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Gatanui

Premier Retired Staff
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Blog Entries posted by Gatanui

  4. Gatanui

    Sort of a Manifest Maybe

    By Gatanui,

    So thanks to fantastic person @Obsessionist it turns out we've got a six-month Premier Membership now. And now that we've got it, I guess the logical first step is to write a blog entry.
     
    You probably don't but perhaps you've been wondering where we've been lately. You may have noticed that we aren't as active as we used to be. I still come around every day and check out the news, post a news story every now and then (though probably not as often as I should ) and browse the forums. The truth is that I've realized that I'm in a bit of a mini dark age as far as LEGO is concerned. I still follow all the BIONICLE news, watch all the Ninjago episodes and look forward to watching the Nexo Knights pilot when it airs in Germany. We still buy BIONICLE sets, although we haven't for about ten months - it's getting time again.
     
    However, the thing is that lately I've become much more active in another community, which is the Windows community. Now, I'm sure the first thing some of you think of when hearing "Windows" is crashes, blue screens and all the like and I'm sure some of you may even wonder how such a community exists. You may find even stranger that it was the often hated Windows 8 that drove me into the community. I'm not sure "the" community exists but there are several fan sites and general tech enthusiast sites out there that I visit and comment in, e.g. Windows Central and The Verge (which is not a Windows site, some would argue its authors are Apple fanboys but I don't care, I'm quite fond of the site somehow). You may be wondering, why Windows? Windows 8, even before its release, attracted me into the world of Windows because with all its awkwardness, I found it so interesting conceptually and, at a time where most mainstream software like iOS and Windows 7 etc. still sported pseudo-3D graphics and skeuomorphism, also interesting visually, that I wanted to find out more about it and discovered a couple of Windows-focused news sites and started visiting them regularly. Now the Windows 8 era is over and I find that with Windows 10 and the Universal Windows Platform, which allows a single application to run across the entire array of Windows devices, i.e. from phones, tablets, PCs to even the HoloLens, Microsoft has by far the most interesting concept of the three biggest consumer OS companies out there right now, i.e. Apple, Google and Microsoft. I also find the software and hardware convergence Microsoft is pursuing with Windows 10 and devices like the Surface (proud owner of a Surface Pro 3 here) very intriguing, although some argue that it's the wrong way and that Apple's approach of having one separate OS for each device type is the wiser path. However, I think that the fact that there are these different philosophies out there and that each company is having its try at their own philosophy and to prove that it's the best is fantastic.
     
    Fun fact, I was invited to the Microsoft HQ in Redmond in April with nine more people from around the world as the result of a contest, where I also won the Surface Pro 3 that I own, and had a fantastic time. I even got to meet BZPower's own GSR (Nate)!
     
    Of course, I'm not married to neither Microsoft nor Windows. While right now I have no intentions to move to the Apple or Google camp, things may look very different one or two years from now, particularly with the rather uncertain future of Windows Phone / Windows 10 Mobile (I would say it's still got enough energy to survive through 2016 but beyond that it's probably anyone's guess). I'm open for change, unlike a certain kind of Windows fan out there I don't have anything against Apple or Google whatsoever and I like to follow what all the companies in the tech space are doing, not just Microsoft. My current Windows "fan-ism" is just a symptom of something deeper, which is my love of technology. And by "love" and I don't mean the way you say you love pizzas or tacos, but in a different, rather deep and meaningful way, almost the way you'd say you love a person. A few weeks ago I attended a very interesting talk of Eric Schmidt (Executive Chairman of Alphabet Inc., formerly Executive Chairman of Google and CEO of Google before that) in the Technical University of Berlin and while I was sitting there, surrounded by hundreds of like-minded people, I felt an interesting and comforting sense of home. While the event only served as a confirmation of what I already knew, again I felt that I had found where I wanted to be, what I wanted to do with my life, which isn't to say it's the only thing I want to do in my life but it's certainly the main thing I want to occupy my life with and what I want to identify myself with. I can say with full honesty and from the very bottom of my heart that I love technology deeply, that it's the single greatest passion of my life and that it's my dream to make my contribution, to leave my impression in this fascinating and wonderful world of bits and bytes and circuits and whatnot our species has created and I'm incredibly excited to see where this world is going to take us. I want to believe that what we have achieved so far is only a small sparkle of the beginning. I've begun studying computer science in this semester in what I hope will be the first step towards fulfilling my dream and to become a software developer, though my plans go beyond just software.
     
    Which brings me to the last topic I want to discuss in this entry. My brother and I have ideas. We also have plans. Big plans. In fact, we have this one idea that's been roaming in our heads for some time that we think has a tremendous potential and we are fully determined to make real. We plan to actually begin next summer. Please forgive me for not revealing any more details than that but I can tell you that we think it's pretty big and while of course it could go all wrong or it could turn out that what we have in mind simply isn't viable with today's technology, the potential is certainly there. As Yoda would say, do or do not. There is no try. We're choosing to do, or, as Shia LaBeouf would put it, JUST DO IT.
     
    So I guess there is something to look forward to. We'll see.
     
    Despite all this big talk about technology and the like, let me reiterate that I have not forgotten about this site and the LEGO community and we (that is, my brother and I) are still dreaming of a house with a big basement to build a big city out of LEGO and to put tons of BIONICLE figures and MOCs in.
     
    If you made it this far, thank you for reading through this wall of text, I'll make sure to make the next entry much shorter but it's been ages since I wrote a blog entry here so I wanted to get this all out. And of course, huge thanks to Obsessionist for the Premier Membership that made it possible for me to write this today. Let's see where this takes us. Don't worry, there'll be other topics to discuss.
  5. Gatanui

    Video Games in 2016

    By Gatanui,

    We're not hardcore gamers (especially me), but there's three games we're really looking forward to in 2016:
     
    First up is Manifold Garden. If you've already played Antichamber, then Manifold Garden may look familiar to you, though it seems to take the mind-breaking physics and optics even a step further. Of course, the fact that I have studied mathematics probably helps but I was already a huge fan of Antichamber (in fact, it's probably my favourite video game to date) and this one looks equally promising. It reminds me of Antichamber enough for its similarity to be a treat but it looks unique enough at the same time. Games like this are what transcend the medium of video games to a whole new category of art, achieving impressions and building immersive worlds that were never possible before. Just imagine how this is going to feel like with VR - probably dizzying, but in an awesome way. In conclusion, I can't wait to play this game and in case you haven't checked out Antichamber yet, I definitely urge you to do so.
     
    Next up is Mass Effect Andromeda, which is of course an entirely different genre but who says you can't like more than one thing? I played Mass Effect 1 and 2 in 2014 and Mass Effect 3 in 2015 and I loved the immersive world-building and deep mythology behind the worlds, the cultures and the species living in them. Of course, the shooting part was fun, too, but I wouldn't be nearly as or at all interested in Mass Effect if it didn't have all the story. Unlike some people, I'm also a great fan of Mass Effect 3 and its endings (in the Extended Cut DLC) - this said, I'm also a firm believer of the Indoctrination Theory, which probably helps a lot in appreciating the ending, or rather the three different possible endings (another of the things I love most about Mass Effect is how it gives you room for your own decisions and its fairly non-linear gameplay). Mass Effect Andromeda won't be a direct sequel to Mass Effect 3 and it won't star Commander Shepard as the protagonist, but it takes place in entirely the same universe so there's plenty to look forward to.
     
    Lastly, another game we're looking forward to is Mirror's Edge: Catalyst. We discovered the original Mirror's Edge in 2012 and I played it again last year. I'm a pretty great fan of the game's aesthetic (including the animated cut scenes, which didn't seem as popular and unfortunately won't be there in Catalyst) and music. Catalyst seems to improve on some of the key game mechanics and changes the aesthetic subtly enough to look distinct from the original game but still similar enough to make it clear they're related, which is a good thing in my eyes. Let's see if the game will know to deliver - maybe it will bring a more compelling story, too.
     
    So I think that covers it. What video games are you looking forward to in 2016?
  7. Gatanui

    Fad

    By Gatanui,

    Since my AMA entry was one of the first made during anniversary week (at least as far I can tell), I'll pretend I was involved in starting this fad.
     
    -Gata
  8. Gatanui
    I kinda forgot that yesterday was my six-year anniversary of being on the staff, of which more than five were on the Forum Mentor team. Not gonna lie to you, that was quite awful in the end. Not only was I a bit tired of doing the same staff job for five years, it was mostly that there was basically nothing left to do because of the decreased activity and the end of New Members needing ten posts approved before gaining full member privileges. So I was quite glad when Black Six offered me a job as a Reporter last year and I think I actually like that job more. I figure IF BIONICLE came back, that would make the job even more interesting but it's already quite cool as it is. Anyway, just wanted to shout that out there. I've been on the staff double the time I was just a normal member and if I weren't a staff member, who knows if I would be still here. Anyway, cheers, here's to some more.
     
    -Gata
  9. Gatanui

    Ask Me Anything

    By Gatanui,

    Half of the anniversary week is over so I'm giving you the chance to ask me whatever you want because why not? After all, it's not every day that you can post blog entries (unless you have lifetime Premier Membership). So yeah, let those questions roll in.
     
    -Gata
  10. Gatanui

    Rumors

    By Gatanui,

    I have noticed a funny phenomenon. When there is a rumor you hold likely, but still have doubts about, it happens that as time passes, you become more and more sure that it's actually true, while in fact during that time period nothing has happened that would alter the situation. Same happens when you hold it unlikely, where you'll become more and more convinced that it's not true.
     
    Unless I'm the only one who has experienced this and I'm kind of a strange person?
     
    -Gata
  11. Gatanui

    WEEE!

    By Gatanui,

    Hey, so, looks like I got Premier perks again! It's been some time. Maybe we should get Premier Membership...
     
    So, anyway, I'm not sure what to write yet. I'm writing an exam in Discrete Mathematics tomorrow and another one in Computer Science on Tuesday. I guess I should study for those now instead of writing these lines. Anyway, let's see if anyone actually reads this. Let's make this an "Ask me anything" session! If I get enough comments in my blog entries during this week I may actually consider getting Premier Membership.
     
    G out
     
    -Gata
  12. Gatanui

    So long, dear blog!

    By Gatanui,

    Thought I'd write some sort of goodbye entry before the Premier perks are gone again. We are thinking of buying Premier Membership anyway, but there will be some time without Premier perks anyway. So thanks to everyone who visited my blog and commented. Hopefully I'll be able to blog again soon!
     
    -Gata
  13. Gatanui

    New skin

    By Gatanui,

    Yeah, this is just a plain boring entry about the new skin, but I have to do it. In case you haven't realized yet, this is what I was talking about when saying there would soon be changes reminding us of our heritage. Do you like it? I do and I hope you do, too. Kudos to Than and WW for most of the work!
     
    -Gata
  14. Gatanui

    Linkin Park

    By Gatanui,

    Yep, I thought now that we can blog we should make it worth it.
     
    Anyway, we've got both Hybrid Theory and Living Things by Linkin Park today. We already had Meteora before and plan to get the remaining two soon.
    In concrast, I think I like Living Things more than Hybrid Theory, but maybe it's just because it suits my mood better. I've just listened to My December from HT and it's surprisingly good, though. But seriously, LT is fantastic. I think my favourite ones are Lost in the Echo, I'll Be Gone, Castle of Glass and the AWESOMENESS of Victimized. That song rocks so hard.
     
    Seriously, every single song of the five studio albums is fantastic. Yes, even A Thousand Suns. Even though we haven't got it yet, I love it. Seriously, Wretches and Kings is one of the best and most powerful songs I've ever heard, although I love even songs like The Requiem.
     
    Anyone agree?
     
    I wonder when my brother is finally going to make a blog entry.
     
    -Gata
  15. Gatanui
    So non-Premier staff finally got Premier perks again after the past two years where we didn't, so I thought it would be time to start blogging! An actual blog this time, not the weird thing we had before, if you still remember. Anyway, we are thinking of buying Premier Membership, but for now, we'll just make use of this week of free Premier perks and see afterwards. I've been wanting to get a blog for a time, so I'm glad we finally got the chance to try!
     
    Well, I'm sure I'll write some meaningful blog entries soon. See you!
     
    -Gata
  16. Gatanui

    Four years

    By Gatanui,

    So four years ago the Forum Mentor group was introduced and I was promoted to the staff. Four years later, I'm still a Forum Mentor and the only one of the original left still in that position.
     
    I can't believe I've been a staff member for longer than I was a normal member. I couldn't really imagine it another way anymore. And there is really a lot I owe to my promotion, in terms of experiences, lessons and maturing. When looking back at when I was promoted, I realize I was actually still a kid. Between then and now, so much has happened. Now I'm about to start with university and I look forward to it.
     
    This also means I've been carrying the Senior News Finder title for a year. Boy, boy, how time passes.
     
    Thank you Black Six for promoting me and to everybody on the staff and on the site for making my job and that time worthwhile! Here's to another year!
     
    -Gata
  17. Gatanui

    Mark Community Read

    By Gatanui,

    Okay, scrap that last entry of mine. I do know what to blog and rant about now. That stupid "Mark Community Read" link I find completely useless and I've clicked today for the second time in three days. >.< Then again, maybe I shouldn't be so trigger-happy with my mouse button. Whatever. At least it wasn't as bad this time as three days ago.
     
    I do hope I won't find too many things to rant about, though.
     
    -Gata
  18. Gatanui

    Blogging

    By Gatanui,

    You know that feeling when you have a blog and want to blog about anything, but simply don't know what to blog about? I hate it.
     
    Well, I could always blog about how I slept badly tonight and how I woke up with my right ear totally deaf and how it's so annoying and how it's much better now, but I doubt that's even interesting.
     
    Yeah, I'll eventually get the hang of bloggging.
     
    -Gata
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