Daily Scribble

Wii

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I finally got a Wii, 3 years later to the party. I didn’t buy it, I inherited it from my cousin who moved back to Hong Kong. Although the console is free, but it does not come with any controllers. So I have to spent some money to buy a few controllers. $15 a Wii remote with nunchuk from eBay, much cheaper than buying from Future Shop.

Believe it or not, I never own any gaming console. I never have a Red-white Nintendo, no a Sega, not Playstation, no XBox. I am used to playing games on my computer. Wii is the first console I have and I did not even buy it. The feeling of playing games on TV is quite different. I feel I have less piracy because anyone walk by can see my screen. Playing games on the couch is actually not as comfortable as sitting on office chair in front of the computer. The couch is designed for sitting lay back, passively receive the content from the TV. Playing Wii requires active interaction and naturally draw your body closer to the TV, which is not the most comfortable position.

I have been debating whether or not soft mod my Wii for a few days. On one hand, I don’t want to go over the trouble of soft mod the Wii and risk bricking it. On the other hand, I would never spend $50 on a game. At last I swallow my pride as an engineer, paid $40 and let someone soft mod it for me. Soft mod is a must for Wii to play download games. So far I have downloaded a dozen of games, I have spent a bit more some time playing Super Mario and the Gundam Wii game which I think eventually I may finish them. For the other games, I opened each one of them and lost interested pretty soon. I found playing Video game is just a waste of time in general, especially some games won’t foster any collective memory.

Other than playing downloaded games, the bonus of soft mod my Wii is the Home Brew Channel. (Read more at Wiibrew) I can run all soft of applications and thinker with my Wii. I installed Google Earth for Wii, a VNC client to copy my desktop from my TV over the Wii using the Wii remote as a mouse. The gold mine is really tons of ancient gaming console emulator. I can downloaded ROMs of old games from Snesorama and ROM Nation. I have played old games with emulator on my computer, but it’s different. You gotta play console games on a TV. I found I enjoy playing those ancient games more than the new Wii games. I feel like the Wii emulators finally filling the hole in my heart that I did not own any console game in childhood.

動漫

荒川爆笑團

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很難形容《荒川爆笑團》這套動畫﹐改篇自中村光的漫畫﹐第一季是十三集的短篇動畫﹐跟漫畫話數採用一集多話﹐每話只有三數分鐘。故事完全無跡可尋﹐描寫荒川橋下一班怪人的日常生活﹐他們嚴重脫線非常好笑。一般這動畫可以歸類為電波系﹐不過我其實也不太明白電波系這個字的意思。一說電波是指來自外太空的電波﹐被電波干擾的人行為超乎常理﹐旁人難以理解他們的想法和行為。

故事完全無厘頭違反常識﹐甚至挑戰一般人對常識的理解。在外人看來﹐荒川橋下生活的人全部精神有問題﹐有幻想自己來自金星的少女﹐有穿著綠色塑膠衣扮河童的村長﹐有以為自己是修女的傭兵大叔﹐有頭載星星頭套的過氣歌星﹐有只會源著白線走的中年社會人﹐有頭載鐵筒以自已有超能力的鐵頭兄弟。可能顧及市場需要的關係﹐樣貌騎呢只限於男性角色﹐女性角色外貌清一色賣萌﹐不過性格同樣跳線。她們當中有天然呆和毒舌系﹐甚至會變身北斗之拳式肌肉人的雙重性格。劇中的男主角算是最正常的角色﹐可是當他在橋下生活了一段日子﹐他自己也漸漸被同化了﹐適應習慣了橋下那套生活模式﹐甚至懷疑起自己的常識性來。

原本看動畫無需特意考究﹐不過看日劇時偶然發現﹐荒川河原來是流入東京灣的主要水源。河床兩岸的景色如動畫中描述一樣﹐是沒有被開發的綠化地帶。在河床地帶建立自給自足的小社區﹐有種菜的菜園也有養牛羊的牧場﹐社區中的眾人雖有古靈精怪﹐但他們也守望相助﹐以物易物去換取生活所需。在鬧市中被遺棄的地帶﹐建立烏托邦式的小社區﹐也是一件很浪漫的事情。在動畫中可以無視常理﹐加上主角又很方便地是全日本最大財伐之子﹐他們一眾怪人才可以優哉悠哉地生活。雖然在現實不可能發生﹐但日本畢竟有給人這樣的想像空間﹐香港四週也是石屎森林﹐在城市中浪漫地流浪完全不可能。試把荒川河換成城門河﹐想想也覺得大煞風景。

Daily Scribble

Free money

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I just got $90 from BCLC (British Columbia Lottery Corperation) totally risk free. BCLC is the government charted lottery company in BC. They just started a new online casino business. In order to attract customers, they give out $100 token any new registered customer who deposit $100 into the account. As an engineer who had learn probability, I know those are free money at once. I can easily cash out the $100 by playing sicbo (big-small), betting on big and small at the same time. I lost a few games to triples, but since I only bet a small mount each time, I still have $90 out of the $100 after all the tokens are converted to cash.

I wonder how much money BCLC loss by luring customer this way. BC has 4.5 million population, times $100 per person, that comes to $4.5 billion. According to BCLC’s balance sheet, it only has $3.1 billion of net asset. If everyone in BC did exactly what I did, take the money and never come back again, we can bankrupt BCLC! Maybe anti-gambling organization should mobilize everyone get their $100 free money. What’s a better way to fight against gambling by bankrupting the casino?

On top of that, I suspect how many customers will BCLC get for their online casino. Gambling in a real casino, at least you can feel the physical atmosphere of a casino. Gambling in an online casino, it’s like just playing a crappy video game with poor graphics. Your money only shows up as a number on screen and all you can do is just making a few mouse clicks. What’s the fun of that? Since the odd is against gamblers, you already lost the moment you bet. Why would anyone want to lose money by clicking the mouse? I can click the mouse for a lot less money. Any reasonable mind would not find any amusement from gambling in online casino.

動漫

Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood 鋼之鍊金術師

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荒川弘的漫畫《鋼之鍊金術師》﹐二零零三年首次改篇為動畫﹐隨即捲起一陣鍊金術熱漸﹐引來不少以此為題材的動漫。劇中的「等價交換」和「一即是全﹐全即是一」等慨念﹐更從動漫界打進日常生活中﹐讓不少自以為追貼潮流的文化人爭相引用。《鋼鍊》更衝出日本和東南亞﹐瘋靡西方的動畫迷。可惜當年漫畫版只連載到一半﹐動畫版要自行創作結局﹐故事虎頭蛇尾大玩哲學﹐觀眾投訴結局看到一頭霧水。後來的劇場版更是評劣如潮﹐純萃借動畫的名氣趁機賺錢之作。

二零一零年《鋼鍊》動畫版砍掉重鍊﹐跟足漫畫版原著的故事﹐重新製作六十四集的新電視動畫版。更難得是荒川弘和動畫企畫的緊密配合﹐史無前例動畫和漫畫在同一個月完結的創舉。當年看完舊動畫版後﹐我也有斷斷續續追看漫畫版﹐基本上休斯遇害後兩者的發展完全不同。原著可以說是很王道大路的少年冒險故事﹐鍊金術和找回失去的身體等等﹐不過是用來帶起後來故事的契子﹐不像舊動畫版由始至終著找這點不放。

六十四集動畫看似很長﹐但漫畫版要說的故事實在太多﹐每集動畫的劇情也很緊湊﹐完全沒有多餘的拖戲情節﹐才可以在把故事主線交待清楚。不過細節難免有所刪減﹐早期作舖排介紹的短篇冒險﹐因為與舊動畫版重覆被大幅略去﹐只留下對日後伏筆有影響的重要事件﹐保持故事的完整性。

漫畫版的壞人不再是鋼鍊兩兄弟的父親﹐而是外貌似父親的燒瓶裏的小人﹐發動國土練成陣﹐用國民生命製成賢者之石﹐達成他要吞下神的野心。鋼鍊兩兄弟開始旅途只想找回自己的身體﹐到了發現關乎全國人民性命的大陰謀﹐他們已將自己的身體拋諸腦後﹐與其他主要角色一起努力﹐阻止末日的發生。

漫畫版的故事規模更龐大﹐出場人物更多﹐結局收線合理而巧妙﹐沒有舊電視版亂來局的問題。舊動畫版刪去了清國王子﹐小梅﹐北方軍等重要角色﹐在漫畫中斯卡更是逆向國土鍊成陣的關鍵。新版結局弟弟用自己的靈魂﹐在生死關頭換回哥哥的右手﹐打倒大壞蛋後哥哥用真理之門換回弟弟的身體﹐是熱血感人的神來之筆﹐比舊版真理之門通住現實世界的結局合情合理。

人物作畫以漫畫為根據﹐新舊版感覺差不多﹐只不過溫莉在新版比較萌﹐但鷹眼上尉則舊版樣子好看些。新版所有戲份集中在主線發展上﹐我倒有點懷念舊版用來攝時間﹐炎之鍊金術士和他一眾手下的輕鬆劇情﹐特別是可愛的黑色疾風號﹐新版牠只有剩下過場客串的出場機會。

喜歡舊版《鋼鍊》的朋友﹐一定不能錯過新版《鋼鍊》﹐補完原著漫畫版真正的結局。認為舊版《鋼鍊》不知所謂的朋友﹐更加一定要看新版《鋼鍊》﹐因為這將會令你對《鋼鍊》完全改觀。

Daily Scribble

IPSC training

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There are many competition events in shooting sports. The Olympics Games has .22 rifle and .22 handgun, trap and skeet shotguns. The marksman in Olympics shoots from static position on paper target or flying clays, which is very different from real-life combat scenario. In contrary, the IPSC (International Practical Shooting Confederation) is an very dynamic shooting sport that provides good training on marksmanship and shooting skills. The competitors has to compete on courses or stages featuring different combat scenario including draw the firearm, fire from different positions, moving, reload and avoid shooting no-shoot target. The competitors are ranked based on their speed and accuracy.

I just completed the IPSC black badge training course. But I am not yet black badge certified. I have to shoot a qualifier match to obtain my class classification and provincial ranking first. My instructor Murray Gardner is 8 times national companion and he is really good. The 3 days training course emphasis on safety and we also have a fun time. The IPSC rules are very strict, any unsafe handling of the firearm is a disqualification and you are out of the competition right away. We were given exercises that breaks down all the actions in combat shooting into movements and drills to train us how to shoot safely and effectively.

I learnt a lot from my IPSC instructor. I have been shooting for 3 years and I was holding the gun the wrong way all along! Once I correct my grip, I can see improvement on my accuracy. IPSC is all about speed and accuracy, and out of the two, accuracy is more important. No matter how fast you can pull the trigger, it is useless if you can’t hit the target. You are just wasting ammunition. My accuracy is OK but my time is pretty slow. I scored 44 out of 60 points with 50% of shots hitting the A zone in the target. It took me 2.5 seconds to draw the gun and fire the first shoot, 4.8 seconds to reload and over 15 seconds to fire 6 rounds on 3 targets, reload, and fire another 6 rounds. The world companion can finish the same sequence in less 4 seconds and the instructor can get it less than 5 seconds. Slow is not a problem for IPSC beginners, your will speed up the more you practice those movements. The key is to practice so much that you don’t have to think about how to draw or how to reload, your hands should know where to move from subconcious level. I can practice those movements at home with unloaded firearm to build up my muscle memory, it only takes 15 minutes a day.

I will probably start off at class D in the bottom and my goal is slowly move my way up to class A. Above class A is Master and Grand Master and that is probably out of my reach. There is a long road ahead of me in IPSC. Skiing is my sport in Winters and IPSC is my sport in Summers.