I’ve been on a kick for watching British comedy shows lately. Shows like Spaced, Charlie Brooker’s Screenwipe, but so far my favorite has been Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace. The premise of the show is that a self-proclaimed best-selling horror novelist named Garth Marenghi once wrote, produced, directed, and starred in a hospital horror drama television show back in the 1980s called “Darkplace”. This show within the show is so over the top in creating something that looks like it was made in the 1980s by a self-serving hack with a shoe-string budget. It brilliantly succeeds in making a show that looks terrible. It’s not just a spoof of bad acting, but the sets, editing, and audio/video effects are filled with subtle amateur mistakes that will get you chuckling.
Here’s the first half of my favorite episode; I encourage you to at least watch through the opening credits.
Why is it so hard to get public access to the law? Be it city law, state law, federal law, etc? You’d think that making things like that accessible to the public would be one of the reasons why the internet exists, wouldn’t you? If “Ignorantia juris non excusat”, then I think citizens should have the opportunity to see the law so that they’re less likely to break it. And in the event that someone is in trouble, we should all have access to our rights so that we may protect ourselves.
It would be easy to argue, “Well, that’s what law school is for,” but I disagree. I believe that law school is where one goes to learn to interpret and apply the law. It’s a lot like medicine. If you read every piece of medical information that’s available online, you have about as much knowledge of medicine as a first or second year medical student. However, it’s through medical school that a potential doctor gains experience in comprehend that knowledge.
Ironically, while medical information is quite available, legal information is scarce, despite that it’s purpose is to serve us as citizens. There’s something fishy about that to me. I don’t think it’s right that I have to pay someone like a lawyer to ask the simple question of, “What are my rights?” I suppose that while doctors would love if it they were each needed less in order to save lives, lawyers would erupt into panic if their profession suddenly became the slightest bit obsolete.
I can only hope that it’s out of laziness that governments big or small don’t feel like investing time and tax dollars to hire someone to transcribe every written law or court precedent. Especially since the law is a constantly evolving entity. I, on the other hand, feel that it’s quite the worthy investment. I’m sure we have some room in the budget somewhere to direct toward the project. And in the long run, it may actually save us money and keep us safer. Heh, but then the way our culture is, you can lead a horse to water..
There’s a rule of thumb in video game journalism: If you ask a company about a rumor and they deny it, it’s just a rumor. But if you ask a company about a rumor and they decline comment, it’s guaranteed to be true.
Such is the case with the new model of Nintendo DS due out early next year, dubbed the DSi. Among the new features are two built-in cameras (one facing the player, the other facing away), an SD card slot for storage, music playback, and a DSi Shop designed to sell downloadable content. The new design also offers slightly larger screens and is 12% thinner overall.
This upgrade looks quite impressive, but I may just stick with my trusty DS Lite model. I’m satisfied with the screen and already pocket-sized dimensions. I think that the camera functions are very nifty, but I honestly have no need for them. I doubt any games that I would want to play would require them. The DSi Store is also intriguing to me, but I’ve yet to find appeal of digital distribution as a whole. Maybe I’ll wait for Nintendo’s next portable platform to enjoy these functions, but I’m content for now without them.
Then there’s the biggest turn-off: No more GBA slot! I still have Game Boy Advance games that I love and have yet to experience! Hell, I kept my GBA SP just so I could continue playing some of my original Game Boy titles. I understand that with progress, we have to let go of the previous generation to focus on the current. I just feel that the GBA had such a short run (less than 4 years!) and still so many great titles for me to pick up.
Funny as it may sound, the one big selling point for me on the DSi above all the rest would be the improved power button. I’ve always been worried that the one on my DS Lite would break! Alas, it’s just a fear I’m willing to live with, since replacing that function alone isn’t worth me dishing out another $180. As is, I’m presently saving up to buy a PSP 3000 as a birthday/Christmas present for myself later this year.
