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Googleshng - December 1 '99- 1:30 Eastern Standard Time
I haven't gotten many questions today. My mail box is filled to
the brim with chains of logic from people trying to determine my gender. Now, while I do find
it pretty amusing that you're all puzzling over this, you're all forgetting to ask questions!
This is a Q&A column, not a Saturday Night Live sketch! I mean, if it weren't for the fact that
I have enough of the entertainers spirit that I like letting everyone think whatever makes them
happy, I'd be really really ofended by now. First you all think I'm a guy, then a girl, now a
guy again... heck, you can all assume I'm a 12 year old Japanese Schoolgirl or a 500 pound bearded guy named
Bubba for all I care, but you don't have to go sending me your rationalizations, you know?
Now then, for all of you weird paranoid people who simply MUST know my gender, go to
my page. If you read everything on
there, it isn't that hard to piece it together.
OK, by complaining to people, I did manage to scrounge up a FEW letters... mostly about Shiva,
so it looks like I might be able to throw a column together after all.
Oh, I've also made a number of new entries to the picture archive, so check it out.
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Have any QUESTIONS?
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Recent Q&A's
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11-30-99
11-29-99
11-28-99
11-27-99
11-26-99
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The Old stuff
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The Archives
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Draw Me!
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Fan Googles
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In the PSX:
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Grandia
Ooh, a new character
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In the Genesis:
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Phantasy Star 2
I miss sandworms. 8(
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In the Gameboy:
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My cousin's copy of Pokemon
You owe me money pal.
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In the SNES:
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Pokémon
My SNES is dusty!
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In the SMS:
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Phantasy Star
Always.
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In the NES:
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Punch Out
Gathering dust.
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In the Saturn:
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Nothing
Waaah!
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In the N64:
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Smash Bros.
Bye bye Pikachu
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This question really oppened my eyes
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At the risk of sounding stupid, what is Princess Mononoke? It sounds
pretty cool. Also the "disarming" (bad pun, sorry, I'll go sit in the cornor
now) of Shiva does suck.
-KngBahamut
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Googleshng:
Well, Princess Mononoke is an anime by Hayao (HAPPY?!?)
Miyazaki, a very famous anime artist, with very high production values, which has
been dubbed by an all star cast (Claire Danes, Gillian Anderson, etc. etc.) and
given a limited release in artsy theaters all over the country. A complete list of
these theaters is located here.
Anyway, it's a really cool movie, it has the only good anime dub in existance, and it's
IN US THEATERS, so go see it now!
As for Shiva, I'll cover that a bit later.
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Final FANTASY
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So, I hear Square's taking Final FANTASY back to it's fantasy roots, where it belongs. Don't get me
wrong, FF7 and 8 weren't bad games. Well, 8, at least. But you can't deny that neither really felt
like Final Fantasy should. Anyway, we all know that, that's not the point. The point is... do you
think Square will continue the trend even further and dump Sony's doomed DVD player, thus making a
glorious return to the best (I say this because technically, the Dreamcast is inferior, the PS2 will
cost twice as much, and nobody likes Microsoft) next-gen system, Nintendo's whatevertheydecidetocallit?
How about using some of you're new staffer clout to suggest a poll? I think this is an issue a lot
of people have strong feelings about.
Oh, and one last thing... why didn't you tell my you're a girl, man?
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Googleshng:
Well, I honestly do kind of like the increasing technology
throughout the FF series, but it can't really get much higher without going into pure
cheesy 50s style sci-fi, and that just wouldn't work. So, yes, I suppose reverting to
something more rooting in fantasy is the right way to go. As for the upcomming console
wars, well, I know I'll be flamed to death if I even touch the issue, but I do agree
that the price tag on the PSX2 is WAY too high. I can't afford one, and it looks like
garbage too. I mean, it's the only one without 4 controller ports, and heck, those are
PSX controllers! Anyway, I for one am boycotting it.
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Now HERE is a good question!
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Hey Goog,
I have a couple of questions about Xenogears that I'm hoping you can touch on!
Firstly, doesn't it piss you off that the best song in the game is only played once? ONCE!!! Lahan's theme is
AWESOME! I'm listening to it right now. Every since I first got the game, I fell in love with Lahan's theme, but
they never play it again. I've started like 25 new games, just so I can hear it.
Anyway, my next question is actually legitimate. Do the character's actual stats have anything to do with how
their gear performs? As much of a Xenogears fan as I may claim to be, I've never beaten it because I just can't kick
Deus' butt. That's why I'm wondering: will it do me any good to level up, or would I have the same chance of
beating it if I were on level 1 as I would if I were on level 99? I asked this to another Q&A guy a while ago and he
just told me how he beats the last boss, so DON'T DO THAT, please! I'm at level 59, and I've ended up at about
that level every time I get to Deus, so I'm wondering if I should try to level up before I get there. Thank ye.
Flik "If you thought the song Knights of the Round Table was funny, wait until you actually read what the words
are!" ...damn, I just realized that I need a last name to accommodate the quote thingy...screw it.
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Googleshng:
Well, aside from Ether stuff, I'm pretty sure your stats
don't matter. Going up levels WILL help you out though, just because it unlocks more
spells and deathblows. Now, I have a serious question for you. How the heck is it that
you're only on 59? I was in the high 80s by the end and I missed all the fun secrets on
disk 2!
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Shiva
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Shiva's gender is indeterminate, actually. Some idols picture "it" as a
guy, some as a girl, and same thing with the stories surrounding the
deity. But then, I guess that just shows that it's not the gender, but
the deeds, that matter, right?
But the Odin thing is inexcusable. Norse mythology did not start out
5000+ years ago with every Norse village worshipping a different god/
goddess, like proto-Hinduism. Slepnir has eight legs every time he's
mentioned.
Just felt like adding my two cents to the issue
-The Librarian
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Googleshng:
Yes, Hindu Mythology does pretty much mess with the gender
of gods like crazy but generally, Shiva is considered male and has 4 arms. What really
bugs me though is that Shiva doesn't have ANYTHING to do with ice at all. I mean, if
they wanted they could just stick in the name of ANY norse goddess. Sure, it wouldn't
be an ice goddess per se, but it would be a goddess who was around ice at least!
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Pretty Pictures
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Great and Mighty Gender-less Googleshng:
Do you think games that incorporate Anime-style characters appeal more to
RPGamers than non-Anime characters? It seems to me that RPGamers, in
general, like Anime as well, but is that a true grabber for the average
gamer...say, yourself? ^_^
-Pants
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Googleshng:
Well, I have yet to meet someone who likes RPGs and NOT
anime. I for one really like anime style RPG characters. If you want to deal with the
general public though, let's look at some of the most popular characters from games over
the last few years shall we? Well, there's Tifa in FF7, and the main character from Tomb Raider,
and then there's Ivy from Soul Calibur... is there any connection between them?
I don't think RPGs should target the general public though. Bring on the pikey hair!
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I don't see any more questions, so I'll just print this
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Hello. I'm doing some sociological research for a paper I'm writing for
English class on the subject of nerds. I would appreciate it if you
would take the time to fill out this survey and return it to
sailordune@nwu.edu. Then pass it on to everyone you know! A large
sample size makes it more objective. Thank you.
1. Do you consider yourself a nerd?
2. Define "nerd".
3. What is the opposite of a nerd?
4. Is there a sharp and statistically significant distinction between
nerds and other people? Or is it more of a bell curve? Or is it just
an arbitrary label?
5. Are there subcategories of nerds? If so what are they?
6. Do you ever feel persecuted? By who?
7. What are your hobbies? Please distinguish between casual hobbies and
obsessive hobbies, but list both.
8. What technical skills do you have? (Not only
mechanical/computer/math/science skills; you can also list foreign
languages, musical instruments, whatever.)
9. What are you bad at?
10. How do people become nerds? Is it voluntary, genetic, or forced on
people by society?
11. How easy is it for you to communicate with people?
12. What are the prerequisites of cultural literacy?
13. What other categories do you use to classify people apart from
"nerd"?
14. Are there any other questions I should add to this survey?
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Googleshng:
I think maybe I should explain this. A friend of mine sent this
to me (at my personal e-mail address, but I have aliases set up so it all winds up in the
same box), expecting me to just answer it and give it back. Well, since I'm so low on material,
I posted it. If you feel like filling it out, it should help him with his homework (although it's
kinda old so he might be done). Don't send him anything besides this please though because
his mail server has a pretty low ceiling, and I REALLY don't want people flaming my friend.
Especially since nobody flames me!
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