You are currently browsing the monthly archive for July 2008.
I’ve been trying to figure out the whole point of classes in PHP. I did figure it out, but now I’m trying to figure out how the hell they work. You see, I’m so used to Python classes. They make so much more sense than PHP classes, I’m having such a bitch trying to make sense of PHP. I tell you, the way Python handles classes is so much more clever and simple. The sad part is, I have over a year of PHP experience and I’ve been using Python for the past 3 or 4 months. So, I’ve decided to not use PHP classes, like before. Hey, they’re a bitch. And I don’t like bitches, a’right?
On the plus side, I am having a blast with PHP’s string and file functions. PHP is so much more powerful than Python when it comes to strings, and I love it.
Boy, what a surprise. If you’ve been keeping up with the trailers, then you’d know that this movie has generated a lot of hype – too bad it doesn’t live up to it. Let me explain: the beginning was fantastic. It showed that Batman wasn’t a dancing homosexual and that he has some pretty nasty and evil antagonists.
Joker was surprising in a good way: I love how he pretends that he’s going to perform some magic with a pencil, but instead just pounds a guy’s head into the pencil and pretends it was magic. Not only that, but he’s actually crazy. In Michael Keaton’s Batman movies, the Joker was insane, but he didn’t have the history or the looks to prove it.
The Joker from Michael Keaton’s films. Courtesy of The List Universe.
However, as good Heath Ledger’s performance was – and it was excellent – the movie was dragging out the battle between Joker and Batman far too long. After Joker escaped from jail, I was just wondering when the movie was over. Everything before that was excellent, but everything after that was waiting.
Another thing that got me wondering was Two Face. I’m still trying to decide whether or not he was all that needed. He was awesome, no doubt about that, but was he needed? After all, if it wasn’t for Batman, Harvey Dent would not have prosecuted all those criminals. It may be 549 criminals, but it was Batman’s doing (speaking of which, the way Batman escaped from Hong Kong was badass). After everything Batman did for Harvey Dent, they agree that Dent is the greatest of the three?! Preposterous! I could be biased towards Batman, that’s a possibility.
Verdict: a good film — nay, an excellent. Just don’t expect a good ending.
Who knew a game such as Civilization could be so fun? Let me explain: what had me skeptical about Civilization was not only the fact that it’s turn-based, but also the fact that it didn’t really focus on combat. What I mean about combat, I mean armies. 9 units in Civilization is considered an army, in contrast to games such as Empire Earth or Rise of Nations, which require at least 50 men and artillery. But the combat and turn-based setup doesn’t matter.
In Civilization, the whole point of the game is building your empire. What I love most is how the cities are constructed. If you’ve played Rise of Legends, which a fine game, city construction is somewhat like that (not as epic as Rise of Legends, unfortunately). When you build a structure, it gets added onto your city. It’s actually part of your city (except there are no soldiers patrolling the city, like Rise of Legends, but that’s irrelevant and bias). Another good point is that the population grows according to the amount of food the city has.
My second favorite thing about the game is technology. Not only can you trade it, you can gather it rather than gathering gold. And to finish off my favorite part of the game, every speaks their own language. You don’t have the Roman speaking Modern English (and with no accent either) like in other games that I’ve played.
I have the demo for the PS3, so no screens – you’ll have to Google those. If you like economic management, then I suggest you pick this up. I know I will.
Suzui-sama has finally hit the surface of the otaku (there, I mentioned it) culture. At the beginning of the episode, he visited Animesong. Apparently, Animesong is a cafe similar to Farrell’s, but not as eccentric. I love how the waitresses, who dress as maids, sing a song when they deliver their first order (a maid sang a song on the microphone as she was giving Suzui-sama his drink – must be loud during business hours). My only complaint is that I wish that he had focused a little bit more on this subject.
New episodes every Wednesday @ 9:00pm.
Vinny as… Crime Boss.
Pete as… Crime Boss’ apathetic servant.
Vinny: You know, Pete, I don’t see any life from you.
Pete: What do you mean?
Vinny: It’s just, y’know, you don’t care about anything.
Pete: Try me, then.
Vinny: Right, I don’t know what the hell happened to your sister, but I found her in a ditch yesterday.
Pete: Really?
Vinny: Whoa, you happy?
Pete: Not really.
Vinny: You see, that’s the problem: you don’t care. I tell you your sister’s dead and you don’t give a fuck. Not the slightest bit. That worries me.
Pete: Vinny? Worried?
Vinny: Yeah. So what? I can’t be worried about anyone?
Pete: I didn’t say that.
Vinny: Ah, fuck it. So, how’s your brother?
Pete: Brother?
Vinny: Yeah, the fat guy.
Pete: Oh. He’s dead.
Vinny: Oh my god. When?
Pete: About two day before yesterday.
Vinny: Two days before your sister was murdered?!
Pete: My sister was murdered?
Vinny: …
Pete: What?
Vinny: You know what? Not only are you apathetic, you’re a fuck head.
Pete: …what?
Vinny: Yeah. You’re a fuck head and I’m not kidding.
Pete: So? I’m not allowed to not give a fuck about my family?
Vinny: Not in my place, you aren’t. C’mon, prove me you care or you’re in the ditch with your sister.
Pete: …
Vinny: So?
Pete: Fuck you.
Vinny: That’s it!
Pete: No. Fuck you.
Vinny: You serious?
Pete: Yes. Fuck you and your ditch.
Vinny: Whoa. First of all, it’s not my ditch. I just found it fucking yesterday. You calling me an insane killer?
Pete: Yeah.
Vinny: Fuck you. *takes out gun and shots Pete in chest*
Pete: [dying] You’re not apathetic enough and that worries.
Pete: [dead]
Vinny: Fuck you!
I was bored. Inspired by GoodFellas, you fucking prick.
NOTE: I would like to say that the Climate Crisis is real and the ocean and temperature is raising. I also understand that not all Environmentalists are like this.
I have many problems with them. The one thing that I hate about them the most is their tendency to over-dramatize the affects of Global Warming (I have to use this term here – it just makes more sense). I was watching Six Degrees could change the world on National Geographic, and I just loved how the host would exaggerate and then contradict himself when it came to raising ocean levels.
What he basically said was that if Global Warming continues, then the major coastal cities would have water in the streets. He then said that if the poles were to melt, that would raise the ocean level by, and I quote, “3 to 4 feet.” uh… what? 3 to 4 feet? That’s it? I thought the coastal cities would be in the shit? Please. That’ll just eliminate the beaches. I mean, I doubt a beach is even as short as 4 feet. Even if there are any that small, I doubt there’d be any structures build next to such a small beach. You know, unless it rose like 12in every 3in, which is a pretty strange beach. Even then, the water from the poles wouldn’t matter, since it’d just fill up the beaches.
Holy crap, is this really Bill O’Reilly?? He looks so young. I like The O’Reilly Factor, but I just had to laugh at this.
Python does not offer a pre-built function that will make a file. Fortunately, it is very simple to create a function that will handle this. Whenever Python is told to read a file, it will look for it wherever you specify it to. However, if that file does not exist, Python will return a IOError exception. That’s when you tell Python to read a file. What happens if you tell Python to write to a file and the file is not there? Python will create that file automatically (not sure if you can turn this off). All you have to do is tell Python to write to a file that does not exist (hence why it is to be created) and Python will create it for you. Here is a function that I’ve tested twice and it worked twice:
def MakeFile(file_name):
"""
MakeFile(file_name): makes a file.
"""
temp_path = 'C:\\Python25\\' + file_name
file = open(temp_path, 'w')
file.write('')
file.close()
print 'Execution completed.'
MakeFile('index.html')
And, it can be any file type you want and it can have whatever you want in it. You can even create a blank file. In fact, all files start out blank. Python needs a file to manipulate in order for it to actually manipulate anything. In other words, Python creates a blank file and then writes to it (if there is anything to write). This is why I tested the function twice, by the way.
Wait, “Formal English”? Is there such a thing? Yes, there is such a thing! And, unsurprisingly, it is a very robotic way of writing. It is mandatory for newspapers — and similar fashions of conduct — to write in formal English. It is not the law — at least, I hope not –, most readers will simply go to another newspaper or what-have-you.
It is very easy for a native English speaker to detect, but writing it is another matter. It is not that hard, to be honest. Formal English is straight-forward, highly objective (unbiased), and showing very little emotion or passion. I know the end sounds bad, but it is true. That is why novelists do not write their novels in formal English. Informal English is a way of connecting while formal English is of reporting, informing, displaying (hence why it is supposed to be objective) or showing a sense of respect.
You will notice these very simple traits in formal English (please, forgive my second-person way of writing):
- Like I said, straight forward. No-nonsense, so to speak.
- Objective or unbiased. You do not voice your opinion and you espicially do not rant.
- Words are precise and not general. Instead of “Stop it!” it would be considered legitimate to say “Halt!” or “Desist your actions!” or similar. Another example: “Please, forgive my second-person style of writing” instead of “Please, forgive my second-person way of writing.”
- No slang of any type.
- No contractions. Such contractions are isn’t, aren’t, I’m, I’ll, you’re, etc. Instead, you would say is not, are not, I am, I will and you are.
- Sentences are as complete as possible while still being legitimate. Simply, no fragment sentences (unless it is an article in the newspaper or you are in a situation where you are provided little space for meaning).
- Whether or not adding an honorific when you say someone’s name is based on your area. I do know that you should always address people by their surname. Adding an honorific is optional, though not always optional. Just depends on your area’s culture. I assume adding an honorific will show your respect and the chances that will have the opposite affect is slim.
It is not that hard to understand, though I do not recommend it as a way of writing. Very robotic. Unless you are required to write formally, of course.
