GTA pt. 2

I realize as I play that I'm going to want to give a lot more than just first impressions. So after another 45 minutes playtime, here are my observations , in no particular order:

• Niko is such a swell guy that he scolds others for crank calling police. What a nice, upstanding fellow.
• He also refuses to smoke weed, which puts him heads and shoulders above most elected officials.
• The game demonstrates how difficult it is to drive while using one's cell phone. I know the game has caught flak for allowing gamers to drive while drunk, but really, if it shows how it warps perception and slows reactions, how is this a bad thing? Isn't it just a better deterrent than lame posters and parents saying not to drive drunk?
• It's touching to see how Niko is forced into being an enforcer for Vlad. Not only is it tragic to see how Niko's hopes for a new start in America are dashed, but it's also poignant to see him intimidate the laundromat-owner (not Chinese!) who wants to call the cops because of his faith in America, only to see those hopes disappear as Niko ruins another immigrant's chances for a fresh start. It's almost as poignant as seeing (in GTA: SA) African-American, descendant of slaves C.J. rescue Chinese people being smuggled in shipping containers.
• Speaking of Chinese guys, there's an antique shop owner who speaks with a faint accent. This is a more positive portrayal than Pirates of the Caribbean's Sao Feng, and the disappearing Asians from the cast of 21.
• I can't understand the Jamaican characters worth beans. I almost died while reading the subtitles in a shoot-out. Learn to speak English, guys. Niko's been in the country for five minutes and his English is better than yours.
• Cars seem to have appropriate radio stations. Roman's taxi has the Russian station, and the cabs have talk radio. Nice touch.
• I had sex with the girlfriend lady ... who is so remarkable I forget her name. Misogyny aside, it unlocked a "warm coffee" achievement. Also a nice touch.
• I got hit by a car and lost my hat. I saw it on the floor, but couldn't pick it up. Sad, and makes me unlikely to buy more hats.
• Slight foreshadowing of Niko's future: he got in trouble for blindly following orders. Is it possible that Niko massacred Croatian Muslims? That would be phenomenal in its real-world relevance. With the exception of Owen Wilson's Behind Enemy Lines, I haven't seen any mainstream American media deal with this subject.
• The radio is FUNNY: TV shows like America's Next Top Hooker? Polemical campaign ads criticizing flip-floppers? Parodies of racial profiling?
• And the cabaret show is an actual cabaret show. With magic and singing and whatnot.
  

GTA IV First Impressions

Indoubtedly, everyone and their mother (well, maybe not their mother, but their cousin for sure) is going to be talking about their first GTA IV impressions. Here are mine, after having played for one hour:

1. The degree of verisimilitude is amazing. People have fingers, for starters, rather than claw-hands. You can actually see Niko turn the steering wheel while driving. When standing half on a curb and half off, Niko actually rests one leg higher in a Captain Morgan-esque pose.
2. The police are a force to be reckoned with. Pay and Sprays now take three hours (not that it really matters), but the real change is that cops can't see you entering. And getting ride of police attention by evasion is much more realistic in having to leave the scene of the crime. I, for instance, had a devil of a time leaving the area when I fired a single pistol shot at a wall (!) and I got a star.
3. Clothing is much more reasonable. Instead of being able to choose 750 clothing options that I ignored (partially due to unreasonable loading times), I quickly grabbed a pair of boots, a winter coat, and (because Niko is such a bad-ass motherfucker) a Soviet-era winter cap.
4. GTA IV teaches good lessons. Sometime I'll get around to writing a post about the positive messages GTA: SA teaches, but that's for a later date. In the hour I've played I've seen the following moral messages: respect family, America is a beacon of hope to the rest of the world, war is where the old settle their disagreements through the young dying, and don't be a lying sack of shit like Roman. True, you also have to kick the shit out of some Albanian loan sharks, but in context, Niko is applying the only skills he has (from the Russian military, presumably) to defend family.
   
5. It's gorgeous. Mass Effect was nice, as was Assassin's Creed, as was Halo 3. But all of those games were fairly limited in their scope. Static (and identical) space mines, repetitive biblical cities, and almost empty space stations look pretty, but don't have very much going on. GTA IV is beautiful, and there is SO much there: pedestrians, cars, traffic signals, architecture, etc.
6. The map system is superb. Instead of simply saying where the end-location is, it actually shows the shortest legal path (a la GPS). Mind you, you can still ignore those directions to swing by somewhere else via the waypoint system, and if you need to leave faster than the legal route allows, you can feel free to take some shortcuts.
7. The fighting system rocks. The hand-to-hand combat is much more complex (in a good way), and the shooting system is leagues better than the previous entries in the series.
   
8. The tone is darker, but not in a bad way. I have always appreciated GTA IV's humor, and I was concerned that this game would lose some of its charm. It is quite a bit more serious, and I haven't met any laugh-out-loud moments yet, but that doesn't make the game any more compelling. I want to find out Niko's secrets that led him to come to the States. I care about Michelle and Roman, and I want the Albanian bastards to suffer. But most of all, I want Niko to find happiness.
   
9. The deluxe version is freakin' awesome. The safety deposit box is high quality, as is the duffel bag, as is the keychain. I haven't looked at the art book or listened to the CD, but I'm sure they're superb as well. And the license plate I got through Amazon.com pre-order is identical to the ones in-game.

I'd write more, but I'm going to go back to playing. Buy this game.

Edit: I checked Wikipedia, and apparently Niko and Roman are Serbian rather than Russian. I wish the game did a better job of explaining which Slavic nation they came from. On a related note, immigrant groups in England are protesting Eastern Europeans' portrayal in video games. Basically this, I think, because I can't imagine where else Eastern Europeans are portrayed.

Driving Safely = Saving Gas

In addition to having taught US History, AP US History, Modern World History, Health Ed, and Career Ed, I've also taught Driver's Education. I've always been a safe driver, but teaching the class has refreshed my memory of some obscure laws (turning immediately after an intersection MUST be preceded by signaling in the middle of the intersection), and general tips like obeying the speed limit and basic car maintenance.

With gas prices as high as they are, it occurred to me that driving safely saves on gas:

1. Obey the speed limit. Cars are designed to get peak mileage at 50 or so mph. Since speed limits tend to be around that range, driving 70+ will absolutely cripple your mileage.
2. Accelerate and decelerate slowly. Cars that race to stop signs are wasting energy from unnecessary acceleration. It's better to imagine that you have eggs on the hood of your car that you don't want to drop off. By eliminating unneeded acceleration and deceleration, you waste less gas.
3. Make sure your tires are properly inflated. According to Paul Roberts' The End of Oil, having over- or under-inflated tires can result in a 5-10% drop in fuel efficiency.
4. Don't carry extra weight. The obvious exception is extra people, since fewer cars on the road is better. But having a ski rack all the time is a waste, as is carrying around extra stuff in the cabin in your car.
5. Don't drive an SUV. You may imagine yourself to be safer, but you're not. SUVs have longer braking distances, worse close-range visibility, and are more prone to tip-over. At the same time, they weigh far more and have have a greater front profile, so they have to displace more air as they move. The end result is that they get abysmal gas mileage at absolutely no benefit to you.
6. Don't drive a pick-up truck. According to Paul Roberts' The End of Oil, 90% pick-up trucks have nothing in their bed. That's right, nothing. Which means that there's extra weight and drag on your car (even if you leave the foot of the bed open) slowing down your car and making it work harder.
7. Drive an electric car ... whenever they start making them again. Due to the nature of chemical reactions, approximately 90% of the energy contained in gasoline is wasted in the form of ambient heat. That's why cars need cooling systems. In contrast, electric cars get basically 100% of their energy (from electricity) transfered to the wheels to move. Some critics of electric cars claim that they're not good because the electricity has to come from somewhere, usually coal-powered plants. But it's still far cheaper in terms of money and carbon emissions. And who says all electricity has to come from coal>
   

Gas Taxes: Hillary vs. Obama

I drive relatively little. I make sure that I live close enough to school that I can walk, even when I have to carry 20+ pounds of school materials to and from work. I fill up my 1992 Nissan Sentra every two to three weeks, and average 21 mpg. I, less so than most Americans, am affected by rising gas prices. That is, of course, until we factor in how gas prices affect the price of everything else. From consumer goods, to airline flights, to shipping costs, Americans are victims of their own industrial success. Our lives are based on gasoline-powered machines, and it's because of this dependency that Americans are so concerned about $4.00 gas.

Into the fray step Hillary Clinton and John McCain, who both propose removing the federal gas tax during the summer travel months. Their theory is that the 18.4 CENTS per gallon is too onerous a burden. And that Americans have an inalienable right (alongside life and liberty) to pursue happiness by driving places they really don't have to.

Against this foolish plan stands Barack Obama who has correctly articulated a host of problems with this proposal: 1) the average family stands to save $30, which they could make up by buying one less spa visit for their dog; 2) this will actually increase the quantity of gas consumed and accelerate depletion of the world's reserves; 3) this removes any sense of personal responsibility for the American consumer, since the government is there to bail them out of the high prices their demand has created; and 4) the gas tax revenue goes to pay for infrastructure like roads and bridges that don't maintain themselves.

In response, Hillary Clinton argues that Obama is out of touch with America. Because she, who has been Senator and previously President and Governor's wife, is soooooooooooooo in tune with the American people. Note that she doesn't contest any of Obama's facts or his arguments. Instead she fights it the only way she knows how: distracting people from the issues and making them think that this educated black man doesn't respect their values.

At the same time, Americans are complaining that taxes are what are driving up gas prices. Tell that to Japan or Europe, where gas is $7-9/gallon. Or to the climatologists who argue that internalizing gasoline's negative externality should ratchet the price up dollars rather than cents. In California, the state with the nation's highest gas tax, it amounts to a meager 45.5 cents per gallon. Add that to the federal gas tax, and Californians are paying and it's still a reasonable 63.9 cents per gallon. On a $4.00 tank of gas, that's only 16% of the initial value. And when that money goes to pay for public transportation and safe roads that drivers, car manufacturers, and gasoline companies all benefit from, it's a small price to pay. Instead consider that gasoline companies are making excessive profits through no foresight of their own, and that American needs to develop alternatives. And in a democracy, these are all problems that we should be fixing rather than shifting the blame to the government.

GTA IV

It's extremely rare that I pre-order a game. In fact, I think the last game I pre-ordered was GTA IV. And before that, Street Fighter 2 for the SNES (yes, I'm dating myself). I pre-ordered GTA IV knowing that it would be worth my money. After scouring online for some sort of bonus that didn't involve gamerpics, I found that amazon.com was offering a GTA IV license plate with the pre-order of the Special Edition. I could care less about the art book, but the lockbox and duffle bag, oddly, called out to the organization-freak in me.

I've always had good experiences with amazon.com. Even when I've chosen Super-Saver shipping in the past, I've received my orders within a few days. I ordered a few extra books with GTA IV, including Grand Theft Childhood and Howard Zinn's History of American Empire. The last two were shipped last Thursday, and I haven't received them yet. GTA IV was shipped Sunday, and the fact that the first shipment has taken over 3 business days makes me afraid that GTA IV won't arrive until this weekend. Yes, I could've done the smart thing and actually, y'know, paid for shipping, but I had such faith in amazon.com's free shipping!

Most people are going to be talking about GTA IV this week, and probably for months. I, alas, will be waiting. And with that, I leave you with some filler: the editorial I wrote for the school newspaper:

As I write this, we are a week away from STAR Testing. I wish, realizing that it isn’t likely, that Washington would be evaluated not only by its standardized test scores, but on how well it comprehensively facilitates students in achieving their potential.

Standardized tests seem to be a necessary evil. For national, statewide, and school district comparisons, purely quantitative (numerical) measures are the easiest way to judge schools’ academic achievement. The STAR Test is probably a better measure of economic status, familiarity with English, and test-taking skills than student achievement. The myriad qualitative (non-numerical) measures possible cannot be so easily scored and categorized. If standardized tests are the definition of student success, students’ whose strengths do NOT lie in test-taking should feel like they contribute nothing? I tell students that they are not their standardized test scores, and it’s a shame that some view Washington as its Annual Performance Index.

Similar problems arise when schools are compared against one another only in terms of academic rigor. My school is better than yours because it’s harder? Because it offers more A.P.’s? Because the average GPA is higher than yours? Or lower? The same problem arises here as it does from standardized tests. Students whose gifts do not lie in the traditional academic arena do have something to contribute to the school, even if such a narrow criterion doesn’t recognize them.

Other traditional evaluators include things like school spirit and athletics, both of which are also imperfect. Why is our school greatest? Because our blind faith in our school’s superiority is greater than anyone else’s? Because our students run faster or jump higher than theirs? School spirit and athletic competition tend to increase self-worth at the expense of others’. While these standards not inherently harmful, students whose leadership and athletic abilities are less than ideal don’t feel like they have anything to contribute.

I suggest an alternate method of evaluating Washington, one that I can’t rate. Instead, you will have to, as students, teachers, administrators, paraprofessionals, staff, parents, and counselors. For each student’s interests, abilities, preferences, and goals, how well does Washington help that student be the most s/he can?

One way to try to categorize and evaluate Washington’s success is this area is Howard Gardener’s Multiple Intelligences Theory, which states that people can be intelligent in different ways. Gardner argues that people can be smart in the following ways: verbal/linguistic, logical/mathematic, interpersonal, intrapersonal, spatial, musical, naturalistic, and bodily/kinesthetic. Unlike standardized tests which only reward the first two intelligences, the Multiple Intelligences model recognizes a diversity of gifts. Students are not simply smart and dumb. And instead of fuzzily saying that everyone has something to offer, it concretely categorizes student strengths. We can use the Multiple Intelligences model to see how well Washington helps students maximize their intelligences.

Intelligence	Explanation	At Washington
Verbal/linguistic	communicate and understand language	Most classes, especially English and Social Studies
Logical/mathematic	reason and process numbers	Most classes, especially Math and Sciences
Interpersonal	“read” others and participate fully in groups	Any social interaction, extracurricular clubs
Intrapersonal	“read” oneself	Any individual, introspective activity
Spatial	imagine objects and sense space	Visual arts, architectural design, etc.
Musical	understand, appreciate and create music	Choir, orchestra, band, dance
Naturalistic	relate to and understand the natural world	Biology, physiology, environmental science, etc.
Bodily/kinesthetic	move with dexterity and coordination	Gym class, organized sports, dance

Tragically, the classes most likely to be cut with the budget crisis are those that strengthen musical and spatial intelligence. From an equity standpoint, losing those classes means depriving musically and spatially intelligent students the resources needed to thrive.

There are a nearly infinite number of other ways to judge a school. How respectful and mature are students? How honest are they? How mature are they? How many discipline problems does the school have? How many students apply to attend the school? How many are turned away? How equitable are resources distributed? How are decisions made? How diverse is it, racially, ethnically, religiously, economically, etc.? And how well does that diversity function? All these criteria are rarely used, and in their place is a single battery of tests whose connection to the quality of education is tenuous.

Forgetting Sarah Marshall

The 40-year-old Virgin was the first of Judd Apatow's works that I had seen, and it was glorious. It was a wonderful combination of sweetness and one-liners. It led me to watch Freaks and Geeks, Undeclared, and make sure that I watched Knocked Up and Superbad when they came out. Some of those shows/movies were much funnier than others, but I was nonetheless impressed.

It was a no-brainer that I would see Forgetting Sarah Marshall, seeing as how it combines Apatow with his frequent collaborators Jason Seigel, Paul Rudd, and Jonah Hill with the glory that is Veronica Mars' Kristen Bell (who has a much nicer body than I would've expected). It's not up to the level of The 40-year-old virgin, it's still a highly enjoyable film.

Seigel and Rudd and Hill play the same role that they've played in all of Apatow's other works, which is a bit of a concern. Seigel is the shlubby man-child, Rudd the laid-back (although moreso in this work than in most) wit, and Hill the sarcastic critic. They all do a good job within those roles, so that isn't too much of a problem, but some elements feel like it's the same movie over and over and over again.

Kristen Bell is a breath of fresh air. Her character starts out as a simply unreasonable wench, but has a small taste of redemption towards the end as she describes why she cheated on Siegel. The real highlight for me, however, was all the slight references to her real career. Her Sarah Marshall is a CSI-type television star whose awkward transition to film mimics her performance in the abysmal The Pulse. Her show being canceled, which forces her to consider film, only to find another show, is touching and an inspiring nod to her future career.

The rest of the cast is charming as well. Mila Kunis is surprisingly charming as the polite (extremely non-Jackie-ish) Rachel who manages to maintain a sense of successful chemistry with the socially awkward Seigel. Also of note is the actor who plays Aldous Snow, who pulls off the eccentric, rakish British charm without seeming entirely batshit insane.

I also have to comment on the surprising amount of nudity. Not only is there more genitalia in this film than in Apatow's other works, but surprisingly MALE genitalia. There are brief shots of what may or may not be Kunis' breasts, but by far the bulk of attention is paid to Seigel's wang. And as I saw in an online interview, that slapping sound was actually his penis against his thigh. If I have to know that, so do you.

GTA IV Release

From Gamepolitics.com
California State Senator Leland Yee has publicly urged parents to please not buy GTA IV for young children. Hopefully this is just a reminder, because by this point in the series, only Osama bin Laden and other cave-dwellers wouldn't know that GTA is not for kids.

He then goes on to accuse Rockstar of maliciously deceiving the ESRB. I assume he's referring to the Hot Coffee content in GTA: San Andreas. I've seen it. And in addition to it being lame, and not at all erotic or arousing, it was deleted from the game. Admittedly, Rockstar should have eliminated all the code instead of making it inaccessible through the regular play. But take a step back for a second, and ponder this: the point of ESRB ratings is to keep little kiddies safe, right? How many little kiddies are able to hack into the game data and access this information? Don't know the exact number? Neither do I. But I do know that it's less than saw footage during the endless news coverage.

It's a bit embarrassing to see Leland Yee railing yet again about violent video games. He's a San Franciscan, for starters, and I supported him prior to his video game-scape-goating days. He's a child psychologist by trade, and so he at least has more credibility than others that I could name. I'd be interested to see his response to the arguments raised by Grand Theft Childhood (which should be arriving any day now via amazon.com). Yee seems to be a one-trick pony, as I don't think any of his constituents (or anyone else for that matter) could name one thing that he's done besides try to make the sale of video games to minors the legal equivalent of selling hardcore pornography to kids.