for no reason other than your own mental deficiency.
For instance, let's take the word "you". A simple enough word. Is it really so hard to add "yo" to "u"? I think not. I can understand shorthand in texting, when you have to press the same button multiple times to get the desired letter. But come on. When you have a full keyboard in front of you, there's really no excuse. This same concept applies to words like "why", "are", and a plethora of other extremely short words.
Being the avid internet nerd I am (much as I loathe the other individuals on it), I have taken to the native sport of my people, "World of Warcraft". I agree with anyone who refers to it as digital crack, and unfortunately I am addicted. "World of Warcraft" (hereafter referred to as "WoW") is only made more entertaining and enfuriating by my hatred other people on my internet. Yes, it is my internet. You see, in WoW, people tend to become far stupider than they may be in real life. For instance, a perfectly reasonable gentleman in his business day may suddenly start acting like a 12 year old girl hopped up on caffeine and cocaine once he logs on. I'm not being sexist, mind you. The vast majority of "female" characters in WoW are played by men (my roommate is one of these individuals. I am not). As this particular rant is about spelling, I'll keep it to that... For now.
Now, I will admit.. When I was younger, I had difficulty with consistently spelling the word "Rogue" properly. Mostly because I was unaware of the word "Rouge". WoW is the only place I have found where rogue can be misspelled continuously by multiple people without anyone noticing that it's wrong. It's really a pet peeve of mine to have words spelled properly, so it is mildly annoying to see. However, it's also entertaining, and I will reveal to you the secret of this joy... I am an asshole. Plain and simple. I am very much a jerk on the internet, especially to people who lack the basic mental capacity to properly spell a word. I'm not really mean to everyone, mind you, just the people who are mean to me back. Outside of that I'm more playful than anything. Here's how a usual argument will start due to a simple spelling error. "A" being the aforementioned idiot on my internet, "Dna" being myself.
A - Wat is a gud place for a rouge 2 lvl?
Dna - What's a rouge?
A - LOLZ my class rtard!
Dna - Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize that cosmetic products were now playable classes. Or is it the color?
A - wat??
Dna - Rouge. It's a color. Pretty sure it's also a cosmetic. Unless, of course, you mean "rogue"...
A - Thts not how its speled! wtf!!1!!!!!1!
Dna - Are you sure? Hit the "c" button on your keyboard for me. How does Blizzard spell your class name?
From that point on it's usually a lengthy stream of profanities from "A", and several very witty and clever retorts from yours truly. What can I say, that's how I roll. The way I see it, I'm making the internet a better place, one idiot at a time.
I can't help it that I'm a stickler for spelling and grammar.
Don't you worry, internet.. Together, we can make it through this and save you. One rant at a time.
I would like you to know how I feel about you. Internet, I both love and loathe you. All at once I'm addicted, and yet I wish you would go away. No doubt I'm going to say some things here that offend you, as well as the people on you. But I guess that's bound to happen."
The internet is both my best friend and my worst enemy, a case I'm sure is true for many of you as well. I love using the internet to gather information, play games, and talk to friends. My problem with the internet stems from other people desiring to use it for these purposes as well.
First thing's first. Spelling. Grammar. General use of the English language on a worldwide platform designed to help person "A" communicate with person "B". I'm not concerned with people who are from other countries, or genuinely don't speak English. No no, that's not what this is about. This is about all of you kind folks out there in internet land who choose to sound like a blithering idiot for no reason other than your own mental deficiency.
For instance, let's take the word "you". A simple enough word. Is it really so hard to add "yo" to "u"? I think not. I can understand shorthand in texting, when you have to press the same button multiple times to get the desired letter. But come on. When you have a full keyboard in front of you, there's really no excuse. This same concept applies to words like "why", "are", and a plethora of other extremely short words.
Being the avid internet nerd I am (much as I loathe the other individuals on it), I have taken to the native sport of my people, "World of Warcraft". I agree with anyone who refers to it as digital crack, and unfortunately I am addicted. "World of Warcraft" (hereafter referred to as "WoW") is only made more entertaining and enfuriating by my hatred other people on my internet. Yes, it is my internet. You see, in WoW, people tend to become far stupider than they may be in real life. For instance, a perfectly reasonable gentleman in his business day may suddenly start acting like a 12 year old girl hopped up on caffeine and cocaine once he logs on. I'm not being sexist, mind you. The vast majority of "female" characters in WoW are played by men (my roommate is one of these individuals. I am not). As this particular rant is about spelling, I'll keep it to that... For now.
Now, I will admit.. When I was younger, I had difficulty with consistently spelling the word "Rogue" properly. Mostly because I was unaware of the word "Rouge". WoW is the only place I have found where rogue can be misspelled continuously by multiple people without anyone noticing that it's wrong. It's really a pet peeve of mine to have words spelled properly, so it is mildly annoying to see. However, it's also entertaining, and I will reveal to you the secret of this joy... I am an asshole. Plain and simple. I am very much a jerk on the internet, especially to people who lack the basic mental capacity to properly spell a word. I'm not really mean to everyone, mind you, just the people who are mean to me back. Outside of that I'm more playful than anything. Here's how a usual argument will start due to a simple spelling error. "A" being the aforementioned idiot on my internet, "Dna" being myself.
A - Wat is a gud place for a rouge 2 lvl?
Dna - What's a rouge?
A - LOLZ my class rtard!
Dna - Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize that cosmetic products were now playable classes. Or is it the color?
A - wat??
Dna - Rouge. It's a color. Pretty sure it's also a cosmetic. Unless, of course, you mean "rogue"...
A - Thts not how its speled! wtf!!1!!!!!1!
Dna - Are you sure? Hit the "c" button on your keyboard for me. How does Blizzard spell your class name?
From that point on it's usually a lengthy stream of profanities from "A", and several very witty and clever retorts from yours truly. What can I say, that's how I roll. The way I see it, I'm making the internet a better place, one idiot at a time.
I can't help it that I'm a stickler for spelling and grammar.
Don't you worry, internet.. Together, we can make it through this and save you. One rant at a time.
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