Aha!

After a long year of troublesome technical difficulties, and quite a long semester, I have a chance to start all over again. Well, not now, but in a couple weeks. I hope to start posting again and more frequently once that date comes.

Thanks,

Foy

Games for the Mind

Hello,

When many people today think "video games" they think of overweight teenagers sitting on couches, mindlessly mashing control panels, with the only communication between them being "Mm." (translated as 'Nice shot.' ) or "MM." (Translated - 'Crap. I just got shot in the gut.' ) or even the very popular "Mm Mm." ("Could you please pause the game? I have inhaled five Red Bulls in the past hour, and I really need to visit the Little Gamer's room to do some target practice". )

While this is the case for many gamers and games, it is certainly not the case for all people and PlayStationlikethings. There are two reasons why I believe that these things are the case for many people:

1. The game. If the game is not suited for communication, as many games are not, people are not as likely to communicate or use brain function. On the other hand, if the game requires massive strategy (As I believe most, if not all, games should) , massive communication is almost a must.

2. The people. If the people are playing just for the sake of playing, they won't talk. If, on the other hand, they are good friends, and wish to have fun, they will usually exchange comments on the game, and eagerly exchange strategy. Or, if they are playing against each other, they can yell trash to each other. Only in good fun, of course.

Now, I can't fix the people who are playing, but I can offer a suggestion for the game: Age of Empires 3. Or any game in the Age of Empires series. Each player starts with a single building and several people. They must use these starting units to gather resources from the map, and use these resources to make buildings, create units, and in the end, destroy their opponents.

While the game is simple to learn and play, it is impossible to master, as it's gaming community creates radical new strategies all the time.

Multi-player adds a new dimension- having to deal with two opponents with an ally at your side creates a dramatic change in your game plans, as you must protect your buddy as well as yourself.

While this is just one game out of hundreds that necessitates a good dose of brain usage, it is arguably the best. The game is incredibly well balanced, and Ensemble Studios (the creators) are constantly play-testing the game for the purpose of releasing balance patches.

Age of Empires 3, and all other Age of Empires games are PC based.

For more information:
Official Site:.....................................www.ageofempires3.com
Semi-Official Community..............www.agecommunity.com
Popular and Active Community...www.aoe3.heavengames.com

Foy Lyndström

The Wonders of Whodunits

Hello,
To the very few that actually read this: I am back. To all those with blogs on this website: Never use Firefox 1.0 when trying to blog. Update to 2.0. It will save you zounds of hassle and frustration.

How many of you have Netflix? If you've never heard of it, it's worth checking out. What is it? It is an online movie rental website. You search their online library of movies- hundreds of thousands- and add the ones you want to watch to your queue. The first movie on your list that is available is sent directly to your house. Keep it at your home for as long as you want, and when you're done, the envelope it was sent in converts to another envelope, in which you send back the DVD. Once it arrives at your local Netflix plant, they send you the next movie on your queue. And on it goes.

Now, what is so amazing about it? The content. Sooooo many more choices of movies that you would never have seen otherwise. You can also browse the listings in you PJ's. What can beat that?

I will tell you of two series that my family and I discovered on Netflix, and then tell you what is so brilliant about them.

The first that my family found was one named Foyle's War. It is made in the current day, but is based in World War Two torn England. The main character is DC Christopher Foyle, played by Michael Kitchen, a detective in the coastal town of Hastings . He would rather be more involved in the war effort, but has been commanded to stay in the town to take care of the small-time war-crimes: theft, sabotage, and of course, murder. A quiet man, Foyle speaks very little (yes, I know, duh) and shows most of his thoughts through his facial expressions, which are quite deceptive and perplexing. His sergeant, Paul Milner, played by Anthony Howell, was stationed in Norway when he was wounded in the leg- which was soon amputated. Now fitted with an aluminum (pronounced on film as 'Al-you-minium' with the 'minium' spoken very fast) leg, he usually investigates a smaller crime that usually connects in some way to the crime that Foyle has been investigating. The third principle character is Foyles driver, Sam Stewart, played by Honeysuckle Weeks. Sam's character is the inquisitive one to whom Foyle must sometimes explain what is happening, so as to help out the audience as well. Usually she is told not to ask questions, or not to speak at all, but in a very friendly manner. The chemistry between these three actors is absolutely amazing as they try to solve the mystery.
The stories within the episodes are absolutely amazing, as they coincide with real historical events that happened at the same time. Plots revolve around things such as the Blitz, the bouncing bomb, and Funk Holes to food privateering and women in the work force. Every detail is meticulously researched so as to create an extremely realistic atmosphere.
Each episode is an hour and forty minutes without commercials, and they are written by Anthony Horowitz. Originally aired on the BBC, they are almost always several years late in arriving in the US. More information can be found at: www.foyleswar.com .


The second series is Midsomer Murders. Set in the fictional English countryside filled county of Midsomer, Chief Inspector Tom Barnaby, played by John Nettles, is always investigating somewhere between two to five nasty murders every episode. This is the exact opposite of the American Murder mystery, in which everything is gory and gruesome. While you do see the murder occur (with the murderers face not shown, of course), it usually is not that gruesome. Always by Barnaby's side in the earlier episodes in Sergeant Gavin Troy, played by Daniel Casey (In later episodes, this role is filled by Sergeant Dan Scott- played by John Hopkins, and Sergeant Ben Jones- played by Jason Hughes). Troy and Barnaby make an amazing team, with plenty of little quirks and running jokes to keep the loyal fans laughing until the end. Barnaby's wife, Joyce, is played by Jane Wymark. Always trying out some inventive cooking concoction, of which Tom is never thankful, Joyce is usually involved in a social group somewhere- the ones in which a murder is about to occur. Tom's daughter Cully, played by Laura Howard, is a graduated theatrical actor who never seems to get that many roles, and is either volunteering at the mobile library, or working some odd job.
Each episode is an hour and forty minutes, and is usually broadcasted at odd times on various cable channels. More information can be found at www.midsomermurders.net .

Now- why am I talking about this? Well, both these shows are extremely intellectually taxing. While the characters of modern television shows do have names, the characters are so very unique, recognizable, and diverse that you never mix them up. They are almost never called by their names mid-show either. In both series, especially Midsomer Murders, you are introduced to 5-7 new characters in each individual episode, all of which are extremely unique, have similar names, and who seem as guilty as heck. They are referred to by their full names many times when they are not even on screen, making many viewers say "Who are they talking about again??". So many red herrings are present in each episode so as to present a very confusing but intellectually stimulating atmosphere.
Also terrific about at least Foyle's War is it's cleanness. No swearing, sexual content, or really gruesome guts. Midsomer Murders will sometimes have sexual material in it, so if you are watching with young kids, you might want to have the remote control handy. Some episodes are completely clean, while a few are chock-a-block. It does not compare at all to the content one might find in CSI, in which this material is constantly present.

I recommend both of these series to any intellectual who wants to be baffled and amazed by a terrific mystery.

Thank you,
Foy Lyndström

Independence Day

***Note: This post was originally submitted on Tuesday, July 3, but was not accepted by Blogspot. As I have just figured this out, I apologize for the late post.

Thank you,
Foy Lyndström



Hello,
Tomorrow will be the Fourth of July, the day that celebrates the separation of our nation from England. For most of us, July 4, 1776 seems like it was ages ago. Amazingly enough, it was only 231 years. It is inspiring to think what America has become, and how it has changed in such a short time.

Think of the changes in medicine since then: it has been reinvented! During the Civil War, a bullet in the leg meant amputation. Not so now; we can usually save it. Vaccines are making illnesses such as polio and smallpox a thing of the past in modern countries. We are even able to replace someone's heart!

Militarily wise, we have gone from muskets to machine guns. The realm of science has changed dramatically itself. Our culture's sense of morals has changed as well, as it is leaving religion in the dust. Textbooks made even in the early 1900's show that Christianity was the accepted norm of the day.

This is just scratching the surface of what has changed throughout America. Tomorrow, as you sit down and eat your hot dogs, hamburgers, and watermelon, I urge you to consider what our country has gone through, and what has happened in and throughout it since it's conception.

Foy Lyndström

Health

Hello,
In my last post, I told you of my horrible week of death and heart troubles. Along with all those things happening around me, I had an atrocious head cold. I had it all: The massive sore throat, the runny nose, coughing enough that I thought I might get a six pack from doing so, and even the nasty phlegm days at the end. I had the works.

All throughout the week, I was complaining in my head about my sickness. How I wished the sore throat would stop. How I wished My nose would stop running. How I wish I could smell the summer air. I just wanted out. Then I fell to thinking about how during this same time, my grandfather had a heart attack. A heart attack. There was a good chance he was going to die. And here I am complaining about my little runny nose, when he's possibly going to die.

It made me realize, here in life, there will always be someone who is in worse shoes than yourself. No matter how bad things get, someone else will be worse. Most of the time, we complain about the littlest things- how we have to watch a different movie than we wanted to. How we wished to have ketchup, not vinegar, with our French fries. How we wished there weren't so many flies outside. And yet there are people out there with family members dieing around them, who would LOVE to have only our problems.

I know someone who is going through crap, and I mean crap. His dad died when he was nine. His mother is currently dieing. And He is only 18. Now. Every time you feel like complaining, think of him. Would you rather be in his shoes....or yours?

I'm reminded also of a M*A*S*H episode, where one of the doctors, BJ, is talking with another one, Hawkeye, about going home to be with his wife. He talks about how much he will love to do all the small things that he used to hate to do- fixing up the house, taking out the trash, doing the dishes, etc. How just being home with his family, as opposed to being a surgeon in Korea, would make all those tasks feel like heaven.

So the next time you complain about taking the trash out, think about how little and insignificant that problem is, when compared to the alternatives.

Foy Lyndström

Time is Ticking Away

Hello,
This past week has been insanely busy and hectic, for many reasons. Last Sunday morning, the husband of a friend of our family passed away. Last Sunday night, my grandfather suffered a major heart attack, and had to go through surgery that the surgeon said was the most dangerous heart surgery out there- more dangerous than a heart transplant. He was given a fifty-fifty chance of survival, and made it. I was able to visit him today, and he is doing well, though still not out of the woods. On Friday, another friend of ours had a major heart attack. I saw him in ICU today, and he is in serious trouble.

All this made me think of our lives. We, as Americans, suffer from the "busy disease". We are constantly on the go- running though our lives trying to get to the "next rung of the ladder of life", whether that be graduation, a pay raise, retirement, whatever. Our minds are constantly on the future, and not enough on our immediate situation. We take our families and our friends for granted, thinking that they will always be with us. The sad truth is- they won't. We will not always have [insert family member here] with us all the time. We must cherish the times we have with them now.

You've probably heard the saying "Don't run through life too fast that you forget to smell the roses". This is amazingly true. We must cherish every moment we have, because we do not know how long we will have. My grandfather was fine all day Sunday. Then at midnight- Boom. He got hit by the heart attack. He didn't know it was coming, and neither did we. We don't know when death will come knocking at our doors either- whether he will be admitted or not.

Think about your life: are you running through life with no intention of slowing down? Are you taking your family and friends for granted?

Slow down. Relax. Cherish that family movie night. Cherish those special moments you have with your spouse. Even cherish that game of fetch with your dog.

Cherish every moment.


Foy Lyndström

Father's Day

I just wanted to wish every father out there a happy father's day. This is the one day out of the year for you to shine, for you to receive corny gifts from your young children, and try your best to thank them for what you've done, only to giggle at them in admiration with your wife later on.

Since this blog encourages thinking and finding knowledge, even if it is useless knowledge, I did a little research about fathers day. Apparently, in 1909, Sonora Smart Dodd listened to a Sunday sermon, and was inspired to create a day in honor of her father especially, but also for every other dad out there.

You can read the rest of the story here. Yes, the website is a small & informal, but hey, it works.

Also- There is a mother's day, and a father's day, but why is there no Children's day? Or does the day already exist, and is currently being called Christmas? Fatty food for thought.

Foy Lyndström

Gary Larson

Gary Larson was an amazing cartoonist. I am sure that most everyone who will read this has, at one point or another, seen one of the cartoons from his most famous cartoon series: “The Far Side”. While many of his cartoons were blazingly simple, with jokes and ideas that made you go into hysterics in just seconds, others were very multi-faceted, having several jokes intertwined together to achieve a larger punch line. Many times, it would take several read-throughs to find and appreciate all the complexities within the 4.5 by 3.5 inch frame (or there-abouts). Here is an example of such a cartoon.

Let’s start with the basics- it's setting.

When: Sometime in the middle ages

Where: A castle

What: An army of raiders charges over a moat and into a castle, from which arrows are being fired upon the raiders.

Who: A guy notices something in the castle's landscaping.

Why is it funny? Let's look at three possible reasons:

1. Let’s examine the minds of the castle's designers. The standard moat-of-death full of alligators has been replaced by a goldfish pond most commonly found in Japanese gardens. Who in the world would put goldfish into a moat? Are the defenders Japanese arborists? Or are they just slightly loony? Who knows.

2. Here’s a guy, right in the middle of an assault. Usually, when a man is going into battle, he is very pre-occupied with what is going on. Is he going to get wounded by those flying arrows? Killed? Will he have to kill anyone? Well, not this guy. He’s just curious of his surroundings. He looks at the castle, looks at the pretty birds in the air, and then looks down at the water, and notices that there’s goldfish in the moat. Either he is a completely brave soul, with no concern for death, or he is a complete nut job, who’s out to lunch, and notices these fish he’s running over. Since he’s in the army, he must be relatively sane. Either that, or this is quite a rediculous army.

3. Now, even if you reconcile those two things as sane, you have one more: he tells his buddies. This begs the question: Which one of them is going to give a darn? Here’s Bob, running into battle, when he hears his buddy Joe yell “Oo! Goldfish, everyone! Goldfish!” What will he do? Will he roll his eyes, or just say “Joe. Shut up.”? But, considering the fact that he hangs out with Joe, it wouldn’t be so far fetched to say that he might actually look himself.

I’m glad to realize that at least at one point in time, someone was brave enough to put something complex in the mass media, even if it is just a cartoon. While I am sure there are many cartoons at hand with intricate punch lines, they are outweighed by the pure and simple ones.

Now, I am not saying that simple cartoons are stupid, quite the opposite- I love stupid cartoons. What I am trying to say is that there is a time and a place for both. Maybe our society is at a point now where simple is better. Maybe our society is just stupid. I don’t know.

Foy Lyndström

Welcome

Yes, this is my first attempt at a blog; so while I ask for a small amount of patience in adjusting to writing this, I also ask that you do not read this as though I am a complete moron. I will probably be writing frequently in the next week or so to get things started, but will most likely go into a slower one-post-a-week routine as I get settled. While some posts will be silly and sometimes stupid, others might be scientific or even philosophical. You’ll never know what to expect, as entering the thought patterns of my mind is quite a dangerous idea.

Foy Lyndström