Desensitized By Twitter

So we’re in the middle of a very serious, very unsettling period in our world.

We have a rapidly spreading pandemic that has claimed the lives of thousands and have infected a hundred thousand more. Our way of life have been disrupted as a result with the closures of major public institutions, the cancellations of live events, and in sweeping lockdowns. And with news of panic buying and concerns over the slightest of symptoms… things are pretty grim.
Over on the Twitter world, there’s a thing going on urging people to stay at home. It’s a thing that’s trending at the moment. Most notably, people are amazed that this serious thing that’s been claiming lives isn’t being taken more seriously by the general public.

I’m not surprised that people aren’t taking something being pushed as urgent on Twitter seriously… partly because it’s Twitter and more often than not, it’s populated by idiots… but also, something else comes to mind… maybe we’re just desensitized by Twitter and the social media bubble.

Think about it… something relatively minor turns up; whether it’d be a critical viewpoint of something beloved or a naughty thing that someone said years ago suddenly popping up – it usually results in a Twitter uproar. Things of sociological and political natures – no matter how minor – result in protests and online petitions and stuff that in the grand scheme of things, don’t matter or are approached in a way that a lot of noise is made over nothing.

It seems like every other day, there is a big controversial nature that starts trending on Twitter and everyone jumps on the bandwagon in agreement, all for the sake of more likes. So when something like this comes along and it’s something that you need to take really seriously, but you ultimately don’t because every blow-up that came before was over something so trivial and pointless that this ends up being something that’s trivial and pointless.

And this is not me saying that treating others equally regardless of sex, race, or orientation is trivial – I’d love to live in a world where everyone is treated as humans and not branded with labels – but rather, this is a plea to the so-called social groups who cause outrage because of a single word in a piece of fiction that doesn’t matter to tone it down a little. This is a plea to the folks who live their lives on social media platforms to show a little restraint and thought into your posts that doesn’t come across as something that’s posted for the sake of a few likes.

What I’m trying to say is… don’t treat every minor piece of business like it’s a big colossal disaster. Because when a real big colossal disaster comes along, nobody is going to care.

Use social media to keep track of your loved ones, the news as it happens, to keep informed on this pandemic that’s going, and basically not to be an ass. There’ll be plenty of times down the road where being an ass will be fine for a lark, but this isn’t it.

And while you’re at it, try not be an ass in the real world, either. My faith in humanity chips away each time I see obese women fight over toilet paper that they shouldn’t be hording in the first place.

That’s all I got for today… I’ll see about getting another video up sooner or later.

Taking Its Toll On The World

So the NBA and NHL have suspended the remainder of their seasons until further notice. Major League Baseball has also postponed their season kick-off. E3 has been cancelled. A lot of little wrestling shows are postponing or outright cancelling their events until further notice. Some major corporations are having their employees work from home. Broadways are cancelled until further notice. Movies are being pushed back to later dates. Some sporting events are going ahead with empty arena shows. And the United States has instituted a 30-day travel ban to and from Europe and its denizens. Even some folks are calling in sick for the sake of self-isolating themselves from the rest of the world.

If this isn’t a sign that what we’re witnessing is to be taken seriously, then I don’t know what is.

Meanwhile, you have dumb shits panic buying supplies by the dozen, leaving nothing but empty space and shit, all the while defeating the purpose of closing down public centers and cancelling events that might bring in more than a couple hundred people.

Look, I don’t have the words to properly convey or comfort anyone facing this latest obstacle in life. Either you’re off the hook, you’re infected, or you know someone who may have contracted this virus.

All I can say is be careful out there, take good care of yourselves, wash your hands, avoid unnecessary prolonged contact or crowded spaces, and most of all, don’t give in to panic and mass hysteria. Stay informed, stay safe, and wash your hands.

Also, stay away from Twitter. Twitter is shit. Especially now.

Mega Man Maker Notes – v1.6 Thoughts And Future Video Update

Some time has passed since popular fangame Mega Man Maker finally made the jump to the new 1.6 update, which includes elements from Mega Man 10 and 11 (including new music tracks!) as well as a new community editor feature where multiple users can get together and build a community level of sorts… now that’s a rather ambitious addition and I’ll shed some thoughts on the matter in a little while.
First, a quick primer on some upcoming Mega Man Maker videos… which will be starting up again in a couple weeks. First video up in the running is a boss rush showcase with the new bosses and such. I’ve got a couple runs done on the matter, but I’m holding off until I can concoct a better performance… i.e. going through the whole menagerie of bosses without getting killed for one thing. Once that’s up and running, we’ll resume the usual weekly Wily Challenge videos… although I do have one level up that may see the light of day sooner or later… and there is a… I’ve said too much already.
Anyway, regarding my initial impressions of the new update… well, the addition of a new multi-user level creation system is nothing that I’m ever going to use, but could open up some possibilities for the more community-minded folks out there. Honestly, I’m more thrilled that I can assign Mega Man 10 and 11 tracks into my levels rather than replacing whatever they had originally with the custom tracks from abroad. I will admit that some of the new tracks are of decidedly lesser quality than what I’ve heard before, but still, props to the folks for making the effort as well as all the new toys to play with. I’ve already managed a couple levels where outrunning raging firestorms are great fun.
And then I fired up Doom Builder for the first time in years… and now I’m busy crafting little Doom maps that nobody will ever play, which is probably for the best because there are some amazing stuff out there and I’m nowhere near that level of competency.
I’ve had my share of Mega Man in any fashion as of late – especially after putting some footage together for an upcoming project of sorts. After a while, we’ll get the ball rolling once more, but for now… doom.

WWF In Your House #6 (February 1996 PPV)

Yeah, so I’ve been catching up on these In Your House shows as of late because I figured “why not?”

Beginning in 1995, the In Your House brand related to a series of monthly 2-hour PPVs that would occupy the months that didn’t already have a PPV scheduled. We’ve already looked at the 1995 shows ages ago and so we might as well continue the trend with the 1996 shows for the month.

Continue reading “WWF In Your House #6 (February 1996 PPV)”

Let’s Try This Again…

So here we are… trying this again and hopefully, this will stick. Daily postings will be a thing again; whether it’d be something worthwhile or just random shitposting… and even the shitposting will have some substance to it. I also said features would be coming back, but not all at once. Slowly, but surely, we’ll be getting some material onto the blog soon enough.

– Video reviews (and by extension) will be coming along when they’re ready. If all goes well, I might settle with a typical Tuesday-Friday video upload routine… but plans can change when needed.

– PR Reflections will resume on Monday, March 30th and will kick off the next batch of bi-weekly (every other Monday) . I’ve got six of these things primed and ready to go, with possibly two or three almost getting there. Some of these will be lightweight stuff (synopsis and five points of observation), but a couple (such as our first entry) will be old-school “recap” segments. The best part is that they’re all new write-ups; no more recycled bits, because I’m all out of them to begin with.

– As mentioned on the program yesterday, DTM-Cast will be taking a hiatus throughout the month and will return Sunday, April 5th… just in time for some show that’s taking place from Tampa. I want to use the time I’ve got to work on other stuff and the lack of a DTM-Cast along the way could possibly open up the possibility of the Ramble videos making a comeback.

– Mega Man Maker runs will continue in a couple weeks. I’m putting together a quick little video depicting all the bosses and this involves a bit of practice to try and not suck at some of these boss battles. Once the boss video is up, I’ll follow that up with a new level and some news on future levels being a thing.

– Expect another House Show or two in the coming months. There’s also a couple other video projects that I’d like to get off the ground while I can.

That’s all I’ve got off the top of my head.