The Back Room

[Retech]

This is my beastly personal narrative that I wrote in an hour. I think it's decent for the time invested. Nex and Earth might recognize a character in the story. :P

 

[hide]

 

Hiding Behind a Smile

 

The first day of school is usually the most memorable day of the school year, especially at a new school. Countless stories have been told about meeting a wacky teacher, throwing up, or talking to a new friend. Some of these experiences are humorous and others are horribly traumatic. The first day can sometimes be misleading. The older students have not started school and the teachers ferry the new students around, trying to give a positive first impression. To get a real feel of the school, I knew I had to wait for a while until the teachers lost their façade and began to lose their hope that we would be less stressful to handle than the waves of children that came before us.

 

It was a cold morning in October when my mom dropped me off at Boynton Middle School, almost one month after the school year began. I was bundled in several heavy layers and a winter coat. Halloween was only a month away, and I already made my plans to hide inside my bedroom on Halloween night to read. I heard the bell, signaling that I had to rush to my first class. I scurried along inside the building, tee-tottering my way through the overwhelming masses of bull-headed eighth graders. I didn’t have much time to go to my locker, so I hauled my clothes around until lunch, when I finally had time to stow them away. The day had already started badly; could the day get any worse? Since I moved to Cayuga Heights last year (Before then, I was supposed to go to Dewitt), I didn’t really know anyone at Boynton. That day, I had to undergo the humiliating experience of having a teacher try to seat me with the other children. I didn’t have the will to tell them that I was fine without eating while crammed in such a tiny space, so I snuck off once the teacher left to deal with a food fight at the other end of the cafeteria.

 

After lunch and a terribly boring art class, I arrived in Ms. Mangino’s sixth grade accelerated math room. She liked to open the windows and augment her dimly lighted room with natural sunlight, but the clouds had rolled in and the room was dark. The room was still half-empty and the teacher was not around, so I sat down at my desk and began to take out my notebooks. Our desks were arranged with no spaces in between them, so I tried to move my notebooks onto the edges of the adjacent desks so they gave me space when the other students came. After I finished unpacking, I went to pick up a math textbook from the shelf at the corner of the room. As I was navigating my way through the narrow gap between the rows of desks, I realized that there was someone in front of me. I vaguely knew him as Geoffrey, the blond haired boy that loomed at least half a head over me. I made a gesture to ask him to momentarily back up and let me through, because he could had space to merely stand aside, while I would have to return all the way down the row of desks. He wouldn’t budge. The day had already gotten worse. He tried to move me aside with a gust of smelly breath, which was undoubtedly more effective because my nose was around the same height as his mouth. Only a month into middle school, I had already earned the reputation as mild-mannered, so he probably expected me to move aside. On an ordinary day, I would’ve moved aside, but today was not a very ordinary day.

 

Instead, in a movement faster than the speed of sight, I brought my hand (which had been dangling at my side) up to eye-level, and poked him near both eyes simultaneously. He began to tumble backwards, almost comically, onto the tiled floor behind him, covering his eyes. I stepped deftly around him and quickly grabbed a math textbook. No one else had noticed the incident, so I ran back to my desk and began to nonchalantly push my notebooks around in a pathetic attempt to act innocent. Word of the event began to trickle around the room and many people began to chatter excitedly. I was definitely concerned that I would get in trouble for the first time in my life, even though I thought that a careful examination of the facts would show that I was entirely justified. The teacher came into the room and asked what was going on, because she had heard the noise from the hallways. The room went silent instantly. When no one spoke up, Geoffrey leapt out of his chair and began to explain the situation in a series of long-winded tirades against me. The teacher looked at me, and I smiled innocently. I had also acquired the reputation for smiling often, so a simple smile could not reveal my thoughts accurately. The teacher looked around the room at the rest of the children, but none of them would support Geoffrey’s story. She remarked to herself that it was impossible for me to do anything like that, laughed a little, and went to the front of the room to teach the class. Geoffrey was fuming, but I was beaming until the very end of the day. For another person, the incident could have resulted in a punishment or a trip down to the principal’s office, but when I needed it most, I could count on my reputation as a friendly and mild-mannered person. I learned that being good pays off in the end. Perhaps the only reason that I could not pull this stunt off today is because my teacher already knows this story and now, so do you.

 

[/hide]

[Nexaduro]

Bwahahahahahahaha

 

You actually poked Twardoofus in the eyes? :lol:

[Retech]

It's actually a true story. You can ask Geoffrey and maybe Allison to confirm the story (though the timing might've been off. I just decided Halloween because it fit).

 

You have to agree that it was ninja.

[archimage_a]

Ref:

http://forum.tip.it/forum-220/announcement-74-reminder-regarding-videos-images/

[Ieyfura]

So, the sky is blue, and I'm buying my new computer tomorrow or Thursday. woohoo!

[The_Mather1]

Great news. :thumbsup:

I've tried posting, using the PS3, it was a major pain in the rear.

[Ieyfura]

Great news. :thumbsup:

I've tried posting, using the PS3, it was a major pain in the rear.

 

So, you understand my pain?! lol

[The_Mather1]

Yeah... and now you can join our IRC games.

[The_Mather1]

Iey, did you know you can use USB keyboards with the PS3?

 

EDIT: Ooh, my mouse works too.

[jasignhagj]

Can you play games with them?

[archimage_a]

Not many, and usually only when typing is required...but some support them.

Most don't since it is expensive, redundant and time consuming to program for keyboard and mice when you have a controller.

[jasignhagj]

Keyboard/Mouse is far superior in most games.

[archimage_a]

Except baseball...tennis...golf...basically all the games on the Wii, PS3 Motion, Xbox Kinects and the other general stuff.

 

Also combo button games.

 

Also, if you have ever tried to play a game on a keyboard using an emulator you will know you get no where near as responsive gameplay...since you have to move your whole hand across the keyboard to press a button, rather than just your thumb or the tip of one of your fingers.

 

Also games like Alpha Protocol, where you need to delicately do stuff(gentle push down L2 VS move the mouse) are severly nerfed, making them less fun.

 

It is also harder to grip the keyboard when you see something scary, mouse not so much, but games where the mouse is key tend to be point and click/fire, so are just a constant stream of targets or never very scary.

 

....

 

Basically, in games where you have a very simple interface (Where 16 buttons or 32 button combos(R2+X, R1+Y...and so on) can do anything), a controller is far better because 16 buttons on a keyboard is one and a half lines...Not to mention sticky keys if you are holding down shift...

In games with a simple interface and simple control system (6 buttons) then keyboard and keyboard/mice are pretty evenly matched...

ADSW works as the left down right up, control and alt as X and Y, Q and E as R1, L2....Or the arrow keys, shift, enter, control and alt.

In complicated interface games the mouse is the best.

For typing the keyboard is best.

 

The keyboard does have 1 major advantage over the controller, and that is the escape key...I have never encounted a keyboard where the 'start' button was somewhere as...ergonomic.

You can slam it, you can press it, you can play a game for five hours without pressing it and still be able to hit it first time...It is just awesome.

[The_Mather1]

I now have an epic computer setup, two laptops, a stationary computer, my TV and my PS3 all hooked up to eachother with a LAN bridged to my wireless network. All I need is a network switch to replace the router, a way to connect my harddrive to all of them without having to share it on the network and more outlets.

[jasignhagj]

Except baseball...tennis...golf...basically all the games on the Wii, PS3 Motion, Xbox Kinects and the other general stuff.

 

Also combo button games.

 

Also, if you have ever tried to play a game on a keyboard using an emulator you will know you get no where near as responsive gameplay...since you have to move your whole hand across the keyboard to press a button, rather than just your thumb or the tip of one of your fingers.

 

Also games like Alpha Protocol, where you need to delicately do stuff(gentle push down L2 VS move the mouse) are severly nerfed, making them less fun.

 

It is also harder to grip the keyboard when you see something scary, mouse not so much, but games where the mouse is key tend to be point and click/fire, so are just a constant stream of targets or never very scary.

 

....

 

Basically, in games where you have a very simple interface (Where 16 buttons or 32 button combos(R2+X, R1+Y...and so on) can do anything), a controller is far better because 16 buttons on a keyboard is one and a half lines...Not to mention sticky keys if you are holding down shift...

In games with a simple interface and simple control system (6 buttons) then keyboard and keyboard/mice are pretty evenly matched...

ADSW works as the left down right up, control and alt as X and Y, Q and E as R1, L2....Or the arrow keys, shift, enter, control and alt.

In complicated interface games the mouse is the best.

For typing the keyboard is best.

 

The keyboard does have 1 major advantage over the controller, and that is the escape key...I have never encounted a keyboard where the 'start' button was somewhere as...ergonomic.

You can slam it, you can press it, you can play a game for five hours without pressing it and still be able to hit it first time...It is just awesome.

 

I guess it depends on your preferences. I mostly play FPS and RTS/TBS games, for shooters it's easier to be accurate with the mouse, although movement is a bit harder. Strategy games are undeniably better with a keyboard and mouse. You get shortcuts, quicker cursor movement and an all-around better interface.

[Seraphi]

Not to mention that RTS games are nigh unplayable on anything but the PC... And that probably wont change anytime soon. RTS has always been a PC exclusive genre, really.

[archimage_a]

In complicated interface games the mouse is the best.

 

Though RTS can port quite easily to consoles, C&C is an obvious example.

Generally, though, RTS has periods when you are sitting back, and periods when you are leaning forwards trying to see a tiny detail. If you are using a TV set spaced 2 meters away it is alot harder to lean in...you usually have to stand up and walk across the room, which spoils the moment.

[The_Mather1]

I was hacked and lost 3mill in RS today. :sad:

However a friend of mine was kind enough to give me 3mill! :thumbsup:

[jasignhagj]

Are you a member?

[Nexaduro]

Mather, what sort of stupid password did you have?

[The_Mather1]

The sort of stupid password that is 6 letters long and nigh unguessable no matter how well you know me. Bu that's not the wierd part, the hacker had also gotten my pin, as it was not even attempted changed.

 

Trol, yes.

[The_Mather1]

Apparently the hacker broke some rules and got me muted too.

[Nexaduro]

Well then file a damned report with Jagex and check what you were reported for, they have logs y'know. And you've obviously either A: Been putting your password in the wrong places or B: Being less-than-cautious with some sort of virus. Heh, maybe Hex nabbed you?

[The_Mather1]

Only two people have known that password, both of which have helped me, neither of which remember it for more than an hour and neither of which remembers my PIN. And my computer is clean as the sun's core, my antivirus is oversensitive and even reacts to my harddrive's autorun file.

 

And there's no way Hex could do such a thing. He once bragged about finding a picture of downtown Drammen, trying to use it for intimidation. He also asked me if there was any way he could change his IP permanently. He can find useless software alright, but when it comes to using his brain he might as well hit himself with a shovel and do the first thing he could think of.

 

 

Anyways for some reason there was no offence to appeal, I'm in the green zone on both bans and mutes, with only two invalid offences listed, both of which were from previous hackings more than three years ago.

[Nexaduro]

Well then you obviously should contact Jagex... Maybe appeal as well somehow...