I was going to title this post "Running on Empty," but then I remembered that I'm in the Christian Science Monitor! Woo. Yay, me. (I'm only in it for a bit, but it's right at the start -- whee.)

Oh lord, it's only Monday! How am I going to make it through this week? I feel like I've been grading papers for 30 hours straight! Wait, that's not too far from the truth.

Stayed after for Go club today. Much tiredness.

A while back we passed the 10K mark -- I'd like to thank you all for making me feel good when I look at that counter. I know probably half of the hits are me checking the site, but still -- it's cool that we've had so many. Here's to many more.

I'm so sick of hearing about this election. I feel like I'm back in 2000. All the leftists are chastising Kerry for not being more spineful -- and the polls keep showing that droves of idiots are believing the hype about how well Bush is protecting us from the Evil Bad People™.

Virtual Violence

I got DRIV3R this weekend -- and despite the fact that the TomatoMeter is at a miserable 5% (I can't remember seeing anything so low), I really like it. It's not GTA, but it's not necessarily trying to be. I got it for the speed and the mayhem -- and it delivers both.

Speaking of GTA, I've been reading up on the latest offering, San Andreas. And while I see lots of cool new features that promise an intriguing mix of Sims and open-ended action, I can't find any news on whether or not they still offer the sick system of sleeping with prostitutes as a way to regenerate the male main character's health.

This is the reason I haven't bought GTA3 or Vice City, despite the fact that all I hear is that they're the best games ever invented -- I won't pay for a game that presents such a twisted perspective on gender relations. I don't really have a problem with the killing in these games, so long as it's not targeted at specific people or groups of them.

So here's the quandry. (Well, two of them, actually.)

1. If a free copy of Vice City were to fall into my lap, would it be ethical to play it?
   
   
2. Whereas RockStar is trying to present a full-fledged representation of the criminal underworld, it makes sense that prostitutes would make an appearance. (They certainly do in True Crime: Streets of LA.) But of course the problem lies in how the player interacts with them -- buying women's bodies as a way to gain health is sick and pathetic. So, let's say that this new game still offers that possibility BUT, because of the new food aspects (you eat to get healthy -- eat too much and you get out of shape; eat healthily and you're stronger and better-prepared for drive-by shootings -- the sex-for-health is just a twisted remnant of older games. Is it still unethical for me to buy it?

Obviously, the answers I'm looking for are: Yes and No. (I want loopholes so I can finally play these games I keep hearing about.)

Of course, if RockStar weren't a bunch of pathetic Typical Males, I wouldn't be having this problem. Or, I could also just turn off my conscience. Lousy moral compass! Why don't I kill you with FoxNews and booze the way so many Americans do?

Other

Jon Stewart was recently on Bill O'Reilly's show. Read the transcript at Wonkette.

Christie and Garrett should get a chuckle out of this map showing what the hurricanes mean.

I need a new CD player in my car. If I put in one more disc and see that flashing ERROR message, I'm going to stab it with something metal.

TimeWaster™

You want annoying? Try reverse. Like that game I posted not long ago with the hidden cursor, but more annoying. Thanks, MoFi!

Today I'm listening to: Paris!