This time it might be a bit too emo for some of you, too much of my personal life will be involved, so if you do mind that, don't read further and simply jump to the CUT line at the bottom. I've chosen to write a few things down to clarify my own views, take a step backwards and look at what I'm feeling and thinking.
My parents have decided that I need to visit a psychologist in search of a professional help with my computer addiction.
At first I decisively refused, almost laughing with disregard. But after a few seconds I realized, that it will be the ideal opportunity for me to talk this over with an (hopefully) non-prejudiced person and finally make my parents believe me.
We've had discussions and arguments about PC usage ever since. They always thought that I spend too much time on it. For quite some time we even used a system of daily quota based on my marks in school. But even though I always had the best score possible (allowing me, by the way, 2 hours spent on PC (including internet usage, playing games, watching vids, chatting and all) for that particular day) it sort of blurred out after some time with me spending sometimes more sometimes less time on it and my parents always complaining and reproaching me for it.
In last few years we've abolished all mark schemes and everything with me doing whatever I want and them grumbling accordingly.
There's been an increase in my average time spent on computer during last year due to me taking to World of Warcraft. I dare say, that my average time played per day would be something around 3 hours; some days I don't play at all, some days I might play for six hours (not straight! with numerous pauses for excercise, school, food and all sorts of stuff). That and I use my computer for schoolwork - which I sometimes quite extensive.
This put together causes my parents to see me "chained to my laptop" for most of the day they actually get to see me (which is not much, considering I return from school at around 4 o'clock average).
So they decided to take me for professional help. I'm so looking forward to it, because I think that I will have a decent chat with the psychologist, convince him that I'm no addict, make him talk to my parents and then go home. Where do I take the assurance?
I will make several points to my defence, talking only about gaming. Spending too much time on computer in general is a different issue which results from a different way of life. Here go my claims:
- my gaming doesn't interfere with my academic endeavours
No, it doesn't. After being top of my class one can hardly hope for more. Actually I've been getting better and better in last few years.
- my gaming doesn't interfere with my family duties and obligations
I don't have many and those I have I fulfill. And I still ask for more so that my parents can complain. They still do. Oh well...
- my gaming doesn't interfere with my social life
I've never been a party person, I'm not one now and I never will be. I prefer a quiet cup of tea with my best friends or a date with my girlfriend (if there was one) to a big party. I never went to parties, I don't now. I don't even lose friends, I actually make more of them. I might never see them in person, but so what? I may.
- my gaming doesn't make me leave clubs and interest groups
The thing that makes me leave clubs and interest groups is lack of energy and time combined and a worsening quality of activities performed in the club. This is, of course, debatable, but I stand my ground. The gaming is a hobby and relaxation for me, refreshing me after hours spent in school. I don't give energy to the game, I take energy from it. This, again, will be disputed by my mother who sees computer as a leech sucking out my energy (literally, not kidding), but again I stand my ground.
- I do not suffer withdrawal syndrome and I can stop playing by my own will
I've even stop playing ALL games for one whole month. What more of a proof do they need?
- the gaming is not a mindless waste of time giving me nothing
I could count oh-so-many things this game gives me. Let's just mention social skills, multi-people cooperation, basics of marketing, orientation in a wide world with many possibilities, the "you-gotta-stick-to-something" attitude... I could go on for a long time.
- and finally: the gaming is not a substitute for a real life
It's an addition. No, not addiction, addition. Extension. Bonus. I do not seek serious relationship in a virtual world, I do like to help others in there though. That might actually be a way of substituting real life with the virtual one. It's very hard to make a difference in this vast and potentionally cruel world. But I can make a difference in the virtual one. Also everything goes somewhat faster in there, which suits me. I mean I AM studying for a university and all, but before I'll be of any use it'll take ages. But in the game I'm of some use now already.
Well, I think that's about it. I'm looking forward to the psychologist visit very much. I hope that we'll settle this thing at last.
--------------------------> CUT <---------------------------
One of my friends recommended me a poem by T.S.Elliot called The Waste Land. It's on Wikisource. I've only read a few lines but I already like it. Reading poems in english might be the way to go for me.
Also I've had an experience today which I hadn't for the whole previous life. I took an egg and threw it against a stone wall at full speed. I only wish I had more so that I could experiment with various throwing momenta - I can only tell you about the full speed variant. It was like an explosion of anti-infantry mine, with shards of the shell flying from the center of the impact in all directions (but in one plane only, the plane of the wall). A little bit of the shell stuck to the wPublish Postall in the center of the impact and stayed there. All in all, it was a nice feeling to throw it, but next time I'm going to do something like that I won't throw full speed, I'll only throw half speed or something, so that it can do the "splat" thing.
Take care, people.
Adam
On my endless journey across the vast internets I've stumbled upon this site. It was a gift from the heavens, just what I needed.
What's it about: It presents you an english word with four others. You have to choose which of the alternative 4 is a synonyme (or generally similar word) to the original one. If you succeed in several words in a row, they get more difficult - you move onto another vocabulary level. This alone would be quite nice, because vocabulary expansion is just the thing I now need - my CPE exams are closing in on me way too fast and I feel unprepared.
But now comes the interesting part: For every word you get right the site donates 10 grains of rice to the world's poorest and starving.
How can this be true? They get the money from little (very inobtrusive) ads placed at the bottom of the page and give the rice to UN humanitary aid divisions who subsequently distribute it.
Pay it a visit. You don't have to sign up or pay or anything, it's fun and it's very good for your english. And it's a challenge - how far you get. So far I got to Vocabulary Level 27, but I oscilate around 25.
Can you beat me? Try it! ;)
Ok so I've been using Miranda for past few years. I'm generally very happy with it, it's light-weight, it's useful, it's personalizable, but it's also pain in the ass to set up properly.
I got my package I flicked together some time ago and I'm happy with it - it might not show avatars, it might not show me info about all my contacts when I hover above them, it certainly doesn't tell me what the weather forecast is, but it functions, sends and receives messages (and, I must add, I can be sure they'll be delivered (which actually took me some time to achieve but anyway)) and doesn't bother my life that much.
It has, however, started getting somewhat old and senile lately, one extremely annoying error window started popping up on every attempt to connect (ideally every on every start-up, but in praxis much more often) and I'm now sterile, unable to send/receive files to anyone. Oh yes, and some people can't read my X-Status properly. Or at all.
So I decided to get a new one. Young. Vigorous. The latest build. With all the updated addons. Well, I did get the lastest build of the core. What I didn't get was the modern contact list addon (which is vital for any skinning - which I require) - the original (and obviously only) place on the web where it should be downloaded from (Miranda database) was bugged. After some extensive copying and enabling/disabling of addons and general proces of getting pissed off I though "Heck, I might as well get one of already functioning packs with some stuff I'd like and just disable the rest!". So I did.
I downloaded sssuigi's (I hope I put in enough "s"'s) pack. He's some slovakian guy and the pack was quite cool. I downloaded it, unpacked, simply copied and I was up and running. But oh-my-jolly-god, what all didn't I see! It was so, SO cluttered with useless junk! I mean, it had bosskey (what for? I can chat no problem!), weather forecast (in IM? why the hell would I want that?), TV programme (I don't have TV), radio programme and streaming (I don't listen to radio), Windows uptime (again - what bloody for?!), Miranda traffic meter (...OK, so I'll know how much I talked. Great.) and even more of some other stuff I didn't even understand what it was supposed to do!
It did have some nice features though, like e.g. contact-info on mouseover (very cool, with statuses, x-statuses, last-seen, god-knows-what, cup size...), avatars, cool semi-transparent pop-ups and all sorts of other gadgets and features. But the message window was ugly and cluttered too. It was red-on-black, which is bloody illegible. No chance.
So I thought I could tweak it appropriately. I started disabling addons and editing settings. But how great was my astonishment when I saw, that after disabling few (about 3/27 or something) addons and restart it stopped functioning! "Error, miranda had to be shut down, wanna send a message to Microsoft, they'll fix it for you." No, I did not. After trying three times and failing three times over I gave up and went back to my good ol' simple pack.
I think I'll cope with that start-up message and send files over ftp. I only fear what will I do when it will definitely die.
Adam
Hi all,
this is mainly a filler note to make the Store look at least somewhat updated, but it seems to have something into it anyway :)
So I was in the cinema yesterday. No, suckers, it wasn't with my g/f, it was actually with my mum. We went to see the "Medvídek" movie, which I got some good references on.
Medvídek would be probably classified as a family comedy or family drama, but have no worries - it doesn't slip down into the abyssal depths of relation shit and "you-dont-love-me-no-more" stuff we all hate. It maintains a reasonable pace throughout the whole thing with the three main "heroes" (Jiří Macháček, Ivan Trojan and Roman I-dont-know) being really sympathic. I think you'll like them much more than their three wives (Aňa Geislerová, I-dont-know and I-dont-know), which sometimes behave like totally dumb teengirls.
Anyway, it's full of breaking up (and not making it back together), friends-talk, real life references and VERY realistic illustrations with some cynical clichés as a bonus. Mencl as an old father of one of the guys having a "I've-been-unfaithful-to-you-30-years-ago-when-I-was-drunk" conversation with his wife is just a golden berry atop the cake (which is called Medvídek, incidentally).
Go see it, it's nice. You'll like it, if you liked Vratné láhve and Pupendo and Pelíšky and such classics.
Next on my must-see list would be Rattatouille and RE: Extinction. Martin, we'll be going to that one!
Peace,
Adam