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Religion Vs Rock N' Roll

I know, the title couldn't be more kitschy and lame. But here is what the world has come to! I have been avoiding to get into this debate (i.e. the religion, not the Rock N' Roll one) for obvious reasons...

Mind under training (Introduction)

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Showing posts with label Gaming. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gaming. Show all posts

19 January 2013

"IT" Is The Life

by guest author while(TRUE){life();}

This piece is dedicated to all the engineers, tech-savvies, and geeks out there. A timeline of progress, disappointment, anger management issues, and liberation! 

The Education 
HND in Computer Engineering
BEng in Computer Engineering
MSc in Data Communication

The Student Experience 
During my years at uni I got everything that anyone could ever imagine: made good friends, was taught how to think like an engineer, did fun projects, and spent countless hours in labs (even the pizza guy learned were the labs were and came knocking on the door to deliver the usual!). My knowledge of communication systems was growing exponentially on a daily basis and something inside me was always pushing me to go the extra mile, like changing the code of a software so we can file-share with friends.

The First Job 
Junior Network Engineer: new toys, new experience, and a lot more to learn. I was working on a production system an entire company was depending on with everything working like a Swiss watch. I wish I could say that was true for me at the beginning of my career! That something inside me kept me going and going, no stop for me until I got it right; playing with new toys is like a fat kid in a candy store for an engineer (ok, ok for the sake of political correctness let’s say overweight). Within a year I became the lead, the authority on everything and anything (in engineering terms the “in case s**t man”). I was learning fast and I was having fun and I was getting paid for it as well, the trifecta for any engineer out there. Light-bulb moments were coming in thick and fast.  

The Wake-up Call 
Then a change happened. I came across office politics. I do not like office politics, I do not do office gossip, and I hate back-stabbers (that’s right, you all shall burn in hell). That is not my game, I'm an engineer, genetically programmed to look at the cold hard facts and formulate an answer to a problem. But I soon realised... office politics do work. Knowledge-less people were moving up the ladder, playing with Facebook all day long (that’s right am part of the resistance) while others dealt with problems they caused. Well, I consider them f***ing parasites! That something inside me started to get really upset. I kept everything in check, kept true and worked smart and hard.

Career Take 2
Solutions Architect: new people, new opportunities, new systems to learn. I was part of a team that were the technical experts on any technology the company had to offer. It didn't took me long, six months down the line I became the team leader, I was performing training courses from the most advanced technologies to entry-level for everyone. For any difficulty that came along, I was the answer. The trifecta was back, learning new technologies, sharing knowledge and getting paid for it. Before the year coming to an end I was awarded as one of the top business' performers.

The Games
Funny how things change though, it took a year before I started noticing the office politics again. I locked horns with one of the sales directors; these guys really don't like us! The engineer in me prevailed. Keep true I said to myself, keep true. That evil thing inside me kept growing stronger and stronger by the day though.

The Realisation
Well after that fiasco and almost two years down the line I have seen some ugly truths and even more ugly people! The same pattern over and over again, knowledge-less idiots move along the line, just by using office politics. They steal your ideas present them as their own and get the credit for it. Well that is office politics for you people. Still, there are technology companies out there that have it right and that is why they are called pioneers of technology.

Moving On 
Now I have interviews lined up and it all looks good, but that thing inside me has grown into a full figure with black attire, an army of evil, and some respiratory problems. It’s getting harder and harder to keep IT in line (see what I did there?). But its voice is always there in the background whispering... 

WELCOME TO THE DARK SIDE, WE DO HAVE COOKIES!!!
(and gaming platforms, gadgets, and loose virtual women)

                                                                                                                                                                                                      
 while(TRUE){life();} has now got a job that he is temporarily happy with. He is so intelligent as to be considered a genius by his friends who expect him to make lots of money and share the wealth with his fanclub. He is a proud geek, gamer, and spectacle-wearer and does think that geeks rule [honestly]. He is also the only member of the Facebook Résistance and quite paranoid about his digital footprint and for these reasons only you cannot really follow him anywhere. Except in real life. But that would make you a stalker. 
                                                                                                                                                                                                            
Image credits:

09 July 2012

London Film & Comic Con Experience

I have never thought I would be writing such a post. I never considered myself to be geeky, nerdy, or whatever you want to call it. But as it turns out I might have been all my life as I realised at this year's London Comic Con. I'll start with a hilarious definition I found in the online thesaurus:

"a geek is any smart person with an obsessive interest, a nerd is the same but also lacks social grace, and a dweeb is a mega-nerd"

I don't think I particularly fall under any of the above definitions but I guess I could be considered geekish!

Back to the London Comic Con. It was an unbelievable experience for many reasons. The cosplayers for example. Here are a few of my favourites.

Mr. Vader [He had the breathing thing sorted as well!] 

Alien(s) [Is it too expensive to buy one of these?]
Zombie from The Walking Dead [Notice the foot detail!]

The Fantastic 4

Wolverine [with glasses? :)]

These people put a lot of effort [and probably money] on these wonderful costumes but it paid off. They were stopped for photos all the time [mostly by me!]. Another thing awesome about Comic Con were the celebrities. I managed to snap a couple of photos only as they all wanted £15 for an autograph and a picture!

 Darth Vader himself

Todd from Scrubs [Celebrity high-5!]

Hercules

And lets not forget the 1989 Batmobile!

Not so cool that they wanted money for autographs but I guess that's the way it goes. Finally, look at all the cool stuff the dealers were selling.


Star Wars Lightsabers [approved by Silent Bob apparently!]



Signed memorabilia [I'd buy the Hulk Fist!]



Hand-crafted heroes & villains

Comics

Film favourites

Cool t-shirts

Custom-made All Stars

And so many more awesome things! I could honestly buy every single thing in there but I went home with a Batman t-shirt and this Hulk figurine for my brother.


As I said before, I never thought I'd say this but I'm officially a "comics world" convert! I highly recommend a visit to one such event even if you are not into comics and things like that. The next one in London is in October 2012 and it's the MCM Expo [Website]. I can't wait for that one and I can only hope that I'll some day visit the San Diego Comic Con in California!

Live long and prosper my friends!

06 February 2012

Night-Thought-Train

During these last few days I have been relatively hate-free. No major annoyance issues, no exhibition of serious antisocial behaviour, no world-destructive ideation. Still, I lay in bed every night thinking of the following:

Metallica: What the hell happened to one of my favourite bands?
They used to be THE thrash gods, now they are more like trash sods! I mean, come on ...... LuLu? What is that? If you need some kind of "high-end" artistic & intellectual thinking to "get it", then it's not for me. Nor for Metal for that matter. Where are the days of Kill 'Em All, Master of Puppets, Ride the Lightning etc? I sigh, turn to my side and try to sleep...

Then...
Madonna: Great strip dancer isn't she? Can barely move without a cane at the moment. When is this old cow going to retire, vaporize, disappear forever? Oh well, the world is not perfect. Hmmm ..... Did I remember to take the beef out of the freezer tonight?

Followed by...
Lemmy: Why isn't the whole world revolved around Lemmy? EVERYBODY has got to love him. Legend! [Dream] Found myself walking backstage of a gig and somehow got the chance to meet the bands/artists playing - did not know who they were at the time. I see Rob Halford, followed by Ozzy coming towards me ready to hug and kiss me. As I stretch my arms to do so, I see Lemmy in the horizon, make a ninja manoeuvre, skip Halford, say to Ozzy "I've got to meet the Legend first!", and run towards Lemmy's open arms.... [end of dream] Aaaah ..... Good times! Waking up to pee.

and....
Download Festival: Wondering why the organisers think they have the perfect line-up this year (or every year for that matter). Black Album in its entirety and 3/4 original members of Black Sabbath playing? Why don't you take a look at other European festival's line-ups for advice? Not that exciting for more than £200!

Leading to....
Black Sabbath: Bill Ward's disappointment towards the band is really sad. Come on, you all have enough money already, give the poor man some! We don't care if you love each other or not, you are old, you are slowly dying, we want to see you live one last time! Get over yourselves and your money obsession. Stop killing music.

Changing to....
Old men charm: Perfect men examples: Clint Eastwood, Bruce Willis, Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Sean Penn.... They are great actors too. Why do women prefer boys like Jude Law, Orlando Bloom, the guy with the most annoying face of all (spiderman actor), and other man-like organisms out there? Sometimes I'm wondering if we, women, are a bit insane.

Speaking of...
RJ Dio: Is he really dead? It doesn't feel like it. I find myself searching ticket sites for Dio gigs. None available at the moment ...... Oh well, they are just taking a break!  I roll in bed furiously.

Wishing for...
Playing an instrument: Why can't I find the courage to start from scratch and learn how to play the bass properly? The ability to play more music pieces rather than what I think is the melody of Paranoid and Seven Nation Army sounds like a well-structured dream! On the shelf for now along with being a nature photographer, freelance writer, pancake maker, and cardiac surgeon!

Moving on to....
PS3 gaming madness: Seriously, I did not need another obsession in my life. Discovering gaming (especially games where you team up with Lemmy, get advice from Ozzy, and fight Rob Halford) is not the best idea while doing a Doctorate degree. Still, it's awesome! (that is once I..... learn.... how...... to...... operate..... this...... stupid..... PS3...... controller! Aaarrgh!)

Connecting with...
Discovering new stuff: There is a lot of great music out there that I haven't listened to, lots of amazing places to visit, lots of exciting hobbies I have never tried, lots of food I haven't tasted yet ......... Damn life's short!  Finally, I fall asleep.

Closing up...
Justin Bieber: [Dream] MUST KILL NOW!

I wake up with a grin thinking the world is a better place than it was last night.
_________________________________________________________________________________
Image credits:
http://www.thewire.co.uk
http://www.rockandmetalnews.com
http://www.latestscreens.com

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