On Wednesday, October 18, 2006, I rode into Charlotte, NC in order to take my test. After some long and less-than-pleasant hours of riding the bus I made it to the financial capitol of the state. We braved the morning traffic and actually got to the Dept. of Homeland Security building early.
I managed to get through the security check-point without having to submit to any cavity searches, and took my seat in the waiting room with other unsuspecting specimens of foreign nationality. Suprisingly, it didn't take long for my name to be called. And, fortunately, the officer who interviewed me was an attractive blond woman with an Eastern European accent, so I guess that made me feel more comfortable.
Is that innapropriate? To find your USCIS officer attractive? Well, whatever. She was nice, okay? Anyway, she went on to confirm all the info on my application and asked me a few questions. Things like, "who said 'give me liberty or give me death?'" I think there was also "what was the first holiday the pilgrims celebrated when they came to America?" I answered "Patrick Henry," and "Thanksgiving," in that order.
Oh yeah, there was also the mandatory "please read this English sentence out loud" and "write down 'I studied for my test to become a US citizen.'" Basically it all went well and turned out to be quite simple. The only thing was that my immigration photos were wrong. Go figure. I got the ADIT photo spec sheet right off the USCIS website. Turns out that, at the time of my application, they hadn't updated that since it was changed about two or three years ago. Of course now it's all up to date.
Nevertheless, I passed the test, went to get new pictures taken and brought them back. I was scheduled to be sworn in that same day at two o'clock in the afternoon. That caught me a little by surprise, but I was glad to get it all done with.
Upon our return, we went into the ceremony hall, where the same crowd from the other waiting hall gathered once more. I was trying to figure out what to do to get pictures taken of this event. None of us had a camera, and I had pretty much figured that that was the way it's going to be. That is, until I saw an man, presumably from India, with a digital camera. In my most sincere tone I asked if he would please oh please take my picture during the ceremony, since I was so unprepaired for this impromptu swearing-in. He kindly agreed, and hence the above photo. Thanks George, you're a good man!
The head of the department was the one to do the ceremony, and gave us a little talk on what we can do now that we'd be getting our certificates. He cracked some jokes, and was overall entertaining. We recited the oath, and as a reward for years of waiting for this moment had to endure our illustrious leader, the president, speaking on the projection screen. More propaganda followed, and at last we were free.
It all seemed so streamlined and, dare I say, anticlimatic? Well, whatever the case may be, I am still glad. Now I get to vote. And now I get to get a passport. That passport will allow me to go back and see my extended family and my home country after twelve years of waiting. And that is something to be celebrated. Rest assured, it will be celebrated when I step into that Polish house which awaits me across the Atlantic.
Update: User Comment -- Blogger Michael, who commented on this post, has another interesting account of going through this process at Translate This! Unfortunately, the person in his posts has had to wait a bit longer between the test and the oath ceremony.
Do I Need to Wear a "Wife-beater" Now?
Farewell, Sweet Bakery!
Until recently, I was employed at a wonderful little organic bakery called Stoneground Baking Co. Sadly, they are going out of business, and will be shutting down tomorrow. I will miss the the wonderful smells that came out of that gargantuan oven, and the few small perks of daily delicious coffee and a muffin for breakfast. :( I will miss the wonderful, one-of-a-kind bread as well, bread that was genuinely crispy European style and just damn good. They were open for one year, and I believe that there was a ton of potential in that tasty goodness they baked daily, but unfortunately they are no more. C'est la vie! Sigh.
It's Alive!!!
It had been about four years since my last PC upgrade, and my old beast Red Monkey was starting to show its age. It still looked good, but it had it's trouble running newer games, and it was laden with filled hardrives that hampered it's performance.
Finally, upon my birthday, I had saved up enough money to get myself the one present I had been wanting for a long time. That's right, a real upgrade this time. I decided that I would go for good performance, spending a little more if I had to, and would put together something that would last me a little longer.
I had been stalking Newegg for weeks trying to figure out what to put in the new rig. I had spend many hours reading the Extreme Overclocking Forums and posting to narrow down my search. Until, finally, I had made my decision.
I went with a sleek and clean Lian-li case, which I must admit is built with extreme precision and is of excellent quality. Put in a new Enermax PSU at 500 Watts, for the future SLI setup. And at last switched over to an awesome DFI AM2 motherboard. Added to that a nice AMD 64 X2 4200 (65W) for that eventual overclock. And topped it off with 2GB of G.Skill dual channel ram.
Overall a nice package, but it is not complete. Everything went together smoothly, and I opted to use an older IDE 60GB hardrive I had as well as an old GeForce FX 5200 PCI card. Yeah, I know, those are far from high performance parts, but I figured they'll tide me over until I'm ready to get a new set of hardrives for my Raid array, and a new set of GeForce cards to run in an SLI setup. Also in the future is a DVD burner, but that can wait.
After putting it all together I was very happy to see that there was no troubleshooting necessary. That's a rarity, but a welcome one nevertheless. I turned it all on and have since given it a nice long time to burn in.
It's ALIVE! My creation! I shall call thee "Silver!!!"
Free Gaming Free-for-all
You know I'm always up for some free games these days. I've grown tired of buying games as much as I used to. In fact, I nostalgically recall the days when I would scrounge the bargain bins for that $5 or $10 game. Usually it would turn out to be something fun enough to spend days on end with, like the generally disliked Terminator: Future Shock, or an oldie but goodie like Ultimate Domain.
And now, with the internet being as critically acclaimed as it is, you can even get your fix for free. I have long kept an eye out for quality free entertainment, being the starving artist that I am, in several great places. Long time ago I found that a great source to get some good free games is the projects page at Digipen. They have a great variety of very original games, not as dictated by the almighty dollar that so pervades the gaming industry. Two titles worth mentioning include Narbacular Drop and Rumble Box, though there are dozens more worth your attention.
Some time thereafter, I also noticed that MegaGames has a huge library of freeware games. Currently it looks like there are about 53 pages worth of freeware. One drawback is that you don't have the option of sorting the list in any way, which can make it more difficult to find the higher quality titles. However, the main pages seems to list some of the more prominent games on the site, such as Alien Arena 2007, Savage, and Re-Mission.
And if you are looking specifically for quality retro games, you need look no further than Home of the Underdogs. HotU has a long-standing reputation for finding those gems that tend to get by the mainstream radar. Many of their games are free, and an excellent database allows you to sort games by genre, title, release date, and rating. If you want to get your Bahamut Lagoon, this is the place. Though HotU has more recent releases such as Mount & Blade listed as well.
Most recently, however, Planet Freeplay joins the fray. Or, at least I have discovered it most recently. I immediately took to the clean and nostalgic site design, which sports a friendly interface and clean lines. Hit the Top 100 downloaded games to see the best, and you'll find goodies like Gunz and Cave Story among a slew of other titles.
You may not exactly find a free title that will have the graphics whore in you drooling like the day Half Life 2 or Oblivion came out. I'll admit that. But hell, these games are free. And most of the time I want a good game to play. And often times I want an original one. So this is where you'll find 'em folks. I don't care if you're broke and your PC is five years old, or even if you're running Linux. There are hundreds of games out there waiting for you. No internet? No problem. Go to the local library and load up. It's a good time to be a gamer, even if you have an empty fridge.
Gauger's Post-apocalyptic Video Game Future
Eliza Gauger of Kotaku once again managed to entertain me with sheer randomness and the ability to conjure up a vision which I find eerily plausable. From her article on Seattle being the number one city for video games in the country, Gauger brings us a prophecy of post-apocalyptic proportions where gamers will finally rule the world!
Now, isn't Seattle also the number one city for stress (or suicides) in the country? Must be a coincidence.
Anime Anyone Can Do
Found via Suicidebots, this is an excellent example how anyone can create their own anime without fancy software and years of work. Anime for us regular folks.
Of course, I would never suggest that we could all do it quite as well as this, but we could do something I'm sure. Watch the video, enjoy, and be inspired. Nya.
The Small Space
For many a day now I had walked past the SmallSpace gallery with it's "coming soon" sign in the window. Until, a few days I ago, I found the sign gone and their doors open. Originally I noticed them on MySpace, but didn't really delve further into their profile.
I stepped inside to be greeted with, as you might expect, as small space. True to their name, however, the impact was bigger than you might expect. Their gallery is well organized and clean, showcasing both black and white as well as color photography which adorns the walls. Unlike many galleries which try to cram art on the walls into every possible corner, SmallSpace takes a less cluttered approach. Seems to me that if they didn't, the limited square footage would make you feel very cramped if coupled with excessive quantity of art on the walls.
Currently SmallSpace is having a sale on everything in the gallery, with discounts starting at 20% off. Present work includes landscape photography of Iceland and the Pacific Northwest. I was also pleased to find that some of their work is currently on exhibit at the Yellowstone Art Museum in Montana, my former residence.
OOOOOOOO IIIIIIIII OOOOOOOO
Sagoi! (^_^) A gem of Japanese music this is. The band named OOIOO is making some crazy tunes ranging from more traditional Kodo style crazyness, to more contemporary psychadelic crazyness. But, rest assured, it's all crazy! Not to mention that it's an all girl band. You must love Japanese all girl band, number one in the world!!!
Check out Thrill Jockey and listen to, what I think is, the whole album online. Makes me want to buy the CD. Makes me want to look at their beautiful CD booklet art. Ooooo iiii ooooo. Crazy.
She's Got Big ORBZ and He's Got Big ORBZ...
I originally tried ORBZ when I got my Zodiac some time ago. I played the demo a bit, and I thought this was actually a very unique and entertaining game. I would go so far as to say it ORBZ is one of the best commercial games that the Zod has to offer, so you bet I'm excited about being able to get it.
Planning to buy it eventually, I missed the boat when Tapwave closed shop. Since then I had many an inkling to play ORBZ. But I eventually came to terms with knowing it would never happen. Recently we even had a discussion on the Tapland forums about how the devs were not able to release it because of copyright issues with Fathammer. So things ended with that.
But here we are, just a few weeks later, and ORBZ is now on my Zod! Hurray for ExtremeAI, hurray for ORBZ, and hurray for Zodiacs!
Is WoW Evil...? - Part 2
Yet again we see the issue of game addiction and game vilification being brought together closely by World of Warcraft. This is a news broadcast which does not appear to be from the US, and I came across it on Kotaku in this article.
The video itself shows parents struggling to deal with their children's addiction. Associate Editor at Kotaku, Eliza Gauger, files these individuals in the "'parents without nuts, literal or otherwise' department." Though perhaps it is easy to judge, in this case, a mother's inability to force her children into quitting something they are addicted to. I would argue that it is damn hard for a mother to make her teenage children do much of anything. Especially if she is a single mother, so let's not jump the gun, especially without first hand experience. My guess is that the absence of a male guardian in this video indicates that she is very likely to be a single mother. That also means that she's probably working her butt off most of the day while the kid stays home and plays WoW.
However, Gauger also makes a valid point about the broadcast's "'violent computer game' known as World of Warcraft" label. Getting footage of the player using the world "kill" repeatedly is little more than a gimmick to make people believe that the game is violent, or at least that the player is violent as a result of it. The game is rated "Teen," which is pretty mild, but they don't explain that in the video. Nor do they show you a comparison between WoW and a game like, oh I don't know, F.E.A.R. for example. Or something a bit more graphic like the old Soldier of Fortune games. That's the problem with these "violent" labels. They don't explain to you that a game like WoW is no more, and in fact less, violent than the Lord of the Rings movies they let their grade-schoolers watch.
Both Gauger and the teen in the broadcast indicate that spending a good portion of your time in a virtual world may not necessarily be an addiction. Becoming part of an online social network, they claim, is just as real as making friends in "real life." Gauger questions whether social interaction in the "'real world' is any better or more fulfilling than an MMO." Even though I agree that online social interaction can be fulfilling and meaningful, I do have some reservations about it. First, the majority of relationships online tend to last about as you computer is on. Turn off the machine, and that virtual world no longer exists in the visceral sense. This is different than the world which we physically inhabit.
Albert Borgmann lays down the groundwork for understanding the differences between that which is created by technology and that which comes to exist by natural and traditional means in his book Technology and the Character of Contemporary Life. I feel this needs to be elaborated since the issue keeps coming back up. Borgmann introduces us to technological results as devices, while the counter example to this is the focal thing, in the device paradigm. Focal things have been introduced by Martin Heidegger prior to Borgmann.
The device is characteristically convenient, accessible, ubiquitous, and barely understood by its user. It promises enrichment of our lives, and fulfillment, but in the end only provides the opportunity for more devices. In this case, and MMO would be the device. It is easy to use, with a streamlined in game tutorial system, and accessible in that most people can purchase the game in a store or online. It is less ubiquitous than other devices, yet as the video shows it can be found on over four million computers in the world. I have noticed it on many of my friends computers to be sure. However, the inner workings of the game like servers, networking configurations, source code, or even gameplay formulas, are not understood by those playing the game. Not to jump on the bandwagon of this game being evil, but the evidence for WoW having detrimental effects on players' lives seem to be on the rise. I would also like to find evidence that WoW has enriched someone's life, but have yet to come across any.
A focal thing, on the other hand, is not always convenient but requires some skill on our part. It is not always accessible, and thus requires effort. Nor is it ubiquitous, but rather it exists in a specific space and focuses our attention on it. A focal thing may be very simple, and can be easy to understand, yet it promises nothing. Often times it serves a simple purpose. A focal thing in contrast to WoW, would be any activity requiring the cooperation of multiple individuals in a recreational and competitive situation with the possibility of tangible rewards. Something that comes to mind is a sport, like soccer for instance. Being on a soccer team is not as easy to achieve as learning how to play WoW. It requires greater skill, and it certainly requires good deal of effort. Not just because we can't do it out the comfort of our own home. A soccer match requires a designated area, and the gathering of other people in order to participate and spectate. The positive effects of soccer are easily noticeable in terms of health benefits. However, the social interaction provided by the activity has visible results.
So, is one better than the other? Is one more fulfilling that the other? I'm sure there would be those who would say yes on either side of the argument. But the fact remains that there is nothing evil or wrong about using technology to entertain ourselves. The danger lies in using it exclusively. When both technological and focal reality exist in balance, then we can gain the rewards of them both. Though letting one dominate over the other creates negative effects, as with most things.
I agree with Gauger in that if the teenager in question provides for his own internet access and game subscription, and if he is satisfied with his achievements therein, then he should be able to maintain this activity of his choosing. However, such an activity should not be undertaken without regard to his family dynamic, and not at the expense of his education and future. I find that choosing to spend one's life inside an MMO at that age and forgoing all other pursuits could lead to a great deal of regret when such an individual would have to depend on themselves.
Mentisworks is Alive
The original Mentisworks has been down for a long time. It was sad, but I guess I can't complain much since the host was free. Eventually the host disappeared, and that was that. Not wanting to spend money on a new host, and being unable to find a good free solution, it stayed that way.
That is, until i6 Networks recently came along with their incredible deal. So, I jumped on it. And now, the site's back up. Of course, it's really not much of anything right now, since the blog is our main thing at the moment. But it's nice to be able and put that domain name to good use again. I'm using it as a hub to link to the blog, myspace, and Minitokyo.
Now I can also start using the original domain to point to the rest of our goodies. Should be useful, I think.
Awesome Additions, Flippin Features
After lots of scouring the net and other blogs for information on adding category tags, which aren't supported directly in Blogger, I found nuttin and just about gave up. I decided to wait till Blogger Beta began to support team blogs, which could be never as far as I knew.
I came upon another little nice addition to our blog noted on Technology Wrap: Digg and Del.icio.us buttons. I added those to our posts now, as you may have noticed, and it was good. But, lo and behold, I saw that their blog used tags, and saw that it was a team blog. "How could this be?" I asked myself.
I decided to contact n3il89, the writer of that nice how-to, and ask about those fabulous tags. He was kind enough to point me to another guide on A Consuming Experience. This one outlined a somewhat complicated procedure to manually add Technorati category tags to the posts of your blog. But I persevered, installed Greasmonkey, installed the script, and now you see before you the fruits of that labor. Hurray, we've got tags!
In addition, I've added feed buttons into the sidebar. These allow you to add our sitefeed to a variety of services, so you can keep up on our posts more easily. And of course now we've got a good amount of listings buttons at the bottom of the sidebar too.
So we've got feed options, Digg, Del.icio.us, and category tags. This is good for us and it's good for you :D. Makes things easier on everybody, and makes our blog more like a "real" blog!
Best. Pastry. Ever.
Eating healthy, organic foods will make a huge difference on all aspects of your life, starting with digestion. Research even suggests that infants who have been given only pure foods will be much healthier and alert than those who've been fed, either through breast milk or processed baby foods, the chemically enhanced alternative.
Addicting, tasty, and just by looking at it, you've gained a pound. These have been on my mind ever since I started working at a small organic bakery not too far from where I live, which boasts European style breads and pastries, and fair trade coffee strong enough to singe the hair off a grown man. I watched the pastry chef making the dough, swiftly rolling out buttery goodness on his wooden workstation, squirting creamy cheesy GOODness into each little square dimple. He made other things, too, but I found the cheese crowns the most fascinating. I wish I knew his recipe. I'd like to know how to make those evil things.
The very shape of this little pastry is ingenious. Who woulda thunk that a muffin tin, and the simple ingredients of butter, flour, egg, sugar, creamed cheese, and some things I've probably not mentioned would come together in such a perfect shape? I know that there was a sprinkle of cinnimon and maybe cloves at the very bottom of the cheesey yummiful goodness. I had no choice but to gain fifteen pounds while working at the bakery. It was simply unavoidable. Did I mention, the delicious way they just melt away in your mouth...
I had more to say about the glories of Cheese, but the delicious organic butter has gone straight to my head, and I must meditate on why all my pants keep getting tighter. Mmmmmm...Cheese.....
I think a relatively easy variation of this recipe would involve Pillsbury Croissont dough, for an easy quick base. I don't have the patience these days to make croissont dough, lol. Definitely, there shall be cream cheese, sugar, cinnamon, clove, and a dash of Momma's Love, but I'm not quite sure about the quanities yet. At least the Icing I've got down...that's just cinnamon, butter, and Confectioner's Sugar. The filling reminds me of cheesecake, so there must be egg in it. Perhaps I could do some rough division on a Cheesecake recipe and get something pretty close. If I successfully attempt it, I'll post later about the ingredients. Zomg, wish me luck! I haven't made a pastry since...since....since....I was making pastries for my husband, back when we first hooked up.... That was awhile ago!
