Street Philosophy Vol. 1

July 13, 2008 at 11:56 pm (Street Philosophy)

I have decided to post my first piece of street philosophy as I call it. I’m not any real sort of philosopher, just someone who does a lot of thinking.  It is because I have no accreditation and only base my philosophy off of my own thoughts and observed beliefs that I dubbed it street philosophy.  Anyone can be a street philosopher.  You just have to speak your mind.

 

          The sides of human nature are vast and numerous.  I have only lived for almost 22 year, but in that time I’ve observed and experienced various events and occurrences that have led me to believe what I maintain as my personal opinion of human nature.  My hypothesis is subjective and anyone disagreeing with me can feel free to comment in favor or against the thoughts presented in this piece.

 

In the forefront of human nature is the primitive and basic need for self-preservation.  It is the fundamental element of all animals, and even as humans we cannot elude its grasp.  Survival of the fittest, putting ourselves in front of the feelings and preservation of those around us, even the most pious and selfless of individuals is afflicted with the urge to preserve themselves over someone else.  Occasionally it is both necessary and well-deserved, but it is from the obsession with self preservation that you first gain entry to the darker side of human nature, the thing that often drives us to be little more then filth.

 

            Thinking only of oneself, apathy toward the emotions of others, and greed.  People say that money is the route of all evil, but that is untrue, the phrase was misconstrued.  The love of money is the drive of all evil.  Greed, whether it is toward money, objects, or coveting a human being, it is the internal drive for all vices, sins, and jealous or impure thoughts.  It is interconnected with all of the so-called seven deadly sins.  Envy, lust, and gluttony are all desires stemming from wanting more then you are allotted and deserved.  Rage can stem from any of those desires, and is often triggered by those with weak self control at experiences they wish never happened or did not particularly go the way they wanted them to.  But what is that but more greed, greed toward the effects of life, fate itself.

           

            It is the darker side of man, driven by this greed that attributes to all the pain and suffering in the world, the murder, the violence, the senseless killing, and the human filth that appeases all of his vices.  The waste of life that kills their self with too much drink, or dies from the drugs they previously worshipped as the necessary component for living happily.  The rapists, the fetish driven scum who choose to defile those around them.  The bigots, who see the world through unrelenting eyes of hate toward those different then themselves as a way to lessen their own aggravation toward their problems and although many would disagree even those who live so conservatively, as to believe the world should remain without change are part of the problems facing mankind.

 

            Past the darker side of man is the side that drives us to preserve that side.  The secretive side of human nature, speaking in riddles and double meanings, hiding away and acting like an equivocator, we serve to only lie and remain silent, when we should speak our mind and speak the truth.  Beyond the silent side of man, is the core of our beliefs.  Religion, values, and ideology serve to balance of how we choose to live our lives.  As I stated before, those who are conservative tend to rely on religion, fundamentals, and traditional beliefs that have been passed down for years.  But this is flawed, it is impossible to govern a developing world without the implementation of change.  But that’s not to say that living life relying on change is not without its flaws, too much breaking away from traditional thinking would propel mankind into uncharted waters, causing confusion and aggravation.  It is only when you balance these things that mankind can run smoothly.  Where we can embrace and adapt to necessary change but remember our past, and improve on previously made mistakes.  Where we can maintain a separation of running our lives and whatever creed you rightfully belong.  Some people may call my moderate ideology stupid, but if you think long enough of it, you may start to see where I’m coming from. 

 

            The last part of human thinking is the capacity for love.  Whether it be of the opposite or same sex, we are driven to find a partner that both serves to compliment and complete our being.  It is the need to share our most personal thoughts, and the desire for human contact that inspires this way of thinking.  When this completion comes about people are often happier, but because of the interconnection of love and emotions it serves to affect us more then any other drive in our psyche.  The loss of a loved one hurts far more.  Stupid things are often done in the name of love, and our emotions can shift from our happiest to our saddest all at the whim of the one we care the most for.  By far it is the most interesting and deepest part of human nature.  Exploring the foundations of the meaning behind love, could take ages, and is often different with each person, but the fundamentals remain the same.  To anyone who reads this, I hope one day you each find that person, the one you’ll care about for the rest of your life. 

 

            My thoughts have probably already been stated by someone, or at least explored.  That’s the problem I guess, it’s all been done before.  But even so, I hope at least perhaps my words have moved you to think, regardless of what you are thinking about, or which part intrigues you, or even perhaps none of it at all tickles your fancy, whether you think I’m wise or a fool, or just some guy with a lot of time on his hands, thank you for taking the time to read this.  May everything go better for you, and I hope you have a wonderful life.  Until I post again, take heed of my street philosophy and have a nice day.

                                                                                    - Dash

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Image Zone- Stigmata

July 13, 2008 at 11:28 pm (Image Zone)

The reference is kind of lost if you never played the original Mario Party

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Final Cut- Review for Wall-E

July 13, 2008 at 11:24 pm (Final Cut)

You know I may only see this film a handful of times in my life, but I will always remember it as kind of revolutionary.  I’ve never seen any film in recent years do so much with so little dialogue.  I’ve never seen an animated film with so much social commentary that it can package it in a way that’s rated G.  Many people won’t like this film, likely they are manly men who do man things and will deny having watched this.  However, while I can say I love Gladiator and 300, I can’t believe how charmed I was by this movie. 

This movie wonderfully accomplishes Science Fiction, dazzling visual animation, social satire and at its heart is a tale of pure love.  The characters of Wall-E and Eve are the 2 most sympathetic robots I’ve seen in cinema with just a smidgeon more dialogue than R2-D2.  Yes, Wall-E reminds me and many others of Johnny 5, which makes him just a hair more awesome. 

The score and minimalistic voice-work is excellent and compliments the visuals.  The movie delivers a nostalgic flair, as you watch Wall-E learn how to be human using all the crap we left behind, from a Rubik’s cube to Pong.  In general a fantastic film that appeals to all audiences, sweet and endearing, it may just surprise you.

 

Overall: 5/5

 

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DVDo’s and Don’ts- Review of In Bruges

July 13, 2008 at 11:21 pm (DVDo's and Don'ts)

This is my favorite movie so far this year, sure I rated Wall-E higher and it deserves it for being a more innovative film, but I prefer In Bruges.  It’s a combination dark comedy, suspense film that is both funny and serious.  The tone changes depending on what the characters are going through at the time. 

The city of Bruges, itself serves as a kind of character.  It’s gothic architecture presents itself like a “fairy tale world,” to the joy of Gleeson and the dismay of Farrill who despite finding things in the city that interest him by happenstance, still thinks of Bruges as hell on earth.  

The movie is completely unpredictable, well-acted with real wit and wonderful dialogue.  It is really in the vein of films like Lucky Number Slevin and Pulp Fiction, with a nice touch of English/Irish flair.

 

DO rent this film and consider buying it

DO consider visiting Bruge, Belgium

DON’T keep this gem to yourself, recommend it to others

 

Overall: 4.5/5

 

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To Play or Not to Play: Metal Gear Solid 4

July 13, 2008 at 11:16 pm (To Play or Not to Play)

        I got my Playstation 3 around the same time this game came out.  In fact, I picked up the bundle with the game.  If you don’t have a PS3 and if you never enjoyed a Metal Gear game before, you probably won’t care about this game.  If you have played the MGS series and own a PS3, then you probably already own/love this game.    

     

This is not so much a game, as an experience unlike anything else I’ve ever played.  There are lots of cut-scenes, which is a turn-off to a lot of people, but they are entertaining and because of that you don’t even notice their length.  The story is well written, with a few heavy handed parts, but presented unlike any other game ever.  It’s like you’re truly playing a character in a movie, seamlessly transitioning between cut-scene and gameplay.  

      The gameplay is the best the series has had yet, with combat improved to the degree you could actually just say screw the stealth and fight your way through the entire game.  In the end I’d say it took everything good about RE4’s game play and mixed it with MGS.  You’ll find a better story in MGS3 but by now you should know I recommend the entire series.  I can’t praise it enough, play it to the end, and watch the hour long ending sequence.  Seriously it’s over an hour long.  When you finish it, you may be inclined to play it all over differently, this time avoiding being spotted, using different weapons, unlocking more content and trying to be a pacifist in an effort to immortalize yourself alongside Big Boss. 

 

Play it, Rent it, Buy it

Overall: 5/5

  Metal Gear Solid on the Wii

 

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Final Cut- Review for Hellboy 2: The Golden Army

July 13, 2008 at 11:07 pm (Final Cut)

I will start by saying I have never read a Hellboy comic.  But I did thoroughly enjoy the first film, seeing it in the theatre opening day.  I gave the same love to the second film seeing it on July 11th. 

Hellboy 2 is very different from the first. The setting and plot gave Del Toro more imaginative freedom to create the dark fairy tale creatures he enjoys.  Because of this, the sequel is full of these imaginative creatures more-so then human beings.  This changes the entire ambience of the film.  However, the humor, the one-liners and the action remain relatively unchanged in style. 

Ron Perlman delivers an awesome performance and you can tell he really enjoys playing the character.  Seth MacFarlane, of Family Guy fame, even has an important voice role, which is odd, considering he’s pretty much just doing a modified version of the fish from American Dad.  Selma Blair passes off as neurotic, pyrokinetic Liz. While not really shining in her role, she does serve as an excellent foil to Hellboy and his rascally behavior.

The film delivers in many aspects and manages to outshine the first.  You’ll find yourself awed at the visual effects or laughing at a certain scene featuring a Barry Manilow song.  Aside from pacing issues and a little heavy-handed foreshadowing that leads to a lot of expected twists, I’d still recommend you treat yourself to an awesome fantasy/action/comedy that seems to bridge the gap between dark fairy tale and comic action wonderfully.

 

Overall: 4.5/5

//www.postergeek.com/WallPapers/Hellboy2/hellboy2-1.jpg

courtesy of http://www.postergeek.com/WallPapers/Hellboy2/hellboy2-1.jpg

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The Nomasphere

July 13, 2008 at 11:03 pm (DVDo's and Don'ts, Final Cut, Image Zone, Obscurities, Otaku Street, Recommendation Theatre, Retro-gamer Revolution, Street Philosophy, To Play or Not to Play, Uncategorized) (, , , )

   Noma or N.o.M.A is a word a friend of mine and I coined my freshman year of college.  It stands for Nerd of Many Apparel and refers to people like myself who have a broad interest in Movies, Videogames, Anime/Manga, Technology, and other subjects that would often make others refer to you as a nerd if they were your general interest.

 

   Well, they are my general interest and because of that I bring you this very blog, within it will be posts corresponding to each subject and discussing them with great detail.

 

-Final Cut- Reviews of movies that are currently in theatres

-DVDo’s and Don’ts- Reviews of movies that recently came out on DVD/Blu-ray

-Recommendation Theatre- Recommendations of Old or obscure Films

-To Play or Not To Play- Reviews of newly released games

-Retro-gamer Revolution- Reviews of older games

-Image Zone – Any image/animation I have created, could range from a flash movie to a webcomic

-Otaku Street- Recommendations for Anime and Manga

-Obscurities- Anything else I feel the need to write about

-Street Philosophy- my opinion on things philosophical

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