Why the metric system is better than the Imperial

After finishing all of my Physics classes, I have no idea why America would follow the imperial system. Here is Canada, we use the Metric system. That means that 10mm=1cm, 100cm=1m, 1000m=1km and so on. In the US, the system is so weird: 12 Inches=1 foot, 3 feet=1 yard, 220 yards=1 furlong, 8 furlongs=1 mile 5280 feet=1 mile.

With the metric system, everything is equal, which makes physics a LOT more easy to do. I couldn't imagine doing physics in the USA, it would be increasingly hard keeping everything correct while converting everything.

Any thoughts?

Take me out, to the black.

Picture by Chris Hadfield

In the black,

One giant orb of blue beneath us,

Floating around high above our big home,

Beautiful.

Never gone,

White puffy clouds fill its big clear sky,

Great blue oceans and continents too,

Always there.

Far from home,

Looking at the face of man, so small,

The darkness goes on forever on,

Face of god.

In the dark,

Our home shines so incredibly bright,

Learn to love each other must be done,

Love never dies.

Starfox, ready for takeoff! - My favorite video game ever and why

Starfox Adventures cover art from 2002

Made back in 2002, Starfox Adventures, to this very day, remains my favorite video game of all time. There are many reasons why this game is on the top of the list, and I will try to explain in the very best detail below, but first, I have to get something out of the way. Most hardcore fans really hated this title, for it had very little flying unlike the rest of the games in the series. However, where people saw walls, I saw beautiful works of art.

Originally suppose to be a totally third party game called "Dinosaur planet" Nintendo decided it was time for another Starfox game, so they combined dinosaur planet and many of its original existing elements, and integrated them into the Starfox franchise. While many fans thought of this as a negative move, for me, this made it even more interesting as a game. When playing a game, I want to feel emotionally attached to the story. This game does an excellent job of immersing the player into an entirely new world that many have never even dreamed of.

When I young, I was totally blown away by the graphics of the game. For a game in 2002 on the Nintendo Gamecube, this game took  the graphics card to the max. The amount of details in this game can bring many modern HD games to shame, and that is double for the plot twisted story line  Overall, I doubt that I will ever find such a well build and loved game ever again, but just for some extra details, here is a list of things I loved about this game:

My top reasons for loving this game:

1. Story: This game had an absolutely beautiful story line and always surprised the player and gave extra motivation to keep playing. Many elements were a suprise to see in the Starfox franchise  and gave an extra "punch' for a few times during the game where the player was blown away by a new plot twist.
2. Characture design: The creators of the game did a brilliant job with making the charactures seem, well, human. Even if they are foxes, dinosoars, etc... the personalities and actions of all the charactures stay true throughout the game, and seem so realistic. It does such a great job of telling the story and emotions of every character, yet at the same times, leaves extra room for the player to fill in some of the 'blanks.'
3. Graphics: For a Gamecube game in 2002, this game looked, and remains to look stunning. While still putting some modern games to shame with detail, the changing of the time of day, weather, and even Fox's fur interacting with the environment all brought that extra scene of realism to the game, and made the experience an enjoyable one.
4. Fun and interesting game play: The game mechanics and controls were beautiful and simple. The game also had a very wide diverse of different moments of game play  From exploring dinosaur planet on foot, to flying your Arwing, narrowly dodging asteroids on your way to the next place, to riding a mammoth to break into a prisoner camp, the game play was always enjoyable, and used the story line as much as it could to keep the player playing the game, and happy at the same time.
5. Sound: The game utilized both brilliant and enjoyable voice acting, to the most beautiful and realistic ambiance the industry could offer. Also to give kudos to the amazing classic soundtrack by David Wise, the game was absolute extacy to the humans, or Fox's ears. Also, while some sound effects were industry standard, all the elements fitted perfectly with the game.
6. Prepared and full of love and life: unlike most modern games that are with the entire idea of "quantity over quality" Starfox Adventures was FULLY completed, and had hundreds of elements that had to be cut from the final release due to the space available, and changes in the plot (Hackers can get the extra scenes and recordings that are hidden on the game disk that were left behind as a 'cookie' by the game developers) This just shows how games used to be loved so much by their creators. Today, we never see this amount of love or work put into a game anymore. When I bought Adventures, I KNEW I was getting the full experience, but today, games are plagued with bugs, DLC (Downloadable content) and other little things that really piss players off. Adventures, however loved the players that plated it.

7. Imagination overload: This game actually encouraged the use of the players imagination  The game never forces ideas down the players throat  and gives the player a sense of freedom and allows their own personal sense of perception to certain events. As a young kid playing the game, I loved how the producers left a few holes here and there for the player to fill in with his or her own thoughts.

8. FUN! Lastly, this game is an overall fun game to play. With funny moments, streamlined design and a few 'memes' here and there, the game rewards playing with enjoyment.

Well, that's it for now! Comments bellow! ;^)

Poem to the Future

Who am I? What will I be?
When I leave into the world, when I leave my family,
The sun rises on a brand new day,
Yet I cannot see the shore of the other side of the bay,

What will I do? What will I become?
Schools, Careers and jobs,
Unknown for me,
Where will this confusion stop?

Sometimes an adventure, and sometimes a curse,
Where will the wheel stop? No one knows,
Even my heart is in confusion,
And as well, my soul,

Yesterday is the past, tomorrow the future,
One cannot control either, so live today: the present,
Forget about the venom, the addiction of lies,
Live your life today, and the rest will just fly!

Rudy Francisco touches my heart

Rudy!

My friend Ashley introduced me to one of his recordings on a ride home from a university open house  We were both sitting in the back of the vehicle as my parents drove it down the highway at night. At first, I didn't really know what I was listening to, but when I began to feel emotions surfacing from the inner depths of my soul, I knew at that moment, I was listening to true art.

Before I knew it, more and more emotions began to rise, and for the first time in a while, I began to cry. Rudy writes from the heart; his passion overflowing from each word he says, he never fails to give you the full emotional depth of his words.

This  is my favorite track that he has recorded so far. It struck an emotional chord with me, and it might with you as well.

The future: Where will I be?

Many people ask this question, and out of those who ask it, some can answer it a lot more clearly than others. I can honestly say that I have no clue where I am going to be in 10, or even 1 year. Not knowing what I want to do for post-secondary, or even an idea of a career is a really scary feeling, but I also have to admit that it is also an adventurous feeling as well!

While randomly surfing Youtube, I found this brilliantly inspirational video. The video shows someone like me who loves to shoot film and take photographs as a hobby, and is following their 'bliss.' It is breathtaking. While I am still not sure if I want to go into aviation, film, education, business or other programs, and I don't even know what post-secondary school I want, I feel somewhat free. Freedom can be a curse, for it is stressful not knowing where I want to go, but I am slowly making peace with it, and trying to have some fun with it as much as possible. Traveling to me would be an amazing way to discover myself. I am already in the stages of making travel plans, and looking for places to travel to. I am fortunate to have friends and family all around the globe, so I am even MORE excited than the usual traveler. If you think about it, life really is just one big journey!

To cap things off, I AM scared, but who isn't? However, the future is tomorrow, not today. If one wants to live their life, they must remember to live in the moment, and follow their bliss!

Travel - A dream that is not a dream

Its a mighty big world out there! 

One of the most common items on people's bucket list's has to be travel. 9/10 people I talk to about the subject have their own "dream travel locations" or just that one place they have to go before they kick the bucket. I am personally fortunate to have friends and family all around the world, so I know with a little bit of work, I can make this "dream" my reality. The most amazing experience would be backpacking Canada, then some parts of Europe  One of my co-workers at my workplace backpacked Canada when she was in her 20's, and she said that it was by far the most rewarding experiences of her life! From jumping trains, to backpacking to taking ferries, to flying, and even just driving, there are many, many methods of travel (some safer than others)

Departures is by far one of my most favorite television series of all time. It is about a small group of Canadian friends who start traveling Canada, then travel the whole world. They are my idols when it comes to adventure and living life to the fullest.

Where would YOU travel to?

Is it ok for girls to ask the guy out? -My opinion

I have been asked the question many times by many people. Both male and female friends have asked me the same question: "Is it OK for a girl to ask the guy out instead of the guy doing it?" I am surprised that this is even a question in the first place. Of course! It honestly doesn't even matter! If you "like" someone, then ASK! Live your life! Don't live life in regret or like a robot and follow all these unsaid "social conventions." If you love someone, you love someone. It's that simple. If your a girl asking a guy out, as my friend would say: "You've got balls!" I just hope whoever your asking out deserves such an amazing woman like you. Plus, I will admit us guys are sometimes stupid at picking up hints. And guys, don't be afraid to ask her out!

That is all. What do you think? Comments bellow!

You don't know what'cha got till its gone

It really is amazing for the human capacity to not know what one truly has and how much it is cherished until it is gone. This is true for every part of the human experience. From wealth, to health, relationships and even the emotional experience. It is amazing, yet horrifying how many times this "arrogance" can repeat in our daily lives, yet we seem to never learn from it.

Out of my own personal experience as of late, I have hurt my knee. I cannot run for a few weeks now, and I feel absolutely terrible that I have temporarily lost mobility, and running. The same goes with relationships with other people, for I never really thought of having friends move away to post-secondary schooling and not being able to hangout with them.

In conclusion, I guess having my knee hurt is just a subtle reminder to remember what we have, and cherish it. Never take things for-granted.

Lunches with Friends

Having lunch with a friend, or a group of friends always proves to be an awarding experience. It's always a wonderful opportunity to just eat good food, and have a good conversation.

Sometimes, I have been in bad mood, or just have had a LOT on my mind, and sitting with a friend just makes those feelings go away. This is especially true with lunches after a day of school. It can provide that extra boost to the rest of the day. A quick thanks to all my friends who make lunches fun, and an enjoyable experience!

Why Canada REALLY doesn't need the F-35 OR the Conservative government

While a beautiful aircraft, it really isn't the right fit for Canada... At all.
(Picture from article mentioned bellow)

For many, many long months now, the Canadian acquisition of the still under construction high tech F-35 fighter jet has been in the news in a negative light. In both a professional, and personal voice, I cannot see why we as a country need the F-35. With problems with flight systems, avionics and multiple design problems (National post article here ) The aircraft is plagued with horrible budget problems, and is millions, if not billions of dollars over budget, and is STILL not approved for active flight status.

Even if the aircraft WAS approved, the overall design would still be inadequate for what Canada needs it for. At the moment, Canada's aging CF-188's are old, but reliable. The two engines they have provide at least one back up in case one is shut down due to problems. Having two engines are a must for Canada's next fighter, due to them having to patrol thousands of kilometers of unforgiving arctic.

What I absolutely love is this article from the National Post. The CF-105 was, and in my opinion one of the best aircraft ever produced. Even today, it could outperform most aircraft, and it was 100% Canadian designed and built. Unfortunately due to the narrow-sighted conservative government (who probably made a deal with the USA) They canceled the program and bought poorly made American aircraft instead and Nuclear missiles that we would never use (Never a nuke in Canada that we know of) So why can't the conservatives  TODAY suck it up and avoid this black main from the US? We need better leadership (but that's for another rant)

In conclusion, the conservative has to grow a pair, admit that they made a LOT of mistakes, and look for another aircraft like we did in the 50's. Who knows, we might get the newer F-18F (would be cheap due to less training for pilots and mechanics due to the similarity of the CF-188) or maybe even bring the Arrow back. Only Time will tell.

Yes, we Canadians rule.

Leave your comments below, people! Thoughts?

Is the multi-billion dollar video game industry crashing?

Picture from: http://philopractice.blogspot.ca/2012/12/philosophical-concepts-in-some-ios.html

While it is sad to say, it is evident that the video game industry is slowly crashing.  Why? It is due to the large video game  companies  caring more about money, than the millions of players that buy their products. Back in the 80's when the gaming industry was still growing large after its birth, gaming companies began to sacrifice quality for quantity. Even food companies such as "Quaker" and "Cool Aid" made video games just to advertise their product. The gaming industry almost died from people not spending money on games, (they were that horrible) until Nintendo came and saved the day by creating more quality games. 

In the early and mid-2000's, video games were reaching an amazing level of quality. From the many personal memories from my childhood, I can remember many timeless classics such as Star Wars: Battlefront, to Star Fox Adventures. (Yes, I enjoyed it). Everything was perfect until 2008 when the economy collapsed. The gaming industry was very largely impacted, and hard at that. Even super giants such as Ubisoft, Bioware and EA fell to their knees. This is when the gaming companies made the worst mistake of repeating the past: Instead of continuing to make amazing quality video games, they decided to, once again, sacrifice quality for quantity in a last ditch effort in raising sales. To this day, game makers are loosing their hard core fan bases due to them publishing horrible games, not listening to their fans, destroying multiple classic franchises and caring more about making money, than making something that is worth making. Today, games are often on their third game of their series. Games such as Battlefield 3, Dead Space 3, Mass Effect 3, Rock Band 3, Modern Warfare 3, and plenty more are pretty much the same game , just copied and pasted with a few variations in story line (some more than others). A  REALLY effective example is Call of Duty, that uses the exact game engine and textures for every single new game. Apparently, the number 3 is an unlucky number for games, due to the fact that nothing original has come up that often in the industry within the past few years. The game companies are spending no money on creating more original ideas, and are just recycling the same ones over and over until they die. A real reverse of philosophy from before the market crash of 2008.

Probably the worst part the game makers are doing though is creating crap quality games, and posting a price tag on it. The LARGEST disappointment by far, and possibly the worst game launch ever is the new Sim City 5. For ten years, players have been waiting for this game. People were drooling over the thoughts of having their dreams coming true and having a new Sim City to replace their dated Sim City 4 from 2003. When the game came out in February 2013, The game sold over 1.1 million copies, however, this figure is actually DROPPING due to people asking EA games for a refund. Millions of fans were let down by the Maxis / EA games game due to its horrible bugs, server issues and many other significant problems. However, the facts that people are most angry about are the DRM (Digital rights management) and EA not being transparent at all with their customer base. Also, rumored DLC (Downloadable Content) are rumored for the game, to create better cities and more. In the end, they want you to spend even MORE money on an incomplete game, something that, once again, never seemed to be an issue before. (This is true for most modern games, you never really get to buy a game knowing you have the FULL experience anymore.)

Game trailers have a few VERY good rants on the above comments of Sim City (Here and here)  and there are a few amateur youtube videos here  and  here. Lastly, there is an online amateur documentary that summarizes, if not provides more information on everything I have just ranted about right here.


Overall, It really is sad to see such a remarkable industry in such a horrible state. However, hopefully the game industry will wake up before it is a repeat of the 80's, or maybe, another industry crash is just that they need to wake up. 

If you have any ideas or opinions, please share in a comment bellow!

Finally deciding to publish posts

I don't know why it took so long for me to push the "publish" button on my blog. It might be because of shyness, or simply doing something I have never done before. Either way, I have finally decided to publish the drafts I have completed thus far, and will do the same to all future posts. I am excited to start this blog; a little nervous of course, but more happy than anything else. I hope you enjoy this journey as much as I will. Let's start!
-Henry :^)