Gentleman X Collection

I feel like a sir. I don't think I'm missing any major items from my collection.

What I currently have:

Fedora, Bowtie,Suit

Top Hat, Monocle

Sunglasses, Cane

Tie

Overcoat

What I need:
Bowler Hat
European-style Military Officer Uniform
Vest
Those frilly dress shirts to match the vest

Relationship Ramblings, Or, Why Sam Doesn't Have A Girlfriend

Another rare post about *cough* girls. Or, actually, relationships. Or something. No, just random ramblings without construction about the fact of relationships or lack thereof.

Everyone I know seems to ask me if I have a girlfriend, or if I'm courting. My grandma, cousins, family, relatives, strangers, friends from church and college, authority figures, teachers, pastors, random people....

I keep telling them, No, not yet, me? I have to... earn money, finish college, stuff like that. That I'm very, very picky. That I only want one girlfriend, and that she'll be my future wife someday. That I want to be patient and be very careful.

And that's all true. They're not really excuses, or at least bad ones. But what I don't tell many people is that I think I know who she is.

But I don't tell them. Because I feel like I fail in everything I plan concerning these things. Always waiting and waiting for weeks to build up courage. Always failing to ask in time for a date to the banquet. Always resigning whenever the one you ask tells you that, in a deflating tone of voice, why she can't go out with you. Always feeling too dejected to try again in the foreseeable future.

(That's why I look forward to the bi-annual dancing balls where the Scottish music plays around here in Ohio every spring and winter. At least there, no lady will reject any gentleman who asks her for just a single dance. And all dance as friends, not any more than such. There is no dating or any such romantic matter. Just merely fun and laughs. But I digress.)

Some people have caught on a little bit on who she would be. Or maybe, they already know for sure who she will be, as if God reveals it to them, not to me. I think He does, though. Either that, or there's a huge conspiracy going on. Them peoples making little snide, seemingly harmless jokes here and there, and I just smile and shrug it off.

It's probably my fault. Making little art game in dedication to a certain, specific mademoiselle was not the most subtle thing I could have done for Valentine's Day. I don't regret doing that, though.

People are smarter than you think. They observe you. They know more.

I think she even knows. Maybe. Or maybe she actually dislikes me a lot. Or thinks me amusing. I never really asked. Sometimes I want to know. Sometimes I don't want to know.

It's been a long time since we were together for any reason. We used to go to school. And to youth group activities. And nowadays, I only see her at church, rarely. I think we naturally avoid each other. I can probably count only a handful of times where we both were in proximity of less than one feet from each other. And most of those times were more or less forced. It made me hesitant and uncomfortable and yet strangely hopeful.

You probably can tell she occupies my thoughts a lot. Trust me, I tried forgetting. And erasing my memory. And finding another to take her place in my heart. To no avail. And that's one reason I know it's her.

Even then....

What am I supposed to do, though? Every opportunity I ever had has disappeared and it doesn't seem like any will come. I'm just quiet now. Waiting. Dreaming. Watching. Hoping. Praying. Looking out my window to see a winter wonderland.

I've just accepted the fact that if we were indeed meant for each other, that God will bring us together one day.

I love her. I trust Him.

Postmortem: Nativity

A celebration of the true meaning of Christmas.

Nativity: http://gamejolt.com/games/other/nativity/10880/

I was tired of all the games for Christmas that promoted the ultra-commercialistic Santa Claus Kringle. Where are the media that celebrated the true meaning of Christmas? (I realize the previous sentence may be oxymoronic in nature.) And so Nativity was born, no pun intended. It is actually a continuation and a finishing of the game I started last year or so.

Gameplay:
Not really much gameplay. It's supposed to tell a story on why it was necessary for Jesus to come to Earth, and thus the journey of Nativity is punctuated by flashbacks in the past and "flashforwards" in the future, making it a huge sequence. It's more of an interactive story, and so, only the characters may be controlled by the Arrow Keys or A and D to move the characters. It's probably the first game that I drew out the landscape for platforming instead of using blocks.

Graphics:
The graphics are a mix of colored and black and white silhouettes. I added in light effects for the angels and for the star of Bethlehem. Small objects are colored to distinguish them, as with the fruit and the gifts of the wise men.

Sound:
We Three Kings of Orient Are is the piece that plays once throughout the game. I aim to replace it, since it doesn't seem to fit in some instances. I was thinking of using a thunder effect for the flashback, but only the music is the only sound that plays in-game currently.

Merry Christmas!

InDev: Saphruby Mockup

I am in the process of making this for Experimental Gameplay: November and December TEMPERATURE. Not going to post much, but use your imagination. I hope I can use Stencyl or Construct for the final, if not, back to good ole' Game Maker.

The mechanic obviously has the player pressing the keyboard.

Happy Thanksgiving!

NaNoWriMo: Ciprus

November is NaNoWriMo, or National Novel Writing Month! I started writing a novel called Ciprus: A Tale of Revolution. It is a chronicle of an immortal, lesser noble trying to incite a political revolution to benefit the masses. I am at about three thousand words as I write this post.

Here is an excerpt:
There is one sure way to become immortal in this world. The test of Pillars. Only the aristocrats of Ulden know and keep this secret. It is but a legend to the serfs. Sometimes, the one of the nobles would tell their most favorite servant of the tale and his adventure in gaining an everlasting life to erect such a pillar, granting the servant entry to the aristocracy. But most of the time, only the Ulden children are taught, and the masses kept in ignorance.

In the darkest of the ancient ages, when the Empress Supreme was not Empress yet, she climbed a mountain and erected a pillar with magics unknown and lost to history. Granted, those before her erected such pillars. But it was only by her that others would come and build upon her pillar. She broke tradition-she passed this knowledge down to her children, the uninitiated. It was supposed to be a quest one would discover for oneself. But knowledge cannot be held in an iron cage.

And thus she became Empress for her wisdom was great. Her children created a kingdom on Ciprus, the kingdom of Ulden. It stood above the ashes of the immortal Ascein, the previous and mythical kingdom, brought down to its knees by an eternal winter.

The Empress cried tears for her people the Ascein, and thus took on winter as her guardian, though it was the destroyer of old. She was not the only Ascein one who has survived, but she was the only one able to rebuild, along with Kailymur, the Modux of that age. Then entered a Golden Age of Ciprus under her fair rule. It came about by giving people choice and knowledge of the Pillars. Many pilgrimages went in year after year.

The novel is set in a fantasy world, but elves and other mainstays of it are nowhere to be seen. Magic seems more or less granted. Political revolutions are almost unheard of in this setting. I plan to focus on intrigue instead of violence.

If you are interested in writing for NaNoWriMo, sign up in this website!: http://www.nanowrimo.org

East Coast Weekend Trip!

Wow, I had the best weekend ever! (Well, one of the better ones traveling).

On Friday, we left Ohio towards North Carolina. We visited a Japanese steakhouse called "Kanki". The food was okay, but the chef was hilarious!

On Saturday, we arrived in South Carolina. I met some awesome CollegePlus! people and we hiked in Caesar's Head State Park. Apparently, it was also here that they filmed the Hunger Games and the Last of the Mohicans. Had a great time fellowshipping with Alex Smith, Elizabeth Fox, Johannah Voeller, and Laura Frahm. :D I missed the dinner, though.

On Sunday, we visited Georgia. My family wanted to see the First Baptist Church of Atlanta, the home of In Touch Ministries. The church is huge! I went to the College & Career class, and it was nice. Afterwards, we had a lunch in the Lakeside Grill they had, and then we headed to the World of Coca-Cola. The tasting room is a must-see.

Then we headed home, and arrived in Columbus on Monday. I missed this place.

InDev: Grandfather Paradox Part #2

"The Grandfather holds the watch to his gaze. Soon..."

Another blog post in developing Paradox, Grandfather. It is a casual time travel RTS game, or it probably can be more accurately called an RTT (Real Time Tactics) game.

Previously, I introduced the basic gameplay and the two main warring factions. But there is a special "faction", so to speak (Actually, two, if you count the neutral civilians as a faction). The Grandfather "faction" is the source of the blessings, or woes, of time travel in this world. It is composed of the Grandfather unit and his various incarnations. In 192X, he is a young man, who invented the time travel machine and set into motion the events culminating into the war between the Imperiarchy and Republicorp. In 195X, he is an old man, armed with a steampunk army of sorts.

The Grandfather "faction" only let's you play with one unit directly, the Grandfather. You can even control him with the WASD keys and shoot with the mouse button. He can enter any time machine. You have to avoid the Imperiarchy and Republicorp from killing you, or stealing your plans, or otherwise messing with history.

You can upgrade the Grandfather unit. He can be armed with a Chronogun that erases units from existence. When he is still, he is cloaked and invisible. His speed can also be upgraded. But he is weak constitutionally, so take care when manuevering into areas of heavy fire.

The Imperiarchy and Republicorp factions are with through five equivalent units each through four attributes. They are all infantry units. I did not want to add in vehicles and things to the lineup, although in another future version of the game, I might. Possibly the post-experiment version.

Now, I will explain the time travel system, more. In Skirmish battles, after winning, it saves the game, and you can load it, and play against yourself, as if trying to alter history. Or you can play as yourself, and finish in a lower time limit. The Campaign will work the same way. It will be interesting, or at least I hope so.

I decided to cut off the Campaign until the post-experiment version, which I might sell. The version for EGP will include only the Skirmish mode.

InDev: Grandfather Paradox Part #1

"In 195X, two warring factions: the Imperiarchy and the Republicorp, are in a stalemate. Only one way to break this: time travel."

Paradox, Grandfather is a game I'm making for Experimental Gameplay: Time Manipulation for August and September. Details are subject to change. Note that the link provided for the download provides only a mockup prototype without gameplay, yet.

The game is set in an alternate past, where the Imperial States of Ohio (the Imperiarchy) and the United Sozist People's Republicorporation (the Republicorp) are embroiled in an apocalyptic Cold War in 195X. The weapon that caused this war is not the atom bomb, but the time machine.

The Imperiarchy decides to end the war by eliminating time travel in the past. The Republicorp travels back to prevent that alternation in history, then the Imperiarchy decides to stop the Republicorp from going... and so on.

The game is made to be a casual RTS, inspired by Relic of War and the Achron RTS. In the battlefield, the player is given two views. The first view shows 192X view of the battlefield. The second view is the present, or 195X, of the battlefield.

The factions must send units from 195X to 192X, but also can fight in 195X. Only in 192X can mission objectives be met. There is a Time Indicator in which the player can change so the player can send units any time in 192X. For example, if the Imperiarchy captures the "Grandfather"(revealed in a future InDev) in 192X, the Republicorp can rewind the Time Indicator and send troops to prevent his capture. Or the Republicorp can drag the time indicator and place troops in the future to stop the capture at the extraction point.

That is all for now! Gotta get back working. :)

Postmortem: Conspiracrat

A game of secret machinations. One is never ready to pull the strings of the web of secrecy.

Conspiracrat: http://gamejolt.com/freeware/games/strategy-sim/conspiracrat/9163/

I made Conspiracrat as an afterthought for the Game Jolt Official Contest. I really couldn't have spent enough time on it due to me having an exam in the middle of the week. I almost made it to the deadline, but I plan on improving the game, since it shows promise, especially in the Artificial Intelligence and some possible and future multiplayer additions.

The game is a turn-based strategy. You control a secret Society in pursuit of power. To do so, you must take control of Organizations around the space. Organizations can also take control of other Organizations, creating a network. Each Organization may have a total of 5 Members, who can sway the Organization to your purpose.

Gameplay:
The gameplay is a bit lacking right now. I blame myself for not giving enough feedback to players. I also haven't implemented the "Specials" system for each Society that the manual boasts. That said, with the right balance, you can play the existing game right now and engage in a conflict of powers. I need to make it so that the mouse can move around the map. A mousewheel, which laptops lack, is needed for zooming in and out, but it is not necessary. There is a glaring lack of options given to the player. Also, the "Member" part of the game is not as well developed as I'd like. For example, the "Advancing Rank" system of the Members work, but not to any advantage for the player, ironically. I'm not entirely happy with the Society goals, either. The game needs much balancing to make it any more fun. The achievements are a bit unlockable right now, but it should be an easy fix. The interface system was not as intuitive as I planned. I will cover the artificial intelligence in another section of the postmortem.

Graphics:
The graphics were on purpose simplistic and minimalistic, a black and white effect, with a few colors thrown in. That was done because of time constraints, but also on a more philosophical point. It suggests that the Societies have dogmas that are really varied, as shown by the color, instead of a black and white approach. Well, something like that.

Music:
I used royalty-free music from Kevin MacLeod of Incompetech. I found a piece of music that fits each Society to a tee. I used the Supersound DLL to play them as Ogg Vorbis sounds after converting them from MP3s. The music is largely dark and mystical.

Sounds:
The game only uses beeps for feedback. My old computer speaker's do not run anymore, and I have to have them replaced. I used another computer to test the music and sounds, which is the one I'm writing in right now.

Artificial Intelligence:
The Artificial Intelligence is horrible compared to what was planned. I planned it so that the AI can hold diplomacy with the player and other AI. However, due to time constraints, I can't, but I will, hopefully. Also, the AI right now is largely a simple decision tree, and not even that. Although I am glad to say it doesn't cheat like some other strategy AI.

Multiplayer:
There is no multplayer in this game (yet). There was supposed to be. There was in the beginning stages of the game there was hotseat multiplayer. But I went in favor for the AI playing against a single player. I'm still looking if I can turn this into an online multiplayer. We will see.

What I Did Wrong:
I did not put multiplayer.
I did not put enough sounds for feedback.
I did not put a well developed AI.
Lots of gameplay features planned that did not appear or appear subtly, yet.
I did not focus much on the Members part, where the Double Agents and backstabbing come to play.

What I Did Right:
I picked fitting and awesome music.
I got every basic thing in the game at least in beta.
It's finished, somewhat. It's definitely playable to a point.
It has a better interface system than some of my older games.

Well, I had fun making this game! I did have Game Jolt's Good Ol' Fashioned Fun Time TM in the process. I promise updates, because I like the premise and theme. I hope I can make it a bit more like a puzzle game and a psychological, mental one at that.

The Elitinati is watching.
Aeterna Veritas is marching on.

Mindwrap: Higher Dimensions

"I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven. And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter."
2 Corinthians 12:2-4

Ever since man had fallen into sin, humans have dreamed of realities higher than our bleak three-dimensional existence.

Is Heaven a higher dimension? Can the spirit world be explained as a dimension removed from our universe?

But before I go on, I will lay down the basics. As the video shows, a point has zero dimensions. A line will have one. A square has two. A cube has three. We live in a world with a visible three dimensions. Our universe also experiences the dimension of Time, but this blog post only concerns itself with spatial dimensions, not temporal.

Why can we not see or interact with other higher dimensions? We can draw an analogy from the book Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions. In Flatland, the inhabitants are only limited to 2 dimensions. The inhabitants are circles, squares, triangles, and so are their surroundings. A 3-dimensional entity can look down on the flat land, but the inhabitants cannot look up to the higher dimensional being, so to speak. To the inhabitants, the being is godlike.

This will imply that God is probably residing in the highest dimension conceivable, or outside all dimensions, yet interacting with the lowlier dimensions. This reflects His attributes of immanence and transcendence.

There have been theories that the spirit world is simply another dimension. One theory states that living people have a fourth-dimensional spirit attached to the three-dimensional body until death. An interesting concept. I don't know if it has truth behind it or not.

Now, the idea that Heaven(or even Hell) is another dimension, or a dimension within our universe has more credence. The Russian cosmonauts always bragged on the fact that when they went to space, they did not find God. They haven't looked at other dimensions!

Some say Heaven is in another planet somewhere. The Mormons and Jehovah Witnesses believe God as an alien being of sorts. Songs like this support that theory:

"Somewhere in outer space,

God has prepared a place

For those who Him and obey.

Jesus will come again,

Although we don't know when,

The countdown is getting lower every day!

Ten and Nine,

Eight and Seven,

Six and Five and Four,

Call upon the Saviour while you may.

Three and Two,

Coming through the clouds in bright array,

The countdown is getting lower every day!"

It's a fine Sunday School song, but possibly theologically incorrect. God is not a physical alien being from another planet in space. God is a Spirit. 

So, just some of my ranting, perhaps, but I hope it made you think.

CollegePlus! Forums Post-Election 10.0 Summary

The Valiant Defender's Party and the Biblical Stewardship started campaigning way before the election race even kicked off.

The Valiant Defender's Party was called WW3 Veterans of Ballistics Party until its name was changed for more politically correctness. Meanwhile, the Biblical Stewardship Party gets organized.

The VDP is the first to get a Esther endorsement.

The Biblical Stewardship follows.

The Unity Party is organized.

The Unity gets its Esther endorsement just before the Elections Debate.

The "I lost the Prezzie" Party is revealed.

The Elections Debate on Skype, hosted by Esther, is attended by VDP Joshua Loomis and Samx(me!), and BSP Heather M and Caleb J.

A dual endorsement by Samx and Esther is made for ILTP

Unity wins the election with 39 votes! VDP follows with 28, BSP with 27, and ILTP with 11.

I Love U-........kuleles & Youth Conference

     It's stuck in my head! I heard it first at a skit at Youth Conference. It was a fun time, and possibly my last youth conference I will attend, unless I come back as a chaperone or counselor or something.

     I made some decisions for Christ at the Conference. Many did, too. No less than 119 people got saved under the preaching of Jack Schaap, Kenny Baldwin, Eddie Lapina, Chris Tefft, and other great men of God. Some of my youth group were called to preach. I renewed my commitment to preaching the gospel.

Here are some pictures:

High Street Youth Department at First Baptist Church Hammond

The Chicago Bean

My sisters, with David Riggs on the background.

The guys that sang "I Love Ukuleles". Singles' session.

Guy with an epic backpack. XD

Tower Defense Doesn't Make Sense

Tower defense. It just doesn't make sense to me. But then, nothing in video games do if you really looked hard enough. Especially if you're an indie.

Tower defense is a genre of video games that concerns putting towers to inhibit and delay advancing waves of enemies that usually travel along a path to a main base. Some innovators of the genre include multiple lanes of advancing waves, playing as the advancing army instead of the tower builder, flying enemies, random paths, random towers, and whatnot. It is almost a brother to real time strategy, howbeit without movable units.

However fun to play, though, it just doesn't make sense!

Why would an advancing army ignore the towers in the way? Why don't they just destroy them when they encounter it, like all good RTSes. Its like the creator is making fun of your intelligence of tactics and strategy. No one is dumb enough to do that!

But I guess that's what makes tower defense games a bit more popular than normal real-time strategy games. RTSes make you think about how to attack and defend from a smart AI. Thinking is hard work.

In contrast, tower defense has only one strategy for the enemy AI, advance blindly onto the battlefield to the main base, ignoring all defenses! If that was an RTS commander, he would get slaughtered quickly.

So in essence, tower defense games are replays of the same thing over and over again, a failed and foolhardy AI attack in an RTS.

My CollegePlus! Family

This is mostly an inside joke... but I have to compile it somewhere! XD

Grand Daughters:
Hope In the Streets
Natasha Dalrympl
Kaitlyn Semoines

Daughter:
Anna G Trott(Agent Cobalt)

Cousins:
Skywalker2
Awesome One
Sarah Zuzula
Juliana D
Elizabeth Knopp

Sisters:
Kayla Marie(KaylaRose)
Victoria 

Twin:
Katie A

Evil Twin Sister:
Bethany K


Evil Twin:
antigmx0(yes, he does exist)


Aunt:
Laura Southards

Great Aunt:
Lauren Brecht

Nieces:
Mikayla (SuperCool95)
KJ Haines
Katie Follett

Nephews:
Joshua Young
Joshua Loomis
Thorin Howard
Micah M

Triplet Neifews:
Sofia Soul Pea
Alyssa Folck
Joshua Vincent

Grandma:
Esther Mielke

Grandpa:
Jon David

Butler:
Joseph

Fairy Godmother:
Melessa Williams(SavedByGrace)

Maid:
Whitney

Steward:
Caleb Jenkins

Attorney:
Chelsea N

Patroness:
Sarah M

Guardian:
Linda C 

Multiple Parenting Theories In Game Maker

In Game Maker, there is a system for objects called "parenting". Each object is allowed one parent. The "child" object may inherit events from the parent object. Also, the child objects are treated like their parents, but their parents are not treated as their children.

So, my goal in this blog post is to create a way for a child object to have multiple parent objects by GML(Game Maker Language) code. This, if successful, will be advantageous for many things while programming, including much more flexibility.

The Father-Mother Theory
The primary, default parent object of the child will be called the "father" object. A child can also have a secondary parent called the "mother". When a child executes events, it does so it executes the father's events first, then the mother's.


Pros: event handling is seamless
Cons: mother parent does not affect instance finding functions

Dual Object/Overlay Theory
Each child has a primary parent, and also a secondary parent. It creates the secondary parent as an invisible overlay instance. This helps so that the instance finding functions can still find both somewhat seamlessly.

Pros: instance finding functions(howbeit modified)
Cons: event handling complicated between two objects, double the memory needed

Combined Theories
Simply, combining both theories.

Pros: instance finding functions, event inheritance
Cons: event handling may conflict between the two objects, double memory needed


Here is the file:
http://gamejolt.com/open-source/games/other/multi-parenting-for-gm/8092/

Tech"punk"

Tech"punk" are the idea that speculates if a certain era and philosophy dominated technology and culture, and vice versa, producing anachronistic realities. The first things that comes into mind when talking about tech "punk" are steampunk and cyberpunk.

Types of Tech"punk":

Steampunk
 Steampunk is the idea that Victorian Age industry could have accomplished much of the technological results we see today and beyond using steam and conventional methods. For example, in steampunk, spacecraft, artificial intelligence, and other technological marvels today would have been built with just steam engines and conventional technology of gears and springs. Jules Verne is a source for many steampunk-like devices.

Cyberpunk
 What if the Internet connected everything and everyone? What if cybernetics were commonplace? This is the world that is cyberpunk. It typically is a near future world with robots, virtual reality, holograms, large corporations, and a currency of credits. Programs are advanced enough to be considered conscious. Movies like Tron and Robocop are cyberpunk.

Clockpunk
 A more primitive version of steampunk, "clockpunk", just uses springs and gears. So instead of using coal to power devices, pendulums are set, coils are tightened, and springs are compressed. While the much-touted Difference Engine, an ancestor of the computer, is usually considered steampunk, its gear-based nature places it as clockpunk. Leornardo Da Vinci's inventions are considered clockpunk. That being said, many people do not see a distinction between steampunk and clockpunk.

Sandalpunk/Bronzepunk/Ironpunk
 A "punk" for the Classical cultures of Greece and Rome. It assumes that Archimedean types of inventions did not cease. Typical equipment include highly advanced catapults and siege machinery, balloons, primitive submarines, wooden equivalents of clockpunk, classical gear computers(like the one found called Antikythera mechanism, pictured above), primitive steam engines of Alexandria, bronze mirrors that redirect sunlight to burn ships... An interesting variations would be Egyptian sandalpunk, with optics and pyramid building tools; and Chinese sandalpunk which would consist of fireworks and junks. Bronzepunk and Ironpunk are variations of Sandalpunk.

Teslapunk
 Nikola Tesla was one of the most brilliant and unheard of scientist of his time. He envisioned a world of free energy and worldwide communication. Teslapunk incorporates his dream of death rays, Tesla coils, wireless communication, and antigravity devices into fiction.

Atompunk
 The Atomic Age ushered by the 1940's. So in that tradition, everything or mostly everything in atompunk runs with nuclear energy. Radiation, nuclear warfare, mutations from such are the main problems in an atomicpunk story.

Dieselpunk
 The dependence on oil exaggerated is dieselpunk. A fantasy of the oil companies, it envisions all vehicles, equipment, and weaponry running in fossil fuels. (By the way, the computer shown is not running in oil, but is submerged in it to dissipate heat.)

Decopunk
 The chrome version of the future! In decopunk, the 1950's and 60's version of the future comes to fruition.

Biopunk
 What if genetic engineering has accomplished what our current technology did? A purely brain-based internet, organic transportation, psychic weaponry, a whole hosts of poisons, solar energy power from literal plants are some examples of biopunk. Pictured above is Mandark from the popular cartoon "Dexter's Laboratory", holding an organic/biopunk laser.

Nanopunk
 Nanotechnology is the emphasis for nanopunk. Nanobots, nanomaterials, nanomedicines... It is assumed nanobots make and maintain everything in a  nanopunk world.

Stonepunk
 Think of the technology used by the Flintstones. That is Stonepunk. The cavemen have cars and other modern equivalents using "Stone Age" technology. (Mind you, the author of the blog does not believe in a literal Stone Age, but believe humans were always advanced as a result of Creation, but he digresses.)

There's a few more "punks" that I felt was not invented, yet. And so I invented them:

Etherpunk 
 The ether theory of the nineteenth century is found to be true. In this universe, technology is mostly ether based. Ether seems to be the medium in which light transverses.

Crystalpunk
 Crystals hold piezoelectric properties. Thus, technology based solely on crystals are possible.

Chronopunk/Timepunk
 A techpunk relying on time travel. I don't exactly know how feasible that is, but it sounded cool.

Hydropunk/Waterpunk
 If cold fusion is ever feasible, it would change the world.


Aethericpunk
 A combination of Crystalpunk and Etherpunk. The (im)material that is Aether is understood to be partly spiritual, partly multidimensional, and barely matter-influenced. Also, it is the material that composes the time-space continuum. I use this for creating the fictional Mirror Universe.

Some other punks I didn't have time to write about...
Transistorpunk
Nowpunk
Splatterpunk
Elfpunk
Mythpunk

Mindwrap: Time Travel

"Redeeming the time, because the days are evil." Ephesians 5:16

Man has dreamed of time travel throughout the centuries. The chance of changing the past or manipulating the future has haunted many. But is it possible?

Science postulates that it is possible by using wormholes(a spinning black hole) and sending a space ship through it. We may go to the past by exceeding the speed of light. But the problems with this are obvious. We do not have the technology to accomplish such feats.

Some are in favor of "time traveling" with the mind. The advantages of this is obvious. First, one would not be affected physically by any constraints. Secondly, time itself will not be affected, since it is an observation without any influence on the Time stream. This may be called "prophesying" or "divination". However, the Bible explicitly bans any form of "divination", since it is a demonic form of mental time travel. Prophecy has already ceased for the Church (I Cor. 13).

We know that God is an Infinite and Eternal Being. He created Time itself. As you know, Time is a dimension. Space is composed of three dimensions of width, height, and depth, however, Time seems to be only comprised of one(or two, depending on your perspective). Does Time have more than one dimension that we can't access but only God can?

I find it useful to think of Time as a line, and Eternity as a sea around that line. The sea of Eternity is three-dimensional, while Time is one-dimensional. God can see all of Eternity at once, as if the past and future doesn't exist, as if everything happens at once to God in His Eternal Present. God, however, in His human form, our Lord Jesus Christ, limited Himself to our Time "line".

In the Bible, it records that the prophets had special insight from God concerning the past and the future. Moses recorded a Creation that he did not witness, and the other prophets like Daniel and Isaiah saw the future of the nation of Israel.

There is one person in the Bible that seems to have traveled in the future, physically. Even farther than our own future right now(in the time of this writing). That person is the Apostle John. In Revelation, it is recorded in the first chapter, tenth verse: "I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,"


The Lord's day is a reference to the Rapture. The Rapture hasn't happened yet.


Some may say that John was actually in a trance. But if you may recall, in Acts, Phillip the apostle was too transported physically by the Spirit. It is akin to teleportation.


Acts 8:39: "And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing." 


The answer is, time travel is possible... if only God transported you Himself by His will. We cannot alter the past, or rectify the present by going to the future. But who needs tine travel when the Bible already records the past, present, and the future of the universe and beyond?

Grandfather Paradox

Operation Mission Vacation

Incoming Transmission...

Briefing:
Flew from Port Columbus International to Chicago O'Hare to Seoul Incheon International Airport.
     The flight time consisted of 24 hours overall, about two hours per time zone crossed. This includes time spent in the airport waiting.
Watched the Nuclear Security Summit in Seoul, South Korea.
     Witnessed the North Koreans threaten to launch a nuclear missile, thinly disguised as a spacecraft carrying a satellite.

Flew from Seoul Incheo International to Manila Ninoy Aquino International.
Transported to Baguio City, Philippines.
     This city is my birthplace. I still somewhat recognized it apart from its now-hotter weather and smoky buildings. My family stayed in my grandma's house.

"Operation" Finished
     This trip has a threefold purpose: "Operation", a surgery; "Mission", a missions trip; and "Vacation", a time of relaxation. My dad had surgery on various parts of his body. Since the healthcare system was slow back in the West, my family decided to have it in Asia, where medical operations do not need much paperwork. I thank all that prayed for him! He had some tumors and growths that were removed and he recovered in two weeks.

"Mission" Finished
     My family went around the country to minister to several small churches. We provided some free tracts from the Fellowship Tract League of Lebanon, Ohio; helped in distributing said tracts and helped in soulwinning and visitation; sang some specials in church services; preached sermons for the congregations; and basically helped around, like missionaries. Here they are in order of attendance:

 Baguio Family Independent Baptist Church
 Victory Baptist Church
     My first church, the church of my childhood. The church celebrated a reunion of its pioneer members and the anniversary of my dad and mom. I preached a short message on "Celebration".
 Cornerstone Baptist Church
     This church has an awesome youth group, by the way. Well, all of these churches do, but this is the first that struck me as different from, say, American youth groups.
 Fishers of Men Baptist Church
 Makhasi Irisan Baptist Church
 Mountain View Lighthouse Baptist Church
     Pastored by my uncle Jovito Garcia. This church is in the middle of a tribal territory high up in the mountains. I taught Sunday School with my sisters and cousins as my dad preached in the main auditorium. The people here were very kind to us. It was somewhat strange living inside the church for the weekend.
 Bethany Makati Baptist Church
      Attended the "Youth Quest", an annual youth conference. This church has its own Christian school and Bible college and many daughter and granddaughter churches. Bethany Makati solidified my view on the "advanced" state of spirituality here, especially among the young people.

"Vacation" Finished
     To top it all off, we toured and went sightseeing and shopped and reunited with other friends and family. We went to the beach several times, particularly San Fabian and Lingayen. In Lingayen, we also visited a World War II Memorial, the site where General McArthur returned with the American forces in helping liberate the islands from the Japanese. I met many of my cousins, uncles, and aunts; nevermind that some of them were second and third cousins removed.

Transported to Manila City, Philippines.
Flew from Manila Ninoy Aquino International to Seoul Incheon International to Chicago O'Hare to Port Columbus.

Status: Operation Mission Vacation Accomplished

This message will self-destruct in T-minus 10 seconds.

Home Is 12 Time Zones Away

I'm currently one day ahead, about twenty thousand miles or one hemisphere away from home. It's weird chatting at night with people whose time is day.

Why am I here, you ask? And where is "here", by the way?

Well, home, my temporal home, is Columbus, Ohio. On the opposite side is China. I am not in China.

I am in Southeast Asia.

I am here because my dad has surgery in a few days. But also to see some family I haven't seen in a long time.

It took about 20 hours being imprisoned on planes and straddling the airports to get here: an hour's flight to Chicago's O'Hare International from Port International Columbus, then a 15 hours flight from Chicago to Seoul, South Korea, and finally another 4 hours to Manila.

Flights run by Asians are way cooler than American flights. Flights in the States are casual. They may serve a drink or two the entire flight. But in contrast, Asian flights offer meals, and not sparse meals, either. It comes complete with salad and a desert. Also, they serve drinks and refills multiple times for free. Coffee, tea, ginger ale, soda- I had them all. Except alcohol, of course.

In Korea, I watched the Nuclear Security Summit. Apparently, the North Koreans are threatening to launch some missiles and blow up the "free" world again.

In the Philippines, I saw my grandmas(my grandpas are dead), my cousins, aunts, and uncles. We visited our old church to help out with the witnessing. We've done lots of shopping. Sadly, Wi-Fi spots are rare.

It's great and all, but I'm homesick.

This Is A Test....

And it works!

From: http://godgirlsandgamedesign.blogspot.com/2012/02/postmortem-chase-unrequited.html

Sam's List of Nicknames

I'm transferring my old blog post from Xanga to here, if no one minds.

I have a lot of names, aliases, a.k.a.s throughout my short life. This blog post is mainly for my personal use, but you can answer the question at the end :)

J.S.
Jandyre
Samuel
Rosario (middle name)
Sam (most used)
Jesse (alternate identity)
John Deere (a mispronounciation)
Sammy (only close people can call me this!)
Sammy boy (my name from Brin Washington)
Toucan Sam (bestowed by our late academic environmental engineer; used when I play basketball)
the Dark Crusader (High St. Crusader fan name)
Sam the man (bestowed by Chad Wilson Mainous the Great himself, also Bro. Chris and Dr. Burns)
Sam I Am (a nickname for the outgoing, good side, credit goes to Bro. Bro)
Samma Slamma Jamma (the bad boy counterpart of Sam I Am, named by Kyle Pink)
Sambo (like Rambo, bestowed by the coolest cat Jason W!)
Sambellina (seriously Bro. Chris?)
Samantha (!?! GRRRR:P)
Sammalammadingdong (Bro. Chris again)
Samurai (bestowed by Nick the Ninja B)
Samurai Sam (forever immortalized in youth conference skits)
Secret Agent Man (S.A.M. James Bond-like entity. Very sneaky and stealthy. Bestowed by Anthony and Chad)
Professor (when I get smart alecky, credit to Mrs. Priest, my 5th grade teach)
the Messenger (one of favs, a camero appearance)
Evil Sam (the dark side...)
Dictator (a girl in my 6th grade class gave that name)
Prophet (the fire and brimstone preaching Baptist. Bestowed by David MQ "King". We are the PAK, prophets angel, and king)
gmx0 (my internet username, I usually use this one)
Samwise Maganji (from LOTR, named by K Pink)
Josef Stalin (supplants Dictator, Jayme Woolever)

The Original Dot (named from CP! forum chat Jessi "Skywalker2" and Rikki)

Uncle Sam (for obvious reasons, very patriotic. my nieces and nephews call me that)

Gentleman X to the Zeroth Degree (what gmx0 stands for)

Samx (named by the aweshum Esther Mielke)
Samy (name as a combination of Samx and Sammy, from Dawson)
Samz (an alternate form of Samx from Esther, "Samx, Samy, Samz")

Sambraro (named by Brittany Proffitt)
Grandfather Paradox (for my time travel tendecies...)
Big Brother (by my sisters and others, after the honourable leader of 1984)
Big Brother Uncle Sam (double whammy!) 
Jimmy (a result of not knowing my real name, which is disguised by gmx0 , from Joseph from CP!)
Gimmy (same as above, from Jacob Clifton)
Samol (nick from Chelsea, since I pick on her alot and called her "Chilsay" XD)
Shamol (alternate spelling)
Samy the Hamy (from my CP! sis Victoria)
Jazz (made permanent by Linda)
sammyx  (given by Carreen for my stealing of a nickname, but I don't exist ;)
Sam-sam (given by my CP! niece Sofia)
Doctor Who (Whitney's discovery)
The XD guy (credit goes to Luke Remelgado)
Samsung (credit goes to Maggie/Maglite/Magnut)
S@m (Joshua Cole)
Awe-Sam (Thyanne)
The Prime Minister (from running the VDP)
Samxgmx0
That dude with the top hat (Celticball)
Grey Eminence
Baptist Memes Guy, Baptist Memes Dude (from running @baptistmemes)
That cool Asian kid with a bow tie (Shawnee youth conference)
Billy bob (Shawnee youth conference)
Sans (from Undertale)
The Saint of the Sacred Darkness
Mr. Celestial Body (given by an Insta-follower @a_changed_rebel)
Samta Claucia (@misseejokjv24)
All-Consuming Starry Darkness
Sam Soy (from Chloe Woodward, "soy" as in "I am" in Spanish)
Sam u well (Jadon from BMC)
Jan (Erin Moran)
Mad Genius (Allison Elaine)

Do you have nicknames and what are they?

InDev: A Leap Of Faith #1

Yes, this is a real blueprint for a game. It is obviously a platform game, like Super Mario or whatnot. The character has to leap to the other side. But there's a catch...

Your character can't jump very high.

I'm still working on another game, but I already have many levels planned, based on a verse or verses from Hebrews 11 and 12.

I'll post more info soon!

The Celtic Ball

"We give praise and honor to the Lord of the dance..."

This is a highlight of my life. What an epic weekend!

The Celtic Ball is an annual springtime event organized by home schoolers in the state of Ohio. I was invited, along with a few other fellow CollegePlus! students.

I arrived at the novice practice at about 1:30 PM. Beforehand, I took my SAT at Ohio State University. The practice was in the ballroom in the Ohio Wesleyan University. A bit confused and lost at first, I wandered around the campus until I saw people dancing inside the center.

I gave my ticket at the registration desk and entered the ballroom. As it was just the practice, I came in with casual attire. Standing, I immediately spot Brittany Proffitt and her twin sister Bridget, whom I've met on CollegePlus! chat. A certain person who was supposed to drop by and say hello, didn't. :(

I had the most clumsy practice ever! Its good I hadn't tripped. Afterwards, I met Mr. and Mrs. Proffitt, and we had dinner at Bob Evans nearby. Oddly, or not oddly, all of us teenagers ordered Chicken N' Noodles Deep Dish Dinners. Mrs. Deborah Proffitt interrogated me on some random stuff.

We put on our formal attire, and waited for the Grande March. There were about 250 people in attendance! Miss Lisa Spyker, the one who invited us to the Ball, showed up with the other CollegePlus! students attending. After an impromptu photo shoot, we were off!

With the bagpiper leading the way, I walked with Brittany and Bridget walked with her father in the march. I danced a couple with the twins, and then after the breaks, danced with random girls to traditional Scottish music. I am very thankful that the Ball was not a "dating" thing, or I would have not come, due to a prior commitment. It was great seeing all the happy "couples" and sets and groups.

And.

There.

Were.

COOKIES!!! :D You can't forget about the cookies.

And so my night ended. Tis a very, very, happy night, indeed. Can't wait for next year! (If I don't go to college by then)

Interesting links:

View some photos here.

And here is Bridget's blog post about it

This is not a link, just normal words.

Another Year Of Life

I thank God for another birthday, another year of life. I am now

|4!-10^2|/2-(10^1*2)

years old.

;D (Yes, it's a math problem :)

I thank God for His grace and goodness, even though my life is a record of failures and offenses against Him. I thank Him for all the people He has put in my life to guide me. I hope He continues to guide me everyday.

I thank God that I have now lived half my life in the land of the free and the home of the brave. I thank my God for a loving church and pastor. I thank my Heavenly Father for good earthly parents. I am thankful mostly for His Son coming down on the cross to die for me, and the Holy Spirit He has given me to live within.

AltHist: Eighteen Eighty Four: Rise of AmCap

The Federalist Alexander Hamilton's National Bank was deemed unConstitutional by a Republican controlled Supreme Court and is never brought to fruition. In the Jeffersonian era, the two Presidencies of James Madison and Andrew Jackson further limited what the national government was allowed to do, slowly turning the federal republic of the United States into a confederate republic. The Second Great Awakenings further strengthened the Protestant/Puritan work ethic and the free enterprise system of economy.

The War of 1811 against British-controlled Canada turned into a decade-long cold war. Frought with other military matters elsewhere in the world, particularly with Napoleon, the British Empire decides to sell Canada to the United States. This passes in the Senate, and the United States more than doubles its area in size. Canada is split into about ten territories for future statehood. Quebec's application for statehood is quickly accepted.

A Mexican War, made famous because of the defense in Alamo, gave the United States the whole of Mexico, divided into 5 territories and Texas, which are now states. There is talk of an "American Empire" in other parts of the world, especially in Europe.

The slave issue was relegated an issue of the state government by the federal government. The Union is preserved through political manuevering, though tensions are still high. However, Civil War was averted, and the North largely ignored the slavery in the South to avoid raising tensions. This show of power by individual states make some term the states "sovereignties", and sometimes "Sovereignties", to show that they now hold more sway over their areas than the national government and thus countries in their own right.

The reason for that the Civil War being averted is a force that has been gaining tremendous power in the North: the corporation. A result of advanced and unfettered capitalism, the North entered a state of technological advancement the world had never seen before. The South struggled in its dated agriculuturally-based economy. But the free enterprise system is not only limited in the North. Soon, entrepreneurs all over the South built corporations of the Industrial Age. The slave owners gradually lost power over time.

The aerocraft, a flying steam vehicle, was invented in 1854. It became a tool for exploration of the expansion. In 1860, electric generators now generated power to the growing Northern cities. In the South, each plantation came to have their own electric generator to operate machinery.

On April 15, 1865, because of the speeches of Lincoln, all Southern states abolished slavery, except as a method of criminal punishment. Slaves were no longer needed for the most part, efficient farming machinery operated by a one person became widespread. Steam tractors and plows multiplied the South's agricultural output. In turn, more and more of the populace began to dwell in the urban areas.

In 1867, Karl Marx publishes "Das Kapital". But he praises what Capitalism has done instead of degrading it, as in this timeline. He inspires a generation of radical entrepreneurs. Karl Marx dies a rich factory owner.

The more industrilized nation began expanding in three prongs: northwards to Canada, southwards to Mexico, and westward to the untamed wilderness. City building is rapid and accompanied by quick advances in technology. Needing a communications network between their polises, the corporations of the sovereignties built telegraph and the newly-invented telephone networks.

As the corporations grew in power, it was just logical that their power structures limit the governments. In 1878, the United States national government was incorporated(jokingly referred to as "U-dot-S-dot-A-dot-Inc" or "U.S.A.Inc"). It still functions as a intermediary between state governments, and the sovereignties maintained the power in their borders. The incorporated National Government is still the only power legally able to perform diplomatic relations with foreign nations, inter-state law enforcement, and since it is incorporated to make profits, no taxation. The government is now run by the citizens as they invest in it as any corporation.

The voting system is overhauled. All citizens can still vote for the House of Representatives and the electoral college for the President, however, the Senate is voted on by investing in government stock. The electoral college votes using the sovereignties investments and stock in the government for the President.

Afraid of the rapid technological change, the Neo-Luddite Party is formed. Initially, their main base of support are farmers. They prove to be unpopular in the long run as they turned radical. They are responsible for some terrorist acts.

By 1884, Europe is fraught into a war by pro-Capitalists and pro-Socialist groups.

In 1902, atmospheric space travel is invented.

(This alternate history is not finished.)

http://althistory.wikia.com/wiki/Eighteen_Eighty_Four:_Rise_of_AmCap