August 2024: Countries clash... in the Olympics!

We're more than half way through the games now but prior to the start Israeli athletes had been threatened a repeat of Munich. Israel's response was to take out some of the leaders of their known enemies and just get on with it. Meanwhile in the USA someone had tried to off Trump who is running for President again, but it was current President Biden who pulled out from running for his second term, finally understanding that he might be too old.

That shooter wasn't Olympics worthy unlike this pair (Kim Yeji and Yusuf Dikec).

Not all is well in the Olympics though with complaints ranging from uncomfortable beds to the Seine river (used for some swimming events) being so dirty its causing athletes to fall sick. Russian troops in Ukraine know all about bad water as they have a shortage of it, resorting to drinking whatever they can find. To be fair they might be dying too quickly to care about it anyway, but are still gaining ground regardless. On the water itself it's still humorous that the Russian navy is getting sunk by a country without one.

Some of this is made possible by drones. These things can do everything it seems, from spying on Olympic soccer training to killing helicopters. The UK has recognized the threat at has made an anti-drone laser system (which probably doesn't work well in fog, snow or rain but neither would flying drones). The crafty Ukranians solution is just to shotgun them from an old Yak-52. On a random tangent, I checked if someone made a laser to kill mosquitos and the answer is yes, but it currently isn't practical. Damn.

Meanwhile more bad news for Ukraine as Hungary is upset Ukraine is blocking their oil (despite them blocking aid to Ukraine for over two years) and NATO has also deemed Ukraine too corrupt to join them. Perhaps Russia's joint venture with China to establish a moon base, possibly in Mare Tranquillitatis Pit if they can claim it first, might take some heat off? With the ISS being retired in a few years that would be a pretty big achievement.

Not sure how China plans to bank roll this given their current financial troubles, but maybe it involves assimilating the Tibetans? They've still got around 10 years to work it out anyway. Not sure the way Thailand is handling their finance would be the answer. They're simply handing out digital money to citizens!

AC Odyssey: Over Achiever

[Part of the AC Odyssey journal]

The list of accolades for the Eagle Bearer was long. A veteran of many battles and wars both on land and sea, verified leader of the usually female only Daughters of Artemis, and even an Olympic Champion for Sparta. None of those mattered to Keneon the Plains Walker who was now in Sparta city, along with numerous other mercenaries to protect the Spartan King that exiled the Eagle Bearer from those lands.

The Olympic quest line has some funny dialog options.

Besides the influx of mercenaries, the King was prudent enough to put all the soldiers in town on high alert too - knowing his life was in danger due to this decree and he was right. Keneon's keen eyes spotted the corpse of a soldier hidden in a nearby shrub, easily missed by someone less than rank Secret 4. The Eagle Bearer was close. Too close... right behind him!?

Though the backstab didn't do much damage, it did disarm Keneon's shield leaving him with just a sword. The Eagle Bearer then engaged him in a lengthy duel right in the street. Unfortunately for Keneon, his opponent was just too experienced now and could read all his moves flawlessly. And so, the Plains Walker died on that street. While he bled out, his last thoughts were of how he couldn't even land a single strike. The Spartan King would follow him to Hades shortly after.

Insight: Once you reach level 50 you unlock Mastery Levels which might seem more boring than the usual skills (they are just maths) but are far more useful. Only put 12/20 points in each one you want though as after that the gains are too small to be worthwhile. Whatever you choose, make sure to engrave your gear with synergistic components. For example, I focused on criticals: higher chance, higher damage. I was eventually one shotting any Secret rank 3 and below merc because the odds of me landing an insanely powered crit was so high.

Today I Smiled: Winter Olympics 2018

Taking a break from the Direbug Saga today to give a nod to the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics which has proved to be very entertaining. :)

My personal faves were: Chloe Kim's amazing halfpipe run, Ester Ledecka's unexpected Super G win, the pairs free skate (Germany starts at 12:54) and Javier Fernandez's silly Gala performance.

Aljona was flying!

I'm not sure if those links will work for everyone, but just in case they don't I looked for more so people wouldn't be left out in the cold.

Since I'm very into figure skating, here is the Alina Zagitova in practice, a tribute to Canada's Scott Moir and Tessa Virtue (20 years of pairs ice dancing), and Evgenia Medvedeva as Sailor Moon (not performed in these Olympics, but still cooky. Volume warning)

Didn't get to see much curling which is a shame, but watching the final shots for the men's tournament was great. Just for kicks I've also been ranking the Google Doodles during the Olympics (because I'm an animator too sometimes) and here are the results:

Rank 6
Rank 5
Rank 4
Bronze Medal
Silver Medal
Gold Medal

Also interesting that there are a few things not allowed or simply missing from the games. Lastly, for those who need that "Olympic" itch scratched - have no fear, the Marbelympics are free to watch on Youtube! Enjoy! :)

Today I Smiled: Green Olympics!

I know I'm just over a week late but happy Green Olympics everyone! Sure there might be some holes that people are falling into, but it's nothing that can't be fixed with a little duct tape! They've got some skilled camera operators too, but that hasn't stopped some competitors from... not competing? You know those guys are good when they still didn't come last place. 

Too sporty for you? Maybe you can look forward to the bionic olympics instead! Or you know, just play computer games...

That moment when NWO turns into A Tale in the Desert.

I've not been on Neverwinter Online for awhile now though I suspect soon arriving "Storm King's Thunder" module will probably draw me back in a few days. In case you were wondering, no I've not been afflicted with pokemania, though I think it would be a good idea if some cops played a variation of it at awkward hours. Criminal Go: Gotta catch em all?

Instead I've been totally sucked into Dark Souls, which I am going to write about too because... that's what I do. :P It reminds me so much of Wizardry Online - just a way better version of it. Speaking of Wizardry Online, apparently Cthulhu is there now.

That's it for now, be safe/prepared if you are at or going to Rio. I'll leave you with this really cool Rubix Cube magic clip, and if you've already seen that - a family's reaction when a brown bear gets into their camp. Spoiler: Bear Hugs involved!

Today I Smiled: Randomness!

Hope you're all enjoying the death count racking up in my Skyrim Adventure journal. I thought I'd take the time to point out that the new Philippine president is racking up a kill count (albeit indirect) too! The more I read about this guy, the more I think I would have actively voted him in too. Unless Mayor Stubbs ran against him, then I'd definitely vote for Mayor Stubbs because he's one cool cat. Literally. :P

At least neither are as controlling with their reddit channels as the magnificent leader though! r/Pyongyang is the most moderated channel I've come across on reddit thus far and it's pretty funny. Less funny is the upcoming apocalympics 2016 in Rio. I'm on board to give any athelete that attends a gold medal, and if they can leave the country and still have the medal - they can keep it.

Speaking of things that remind me of my own unfitness sports - have you ever seen a Trex run the Ninja Warrior course? Or know that Caity Lotz (aka "Sarah Lance" in the Flarrowverse) is a pocket rocket? It helps that there are gyms that are seemingly designed to train awesome skills like parkour these days. If you have a more medieval taste then this old article/interview with Samatha Swords might be of interest to you.

That's it for now, there'll be no new post tomorrow but the Skyrim adventure journal shall continue the day after. I'll leave you with some odd ball videos such as: Too Many Cooks, Don't Hug me I'm Scared, and How to Hypnotize Chickens.  Or if you prefer some music you can try anime jazz fusion and have a listen to Platina Jazz's version of Sobakasu. Alternatively if you prefer your music instruments airborne you can watch Walk off the Earth's version of Shake it Off. Have a great weekend!

Today I Smiled: Batman isn't the only thing Rising

This clip from College Humor really made me laugh the first time I saw it, and it continues to do so every time I watch it! Yes it's crude but I found it extremely well done. Gotta warn you about the adult themes and language present in the clip though, so don't watch it with little ones nearby. Also it would help if you've already seen The Dark Knight Rises movie, otherwise spoilers ahead! 

Its... Badman "Rising". :P

Also the Sochi Winter Olympics has started! I'm glad I caught a replay of my favourite ice skater Evgeni Plushenko, performing his short program. Caught me off guard for two reasons - 1) this took place a day or two before the opening ceremony and 2) I didn't think he was going to be participating any more as he had retired. Glad to see he's back, and hope he does fantastically well for his home crowd! After this round he's currently finished second behind the japanese skater Yuzuru Hanyu who pretty much embodies every anime kid you've ever seen. Hopefully Evgeni totally rocks his long program to take the lead, and the gold. :D

A Short February

Hmm its a short month up ahead with the added side tracks of the winter Olympics starting up, so hopefully I can get through everything I planned to before it ends. As usual, here's the list of things that are coming up on the JVT Workshop! You can find the previous list here.

Up Next in February:

What's on my Radar (done)
Music is Magic (done)
MMOs: Equipment more Heroic than You (done)
MMOs: The Problem With Levels (done)
MMOs: Why We Hunt (done)
MMOs: Need more Heroes and less Soldiers (done)
Review of a Dark Room (done)
Review of League of Angels (done)
Review of Wartune (done)
Review of Lost Planet 2
Review of Warcraft: Starter Edition (done)
NWO: Gateway to the Sword Coast (done)
Dead Island Diary will continue with Dead Island: Riptide (done)
First Chapter of Guild Story
Today I Smiled x2 (2/2)
Finish next NWO module? Really, this has been here awhile. Damn procrastination! :( (done)
Lose 1 kg. (failed, lost/gained zero!)