I recently got a 3DS. It's a great console, I'm enjoying having it a lot.
But in order to be able to afford it, I had to trade in $180 worth of games and consoles. And now I'm looking at game prices and realising the only reason my brother and I had games for our DS as cool and as recently released as we did is because our parents brought them.
I want a brand new copy of Nintendogs. It's going to cost me $50. The game came out soon after the console did- at least a year, if not two years ago. I brought a game today for $59 which was released today. And the $50 price is in one store- another wants $68 (the same store actually, that I brought the game today in).
I'm trying to find the logic here. I'm failing. I thought prices decreased as time passed...
Saturday, 15 June 2013
Wednesday, 12 June 2013
Television
I love to watch television shows. I'm an obsessed fan by most definitions, of course I love to watch T.V shows. I can sit here and list a dozen different shows (British for the most part) with their actors (sometimes) and then argue with you over which has more depth or which is cooler. I'm a fan and I'm proud of it.
What I don't like to do, is watch television.
That is not a paradox. I hate sitting down in front of a television and watching my favourite shows. Unless they air on channel ABC, they are always full of ads. One show I watch (Sherlock) went from an hour and a half DVD run time, to two and a half hour air time on T.V. Why would I bother watching it on T.V when I can get the DVDs and watch it without constant reminders to buy this or that?
Or these shows air at times I just can't watch them in. We do have the ability to record shows but I rarely bother because, one I have a delete happy father but also because simply setting it to record is no guarantee of recording the full program as most channels tend to view the starting times as more guides than anything they need to follow.
There's also four people in my house and only one T.V with Austar. Which isn't an issue when it comes to watching normal T.V but of the two remaining digital T.Vs, one is in my brother's room and the other is used by Mum. So really, there's one T.V and Dad gets priority.
So really, it's easier for me to watch things online.
If only it was that simple. Yes, the ABC gives me online access to shows less than 12 hours after it airs in other countries but that's about it. The other channels are nowhere near as good at fast tracking- it took a full month for Nine to air Sherlock. And those are no help if the show I want to watch aired over a week ago. I can go hire them if they're in my video st-oh wait, no I can't. It closed down. And the one left has no where near as good a selection of T.V shows. And if I feel like watching a show at 2am? Well, too bad, you can't...
What am I saying? I want something like Netflix in Australia. I know it's not a perfect system but it might reduce piracy if access to T.V shows was that much easier. Pay a fee each month and you can watch all the movies and shows you want. It might take a month or so for new shows to get onto it but hey, if a year after it airs I want to watch it guess where I'll find it?.
And maybe I want companies to recognise the fact piracy happens because it's easier, easier than waiting for months and having to pay large amounts of money for hiring or buying shows ($75 a season for Doctor Who? FORGET IT). Piracy is hard work, you make doing it legally easy and people will do it legally.
Well, most people will do it legally.
What I don't like to do, is watch television.
That is not a paradox. I hate sitting down in front of a television and watching my favourite shows. Unless they air on channel ABC, they are always full of ads. One show I watch (Sherlock) went from an hour and a half DVD run time, to two and a half hour air time on T.V. Why would I bother watching it on T.V when I can get the DVDs and watch it without constant reminders to buy this or that?
Or these shows air at times I just can't watch them in. We do have the ability to record shows but I rarely bother because, one I have a delete happy father but also because simply setting it to record is no guarantee of recording the full program as most channels tend to view the starting times as more guides than anything they need to follow.
There's also four people in my house and only one T.V with Austar. Which isn't an issue when it comes to watching normal T.V but of the two remaining digital T.Vs, one is in my brother's room and the other is used by Mum. So really, there's one T.V and Dad gets priority.
So really, it's easier for me to watch things online.
If only it was that simple. Yes, the ABC gives me online access to shows less than 12 hours after it airs in other countries but that's about it. The other channels are nowhere near as good at fast tracking- it took a full month for Nine to air Sherlock. And those are no help if the show I want to watch aired over a week ago. I can go hire them if they're in my video st-oh wait, no I can't. It closed down. And the one left has no where near as good a selection of T.V shows. And if I feel like watching a show at 2am? Well, too bad, you can't...
What am I saying? I want something like Netflix in Australia. I know it's not a perfect system but it might reduce piracy if access to T.V shows was that much easier. Pay a fee each month and you can watch all the movies and shows you want. It might take a month or so for new shows to get onto it but hey, if a year after it airs I want to watch it guess where I'll find it?.
And maybe I want companies to recognise the fact piracy happens because it's easier, easier than waiting for months and having to pay large amounts of money for hiring or buying shows ($75 a season for Doctor Who? FORGET IT). Piracy is hard work, you make doing it legally easy and people will do it legally.
Well, most people will do it legally.
Thursday, 6 June 2013
Ladies and Double Standards (aka Fancy Ranting)
"Don't do that, it's not ladylike."
Seriously, this has been something I've been wondering for ages. What, exactly, is a lady?
Now I could prattle on about a lady being traditionally a woman of higher class, born into society. Women of the middle and upper classes in the 18th and 19th centuries are a very good image for a lady and they were expected to stay at home and raise their children- seen but not heard. But while I'm sure this influences the concept now, I'm not really interested in that. I'm curious as to what being a 'lady' is in a modern setting.
According to my parents, a lady seems to be a girl who does what her parents tell her; who always sits in a proper position; never makes rude noises or farts and always uses decent language. I cannot tell you how many times I've been told to not sit like that, it's not ladylike or to not swear because it's not ladylike. Not that I do swear a lot, but my brother, at the same age can drop a swear or two and it's written off as him being young. In fact, for a old time there I was critical of others swearing as they failed to live up to this standard I had been taught. There's a time and place you don't swear, I'll admit that, but neither should the well deserved fuck after a dropped phone be told off by a parent who wasn't meant to overhear that.
But anyway. That is not the point. The point is, a lady seems to me to be someone who isn't confrontational. Who doesn't do things outside the norm. Who doesn't make waves or do anything that might upset anyone. Who keeps her contrary opinions to herself
Someone who is seen and not heard?
Now, I wonder if you raise your daughter to be this lady, when is she going to speak up? When is she going to make her voice heard and protest things that she does not find correct? Or assert herself in a job interview like employers seem to want?
I don't think she is.
Maybe I'm taking this too far. Maybe being a lady is just not swearing and sitting in a correct position. But, why must I change my ways to be this lady? When the concept has already proved to have double standards in how it treats the matter of swearing...
Then I think I shall continue to answer "Don't do that, it's not ladylike." with "I'm no lady."
Seriously, this has been something I've been wondering for ages. What, exactly, is a lady?
Now I could prattle on about a lady being traditionally a woman of higher class, born into society. Women of the middle and upper classes in the 18th and 19th centuries are a very good image for a lady and they were expected to stay at home and raise their children- seen but not heard. But while I'm sure this influences the concept now, I'm not really interested in that. I'm curious as to what being a 'lady' is in a modern setting.
According to my parents, a lady seems to be a girl who does what her parents tell her; who always sits in a proper position; never makes rude noises or farts and always uses decent language. I cannot tell you how many times I've been told to not sit like that, it's not ladylike or to not swear because it's not ladylike. Not that I do swear a lot, but my brother, at the same age can drop a swear or two and it's written off as him being young. In fact, for a old time there I was critical of others swearing as they failed to live up to this standard I had been taught. There's a time and place you don't swear, I'll admit that, but neither should the well deserved fuck after a dropped phone be told off by a parent who wasn't meant to overhear that.
But anyway. That is not the point. The point is, a lady seems to me to be someone who isn't confrontational. Who doesn't do things outside the norm. Who doesn't make waves or do anything that might upset anyone. Who keeps her contrary opinions to herself
Someone who is seen and not heard?
Now, I wonder if you raise your daughter to be this lady, when is she going to speak up? When is she going to make her voice heard and protest things that she does not find correct? Or assert herself in a job interview like employers seem to want?
I don't think she is.
Maybe I'm taking this too far. Maybe being a lady is just not swearing and sitting in a correct position. But, why must I change my ways to be this lady? When the concept has already proved to have double standards in how it treats the matter of swearing...
Then I think I shall continue to answer "Don't do that, it's not ladylike." with "I'm no lady."
I have no idea
I've decided to get a blog.
Okay, good first step. Why? Because it looks like fun and I've subjects I would like to write on.
Brilliant. But you already have a tumblr where you post personal thoughts. Why do you need a blog?
...Because I can? Actually because my tumblr is anonymous. I want to keep it anonymous. And I don't want it to be serious. I want to be serious here.
I'm aware my real live friends will probably end up reading this. I don't want it to be that private. But there are things I want to talk about, have wanted to talk about for a while but have no idea how to bring them up in conversation. I'm also relying on my parents being computer-illiterate and thus unable to find it.
That's why I used the same username as my youtube account. Because I'm smart like that.
Later: Okay, changed that. Using French because I want to learn French. And while it's not exact, this is a translation of my usual English username.
Okay, good first step. Why? Because it looks like fun and I've subjects I would like to write on.
Brilliant. But you already have a tumblr where you post personal thoughts. Why do you need a blog?
...Because I can? Actually because my tumblr is anonymous. I want to keep it anonymous. And I don't want it to be serious. I want to be serious here.
I'm aware my real live friends will probably end up reading this. I don't want it to be that private. But there are things I want to talk about, have wanted to talk about for a while but have no idea how to bring them up in conversation. I'm also relying on my parents being computer-illiterate and thus unable to find it.
That's why I used the same username as my youtube account. Because I'm smart like that.
Later: Okay, changed that. Using French because I want to learn French. And while it's not exact, this is a translation of my usual English username.
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