The Game

Recently I read the book "The Game" by Neil Strauss after a good buddy of mine suggested it to me. He told me the usual crap one does when telling you to read a self-help book. "This book will change your life!" was what he told me, and after putting it off for a few months I broke down and read it. It changed my life.
The book is the story of Neil Strauss and his journey from AFC (Average Frustrated Chump) to MPUA (Master Pickup Artsit). Initially the presmise sounds lame and disingenuous, but this book broke down social interaction in a way I had never realized. To effectively meet women, a man does not need lines, he needs routines. Actual conversation starters that get a woman thinking on a cerebral and emotional level. The mistake most guys make is that they try to earn a woman's interest. From "The Game" I have learned it is for better to attract than to chase. Giving a woman soemthing she hasn't seen before is powerful. Ignoring her and even disqualifying her as a potential date are actions attractive women do not usually experience. From their point of view (to no fault of her own usually) she is a desierable woman who men should want, but here is this confident, funny, clever guy, and he won't even talk to me!
I'll be posting other blogs gettign into some of the specifics of the Game, but in the weeks since I've applied the lessons, my interactions with women have been much better! Some guys are naturals with women. Its where guys like me first learned from to talk to girls. There is some sort of program in their brains that lets them do what they do, but for me, and guys like me, we didn't get that update to our software when we hit puberty. Women were always this puzzle to solve. The veil has been lifted now. Even if you are a natural, and you pick up women with relative ease, I recommend you read this book. It will only help you . If you are an AFC like I was, then I implore you to read it and join the Community. It will improve your life in so many ways other than picking up women. And for women reading this blog, I'm not sure if I would suggest you read this book. You may learn more about yourself as a woman than you really wanted to know. The information is simple, but powerful.


Game Well...

Holy Crap, Science!

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I have been quite lame lately and ignoring this blog. The whole goal of this was to increase my online presence and improve my writing ability. However, to get the ball rolling again, I want to talk about a subject that I absolutely love.

Every element in our universe was forged in the heart of a star. All elements from Hydrogen to Iron are forged by nuclear fusion. Now those readers who are familiar with the periodic table will be aware that Iron's atomic number is 26. Uranium, the heaviest naturally occuring element has an atomic number of 92. So where do the other 66 elements come from? Many people are familiar with the concept of a super nova. Only the largest and hottest stars will end in a super nova "explosion". Our own sun is far too cool and small to ever end in this manner. A super nova begins after a stars nuclear factory begins to create iron. The reason iron kills stars is because the fusion of iron does not generate the energy to fight against its own mass from collapsing. Most stars, the force of nuclear fusion and the force of gravity are in a delicate balance. Iron destroys this balance and gravity begins to win. Seconds after iron starts fusing the star collapses in on itself at .1 the speed of light. In that singualar instant every element above iron on the periodic table is forged and then blasted out into space also at .1 the speed of light

So why the hell am I telling you this? I have a cool observation about life in general becasue of these facts. So about 4.5 billion years ago, the remants of one of those giant stars was spread across our galactic neiborhood and created a loose disc. Over time, the center would accrue into the sun, with the planets forming around it. Eventually the Earth would cool enough for amino acids to form proteins, and later into life. Much later, macroscopic biology would form, and then us.

I just want to stop there for a second. Every atom that forms our bodies. Every atom of air we breathe, and of the food we eat was forged by a star that died and spilled its "enriched guts" as my hero Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson would say, across the galaxy to later form life as we know it. When you break it down, we are nothing more than conscious collections of stellar dirt! Some may believe that a gran anti climax, but I choose to think of it as we are no LESS than conscious collections of stellar dirt! It is such a cool idea that it keeps me up at night. One of the cooler implications of this idea is that Supernovae are common occurances throughout the history of the universe; meaning the same pattern that lead to our "creation" is happening all over the cosmos. Isn't it reasonable to conclude that many other stellar deaths have led to the occurance of life? And would it be too far to deduce that life may even be a necesary consequence of these fuctions? I think the math says, "Yes". I cannot wait until our understanding of physics allows us to go forth and test this hypothesis. 

Cosmic dirt, signing off.

Who Watches the Watchers

As a nerd it is expected that I have seen certain movies, shows, series, etc.  An example of this expectation is the movie Watchmen. I have only ever really heard of this movie/universe in passing with the standard blue phallis jokes of the famous Dr. Manhattan. Aside from Rorchach and Dr. Manhattan's physical appearances I didn't know jack squat about it. Last night I was flipping channels when I saw that Watchmen had just started and I began watching a little. Holy crap was this a cool movie. Not only were the special effects great, it was incredibly self-aware for a super hero movie, including little tid-bits of slapstick humour that gave it a great charm.  Also, having watched Household Hacker on Youtube, I have the know-how to make a killer Rorchach mask for Halloween and Dragon*Con.

Having finally watched this paragon of nerd movies, it got me thinking of all of the movies, games, and series I haven't seen or played that I probably should have. This is mostly true for games I feel, because I don't like to play a huge number, and I usually just cycle between my top 10. The list of games I can think of include the following: Bioshock, World of Warcraft, Resident Evil, Zelda Windwaker, Dragon Age, and several more not immediately coming to mind.

The example I catch the most flack for stems from the fact that I am a HUGE Trekie! However, I have never watched the original star trek series... "Blasphemy!" is something I have heard, but I have a difficult time watching any shows from the sixties or earlier. Also, I have a hard time believing any Captain could be a better leader than "Captain Jon-Luc Picard of the Federation Starship Enterprise"! I have seen and very much enjoyed J.J. Abrams remake movies of the original series, and I am an avid wiki reader on the fandoms I enjoy, so I definitely have a good understanding of the major plot points and especially the characters. I simply have not sat down to watch that series.

If you have a recommendation for your favorite Sci-fi or really any type of movie or series, let me know what I should be watching!


"We are all puppets, I am just a puppet who sees the strings." - Dr. Manhattan

You Are What You Write

I met a girl at the bar last night. I entered the bar just as she was finishing playing a song on the piano and singing beautifully. My friend (female) and I went to congratulate and say hello. As fellow musicians my friend and I appreciate real talent when we see it. The girls name was Beth and as my friend went to play a set of her own Beth and I started talking. She explained to me that she is a bartender, but she really wants to go to school for psycology. I asked her what her favorite psycological field was, and she answered handwriting analysis. Now I had always heard urban legends of CSI agents discovering everything about the serial killer by a single letter left in a note by the body, but I never put that much stock in them. This girl blew my mind though. She's only really read books on the subject, but listening to her analysis of my writing and my sugnature, I felt as though she knew almost every damn thing about me... From my signature she determined that I am a socialble creature that typically leans into people as opposed to away; that I have a questionable outlook on the future; and that I appreciate cerebral and logical thought over sentiment and feelings.

After her demonstration I had to know her secret to this analysis. She told me to read Sex, Lies, and Handwriting by Michelle Dresbold. I bought the book from the kindle store, and only an hour into reading, I have read about 32% of the text, and I have learned so much. The best part is that the knowlege I've learned is only the tip of the iceberg. You would be shocked to know how much you can learn about a person simply looking at how they write the letter "I". I plan to have a more detailed report of the book once I've complete the book, but I still highly recommend it at this point. It is a cool and interesting skill to develop, and it may save you a lot of time learning about someone before they have a chance to surprise you. If I have learned anything so far, is that you can act as a completely different person on the outside, but your handwriting will almost always betray your true self. Even a well practiced and "text book" handwriting speaks volumes.

One recomendation if you do read the book. Before even opening the first page, take out a piece of paper and write the following: your signature, the numbers zero through nine, the scentence "The quick fox jumps over the brown lazy dog" and the scentence, "I'm right". Write these before you know how to analyze anything, and then you will have an honest representation of yourself.


Bazinga

Let's Play Pretend

Geekdom. This field encompasses quite a wide variety of subjects. Most, if not all of these subjects are demonstarated in one form or fashion at the greatest place on earth: Dragon*Con. I say Dragon*Con is the greatest place on earth because I have never been to any other cons, and D*Con is right here in Atlanta where I live. One of the most facinating and fun hobbies my fellow nerds and I undertake while at any type of Con is the noble art of cosplay.

Movies, shows, comics, cartoons, video games, books, or the world of imagination are all sources of inspiration for the cosplayer. I have seen everything from Jedi to Medieval Batman. From Twi'leks to Klingons, princesses, Stormtroopers, asari, Khaleesi, X men, superman, and many, many more. There is no law or rule that states you must cosplay if you go to a Con, but I would highly recommend it! Even if you think your cosplay idea is unoriginal or overused, you can use just a bit of imagination, tweak the idea slightly, and you have a whole different spin. Take Medeival batman for example. Batman in its own right, is a great costume. But so mant other people will be dressed as batman! Is there not only one Caped Crusader? Well this Caped Crusader may have actually battled the armies of Islam to reclaim the Holy Land of Gotham City. Really though, I love this idea and its something that with a little time and dedication can really make your Con a better experience.

Some people can use a simpler idea to make fun costumes. For the past two years I have gone to Dragon*Con as the Lone Wanderer from Vault 101. If you are unfamiliar with this character, it is from the game Fallout 3, a game that too many have forgotten about and is still freaking awesome! Admitedly, I have grown a tad boerd of the same costume and I have been thinking about tweaking the idea. But what can I do to tweak a post apocalyptic, futuristc, character that was born in a glorified basement and fights mutant insect and raiders? Well Steampunk of course! If you don't know about Steampunk, I wil have another post about it in the future, but in a short and sweet description, Steampunk is what modern and futuristic technology would look like if it were steam powered and built in the Victorian era. The picture to the right is just one example of the fashion styke if your typical Steampunker, but you can Google for much more reference.

But ya, I think I am going to end it there. Do yourselves a favor. If you go to Dragon*Con, Comic*Con or (insert nerdy thing here)*Con. Cosplay while you're there. And if you are boering, unoriginal or a spoil sport, at least wear a nerdy T-shirt of some kind. If you go there looking to have fun, you'll have fun. And the opposite is also true.



Beam me up Scotty.

Social Engineering

American Heritage Dictionary defines Social Engineering as "The practical application of sociological principles to particular social norms". According to Brian Brushman, host of my new favorite internet show Scam School defines it as "Using cheap, dirty pstcological tricks to get people to do what you want". I like Brian's definition and honestly, it is really fun seeing the effects social norms have on people in any kind of social situation. I discovered Brian Brushman's Scam School a littel over a week ago and I have now become a pasionate student and member of the "Con Club" dedicated to social engineering in the bar and on the streets. Amen. Ahem... Honeslty though, I have told you before that I have been performing amateur magic tricks since I was sixteen years old, but in that last week ir so of watching Scam School, I have learned more about the reactions and tendencies of potential audience members or 'marks' than I learned in the previous six years.

Its not about the trick, its about the show. People are dreadfully simple to distract, and the digital, multi-tasking world we live in has only made this easier. Most people are see the world as a "big picture" and muddle over the individual details. One would think if I were to perform a magic trick for you, you would engage some super detail selection software in your mind, but in all honesty, it is when you are being tested that you are most likely to fail this exercise. Because your guard is so high during a trick hoping to debunk the magic, youe mind will focus on the very first detail I hint is important, and seldom look anywhere else for the rest of the trick. There is a Youtube video where unkowing customers walk into a dealership to buy a motorcycle. During the sale the salesman who is in on the exeperiment periodically and very quickly changes an aricle of his clothing. Change his jacket, hat and in an extreme case, added an eye-patch. The customers who are so engaged in their purchase, almost always fail to recognize the changes in the salesman's appearance. This same blindness is what makes most tricks possible.

Knowing what people are blind to on a mental basis and what most people's goals are in a social situation can make you the proverbial puppet master when dealing with strangers at the bar or anywhere else. I have found in my experience, your friends are much less likely to be able to be fooled in such ways due to their innate knowlege of your social baseline. Any attempt to change your usual facade is an immediate red flag to those familiar to you that you are pulling a con.

I guess the whole point of this post though is that I may have found a way to overcome my shyness at the bar. My magic tricks are just gimmicks and flair. They are nothing to me if I don't have the nerve to go up to a pretty girl at the bar and say hello. With my limited knowlege of social engineering I think I can now attempt to meet a lot more people. I'm not saying I can manipulate people, nor would I ever want to. These new skills I am developing are only a way in which I can guage reactions from people, and hopefully steer the conversation in an interesting and new direction from which they are used to. Trust me, if you are interesting and considerate, most people are going to want to keep talking to you. And hell, if they receive a little entertainment along the way (with a magic trick or two) then who can complain?

Granted, I am only ankle deep in this new discovery, so I will let you know of my success (and failure) stories as I take this theory "into the field" so to speak. As always, I hope you enjoy my posts. Thank you for reading.


Live Well

Green Astronauts From Outer Space

When I was a kid, I wanted to be an astronaut. And not like every other kid, I seriously expected when I was younger I would be in space at some point in my future. That dream ended up not coming true when I was diagnosed with diabetes at age twelve, but I have not lost my adoration of science and astrology. I picked up a game a while back after watching some gameplay from Duncan from the Yogscast on the Youtubes is Kerbal Space Program.

This game has improved my understanding of orbital mechanics more than any textbook ever could. Given this game has to seriously simplify the advanced calculations required to put an object in orbit, it is still one of the most challenging actions you can do without a lot of help from the internet. From designing a rocket to testing it on the launch pad to launching Jebediah Kermin into the ground at Mach two, this game very well may be the closest I will get to working for a space agency. If you are any bit as nerdy as I am, you have to add this game to your collection. It is available on Steam for around $20 US and periodically goes on sale for much less. It is a game that is still in development, and each update makes the game better and better. 

A small overview: You are the only decision maker over a small green species known as Kerbals on their home planet of Kerbin. Orbiting Kerbin are two moons: Mün and Minimus. In the Kerbol system there are several planets going from nearest the star to the furthest: Moho, Eve, Kerbin, Duna, Dres, Jool (with five moons) and Eeloo. Getting from Kerbin to these other bodies takes more than a green smile. With some research, hard work, and dedication you will find this game can be the most fun you can have committing genocide on a small, green alien race.

Fly Safe...