Opinion Archives


Cassette Tapes and the Texture of Music in Physical Media

Cassette Tape Player

Whenever you have disposable cash in this day and age, you’ll likely find yourself browsing online stores on your phone at 2AM out of boredom. You’re looking for something that can momentarily spark your soul and give you something to look forward to in the meantime. When the package arrives, you get excited and unbox the thing; maybe you even record it on video for posterity. Perhaps you end up being disappointed because it didn’t live up to your expectations. But sometimes, your impulsive purchase ends up opening a whole new door in your life. The latter was what happened to me when I bought a cassette tape player on a whim. (more…)

Get Out of Your Own Way

CM Punk, Ronda Rousey, Conor McGregor

After the recent news of a particular individual being given the boot out of a certain company, I had to write about not only that situation, but also what I think is the cause. It wasn’t just an organizational problem, but also a personal one. I’ve wanted to write about ego and how it can affect a person’s judgment and their ability to work well with others. The greatest trick your ego can pull is to convince you that you’re one and the same and that you need that ego to be who you are. That’s a path of self-destruction, and many never learn to get out of their own way. (more…)

Cartuber Explains Postmodernism Better Than Jordan Peterson

Jordan Peterson

As of this writing, I’m going through this 3-hour epic on lobster enthusiast Jordan B. Peterson, Canada’s benzo-addled middle child. Mind you, I’m not 100% a JP hater as I like it whenever he plies his actual field of expertise. I even find his lectures and interviews insightful. However, he’s insufferable whenever he delves into subjects outside his scope. Whether we like it or not, he’s a leading thinker in today’s world due to his online influence. After years of teetering between respect, indifference, and skepticism for Dr. Peterson, here’s my blog post about him. (more…)

Don’t Drink G Fuel or Gamer Supps

One type of product I took particular interest in is the energy drink powder since I’m a fiend when it comes to stimulants. Being a lethargic and overweight dweeb who needs caffeine and nootropics to stay awake and be slightly productive means that products like G Fuel and Gamer Supps would certainly pique my interest. But soon enough, I realized that I can’t keep imbibing this stuff for the sake of both my health and my wallet. (more…)

AI Takeover: We Need Machine Overlords

SHODAN from System Shock 2

Recent events, including the pandemic and the presidential election, had me thinking about the insufficiencies of government, people’s unwillingness to cooperate, and all the obstacles in enforcing law during national and global crises. As this trend continues, I’m seeing the rise of our machine overlords. As artificial intelligence improves, the world will likely be predominantly ruled by AI by the 22nd century. I wish for things to speed up so we get to our destination sooner, but these things take time. I’ll regret not being able to live long enough to see that. (more…)

Corruption is the X-Factor

Corruption

While watching a YouTube video on South Africa, discussing how it’s on the cusp of a civil war due to its geography and demographics throughout history, I looked at the YouTube comments and related Reddit thread. I saw how the South African viewers didn’t like how the video avoided the elephant in the room, which was corruption. I then saw that it’s the common theme in the comments of that video series in that channel. While many countries seem to have all the geographical and historical odds stacked against them, what really holds them back is persistent corruption in their governments and societies. (more…)

Nip the Problem in the Bud

Nip in the Bud

Welcome to yet another rant post. It seems like I should just write more rant posts to have more regular content on this blog since they’re a lot easier to write. All jokes aside, I felt that this rant was worth posting due to how important it is to talk about the seldom-discussed topic of eliminating toxic people from a group, the criteria for considering them toxic, and if and when it’s right to do so. It’s a sensitive topic that most would rather not think about, but it’s one that’s important enough to set aside misgivings for. (more…)

The Stupid Non-Argument of Technique vs. Strength

An illustration from Championship Fighting by Jack Dempsey

One day, while scrolling through Facebook again because it was just one of those days, I came across a post on a boxing training group that brought about an age-old argument. Someone posted a YouTube video on how muscles are not important in boxing at all. Context may be skipped over in my description of it, but the whole discussion does just that anyway. I’ve written about the dichotomy of technique and conditioning on this blog, but let’s look more closely at the arguments against it. (more…)

Focus on What’s Needed, Not What Looks Good

Retsu Unohana and Dennis Rodman

While watching random videos on YouTube out of boredom, I stumbled across this short scene from Bleach. The anime series has gotten a restart thanks to Tite Kubo finally putting the finishing touches to his long-neglected work. Part of that should be the long-awaited reveal of the kindly medic Retsu Unohana as the first Kenpachi, the deadliest swordsman ever. While she had been a killer of many in the past, she chose to be a healer in this timeline. Why? (more…)

You Train Martial Arts, But You’re Scared of Vaccines?

Anti-Vaxx

Remember how sad it was when Future Trunks told everyone that Goku was going to die not in battle against the Androids, but from a disease? The strongest warrior in the universe, the protector of Earth, and a picture of superhuman health, killed by illness. This is what has been happening to a lot of people recently due to this blasted pandemic, including martial artists and tough guys of all sorts who think COVID-19 is either an imaginary problem or an opponent they can knock out or submit on their own. (more…)

Motion Inputs Are NOT Stupid, Competitive Games Need Physicality

Motion Inputs in Fighting Games

A decade or two ago, it was participation trophies. But that wasn’t enough, kids were still crying about their uselessness. Now, well-meaning idiot adults are now thinking about making sports and games less difficult, thus lowering the barrier of entry. Despite good intentions, this is the opposite of what’s good for competition. After all, a video game is only as fun as its reward—the result of being able to achieve what takes practice to successfully accomplish. (more…)

It’s Not a Sin to Feel

Crying CM Punk Fan

Let’s talk about pro wrestling since I’ve been getting more into it lately. While I’m a commentator for a local wrestling promotion, I’m not that big of a pro wrestling fan, or at least not as invested in it as my colleagues. I’m more of a combat sports fan, which informs my way of thinking in pro wrestling. But despite how ridiculous it can be in the bigger picture, people can be quite passionate about it. With AEW All Out 2021 close at hand, let’s talk about its centerpiece. (more…)