Can SimCity teach us how to run govt?

As I am without the internet until sometime Thursday when the technician comes, I've tried to find other things to do since I am not networking as much. And, I've been getting busy with some SimCity 3000. Unfortunately, I can't find disc 1 to my SimCity 4

One thing that I know about SimCity is that if you're hemorrhaging money, you won't last long. The game is set up so that you run a successful city indefinitely.
Well, what defines success?

Simple enough, as long as you're in the black or making money, you can maintain and expand your city, you're a success.

You zone for residential, commercial, and industry from light to medium to dense. Basically, it's the difference bewteen zoning for small homes to large industrial complexes. And, a burgeoning city will have a mixture of all these zones. People need a place to live, a place to work, and a place to buy things.

And, unfortunately, the government needs taxes to support services such as roads/bridges, water, electricity, education, fire department, and even police. Taxes also allow for ordinances which include things like smoke detectors, junior sports, and neighborhood watch programs. Finally, who's going to build and maintain those parks?

One cool facet to keep your city healthy is the neighborhood deal which may include buying or selling water delivery, garbage disposal services, and/or electricity. Depending on your excess of allocations for those services, you may be offered a deal.

If at any point, you run out of money, you can always get a loan. If you go in the hole deep enough, it's game over.

I know SimCity is a case of art imitating life but, it's still based on fundamentals. How "real" is SimCity? How close to life is this art?

I find that I am very Republican when I first start a city. Low taxes and low spending. Low taxes bring the people in fast. Low spending allows me to run a deficit. However, my Republicanism ends very quickly after which I turn into a Democrat because I can't run a deficit forever. The game will end, obviously.

Mostly, I do this because in SimCity, as is in the real world, people want this and they want that. For example, the elderly want shuttle service. Well, if that's going to happen, I'll need to find a way to afford it. Eventually so many people want so many different things that some will be ignored and others, to my thinking, are required. There's only so much "dealing" I can do. Therefore, I have to raise taxes so I can afford it.

One thing that I've learned is that you've got to plan for the future. In case something happens - natural disaster - I'll have some funds that I can quickly spend to rebuild the area quickly. That makes perfect sense doesn't it? However, I don't have to hoard all of the money! This is SimCity, not SimDictator or Tropico, which is a fun game as well.

At a certain point, I'll feel it is necessary to lower taxes because I am running on a surplus. What else would I do with that money after I've filled the city's "emergency fund"? Pay down the "city" debt? Well, if I had a debt, I'd be concentrating on getting rid of it, not lowering taxes. But, I guess that's the Democrat in me. Besides, I'd lose the game otherwise.

The most important thing to do in SimCity is listen to the people - petitioners and advisers. They come with gifts, advice, demands, and anger. It all depends on how you run the city.

I know if I run the city like a Republican, crime will go up, fire hazards will increase, traffic will get out of control, and people will leave the city and what little taxes I do get won't even begin to cover any of my expenses. Then, I have to cut back services which end up causing strikes, riots, and protests in the streets. At that point, all the bad things have taken hold and I couldn't attract people to my city with 0% taxes. The point is that I have to stay in the black or lose the game.

But, if I run my city like a Democrat, I know it will go on forever. Sure taxes will be higher than a Republican would like but, people have a home, they are working, and they are buying. Crime is low; my jails are only 10% full which equals about 0.06% of my population in jail. The RCI indicator is letting me know that people desire more industry and residential while commercial desirability is stable. My taxes are comfortably are lower than what I started with. And, I am well above my "emergency fund" so I can actually begin deficit spending by lowering taxes even more. Why not? I can afford it since my cash flow has increased almost 300% even with the lower taxes.

Interesting! How exactly does it work that I have lower taxes and more income even though my spending increased? Well I also have 6,000 more people in my city! I didn't need to increase services so they can pay more into the system for the same efficient and effective services! And, that's how you run a government.

Unfortunately, SimCity is not real life. When you have problems in SimCity, you can start over again. You can't start over in real life. You've got to actually fix problems or else they persist and worsen. And, you definitely can't fix your problems by ignoring them or continuing the same policies that caused problems in the first place. That's not just a political reality, it's personal reality.
End
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Read More

Damn! Internet addiction is real!

As long as I've been smoking marijuana, I've had hear all of the garbage myths. The worst myth of them all is that marijuana is addictive. The real reason anti-legalization activists - police and criminals alike - say marijuana is addictive is to liken it to heroin and cocaine to add that connotation of "dangerous substance".

But, I digress..

As many times as I've quit smoking marijuana, even for extended periods of time, I've never experienced withdrawal symptoms. In fact, I've never really known what a withdrawal symptom felt like until now.

Today, around noon, NYC had a little thunderstorm. It boomed loud as hell. I saw the flash of light outside of my window. It was just awesome if you ask me. I noticed my internet wasn't working. I figured it was the storm and things would be back to normal soon. No such luck.

Around 6, I called Verizon. Sure enough I talked to someone who probably doesn't live in the US. And, of course, she ran me through the guantlet of dumb ass things to do to fix the connection. They call it troubleshooting. I call it a waste of my time.

Although, I do understand they do this because most people are incredibly stupid. Some people just need to be told things like, "Check if the power cord is plugged in.". And, it solves the BULK of complaints. And, I know I won't be recognized as someone who CAN set up a modem, router, build a computer, or doesn't use antivirus because I can actually do it myself. No, ithey don't know that so I get treated like Sarah Palin.

But, I digress...

After I jump through all the hoops with customer service - like literally switching the ends of the cord from the router to the modem - she finally tests the line from her office to realize the real issue is on their end. Yeah, that's why I called you. I know the problem is on your end.

Everytime I have a problem, it's on YOUR end. And not just Verizon but AT&T, Blackberry, DirecTV, ConEd and every organization, business, and corporation that I need to facilitate my technological existence.

But, I digress...

She called "dispatch" because they schedule the technicians to come to my spot. Unfortunately I have to wait until April 9th and this all took place on the 3rd. So, 6 days without internet.

So, I've decided to survive on whatever wifi connection I can steal in the neighborhood. Unlike Manhattan's mostly dumb ass, wifi ignorant residents, Bronx residents actually set up their security. I found only one unsecured connection and it's intermittent at best.

It hasn't even been a full day yet and I am constantly checking my modem in the hopes they found a fix at the Verizon "office". I can't seem to just close my laptop and wait. I have my cellphone, Blackberry Bold aka BBAnthony, with the full data plan. But, I can't maneuver on it like I can on the computer. Arrgghhh! I'm suffering over here with no connection. I actually thought about driving into Manhattan where I know I'd find rampant open residential connections.

When I stop smoking marijuana, it's like not eating my favorite food. I miss it, can't wait to have it, but I'm in no rush or need to get it. By the way, my favorite food is stew chicken with rice and peas, West Indian style and I can't remember the last time I've had that.

But, I want my damn internet back! I have to find a way to cope.
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Update (April 5th, 2009 @ 4:42pm)
I've finally figured out how to use my BlackBerry Bold as a modem through bluetooth. I needed a little help from the forums but I got it eventually. It's a lot easier than those tutorials made it out to be but I still needed some foundation or fundamental knowledge. First and foremost, I am on Windows Vista. With that out the way, make sure to set up a new network connection and input dialup number which not a typical phone number. I just set up one and 2 alternates - *99#, *99***3#, *99***1#. No need for a username or password. It just connected. The speeds suck probably because it's through BT and BT is not meant for high speed data access but I have a better level of functionality. No youtube and no hulu either. And, definitely no World of Warcraft. I'll survive without my level 80 Orc Rogue. FOR THE HOOOOORDE. LOL

Read More

Blackberry Blogging Again: Legalize It Already!

Sometimes, when you're constantly dealing with other people's bullshit, you just want it to end. It sounds weird because one usually just avoids the problem. But, it's difficult to ignore when it's one of those situations where you have to put up with the problem everyday - kinda like an annoying coworker. Sure, you wish that coworker would get fired but that person never does quite enough to get to that point. You have your little victories where you steal the person's stapler or hide their mug just to frustrate 'em. But, the annoying coworker is still there. So, you go into work grudgingly preparing to deal with the day and the potentially that individual.

I think that's how I feel about marijuana prohibition in the United States of America. It's bullshit and I wish the situation would change. That annoying coworker, of course is this arrogant and ignorant effort to eradicate marijuana. Sure, I get away with the marijuana thing, which includes a number of activities. But, I wake up knowing that marijuana is still illegal and we've got to start the old song and dance again.

But, there's always a silver lining in the clouds, I suppose. Many states have already legalized the medical use of marijuana. Most recently Michigan developed a medical marijuana program and Boston has decriminalized in a big way. Next on the list includes New Jersey and Texas. While I don't have as much faith in Texas, I think NJ is well on the way. Gov. Corzine has already indicated he'd sign off on a smart plan. Once NJ falls, NY is next. It's a given. Honestly, I can get to NJ faster, driving, than I could get to Manhattan on the train. Personally, I can't wait.

Of course, there's that annoying coworker - police. So far, in Boston, the police are complaining about the law. As usual, though, they're trying to do something about it AFTER the fact. Let's be honest, are they ever there during the crime? I'll leave that question open. I remember a few stories in Denver where police had to return this guy's marijuana. Oh, the good times!

In California, the police have completely bitched up and are begging for the DEA to help them. However, the silver lining comes in the form of a US Supreme Court refusal to look at a case in which California police acted like a bunch of little bitches trying to play DEA. Courts basically let them know, they work for the people of California, not the federal government. The US Supreme Court upheld that decision by refusing to look at the case.

Then again, even the crappy police have their silver lining in the form of LEAP or Law Enforcement Against Prohibition. Their message seems to be less about the truth of marijuana and more about police doing less work which is fine with me in this respect. Police are wholly ineffective anyway. For them, it's a health care issue and not a problem they should deal with. Go figure.

But, I wake up knowing that it's just another day in Uncle Sam's America where stupidity, arrogance, ignorance, and greed rule the day. There are still many states that prefer harsh penalties over common sense policy. There are still disparities over who actually gets arrested and punished. Just another day.
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Read More

Blogging From My BlackBerry/Music Industry Stuff

Ever since I got this BB Bold, which I've dubbed the BB Anthony since it's all customized now, I've been testing the hell out of it. Besides the BB being a very fickle and picky, call it 'ficky', the battery life isn't that great when you're using it constantly. The last time I was out it did well but yesterday I was out for a few hours and the battery was basically dead. The difference was my usage. Before I wasn't really texting and emailing. I was just running the mp3 player. However yesterday I fielded calls and was heavy on emails, texting, and the messenger.

Also, I ordered an 8GB memory card for 37 ($29.99 + 6.99 s+h) from tigerdirect.com. That's my favorite site for computer stuff. When I was building computers, I'd get everything from there - aluminum case, motherboards, processors, memory, and so on. I thought I'd share that since many of us are broke and that's the lowest price I could find. I still plan to get the Sansa View 32GB mp3 player. I'll probably use the 8GB card in that player. Yup, 40GB. Plenty of room for my mp3s and even a lil video *wink wink*

Speaking of mp3s, I read in the news that the RIAA is not going to continue pursuing individuals for downloading music. Instead, they'll ID people by their IP address and send a note to the ISP who may have the option to just disconnect you. I remember my friend saying, people will just get another service and do it again. Unfortunately, there aren't that many highspeed or broadband carriers in a specific area. For example, in NYC there's Verizon and AceDSL. Verizon owns all of the specific wiring in NYC. So, AceDSL basically leases service from them. In other words, you may see options but don't assume there are that many.

Aside from that, I've basically ID'd two problems. First of all, many people who share music, like myself at one point, don't do it online. You gotta go to friends. My friend and I shared GBs of music doubling both of our collections in minutes. We did this in person, external hard drive to laptop. That's really where folks get their music. And, no one can stop it nor track it.

The second problem is an issue of personal security. No, I don't mean people stealing your music, which I'm sure we've experienced from thieving friends and family. I am specifically referring to people jacking you WIFI connection. I could come into your neighborhood and if I see an open connection, connect to it and download as I please. I especially look for Linksys users because I know the password for the device is always "admin" and never has a username. Once in Boston, I found such a connection. I was there for a week. I used this person's connection as I pleased and then put a password on it and changed security settings. I think I named the connection "nosecurity" or something. And, I did this to teach a lesson. It could be worse. I could have been downloading music and movies making that person a target for RIAA not unlike my other friend.

Learn to use your WIFI security settings. My own WIFI is a Linksys as well and my security is tight, down to the WEP security and MAC address filtering which is set to PERMIT only certain MAC addresses. You'd have to be way more 1337 than little ol' me to get through that. LOL

And this concludes my first blog post from my BB Anthony.
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Read More