Dante's Inferno: The game vs the book

The game is pretty good if you like random happenings of "WTF is that shit?", but at least Dante doesn't pass the F out every time he sees a bad guy... Picture this if you will.... your playing a game and you come to the first enemy. What do you do? You kill him, right? Well if the game was an exact replication of the book then you would just pass out from fear and then probably wet yourself and cry in a cowering ball on the floor. Doesn't that sound like a exciting game? NO!!! The people realized this when they made the game and this is what they put together. YOU, as Dante, are some kind of crusader that has committed every F-ing sin imaginable and as you go further into Hell your story of how you did it unfolds. You get to "kill" enemies, not cower. Which brings me to my next point, WTF? OK, you're in Hell there are demons everywhere and you can kill them or absolve their sins. If you kill something that is already dead or was never alive where does it go? It was already in Hell. And, if you absolve them you are sending them to Heaven, but WTF would God do with a whole bunch of demons that were spawned from absolute sin and evil with no good in them at all? Do the souls of the baddies get freedom in Heaven for serving the lord of the underworld? If that would to happen wouldn't the universe cease to exist due to the whole God being infallible thing or what was it part of the plan? I don't know, but what I do know is the book and game should not be read or played as truth towards anything. SO, anyways... the game follows the story in the sense that a guy goes to Hell then walks down... down... down until he gets to the bottom and then ***SPOILER*** goes to purgatory. The end. Game Over. There can not possibly be a sequel right, the next 2 books in the Divine Comedy are about getting to Paradise and no real enemies so we will see if they mess another book up by trying to make it cool for the newer generation.

The Day the Bird Went Silent

            The worst day at work was on January, the sixteenth in the year of our Lord 2008. The day the bird went silent. I was with HM-15, Helicopter Mine Countermeasures 15 the Blackhawks, and we worked on the Sikorsky MH-53E Sea Dragon. These aircraft, called “birds” in the Navy, are enormous and very powerful. To put it simply one of our mottos was, “Piss me off and I’ll lift your house.” Working on these “birds” was a very painful and time consuming evolution. We sometimes worked sixteen to twenty hour days because it takes eighty man hours for just one flight hour, but it is all worth it to see the Sea Dragon take flight. Long hours are hard but nothing compares to a day when your shipmates do not come back.

            Hurricane 01 was having RADALT issues just minutes before it left. This is not problem to a highly skilled and experienced Aviation Electronics Technician such as my self. I can remember the problem to this day; the Radar Altimeter was low approximately fifty feet. With just a quick tweak and test I told the crew, “Everything is 4.0 and Chubs I’ll see you later for a drink when you get back.” I watched as the “bird” took my shipmates away, never to return again.

            I went home that day with a sense of accomplishment, as I had just fixed the last issue with the aircraft and was getting ready to go out. I got dressed and ready early and then started to play videogames, quietly, in the dark and lonely barracks room. The telephone rang breaking the silence of my room at 8:20 PM, or 2000 for us military folk, and I heard words that shook me to the core, “Get in here now!” I asked my night check counter parts,”What’s going on, tools were good when I left and I took out the trash?” I said these words with the thought that we were just being recalled for someone not doing their job. The other side of the phone replied, “Forget about stuff like that get in here now!” “OK give me a minute to get in uniform” I replied but before I could say anything more the sound of slamming doors came from next door. “Just hurry in and bring in your uniform, you will change here. Bye” the phone yelled at me and went quite, just before my door was pounded on by my best friend, Dan, from next door.  Boom, boom, boom, went my door as Dan struck my door with a thunderous and rage filled fist.

            I grabbed my coveralls, boots and keys from the couch and ran to the door. “Let’s go John, we have to run” Dan said as I opened the door. He had a weird look on his face. I could tell something went terribly wrong. We jumped into his white Isuzu truck and peeled out of the parking lot. “Wow I didn’t know this little thing could do that” I thought as he shifted in high revs jolting us forward and back with each shift. “What’s wrong?” I asked as we rocketed towards the hanger. “Don’t you watch the news?” he said already knowing the answer. “No I haven’t seen the news just tell me.” I begged as no one would say a thing to me. “A bird went down…” he started to say before I interrupted him, “No, it didn’t quit playing with me.” “I saw the fireball on TV.” Dan said as we entered the parking lot.

            I have worked twenty hours a day seven days a week for a month in the heat of the desert but nothing is hard about that in comparison to losing your shipmates, shipmates are family. The worst part of it all was, besides the loss of comrades, how the crash happened. The aircraft hit a television tower in the thick fog at about 950 feet of its 1000 foot stance. When I heard this, I fell down and cried assuming that I killed them. I fixed the altimeter. I said it was good. I killed them if it was not. I felt guilty for everything. The incident report stated, “Due to the extreme weather conditions visibility was less then 100 feet. With low visibility and being slightly off course the aircraft crashed due to pilot error.” We lost three great men that day. Everyday I remember the day that the “bird” went silent and all of the Blackhawks cried.

Hoshi no Kirby 2

Hoshi no Kirby 2, or Kirby's Dream Land 2, is a very easy and well put together. I played this on my 20th Anniversary Famicom Gameboy Advanced SP, which game the maps color and made Kirby pink, as he supposed to be. In Hoshi no Kirby 2 you take the role as Kirby. He is a little pink circle with arms character that has to go through the levels and enter the end door to open up another door. This cycle continues until the boss door is opened and then you fight him and win then you go to next level. In this Kirby game you have three allies, pets or whatever. There is a fish, who can swim, a hamster, who you just ride on, and an owl, who of course flies.
So, in this Kirby you are able to absorb the elements of certain enemies and use their attacks, such as fire, ice, cutter, spikes, umbrella, spark, and rock. This was a breakthrough from the original Kirby's Dreamland as he could only suck enemies then shoot them out.

OK, time for another history lesson kiddies. The Kirby franchise was created by Masahiro Sakurai and developed by HAL Laboratory, in 1992, and has appeared in almost 20 games since. Kirby started out white on cover art for his first game,  in North America although the Japanese cover art had the correct pink coloring, and he also was just suppose to be a stand-in concept but the creators fell in love with the cute character. OK enough history, Kirby is awesome, and I rate this game the color Pink, cause its that awesome.

Beta Testing to Kevin Bacon

My Mind is Scary

Beta testing new games is fun. Beta testing new stuff is awesome. Beta testing is cool. I love Beta testing for free stuff. I cannot tell you what games if any that i am currently or soon or have beta tested due to NDA that one must take if they were to test confidential video games, hardware, toys etc. NDAs are there for a reason, you don't wanna spoil the surprise for everyone else... Do you remember when Wolverine was leaked early and as a result many pirates saw the movie before it was in theatres. Those people would have spent money to watch that movie otherwise. Piracy is bad. OK.... so what, we all know piracy is bad but what about preservation. Some retro video games cannot be found, due to age or rarity, but there is a wide fan base. The producers don't make any money on 2nd hand games do they? NO. Finding an old Apple IIe to play the Oregon Trail is absurd, and ports aren't the same so what do you do? You emulate.. OK now it might seem that my mind is not like this [[[[  Ideas------Process-----Output ]]]]  but more like this [[Idea---WTF?----42-----Donald Duck------Process-----I wonder how far kittens could...----Output is even more WTF]].  Ok so here is how i started this with Beta testing and ended with emulators. 1st) Beta testing----NDA 2nd)NDA----movie 3rd) movie----pirates 4)pirates vs preservation 5) solution = Emulators

This is how my mind works all the time i can start talking about football and end with flying salcers. I swear!!! If anyone wants to see a demo please comment 2+ topics and my next post will discuss how they are linked. Just like all actors,of the 80's, and Kevin Bacon.

List of Video game consoles I own

Atari 7800
NEO GEO Pocket Color
Nintendo Famicom (Square Button 1st Gen and Round Button)
Nintendo Famicom Disk System
Nintendo Twin Famicom
Nintendo Gameboy (Brick in Black Limited Edition)
Nintendo Gameboy Pocket
Nintendo Gameboy Color
Nintendo Gameboy Advanced
Nintendo Gameboy Advanced SP (20th Anniversary Famicom Edition)
Nintendo Gameboy Micro (Famicom Edition)
Nintendo Gameboy DSi
Nintendo Gameboy 3DSXL
Nintendo Gamecube
Nintendo Wii (US and a JP one)
Nintendo Wii U
Panasonic 3DO
Sega Genesis
Sega Mega Drive 2
Sega Mega CD 2
Sega Gamegear
Sega Saturn
Sony MSX+
Sony Playstation (Original)
Sony Playstation 2
Sony Playstation 2 Slim
Sony PSP Slim
Sony PSP Phat
Sony Playstation 3 (40GB upgraded to 180 GB)
Wonder Swan Color

Bomberman

BAHIMNJDJNMNMNMNMNMF

WTF is this you ask this is a password for level 1 of Bomberman the Famicom Classic game on the Gameboy Advanced. I played this on my 20th Anniversary Famicom Gameboy Advanced SP.
OK so Bomberman for GBA is a re-release of the 1985 game Bomberman for the Famicom. It is a very simple game but don't think that just because its simple makes it easy.  The term "NES hard" was coined for a reason, "Famicom hard" in this case. In Bomberman you have about 199 seconds to kill all the creeps (baddies that kill you by touching you) with timed bombs that you can set down on a square grid and then find a door, hidden inside one of the blocks. The bombs explode in a + pattern and have very short range, but if you blow up block you can sometimes, though rarely, find power ups. You can get a fire-power power-up and a bomb power-up, fire-power increases the range of explosion and the bomb power-up give you extra bombs to set down, because at starting you can only set one bomb down at a time. The maps are completely random, so as not to memories the layout, and the creeps run around randomly. If the timer expires it goes into chaos mode where tons of creeps spawn everywhere and will kill you, if they catch you and they will get you. You get 3 lives and there are no continues.  This part pisses me off the most because after you die you get a password and if you want to continue playing you have to enter a ridiculously long password. If the game had unlimited continues it would be a better game. 

OK kiddies so here is a history lesson on Bomberman--- It came out on the MSX in 1983 by Hudson Soft. The MSX was a BASIC computer system that provide universal cartages, as there were many companies that made them to run software. The original "Bomberman" was only released in Japan but was called "Eric and the floaters" in Europe. Bomberman has appeared in over 70 titles since his creation.

So enough history. Bomberman is a classic and is not hard to find if you are to look. It is a great game so i give it the rating of The Letter Q.

Racing is Good

                Racing is my favorite thing to do because it mixes skill and a sense of freedom. There is no feeling like the one you get from driving a car at high speed into a tight corner. The thought of being in a race excites and thrills me. 

                First, the style of someone’s driving is derived from their skill and can be put into two major categories, drift and grip. A person’s skill comes from their individual techniques they use, such as heel-to-toe downshifting. Racers are always trying to become faster by increasing the number of skills and techniques they learn and applying them into their style.  Drifting is a style of racing in which the car loses traction and slides around sideways into a corner. Drifting is a highly advanced style that requires control thru chaos. Drifting looks and feels amazing as the car is subjected to forces that should not be able to handle.  On the other hand, grip racing is far less chaotic as the car is more under control. However, just because it is easier does not take away from the extreme amount of challenge that comes with auto racing.

                Next, the shear number of cars available to drive is unbelievable. Any car, and sometimes trucks, on the road is subjective to being able to race.  There are five engine setups currently available to the public. Front mounted engine rear wheel drive, FR, is the most commonly used for drifting due to its ability to get sideways and stability. This provides a unique feeling as most cars today have a front mounted engine with front wheel drive, FF. The other displacements are four wheel or all wheel drive, 4WD and AWD respectively, mid engine rear wheel drive, MR, and lastly rear engine rear wheel drive, RR.  4WD, AWD, MR and RR all have the ability to drift, if setup correctly, but carry their own challenges and unique feel.

                Finally, racing does not just happen on official tracks and road courses; in fact there are many types of venues in which racers display their skills and abilities. The most common places auto racing occurs are sanctioned tracks and road courses, touges, and every day streets inside and outside of cities. Official tracks and road courses are the safest place to push your limits and are the only legal means of doing so.  While it should be understood that there is no such thing as a safe race with no danger, official tracks and road courses are closed off to other traffic.  Touge is the Japanese name for mountain passes and is the birthplace of the auto sport of drifting. Racing on the touges is high illegal and very deadly. The main reason for this is they are small steep windy roads, usually driven at night due to the less potential of slow moving traffic. The mix of speed and sharp corners with cliffs at night create a very real and dangerous environment. Touges are deadly but not the most common place for street racing. City and rural roads are the most common. If something goes wrong on these roads more people are at risk of death and injury then just the drivers. Other cars and even pedestrians are at risk because these are usually normal roads, like highways and main streets.

                In conclusion, auto racing gives you a feeling unlike anything in the world. If it is done some where safe it can be enjoyed by all people but streets while others are around is definitely not the time nor place to display recklessness. Racing can be the most exhilarating thing in the world. If you constantly improve your skill safely you may find a euphoric feeling of absolute freedom, even when you restrict yourself to legal means of racing.

Baha’i: oneness

                There are several reasons that some consider Baha'i the best religion for the modern world.  One of those reasons is that Baha'i tries to unite various major religions, even though many of them are mutually exclusive.  One of the basic principles of Baha'i is the idea of oneness with everyone on Earth, the entire human population.  Most of Baha’i teachings and practices are derived from this element of their doctrine. It's this belief that makes Baha'i so in tune with our modern day world. Our society is constantly struggling for power on each side of every religion but Baha'i tries to resolve these differences by combining all "religious truths" as one greater truth.  The thought behind this is that God intended on many different ways of serving him so he inspired many people in many different ways.  Baha'i is very fascinating with the argument that if all nations were under one faith, all of mankind could move forward and would grow stronger.  Baha'i also condemns all forms of prejudice, because all lives would be better without it.  Baha'i teachings are also based on the idea of science and religious equality.  There should be no conflicts between religion and scientific knowledge and that "any religion contrary to science is not the truth", as Ali said.  As I scientific research increases, the claims of many religions are proved wrong. Yet despite that there are still many people that will continue to believe in those religions.  There are many more principles of Baha'i but they have generally the same tone, true equality for all in every form that all humans can understand while they live in peace and tranquility. 

God: Acording to Islam

                According to Islam, God is sonless, timeless, and is the only true Creator.  Even though Islam is very similar to Christianity, one of the major conflicts is Jesus being the son of God.  Islam recognizes Jesus as a prophet born from a virgin mother, but does not believe he is the son of God.  The Islam belief is that if God had a son, that would make him seem mortal and God is anything but, as he is undivided.  Muslims believe that there is only one God and his name is Allah, meaning "the God", and he is the God of the entire universe.  The Islam religion also believes that Allah will judge everyone on their actions and deeds.  While on Earth, the good, true, and righteous will receive his mercy, and be spared of all pain and suffering for all eternity.  The pure of heart and soul will enjoy all of the good that can be; some even believe that there will be wine to drink in a garden of paradise. This is important because Muslims are not allowed any alcohol made of grapes nor grains; however mead, a wine made of bee's honey, is another story.  The wicked and evil will receive his divine justice and be sentenced to an infinite amount of pain through Hell's fiery hot winds, thick black smoke and brackish water, but only as much as he sees fit that they deserve, as he is the God of mercy and forgiveness.  Allah, from what the Islam faith believes, will call forth all of the dead at the end of all time and give them their just rewards.

Zoroastrianism:The Belief of Paradise

                Zoroastrianism's eschatology, or the study of the end, has influenced the Western religions. Christianity, Islam, and Judaism have all been affected by the Zoroastrian teachings. The main ideal from Zoroastrianism that contributes to the other religions is the idea of Heaven and Hell.

                Christianity has a Heaven and Hell very similar to that of Zoroastrian. Paradise, or Heaven, is the ultimate goal of Christianity. Upon the end of all life both religions believe in judgment of God, where a person's immortal soul will go one of two ways. Heaven, a perfect place with no pain or anything negative, is filled with angels and the righteous. In Heaven, the Christians will be reunited with their ancestors and God to live forever as spirits. On the other hand the nonbelievers go to Hell, which is filled with a like of fire and everlasting torment governed by the Devil, one of Gods fallen angels. All of these beliefs seem to be in line with the Zoroastrian concept of the afterlife.

                Judaism's afterlife is pretty much the same as Christianity's because Judaism was the original religion of God before Christianity. Christianity is the religion that spawned form the Son of God, Jesus Christ. Prior to 586 B.C. there was no mention of Satan as the Devil, then afterword Satan appears, in their testament, four times and now is a part of everyday life. The Satan, or Devil, figure was inspired by the Zoroastrians' belief. Even the idea of God and the Devil caught in an everlasting battle over our souls came from the Zoroastrians.

                Islam is a religion very similar to Christianity and Judaism in the sense that there is one Almighty Heavenly God. Islam also contributed to the eschatology of Judaism and Christianity but it got many of its religious ideal from Zoroastrianism. These include all of the ideals mentioned before in Christianity and Judaism. All of the religions also believe in angels and demons, another ideal derived from the Zoroastrianism eschatology. Angels are the servants of the Lord and the demons are the Devils kin. Angels are here to help people toward the light and everlasting happiness. The demons trick men in to revoking the teachings of the One.

                It is true that all four of these religions believe in heaven, hell, angels, demons, and judgment for sins, or wrong doing, but Zoroastrianism is the religion that came up with these ethics and principles first. The newer religions obtained knowledge from the earlier religions kept what is important, to them, and were created. They all used parts from the Zoroastrianism eschatology to form their own, which means that Zoroastrianism origin of the difference between Heaven and Hell.

Judaism: Race, Culture, or Religon?

                Many people have questioned what exactly Judaism is. Is it a religion, culture or race?  There are many facts that will be shown to prove that Judaism is in fact a religion.  From these real facts you will be able to see that Judaism is not a race nor a culture but a religion.

                Firstly, Judaism is a religion based on tradition and the Bible, a sacred text.  All of the Jews believe in one God.  In the Bible, God said that these people who believe in Him and worship Him as per the instructions passed down from were His chosen people.  After Moses freed all of the chosen from slavery and brought down the Ten Commandments form Mt. Sinai, Judaism was born as the religion of the law of one true God.  Judaism then gathered many followers and expanded its traditions and became a major religion.  Judaism has a form of priesthood and rites of passage as many other religions do.  All of these facts put together prove that Judaism is a religion. 

                The first argument against this is the Holocaust was used to kill the Jews as a race.  The Holocaust, or sacrifice by fire, was an atrocity committed by Nazi Germany during the reign of Adolf Hitler that was intended to kill off the whole "Jewish race".  Hitler came up with all kinds of Jew finding tests, include such things as measuring the length and angle a person's nose.  All of the tests were based on pseudoscientific research and anti-Semitism.  For someone to be Jewish it was not considered they were part of a single race until the Nazi party decided what people were classified as Jews.  The main fault with Judaism being a race is the fact that anyone from any race may choose to become Jewish and someone born a Jew may become a Christian, or part of any other religion.  But, no one may change their race because it is part of there DNA, their biological makeup.

                Lastly, Judaism is not a culture.  There is no one basic way of life that a Jew is supposed to live because there are many sects of Judaism.  If Judaism was a culture then all of the Jews all over the world would have the same morals, values, and taboos.  The Ashkenazi Jews, Sephardic Jews and the Mizrachi Jews all have a different way of life and are descendents form different parts of the world.  The Ashkenazi Jews use Yiddish as their Jewish language where as the Sephardic Jews use Ladino.  If Judaism were a culture shared by all Jews they would all have the same sacred language.

The differences of the sects do not make any of the groups less Jewish then the other.  From this we can conclude that Judaism is not a culture or an ethnic group.

                It may seem complicated when you try to bring all of the people from Judaism together into one group of anything except a religion.  Judaism is not a race nor is it a culture; the only thing that makes sense is it is a religion.  To state otherwise it would be like saying all Catholics are Spanish or all Hindus are Indian. 

Shinto: Japanese Pride

                Domestic Shinto is widely practice here in Japan. Even facing many challenges, Shinto survives in the hearts and minds of millions of Japanese people.

                Domestic Shinto is found in many Japanese homes, as it is simple and has become a part of the Japanese way of life for millions of Japanese.  One way it can be seen is many homes have a shelf, called a kami-dana, where the family places several symbols upon it that have religious significance.

These symbols can be anything.  Some are simple offerings such as flowers and food, while others are talismans, called Ofuda.  I have traveled to many temples here in Japan, at these temples you can purchase a little wooden trinket that has a kami's name burned onto it.  The Ofuda is placed on the kami-dana to protect the house from bad fortune and spirits.

                Shinto has faced many challenges that could have completely wiped it out but Shinto is still just as strong as it ever was and may even be stronger.  One of greatest challenges was the loss of the government support for Shinto as the official state religion.  Despite this lack of government support Shinto is still a part of Japanese culture and their way of life.

Many labor unions and politicians are Shinto based securing Shinto into everyday life in Japan.  With Buddhism as Shinto's rival, many Japanese only see it as a secondary practice.  Even the high rate of industrialization that would cause Shinto to appear to be an ancient and obsolete religion, could not make the religion dissipate and dissolve into nothingness.  

The reason is simple; Shinto helps the average person cope with their daily stress and creates a sense of patriotism throughout Japan.  When we think of Japan and its people what we innately perceive as Japanese is Shinto. Shinto has had the most affect on the creation of the Japanese culture.   

Taoism and Confucianism: Philosophies or religions?

Taoism and Confucianism have both been seen as religions and as nonreligious philosophies and superstitions.  Both religions have many people who call themselves part of a religion, while others state that they are just teachings and not truly religions. 

                Taoism is officially recognized as a religion by the Chinese government.  Taoism was part of the major religions of the Chinese during the third century A.D. after breakdown of the Han dynasty.  Confucianism is considered a major religion of the world even though the Chinese government does not officially recognize it.  Confucianism has rituals and ceremonies, which is similar to many "true" religions. 

                On the other hand Taoism is commonly seen as nothing more then a collection of superstitions.  Taoism in its early stage of development was a philosophy on how to live a life that was very high in quality without the interest of life after death, the heavens or even the "gods".  Taoism started out as a school of philosophers without any Supreme Creator or High God or gods.  Taoists believe in alchemy, turning one thing into another such as lead to gold.  The Taoist believed by doing this they would become immortal and with that there was little or no need for salvation by the gods, at first.  Confucianism is not officially recognized by the Chinese government as a religion it is seen as part feudalism, a type of government.

In Confucianism, there is no priesthood and their sacred writings have never been considered a divine revelation, partly because it has no afterlife doctrine.  Many scholars claim that the teaching of Confucius and his disciples were never intended to develop into a religion but they were more of a philosophy on how to live life.

                Taoism and Confucianism are either philosophies that have religious qualities or they are religions that started out as philosophies.  Both sides have arguments both ways but in either case they had a great effect on the development of the Chinese Empire and its population today.

Seated Bather

        In France during 1930, Pablo Picasso painted Seated Bather.  The style of painting used in the making of the Seated Bather is known as cubism.  This painting by Picasso has a surreal-esque and very unnerving nature.  Picasso's use of colors and contrast in his fine work display his mood.  Study of this painting will show the way he connected cubism with the surrealist movement.

        In this painting Picasso used a relatively new and unique style of painting called cubism, which is an abstract rendering of natural forms into geometric shapes and forms.  When you look at the painting, it looks like a woman sitting except there is something very odd about it, the woman does not look right at all.  Her head is sectioned off into pieces, her eyes are merely extensions of the top part of the head, her mouth is sideways and has no jaw connected to the face.  The cubism style Picasso used is closely related to surrealism.

        Seated Bather, is a painting that boarders on disturbing and almost surreal.  The way the woman's body seems to flow like water in this painting is very similar to the clocks in The Persistence of Memory by Salvador Dalí.

The woman appears to be a sculpture of wood, carved in a twisted and evil fashion.  She is sitting in a sexually suggestive manner with her legs spread apart revealing everything.  Seated Bather is almost sinister, and it makes you wonder what Picasso was thinking.  We may never know precisely what he was feeling but we may find pieces to the puzzle by way of his use of shade and hue.

        Picasso's mood during the painting of Seated Bather is shown as clues, hidden deep within his artwork.  Picasso used natural colors for the woman and the setting.  The natural colors of the woman cause the viewer, if only for a second, to feel the painting has a sense of realism.  The subtle color and flow of the water show that Picasso most likely was not rushed and felt calm and relaxed.  Picasso's sharp contrast of color during the forming of the legs and head he was trying to make a point that this is how it is supposed to look.  Contrasting is such a manner can be perceived as his confidence in his art.

        Currently Picasso's Seated Bather is located on display in the Museum of Modern Art in New York.  As we look at the painting, we can fully see the cubism in the painting.  Picasso stated he was not an artist of the surrealist movement but his painting shows that he, at least used some of the aspects for Seated Bather.  Picasso's emotion is found in his paintings and is the basis for his inspiration during the production of this great piece of art.  Picasso's artwork here is a perfect demonstration of how someone can continuously ride the line between cubism and surrealism, all the while making artwork that outlasts and overshadows his colleagues during a time of a new art outbreak.

Combining Beauty with Efficient Design

The Seagram Building located in New York City is a perfect example of the International Style.  The structure has had an immense influence of later American architecture.  The International Style can be seen in its simple geometric shape and because of its large open granite plaza and inspiring design, it is an iconic symbol of the typical New York skyscraper.

The Seagram Building has a simple design which makes it appear to be a capital letter “I”.  The Seagram Building’s rectangular shape was completely covered with bronze I-beams and opaque glass windows, making the building seem very futuristic in the eyes of all who saw it.  The Seagram is a bronze beauty during the day because daylight shines upon the city below giving the streets a gorgeous amber glow.  The overall design would be later replicated in many other buildings later, but at the time it was a symbol of the International Style.  Unlike the surrounding buildings, during the time of its construction, the Seagram Building stands straight up and is not stagger-stepped to the top.  This was a big deal because according to New York law, all of the high rise buildings must not “wall-in” its residents.  The architects, Miës van der Rohe and Philip Johnson, got around this by using less than half of the plot for the building. The remaining land was paved in granite and turned into a vast and beautiful plaza.

The first all glass curtain walled building on Park Avenue came with a one of a kind plaza.  The unprecedented open plaza in the middle of Manhattan stood out because there was nothing like it before in New York.  This plaza has been the site of many New Yorkers lunch break dates because even in a crowded city there they can find a place of free space.  The plaza contains two huge rectangular reflecting fountains and sometimes a sculpture. Such a plaza may have seemed out of place during the time of its construction but that has changed.  Many other buildings in the area now have plazas and that has made the Seagram Building seem less unique but it is still a masterpiece of corporate modernism.

Many buildings now copy the original design of the Seagram Building, mainly corporate offices.  The Seagram Building has been the direct influence on the building of the Arts Tower, which is exactly half of the height.  The Art Tower did not cost nearly as half much as its big brother the Seagram, because of the lack of bronze usage in the I-beams.  It is no wonder why such a unique and beautiful building could have been the standard of today’s high rise buildings.  The Seagram Building is seen as the original New York skyscraper. It has been the inspiration of many buildings build after it but none of them has been as iconic as the Seagram Building. 

The Seagram Building proved that the International Style of building skyscrapers is the perfect mix of beauty and efficiency.  The Seagram has been the model of modern office buildings. Seagram’s plaza still receives daily visitors who may sit in awe of the building that has cast the mold for the corporate office building.  The countless number of reproductions and inspired building show that that the International Style just plain works.  It is the best design that can be used to make any low or high budget office building ascend to the heavens.

Studying The School of Athens

In the first room of the papal apartments at the Vatican, also known as the Stanza della Segnatura, there is a Raphael fresco painted from 1510-1511 known as The School of Athens.  The School of Athens is Raphael's representation of philosophy and is undoubtedly his most famous work.

The School of Athens portrays a congregation of the great philosophers and scientists of the world.  Raphael utilized fully frontal one-point perspective for this work of art to give the painting a three dimensional reveal on two dimensions.  The main focus is on the two people in the middle, Plato and Aristotle.  Upon further inspection of the teacher and student we can see their ideals inferred by the direction in which they point.  Plato, pointing to the heavens holding Timaeus, is a spiritual idealist who believes in a higher power.  Some of Plato's notions have been adapted by the Christian church and Christian mysticism.  Aristotle was Plato's student and he had completely different views.  Aristotle's beliefs were directed more towards the material reality of the world and the facts that can be seen, tested and proven. That is why Aristotle is pointing towards the Earth and holding his book Nichomachean Ethics in this masterpiece.

The painting shows great attention to detail.  One example of this expert detailing is the color changes and shadowing.  From the angle of the shadows of the philosophers and scientists, it can be determined that Raphael painted this with the intent that the sun is overhead and to the right of the building.  This would mean if the point of view is supposed to be Northbound, then it is mid morning.  There are fifty-five people, including a cameo of Raphael, in this fresco and each of them looks very different and unique.  Aristotle and Plato are wearing clothes with colors that could be interpreted as the four elements; brown for Earth, blue for Water, red for Fire, and grey for Air.  This would make sense seeing as Aristotle's values are physical, such as the water and earth. Plato's values, being spiritual in nature, would have been Fire as a symbol of God, and Air, the symbol of the Heavens.

Upon further examination of The School of Athens, we can see the faces of many people that Raphael used as inspiration or models. This includes Michelangelo, Leonardo, and even Raphael himself. Leonardo was used to model as Plato. It would appear that Heraclitus was inspired by Michelangelo’s work of Jeremiah. Raphael modeled Apelles, who was one of the most important Greek painters whose work just did not survive the test of time.  It is a shame that Raphael did not include a listing of all people in any of his belongings or journals before he died, tragically young.  This would have been helpful for future generations in fully understanding why they each of them were portrayed in his dedication to philosophy. 

Raphael’s The School of Athens is nothing shy of a masterpiece of the 16th century.  Raphael’s flawless attention to detail was used to portray the greatest minds of history.  It is no surprise why this is Raphael’s most recognized work and why it is the ultimate representation of the enlightened atmosphere of the High Renaissance.

Overshadowed Tintoretto

Tintoretto was a late Renaissance painter who painted The Last Supper.  It may not be anyone’s first thought when you hear “the last supper” but it definitely is the most expressionistic.  Tintoretto uses heavy light contrasts and allusion in his painting creates the perfect example of drama.  This painting is a great production of the biblical story of Jesus and his disciples’ last meal together. 

First thing that you will notice is the man in the middle of the table is Jesus.  We can tell because his aura is the biggest and brightest.  After further examination we can determine that only twelve people have the holy aura around their heads, as opposed to thirteen, Jesus plus his twelve disciples.  This would make sense as Judas would not have one as he just sold out his lord and master for a bag of silver.  The weirdest thing about this is theoretically had Judas not done so then there would not have been the death of Christ nor a rebirth.  Judas got the worst punishment, Hell’s fire for eternity, for being the catalyst for all Christian salvation.

In this rendition of the last supper the setting of this event is in a public tavern or restaurant and there are many people.  This painting seems more realistic and very expressive, then the Leonardo da Vinci version.  Tintoretto uses an extreme contrast of dark and light to cause the almost over dramatic effects seen in this artwork.  Above the people, near the ceiling, there are angels flying around.  The angels are seen in this painting as foggy white ghostly images only seen because of the light from the ceiling candles.  The flames of the candles seem to be burning extremely high and appear to be the origin or destination of the angels. 

            In this painting, Tintoretto used a side perspective view to give the scene a more dramatic and personal feel.  This makes you feel like you are really in the room when it happened.  Everything in this painting is dramatic.  An example of this is the exaggerated stance of the man in blue in the far right foreground.  This man is standing on his left toe and stretching to the left while trying to pick up something with his right arm.  This position is very odd indeed, as it is not conductive to pick up anything as you balance is out of order and your back is strained.  Even the woman he is looking at is stretched out.  She is reaching out to the man in blue with a bowl full of something, with one hand, and putting away dirty dishes, with the other.

            Almost a hundred years after da Vinci painted The Last Supper, Tintoretto gave it a go.  The story of the last supper is so wide spread that is not a shock that more people illustrate the event, then just a one great person.  Tintoretto, who’s real name was Jacopo Comin, did an amazing job of capturing the spirit of the meaning of the last supper of Jesus Christ.  

Once Upon a Starry Night

            The Starry Night is a lovely piece that Vincent van Gogh painted in 1889 while in Saint-Paul-de-Mausole asylum of Saint-Remy.  The masterpiece uses color and texture to make the painting seem very active and yet calming.  With the use of the expressive line this painting, van Gogh was able to paint so very free and near chaotic, all the while delivering a near nostalgic feeling.  The emotions one can receive by just gazing upon this painting, pondering life and remembering the past, are endless.

            There is an extreme contrast between the clouds and stars in the sky and the sky itself.  The yellows, blues and whites make up the marvelous night sky.  The clouds are very uplifting and generate a left to right flow of the painting, giving us the impression they are traveling towards the town at the base of the hills.  There seems to be a peaceful essence flowing from the town, as it appears to be a calm and happy place.  The crescent moon is very bright and bold, as it shines in the heavens.  The fire-like castle built structure, on the left side of The Starry Night, is much larger than anything else in the town.  The design of this structure is much like the sky’s flow; this makes it the most important part of the painting.  The reason is that it inspires you to imagine what it is, who built it, and why.

            The erratic and expressive lines keep the viewer's eyes moving about the painting, following the curves almost bouncing from star to star. Following the clouds makes it feel like your eyes are dancing across the sky, which to some may cause childhood flashbacks of very fond memories as they were carefree and innocent.  The entire painting was painted using very expressive lines, which are free to go about as they feel.  The lines are reminiscence of old woodcuts, with the line seemingly etched in exaggeration across the canvas.

            If you look at this painting with an open mind and open heart you might find an enlightening experience, as I did.  It will calm you and please your senses as you slip away in a dreamlike awe.  The calming feeling you get from looking at this painting is similar to that of lying in the grass on perfect summer’s night under the stars; it is quiet and you can hear the crickets in the distance.  That feeling, of joy and happiness, overcomes you to grant you peace of mind, near Zen.  Van Gogh achieved this feat through the use of many inclusions of expression and meaning to this masterpiece. 

            The Starry Night was a very important painting to Vincent van Gogh as it was his masterpiece that put him on par with Émile Bernard and Paul Gauguin, giving him the artistic freedom that he so longed to indulge.  It is a true shame that only one year after The Starry Night, Vincent van Gogh shot himself and died, when he was in his prime and highlight of his artistic career.

Creating Art

            Artists have been creating art for longer than the recorded history of man.  Art is creating something such as paintings or sculpture or anything done with any medium.  There are an infinite number of styles of art and may mean different things when interpreted by different people.  Only the artist can know what they were feeling, thinking, or fully understand the true meaning of exactly what they have crafted.

            A very popular mean of art is painting.  From the cavemen who did the cave drawings to the newest person who picks up a brush, each person conveys a message.  This message could be as simple as “I saw this rock today” to as complex as an abstract dream.  There are several types of paints used today, each of them bring a unique aspect to art.  Different colors, light, textures, and the use of different perspectives are some of the things the artist can utilize to display their message.

            Michelangelo’s famous mural, The Creation of Adam, located on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel shows God creating man.  In this epic painting Michelangelo uses many colors and shades to make a realistic reproduction of the event that no one on Earth ever saw.  Michelangelo painted God using his finger to create Adam, as opposed to breathing into him as the Bible says it happened, probably because it might have appeared god was kissing Adam.  Michelangelo’s message is not too hard to see in this painting he wanted to show that God created Adam and that is how we were put on to this Earth.

            Another great work of art is Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper.  In The Last Supper all focus of the painting is on Jesus.  Da Vinci achieved this effect by putting Jesus in the exact center of the painting and using a single point full front perspective system.  With this effect you can clearly see that the walls and ceilings are drawn toward the top of Jesus’ head, causing the viewer to immediately look at Jesus first then the rest of the picture.  Da Vinci also used the contrast of light and dark to give the sense of a room lit by the windows and maybe an unseen candle.  Da Vinci also put all of the men on one side of the table.  The reason that this important is because normally people eat on both sides.  This goes to show that the painting is not an exact reenactment of the last supper of Jesus Christ but an interpretation of the event that shows all the men’s faces.  

            All artists have a message embedded into their work.  They use as many or as little elements as they desire to complete their masterpieces.  Art doesn’t have to be anything that looks like anything it just has to be.  Anything that someone creates can be considered a work of art.  With this it can be said that art has always been and will always be.   

The Power Of Sunday

Just as the sun comes over the horizon, the pit is completely alive. Full with the sounds of teams working hard and drivers talking, and probably trading advice for hard kept secrets while bragging about their setup.  There is complete silence as one man walks the long, open, and empty track. He is seen praying, but not for victory; rather, giving thanks for the perfect day.  The track is cold, calm and like a virgin untouched by the high speeds that are coming to disrupt the serenity.  The galleries are starting to fill slowly like sands of an hourglass.  The smells of the high octane mixed with the sweat of the crews fill the air just before the uncomfortable silence sets in.  All of the workers stop, their hoods drop, and the crowd stand up. Hands over hearts as “Old Glory” is raised high as a beacon of freedom and pride.  The Anthem thunders over the world as if it the last time anyone would ever hear it. Afterwards, there was utter silence.

Four words spoken and that is all it takes to unleash an earthquake from the field.  The roar of all the engines starting at once, feels like a cannon launching a volley into the hearts of the crowd.  The drivers, donned in their battle armor, take to the track leaving only the smell of exhaust fumes and burning rubber.  The lead is held by the lone wolf whom had walked the track so meticulously minutes ago.  His body is hard-pressed, almost super glued, to his expensive battle carriage as the speed increases faster and ever faster.  There is an angelic aura around him as he attacks each corner with uncanny precision.  The turbo on his rotary engine, of his brilliant black RX-7, spools at ludicrous speed generating a whine that rivals a banshee’s shriek.  Fans cheer for the blur he creates as he enters the apex straight sideways.  White smoke leaps from the contact of the fast spinning tires tearing into the glassy smooth tarmac and moves to the sky, eclipsing the sun from the chaotic crowd.  The RX-7 appears to break all of the laws of physics as he exits with unmatched speed. 

            All hearts are beating hard, like drums, and adrenaline is pumping through every vein as the drivers complete lap after lap.  Even the sun finds a spot high enough to see everything on the track.  All of the drivers are focused to the maximum as the day progresses.  Then it happens.  Two cars misjudge the distance and kiss each other hard and fast like a pair of newlyweds.  Debris flies outward in all directions from these star stuck lovers as they both flip and roll out of control.  Once the dust settles, hearts are broken.  The carnage speaks for itself.  Everyone fears the worst.  No one wants to look but they are not able look away.  Silence is the only thing in the world, as the rescue crews arrive to save the pair trapped within.

            Life has returned to the stands as the heroes emerge unscathed from their near eternal coffins.  The monsters are dead, bleeding oil and antifreeze, and are soon drug away.  This is just an occupation hazard for all racers.  After the field is restarted it is almost like nothing even happened as the fans continue to cheer and the drivers refocus on the task at hand.  The driver of the RX-7 still leads the pack.  As the sun gets tired the race is coming to its end.  Only a few laps are left and one is still out front.  The white flag flies high like a dove and the cars run all out.  With a last ditch effort every driver pushes their machines further than ever before.  The last corner is a dangerous one as it looks like the lead cars are demon possessed, disregarding life and limb in a fight to the death.  There is one seat being used as the cars blow by the finish line and with a flick of the wrist and wave of the arm it is over.  The beautiful black beast has won, again. 

            There is no feeling like the one of winning, conquering you enemies, and the relief after it is over.  Mixed emotions take over the veteran and rookie drivers alike.  The driver of the RX-7 steps out of his trusty steed and looks up and thanks the Lord for the day again.  There is something powerful about Sunday.  Hopes and dreams are shattered and new ones are reborn.  After the all the spectators leave and the cars are put to rest the moon and sun trade places. The victor again stands alone on his own.  He walks the track again remembering the events that had occurred just hours ago looks up at the moon and smiles.