Osama bin Laden is Dead and I Don't Feel So Good Myself

There can be relief found in the knowledge that Osama bin Laden will no longer be able to lead al Qaeda in attacks on America. And it is comforting to know the time, energy and lives spent searching for the past 10 years was not a waste.

Bin Laden's death serves the vague ideas we have about justice and provides a narrative bookend to 9/11 that is satisfying. Many Americans have been afforded no other way of understanding what we have been doing "over there".

So why am I skeptical of the whole thing?

I've been thinking about it all morning. Am I a cynic or a liberal who doesn't understand the sacrifices of others? I certain don't think of myself as that. Maybe I have issues with the collective confidence everyone seems to be feeling.

Undoubtedly Bin Laden was a murderer; however; when Bush declared the attacks on September 11th an act of war Bin Laden became a warrior. This was exactly what his organization wanted. They were no longer political criminals; they were elevated to religious warriors.

This is perfectly exemplified by the way US Armed Forces took the body after he was killed in order to prevent a memorial or shrine. Our hope now will be that he does not become a martyr. Or since his body is missing maybe there will be talk of his second coming - Americans are not the only ones with narratives.

As for al Qaeda, there is most likely another figurehead plotting in the wings, certainly there are other radical Muslims who do not fear death.

But perhaps this fear is America's largest asset. After all, it is what drives us to pour money into the defense and intelligence industries. Personally I pray for diplomacy but count on the military industrial complex. I'm not proud of this as it is of course a symbol of my lack of faith.

Returning to the nation's collective sigh, I personally have not felt these emotions but it's hard to deny the outpouring in the US today. Especially as seen on Facebook and Twitter. Sadly the response is not all that different than last week when that one guy got kicked off of American Idol; tomorrow is a new day and there will be new FB statuses. We can only hope they're not 10 years in the making.

I have to conclude with an apology to the late Lewis Grizzard. My father was a fan so his cleverly titled books were scattered around the house while I was growing up.

Don't Delete Your Facebook Account

If we're honest we all know that Facebook can be a real drag. Privacy concerns. Farmville updates. Phishing scams. Inappropriately mushy PDA. Theses days people will send a Facebook message to you instead of an email! It's enough to make you want to pull the plug.

If you do you're making a huge mistake.

I am not a Facebook super fan. I annoy and am annoyed by just as much of the stuff I listed above. But it does not change the reality that Facebook is currently the largest networking site on the planet. For better and for worse it has become the hub around which most people congregate.

Can you afford to be absent? For some people with infinite resources and no need for networking I could understand. But are you one of those folks? I honestly cannot think of a single person who fits into either of those catagories.

There are no infinite resources. And most of us are just a few pay checks away from needing some sort of networking (social or otherwise). The obvious exception is old people who live their lives outside of modern technology.

Your great grandparents might do this. That sounds kind of rude but I can see how a retiree who is set in their ways might want to avoid Facebook. They probably won't be looking for a job any time soon. Then again, both of my parents love being able to show off photos of their grandkids on Facebook.

Anyone interested in a new project?

The Problem

Do you remember only having just enough spending money to purchase video games after Christmas or Birthdays. I use to only get 3 or 4 games a year. So I would play the heck out of them until I beat them or got burned out trying.

Of course now the challenge isn't actually purchasing the game. Now it's actually finishing with you start.

One of my favorite game genres is the JRPG. The art and story are usually pretty great (if often ridiculous) and I love the exploring aspects of their gameplay. But of course they're incredibly long. Most require at least 30 hours to finish.

I usually start a game I'm interested in, get a few hours in and have to do something else. By the time I get back to playing it might be days, weeks or months later. I've forgotten where I was and what I was doing. Was I still on one of the introductory fetch quests? Had I unlocked the full fighting system or was I still in a tutorial section?

FinishYourGame.com
Finishyourgame.com is a website that celebrates actually getting to the end of games. This can be the final cutscene and credits or unlocking every single achievement and trophy. You spent your money for the game and you want to finish it! FinishYourGame.com can help you do that.

Website features:

• Users create a profile which allows them to catalog games they are currently playing. Several game websites already let users do this what FYG does is encourage users to create "game bookmarks" which will provide a brief recap so they can easily get back to enjoying the game. It can also include what they were doing, reference strategy guide page numbers, mission objectives, and a reason for why they stopped.
  

• Users can maintain a list of games they have actually finished! Afterall - that is the point, right? They can also publish this info as a status update to Facebook if they are interested in that: "Lara just beat the final boss on Persona 4. Again."

• Original content: regular video and/or audio podcasts highlighting recently released games and how potentially finishable they are. (Lot of reviews discuss game length and replay value - I'd like to add 'finishability' as a standard i.e. can an working adult realistically complete this game?)
  

• Other content: Games Unfinishable - a spotlight of game that you won't finish because they are too long, too hard, too much of a grind. Old school arcade games like International Karate (photo above) are notorious for being difficult. But how about classics like Kid Icarus or Ninja Gaiden?
  

Potential features for the future:

• email/sms reminders for themselves about where they were. Eventually these reminders could also include links to gamefaqs or strategy guides.
• users might also choose to make this info public on the site allowing others to comment or offer play tips.

I'm looking for fellow gamers who would be interested in:

• assisting with development (I'm currently looking at several Open Source Social Media platforms for the site but would need someone with graphic design experience)

• writing and/or being on video discussing video games and related topics.

If you're interested feel free to email me - shannon [at] finishyourgames.com

Recursive Hating or I Wish I Could Find a Few Lesbians to Come to MY Prom

I've been reading about the lesbian who got her prom canceled, sued, got it reinstated, but only 7 people showed up.

While the whole thing is a bit dramatic (as most high school things are) I keep noticing that all of her defenders online are decrying the hatred and bigotry in the most hateful ways possible. Comments on message boards are overflowing with bile... it's pretty ironic.

Why Farmville is Great for Hardcore Gamers

Over the past couple of years there has been some concern among gamers that the rise of casual games would be at the expense of hardcore games (i.e. the typical shooting, jumping and racing games). It hasn't really happened; we've learned that there is more than enough room for all these games to coexist.

That said, the explosion of Farmville, Mafia Wars and other Facebook games is getting a bit of attention this week. Having 235 million users will do that.

I get the sense that gamers are annoyed by these social games but the games are actually helpful because they dispel the notion that gaming is just an activity for dudes!

A recent article by an NBC affiliate in Ohio helps make my point. The article focuses on two married women:

Both are working mothers, and both say they play for fun -- sometimes for hours at a time -- but find all of it relaxing without becoming addictive.

It's hardly conclusive but it is great news for gamers. Many folks still believe that video games are a pastime for young men and boys. The women in the article even indicate as much:

"Actually, I'm one that I hate video games," Tricia said. "I think it's a waste of time, but there's just something about (Facebook games) that you just have to complete it just to get it done."

This tends to be the sentiment among most couples: he likes playing them and she thinks they're childish. Admittedly some games are juvenile with simple themes lacking subtlety and nuance. One could probably say the same thing about the latest chick flick.

The real divisive issue with video games is not age or gender but time. Being an adult is less about which leisure activity you prefer and more about how you manage your commitments.

If a couple can get beyond their notions about who and what video games are for they can have a real discussion about how they want to spend their time.

We all have the capacity to be addicted to any number of things whether they are video games like Farmville, Mafia Wars or Halo 3 or TV shows like The Bachelor, American Idol or CSI. Or maybe watching your favorite sports team. Actually I know plenty of women and men who plan their weekends around Dallas Cowboys Football.

One thing the article does not mention is how annoying Farmville status updates are to other Facebook users. I'm sure that article will make a great follow up.

Passive-Aggressive Social Media

Hiding the status updates of annoying people on Facebook is the most awesomely passive-aggressive past-time you can have these days! I love it.

Here are my favorite reasons:

1. Hyperbolic political links: this is bipartisan annoyance both my lefties and righties do it. Good Morning - HIDE!
2. Lame game updates: farm lulz, vampire hoo-ha, mafia retards! Thankfully I can hide just the application so I still see regular updates.
3. Wall-to-Wall kissyface with your significant other: No one cares how much you love and miss your boo while they're at work - what we really want to hear is how you're going to totally go down on them later! If you have to choose between being publicly sappy or publicly sexy, always go for the sex!

That said - Facebook could really use a forgiveness option with hiding updates.

Sure you were irritating but maybe I hid you because I was having a bad week, wasn't able to swallow my annoyance, ignore your inane quiz updates about which Twilight character you are, and let it go. Maybe I'm the one who needs to do the work in my own heart to deal with the reality that you're a dolt.

It's tough medicine - don't I know it! But I don't mind doing the work because it's worth it! At the end of the day if I'm not honest with myself about annoying people then I'm not being true to anyone. And isn't that what matters the most?

Social Media as the New Cul-de-Sac

My cul-de-sac was at the bottom of a hill. Our house was at it's very tip and was surrounded by trees. The end of my street and the creek that ran behind the house was my domain. It was mostly undeveloped and ended up being the obvious choice for all of the tree climbing, fort building and war games my friends and I instigated.

Like most kids I had several circles of friends - some from the neighborhood, others from school and others from boy scouts and church. For my 11th birthday all of those circles intersected to create a venn diagram representing my world. Imagine my surprise when I found out that a church friend knew a boy scout friend! This was world changing stuff to the 11 year old me.

It reminds me James Burke's old 1970s TV show Connections. Wikipedia has a decent article about it but in case you don't feel like clicking, Burke was a science historian and would talk about all these crazy ways that desperate technology was connected.

Even if the premise sounds boring the 1970s hairstyles alone make it worth checking out! In each episode Burke draws out these elaborate connections - battle strategies by Napoleon's army lead to long spears which lead to armies traveling which lead to supply lines which lead to canned food which somehow lead to the invention of central heating and air.

Not exactly mind-blowing, but as Burke highlights each thread of connection, the larger theme appears: human interaction is one of the keys to innovation and progress.

Don't think that I can't hear you now through internet - you're asking "All of this is fine, you're feeling nostalgic and geeky but what's your point ?"

Fair enough - my point is that these cul-de-sac moments used to be few and far between and/or they'd take a wacky haired science historian for me to see them. Now they happen almost weekly!

Exhibit A: Last week I got a party invite for Jon Parker. Jon was a friend from college who I haven't seen in years. We're friends on Facebook so I was on the invite list and went. While I was there I uploaded a photo to Flickr. Someone I didn't know saw the photo on Facebook and emailed me because she recognized Jon. And it turns out she also knows my friend Mike. To clarify, Mike and Jon are in complete different parts of my venn diagram.

Or how about this: I'm downtown at the City Tavern watching a band play and I send out an updated on twitter. The next thing I know a friend calls me from the club next door, Plush, and invites me to walk next door for a quick drink.

Thanks to social media like Facebook or Myspace or Twitter - all of a sudden the connections are lining up, my world just got smaller and I'm back in my cul-de-sac. And it's good to be back.

If you've got a sec - I'd love to get your cool examples of Facebook meeting face-time!