Skyhigh 18 Shuze and socks
Well, the issue's footwear section begins!
Hardly though, as it is summer, and as we all know, as soon as it hits summer, everyone decides to spend their time down at the beach rather than in front of the C64, and who can blame us?
I am getting some strange comments from my parents simply because it is about 28'C outside, and I am in my room, typing away.....
So, inactivity rules, eh?
But what is inactivity? Who can we call inactive? Is it possible to say that someone is not at all active, although they claim to still be on the scene?
Look at, for example, Antitrack. He is inactive as is possible, but yet he is still on the scene, and will apparantly crack any games needing cracking, but do we see anything like that? No. So, we say he is inactive.
But hold on, what about someone like Mr Sex of Byterapers? After World of Code 3, we saw very little from him, yet he was not called inactive (but it must be remembered, he is visually active now, with his writing for The Pulse). Its hard to tell whether someone is inactive or active.
Anyone who does not see anything that I do (i.e. people I don't swap with, or people who don't see any of my mail stuff) may believe I was inactive, while that is very far from the truth. The opposite applies with people who call the boards only, or supply calling cards. People do not see them on the mail scene, so they do not get votes in the mail magazines (for example this one, or The Tribune) but they do in The Relax and The Pulse, as they have a board chart.
Who is active,e who is inactive? What a problem! What can you do to decide who is active and who is active? Simply enough, there is nothing you can really do, besides have a good look at what people have done. Like why does Powerplant STILL get voted for?!?!?!? And I saw a magazine the other day that said it was good that Rob Hubbard was still getting voted for (as a musician, obviously!). Why is that good? All it means is that the charts are full of shit, as people aren't voting for active sceners, only the good ons of old. How long before we see Eaglesoft back at the top of the charts if the idea is given that the best of all time should be voted for?
I have always thought that the charts need a good firm hand in sorting them out, that votes for people like Powerplant should be most definitely removed, and when magazines like The Pulse compile their charts, they should make a point of it that they will not take charts from magazines which do not check their votes. It really is time. Magazines already check the group and magazine charts, and remove dead or inactive ones. Surely it is time that inactive sceners get removed too.
Of course, it is difficult to judge, as I recently found out. I have voted Alias Medron/Chromance as one of my top artists, as he is a truly great artist, for a few months, since I first saw his work, but then I heard that he had quit the scene, so thought I should not carry on voting for him, obviously. Then, he came back to the scene.
So, then, we find the problem that if he had been removed from the charts, by the time the news had filtered through that he had returned to the scene, he would have been removed from all charts, even though he would actually be active!
But I do believe that it is high time that inactive people were removed from the charts, and that as well as a "self-voters" list, an "oldies voters" list should be included, so that people still voting for people like Powerplant should be suitably embarrassed for voting so thoughtlessly. Just think how some people feel when they see they are ranked lower than someone who quit the scene well over a year ago! BTW, I'm not talking about me there, as I personally don't care about charts (although I must admit, I have some serious gloating to do after reading the charts in The Tribune 52! 8-)
But think about it. Don't just write. Maybe spend 5 minutes one day thinking about who you will vote for, and write your votes down, pin them up on a wall, then always copy them. Its time some fairness was seen in the charts!
WHY!!!!
(Subject change here ladies and gents!)
Why do people do it? Why?
Why do people deliberately lable themselves with a handle that is bad for them!
I'm not just talking about a bad handle here, you know, like "Shuze" or anything, and it must be said, that is pretty damned bad, but I mean a really bad handle.
As an example, we start with the name "Asswipe". There is a scener out there at the moment called "Asswipe", who is a good musician, but he is called ASSWIPE for goodness sake! Where is the need?
Can you imagine if you gave yourself the handle "LAMER", or "FUCKWIT"? Would you bother? What is the point? With a handle like that, I really can't imagine anyone getting anywhere! On the other hand, something with a real ring to it, like "Jack Alien", "Burglar", "Antitrack", "TTS", "The Syndrom" or the ever so classic "Biz Kid" (hehehe, he's Biz Kid, I'm the Kissing Up Kid) will always get somewhere! At least people will think to themeselves, that's a really good handle, I like that.
And what would happen if someone wrote your handle on the envelope? Can you imagine it?
FUCKWIT BILL SOMEBODY SOMEWHERESVILLE SOMEWHERE
Its not exactly the best thing to see on an envelope is it?
Oh well, I guess there's always some people....
Recently, quite a few people have had a good old moan at me for being English. They have said things along the lines of "I am sick of English being the standard scene language, its not as if there are many sceners in the UK, is it?"
The people in question then went on about how Polish should be the standard language.
I guess its a fair point, as nowadays there is no need for everyone to understand English, as if there were no English sceners, everyone could speak, erm, well, damn... What other language is taught in all countries (except for a few). There would be no talking between countries. Each group would end up taking on interpreters before coders!
Can you imagine it? You would need an interpreter who knew Polish, German, Dutch, Swedish, Danish and more! Its not as if Polish is taught anywhere except for in Poland, and the same applies for Dutch, Swedish and Danish! The only standard languages in the world are English and French, then German and Spanish come next.
So, why not think next time when making a demo, why write everything in German or Polish if you can find someone to translate it for you? You really should, as other wise all Polish guys alienate guys outside of Poland, the Germans alienate the others, but when a demo is in English, 95% of people can read it!
Aha, we English do provide something to the world, but I guess that is cancelled out by us making Eastenders and Coronation Street.....
Just speaking of countries, did you know that during the 1994 world cup finals, the Americans asked a lot of people who their favourite Irish person was, and about 90% apparantly said Jack Charlton? That's fine I guess, except he is probably one of the most English people you could ever find....
Well, I'll leave you this time with a joke supplied to me by Dancin' Homer/Moe's Tavern:
Why don't women need umbrellas? It doesn't rain in the bedroom or kitchen!
That one's for you Elvira.... Hehehe....
Later!
Shuze/Afl'70
