Thoughts on Time & Space

As I come back to the world after winter break and a bit of hiatus with the podcast and the blog, I was reflecting on the clarity I feel like I had during this time. I didn’t have to do anything other than work and take care of the apartment, spend time with my wife and our friends, and hang out with our dog. It was great.

This down time was precipitated by my new job I got in August. It is a remote job and encourages working flexibly. We have team members and constituents all over the country, so it makes sense to sometimes plug in a little later if you’re on the East Coast to collaborate with West Coast folks. Also, we have to travel a bit for different things, so if you need to catch up on work at odd hours, it’s totally okay. There is also a unlimited PTO policy so as long as you’re not leaving everyone in the dark to cover for you, you can take any needed time for special occasions or just to unplug during the holidays for example. Lastly, I don’t have to commute any more, which is awesome just for the time saved but also the stress. Since the new job has a lot of moving pieces to learn and the flexibility I was looking for, I winded down some side projects so I could take a bit of a breather.

This is the context for the past few months for me. I feel ready to ease back in to some of these side projects I have now. It was funny that since I had more room in my life for other things, I was more thoughtful about what I filled it with. I had a lot of momentum filling my limited precious time with podcasting, writing, editing other people’s shows, etc. before I got this new job. But now that I was going to be able to be making more money and have more time on my hands, I figured I should step back to rethink my priorities.

There have been a lot of recent articles this past year examining burnout and self-care. They’ve made me think a lot about the things I should be focusing on and how I nurture my own energy. Something I say a lot is that you make time for what you want to make time for. This is how we subconsciously reflect our priorities in the choices we make and the actions we take. This can also be retooled as an intentional way of being. We must make time for the things that are important to us. Otherwise, we’re going to build up internal stress and pressure, and not be our best selves. This manifested for me when it came to playing games. I didn’t make it a priority and I was far more stressed most of time because of it. Now that my life has settled down and I have more space, I’m playing a little bit almost every day.

It’s all about values and how we value our own time. We can work all day and every weekend, but what do we have to show for it? Certainly not much in the short term. Often we’re salaried and not getting overtime. We’re setting unhealthy expectations about our availability that we have to work to undo. We also always have the opportunity cost of not being able to do anything else we could be doing with that time. The relationships with the people around us and our other obligations will suffer. And yes, this includes making time for the gym, going to the doctor, and getting other errands done.

I hope these thoughts on time and space are helpful to you. I wanted to write again and this felt the most salient as both a general update on what I’ve been up to and also what I’ve been thinking a lot about.

The Impact Of Cheating On Modern Video Games

(Image Source)

Over the last handful of decades, the gaming industry has changed by a huge degree. In the past, most of the games being played in homes will have revolved around a board, a set of cards, or both, and wouldn’t have any moving parts. Arcades changed all of this, though, with companies making the first games consoles to replicate their larger cousins. In recent years, the evolution of this market has gone in a slightly different direction. Instead of growing, it is now maturing, and cheating is one of the biggest areas which has to be dealt with.

Like any type of game whether it's board games of the past like Monopoly or casino and card games such as Roulette and poker, there are always going to be inventive and creative ways that people try to get an advantage over someone else or the house. CardsLenses for example (click here) is one such unique system whereby marked cards can be seen via an optical contact lens. However, video game advantage has become an industry in and of itself.

About five or six years ago, video games on consoles were a simple disk, and didn’t require any verification to play. Only games on computers which were able to save them to a hard drive has to use codes to activate titles after they were purchased. As time has moved on, though, developers and their bosses have had to look for new ways to hold people accountable. This is done through accounts which tie your games to your user login. Preventing copyright infringement and theft, this sort of approach is a great way to stop people from stealing their games. On top of this, it can also make it a lot easier for moderators to ban cheats, as all of their details are saved on a central network. Of course, though, this doesn’t make users like it any more.

Most of the worst cheating doesn’t happen when purchasing a game, instead being a process which people will use to give themselves an upper hand while playing. For FPS games, aimbots, cheats, and other tools are used to enable users to rack up points while other players helplessly try to win. In other games, like MOBAs and RTS titles, lag switches are very common, putting all of the other players into an unusable state of high-latency. To get around this, most developers use anti-cheat systems to automatically remove cheaters from the game.

Automated processes rarely work as intended, though, and it can be hard for them to pick out when new tools are being used. Companies like TKO hacks can give you a good idea of how quickly this sort of software is developed and changed, along with the claims which their makers make regarding the chances of being caught. This leaves game developers having to rely on players to report those which they think are cheating in their games. While systems like this are great in theory, they tend to be very hard to implement properly. There are certain games on the market which enable users to ban each other when they send a lot of reports.

Hopefully, this post will inspire you to start working harder to spot the cheats in your next gaming experience. A lot of people find it hard to notice this sort of activity, instead thinking that they have lost their touch in their favorite games. In reality, though, there are loads of people willing to bend the rules to win, and you have to be vigilant if you want to do your part.

What Will the Future Look Like?

Now, we know that there are enough pressing concerns in today’s world. We’re dealing with political issues, the environment, and a world that has rising inequality, and we should all be focusing our energies to rectify those problems. However, it’s also worth keeping one eye on the future - because like it or not, it’s going to be here quicker than we realize. So what will the world of tomorrow look like? We take a look below.

Source: Pexels.com

Everything Talking

It’s tempting to think the digital age has already arrived, but this isn’t really true. People must have thought the age of the car had arrived way back when there were just a few hundred on the roads; they couldn’t have envisioned just how widespread they would have become. The same is true of technology. In the future, everything will be connected - including ourselves. The internet of things has kind of arrived, but in the coming decades, it’s going to become much more widespread. Your door, fridge, windows, and just about everything in your home will be automated. If you’re a Luddite, then it might be time to start looking at that cabin in the woods, basically.

A Changing Workplace

The world of work is about to change dramatically, in ways that haven’t been seen since the industrial revolution. It’ll be in two main areas: the rise of artificial intelligence, and an overall changing attitude towards the workplace. You can expect the traditional work attire to be replaced by more casual clothing, and the 9-5 routine to be replaced by a more fluid, flexible approach to the working day. On the other end, AI will see somewhere in the region of 50% of jobs lost. If those who lost their jobs aren’t found something else to do, mass unemployment will follow.

The World of Politics

The world is getting smaller all the time, but that doesn’t mean that the problems will disappear. As technology improves and troubled international relations grow, we’ll see more attempts to undermine democracy. Indeed, this is already happening: as the AZ Sec of State says, last year there were instances ‘all over the country related to people trying to get into other people’s data and voter files.’ As such, cybersecurity related to voting will become a hot topic. So will the role of social media in elections, especially after Russia’s influence in the last presidential election.

A Move to Purpose

It’s not talked about anywhere nearly as much as it should be, but depression is a major concern among health officials. Indeed, it’s scheduled to become the world’s leading illness in the not too distant future. As such, we can see a greater move towards happiness, and to people choosing to live a life of purpose rather than being content with material goods and the traditional signs of success.

But Who Knows?

While the research shows signs of the above, it could also all be wrong. The future won’t be linear; it’ll be written by, well, whoever writes it.

History is Human

As a history major in college, I've always had an affinity and appreciation for the story of our world. I often visit museums and monuments, taking moments to look into the context that lead us to now. Certainly nowadays this is a contentious issue in terms of who we decide to erect statues to and which ones we decide to take down.

While we create our collective memory of the past (meaning it is subject to our whims and limited by what we have left to examine), there is a universal thread that hit me recently; history is human.

We often exalt the figures of the past, making it hard to imagine and relate to them (especially since we don't have many realistic depictions of people until recently with the advent of video with color). But what is sobering to realize, is that these people we make monuments to and learn about in books, were just that, people. They were humans figuring out their way in the world as best they could, often making mistakes, and victims to their emotions. They made meaning as best they could with what they had, and did as well as they could muster with what they had. The impressive part is that they survived, thrived, expanded, and made it possible for us to be here in an amazing time to be alive (albeit at great cost and certainly we are in an imperfect world still). 

It makes me feel like we can give these historical figures a bit of a break. They did all they could to improve life in their time (and often succeeded), we need to continue the tradition and use the incredible tools at our disposal to expand the common good. To be clear, I don't mean this to say we should give people free passes for the awful things they did. We should not honor people who embodied any sort of hateful ideology. With that being said though, history has always been made by humans working hard and working together. And while we are the cause of many of our own problems, we are also the solution to those problems.

People will be learning about our time in the future. What do we want them to say?

Weekly Geek Outs - 07/29/16

Greetings!

Back after a break last week to update you all on what's going on in my world:

• Work

I've been at my new job for almost three months now. It has settled down a bit after my initial training and kicking off of my first academic module. I've had time to reflect and process and start to connect with my coworkers more. I'm looking forward to improving for our next on-boarding process here soon and to continue to support my students as best as I can. This job has been pretty great so far and I look forward to celebrating more milestones and holidays with my team. It's hard to start something new, but I'm very grateful for this awesome opportunity. Nothing is ever perfect, but this company is exactly what I was looking for right now.

• Life

Getting used to life in a new area is never easy. I've realized I struggle with this perhaps a bit more than others. I appreciate a routine and knowing my way around. I have to restart with getting haircuts, medical appointments, and now have to worry about stuff with my own apartment. I was spoiled with my on-campus apartments for years, and now I have to handle a bit more of the "real world". I have to admit, it's been stressful to handle since I put a lot of pressure on myself and haven't been patient with giving things time. I just want everything to be perfect right away, especially as me and my partner are working to build a life together. I know the sort of future I want for us, and I can't wait to be there with her. I know it will come with time and work, since nothing worthwhile comes easy.

• Thoughts

Where my life is now, I would have never guessed I'd be here if you asked me where I thought I'd be when I was younger. I thought I'd be a high school history teacher, since the first time I felt excited about a possible career was watching my own teachers do amazing work. I've always had a reverence for education and see myself always working in the industry one way or another. What I do now is something I wouldn't have ever even known about back in college. I've gone where the wind takes me and followed my heart with what I felt was right. I've gotten more opportunities and done more than I ever would have thought possible. I grew up with my world being very small, and I look forward to it continuing to grow through personal growth, exploration, and experiences that I can't even fathom yet.

Thanks for stopping by!

Weekly Geek Outs - 06/24/16

Greetings!

With all of my shows wrapped up for the season, and no movies in theaters I need to immediately see, I haven't really been consuming much new entertainment lately, so there isn't as much of that this week (nor has there been the past few weeks). There is so much else going on in my life and in my mind that I want to write about and process.

Here's what is going on in my world this week:

• Transitions

I had a really quick turnaround to move my life hundreds of miles (again). I hope that this is the last time for a while that I have to do this. I know that transitions are hard for me. It upsets my routine, I move away from the people and places I know, and have to go through all the stressful changes to my address, driver's license, etc. I still don't feel like I'm settled yet, after being about two months in, but from past experience, I know I'll get there eventually. It doesn't make the transitioning process any easier to get through, but I know it is all for the best. I'm in an area that is better for me and my partner, closer to my brother, have a great job, and am setting up my own apartment that isn't in a residence hall. Looking back, this part of my life that has been awkward and difficult will be a fraction of the rest; a small footnote to what I know will be a fun ride with my partner by my side.

• Pressure

To put it simply, I put a lot of pressure on myself. I'm humble when it comes to my accomplishments, but I push myself to do well and to do good by my friends, family, and coworkers. I've realized lately that I need to give myself a break sometimes. Being too humble and putting too much pressure on myself is not a good mix. I need to value more of what I achieve and let it be enough. I think I do this on my good days, but with my life being stressful right now (see above) I've fallen into bad mental habits. I look forward to some of the stress slowly starting to fade away as things start to normalize here. That way I can hopefully be less hard on myself.

• Brother's Wedding

My brother is getting married next week in Delaware, and I'm his best man! It's surreal to think we're getting to this point in our lives where we're getting married, working, and starting our families. While it is stressful getting our lives started and not being able to hang out all the time, I'm excited for this next chapter for both of us. The wedding will be a small, intimate ceremony with close family and friends on the beach. It will be a great celebration of my brother and his future wife. Looking forward to heading to back to Delaware soon!

Thanks for stopping by!

Weekly Geek Outs - 06/17/16

Greetings!

Here's what is going on in my world this week:

• Agents of SHIELD

I finally finished watching the last few episodes of this past season this week, and it was a mixed bag for me. This whole series has been uneven, but I still mostly enjoy it, so I'll keep with it. For one, we were told the Secret Warriors would show up on SHIELD, and while they technically did, it was for like one episode. Also, there are some MCU connections, but for the most part, the TV side and the movie side live separately, and it is pretty much that SHIELD and the Netflix shows live beneath the movies. I really hope there are more, deeper, and more prominent connections going forward. It is something that is really holding the show back. Supergirl isn't afraid to bring in a version of Superman, and Flash isn't afraid to go all in on its fun comic book roots. Also, some of the plot points of this season were just goofy (I won't spoil them here). Otherwise, the action and characters are good on SHIELD, and they continue to explore neat little niches of the MCU. I continue to be optimistic about the potential of this show, so here's to season 4 (also RIP Agent Carter).

• Outcomes

I've been thinking a lot this week about goals and outcomes. The simple thought I'll impart on you without going into too much detail as to how I got to it, is that we need to know what success looks like in order to be able to achieve it and know if we have done so. Otherwise, our efforts may be in vain. It may seem like an obvious thought, but I had conversations this week that reminded me of its importance.

• Teamwork

Something else that was humbling this week was the reminder that I need to ask for help sometimes. I've been putting a lot of pressure on myself to do well in my new job and prove I can do it on my own. The thing is, is that I don't have to. I have a team of people alongside me that can help and need to be brought in to know what's going on. I love collaborating but when it comes to getting work done, I tend to take it all in myself. I've been stressing myself out a little too much to do a lot of work and do it well while not asking questions when I should have or asking for help. I have a bad habit with that of thinking I'm bothering people or should know better. Especially with being new, I should ask questions and get help. We don't ever have to go it alone, we just need to find those people on our team and bring them in.

Thanks for stopping by!

Weekly Geek Outs - 05/27/16

Greetings!

I've been busy this week but was able to catch the season finales of some of my favorite shows on the air right now (still need to catch up on SHIELD...) so I wanted to share my (spoiler-free) thoughts on those episodes and their respective seasons here:

• Arrow

I've ordered these bullet points generally in order of my least to most favorite season finales. Arrow has been struggling for a little while now, with weak flashback stories and frustrating plot points. It's a shame since it was the genesis of the DC TV Universe, but the show hasn't really figured out a good path forward. With major characters being killed off or quitting being heroes, lackluster villains, and character moments being rushed or poorly done, Arrow has some structural flaws to address going forward. I would hate to see this show go on life support in terms of quality, but it seems to be trending that way. I have faith it can shape up, but I could also see it becoming a show that gets too comfy and gets lazy. I'll be watching season 5 but might let go of the show if it doesn't keep me engaged since there is plenty of other great TV on right now.

• Legends of Tomorrow

On a more positive note, LoT grew in a positive way over the course of its first year. Struggling with similar flaws like Arrow with its villain, LoT eventually got to a good place by investing better in the great cast of characters they have and keeping the tension at a decent place. Strange that time travel adventures could feel a tad boring at times, but nevertheless, LoT looks to be heading in the right direction with season 2, especially with the teaser that happened at the end of their satisfying season finale.

• The Flash

The Flash is still easily my favorite show of this bunch. It fully embraced its comic book roots early on, has kept a good pace (for the most part), and Barry Allan and the crew are just great fun to watch. While season 2 got a little darker, it was still great TV, and wasn't afraid of going down some different dramatic and intriguing turns, especially with the finale. I loved the inclusion of time travel within this show (for the most part) as well as the acknowledgement of alternate Earths. There still seems to be so much they can explore with all of that, so I'm more optimistic for The Flash than some of its sibling shows.

Thanks for stopping by!

What I Learned From Living in Maine

My time living in my home state of Maine for the first time is coming to an end. I don't know if I will ever live here again, but I will certainly visit often and have appreciated being able to explore this naturally beautiful state. I've learned a few things from being here for two years, and I wanted to reflect on this time here on the blog.

My Appreciation for Craft Beer

Maine has an awesome craft beer scene. There are breweries of all sizes and styles, from Allagash, to Shipyard, Sea Dog, Black Bear, Geaghan's, Baxter's, and my personal favorite, Orono Brewing Company. This community is a fun, passionate one full of unique flavors and artistry in each beer. Going to local breweries helps support small businesses, but it also allows for connections based on a share interest with other people or it's especially great when you can talk with the people who made the beer you're enjoying. I look forward to continuing to support the breweries I love, and discovering new ones in Maryland and wherever else I go to visit.

The Value of Beautiful, Natural Spaces

Most of Maine is covered in trees, that is a fact. The state (which is larger than most people think) is sparsely populated with small towns nestled in these woods, and Maine also has a beautiful coastline. My partner and I especially enjoy the Bar Harbor area which is a popular tourist location that neighbors the very awesome Acadia National Park. There is an abundance of naturally beautiful spaces in Maine, with plenty of great trails to walk and mountains to climb. It is important to preserve areas like this for people to enjoy. It's good for communities in so many different ways (jobs, recreation, and the environment just to name a few major ones) and I look forward to finding spaces to explore in Maryland.

The Importance of Family

My mom and all of my extended family lives in Maine (my brother still lives in Delaware, where both of us grew up) so it has been nice to see my family up here more often than I ever had before. It is really great for me to be able to spend quality time with my mom as our relationship shifts into a new phase with me no longer being a student and "adulting" full-time with my partner. It is a bummer that I will be moving away and not able to spend as much time with everyone, but I know the values that I have developed and the importance I have put on my family will persist into the future. I'll come up to visit as often as I can, and it will be a priority more then it has in the past, when I would go too long between visits. Our families can be frustrating sometimes, but they also (hopefully) love us unconditionally. They will always be supportive and excited for what is happening in our lives, so it is important to make time for them when we can. I look forward to doing my best to continue to cultivate my relationships with my family, especially my brother and mother, since it was just the three of us for a long time and I don't want us to drift apart.

I've appreciated my time in Maine, but I am looking forward to getting my first apartment, living with my fiance, and being close to two big cities as well as our friends. Stay tuned for more thoughts as I go on my next adventure!

Thanks for stopping by!

Movie Review Monday: Back in Time

Welcome to another edition of Movie Review Monday!

This week's film is the 2015 documentary Back in Time highlighting the fan-base around the beloved classic Back to the Future.

Like some of the other fan documentaries I've reviewed here  for the cult followings of shows like Star Trek and Firefly, this movie is a fun look at the passionate community that has come up around this simple movie from 30 years ago. The majority of the exploration focuses on the original movie, with some lesser emphasis on the second two parts of the trilogy. I love the Back to the Future series of films, and this was an entertaining way to explore the enthusiasm others share for these silly sci-fi films.

The documentary features fans, actors, and the people who made Back to the Future to examine every aspect of the film's reception and production respectively. I did find that the direction was a bit aimless at times, especially towards the middle when the documentary seems to get lost a midst different details of the production and stories from fans. Nevertheless, the documentary is fairly comprehensive (some cast members are absent), and as we celebrate a milestone anniversary for the franchise, this is a must watch for any fans like myself.

What I love about these sorts of films is how they highlight the positive aspects of passionate geek/nerd communities. People meet their spouses through them, they do good for the world through them, and they find peace as well as kinship through them. It always warms my heart to see stuff like that and reminds why I'm so proud to be a part of this global community, even in my own small way.

Check out the documentary's website for more information and stream Back in Time instantly right now on Netflix!

Thanks for stopping by!