Tuesday, October 28, 2014

A Cup of Pseudo-Philosophy -- 3 Theories of Death

Hey, remember 3 or so weeks ago when I said I would be making this and it would be released that Sunday? No? Good, because it never happened! Not at all!

Anyway, in this new attempt at being overly pretentious, I'm going to step into the shoes of Aristotle or whoever that old kook was and pretend I know more about a completely unknown topic more than anyone else: Death!

Most of the popular death theories either revolve around highly convoluted god stories that requires all of the prerequisites to be true before the death theory itself to be true, or just an extremely lazy explanation because fuck it, we don't know. For this, I am setting myself in a position where I apply no religions (at least of which I am aware of) but also try to explain it while using as many known facts as possible. That being, probably none once so ever. As you've read the title by now you probably know that there's not one, not two, but THREE original theories on death I have created, and although I am almost certain you may have heard something like these before due to the unoriginality constant, take in mind that I am using very little outside information and can ascertain that these are original, and probably because of that going to be pretty damn nonsensical. So with our first one, let us start with the most nonsensical of all!

Number one: The Multiverse Theory

What is the multiverse theory? Good question: the term "multiverse" is a borrowed term that I stole from somebody somewhere, but I don't remember what it was actually used for. So this could be either probably the exact same thing or a little different, but just remember my introduction.

This theory revolves around the idea that there are a near infinitely many universes, all in which every available situation to every action or event has its own universe. Let me give an example: right now, I'm going to assume you're reading this on a desktop (if not, just bare with me -- I'm not here because I can read minds...) Now, you'll probably read this normally, but what if you stopped reading to go get something to eat from the fridge? What if you closed this out to watch epic meme videos on youtube? What if you just all of a sudden started throwing up all over the damn place?

All four of these actions -- normal, fridge, meme, and vomit -- are just a few of the many things that could happen to you, even if they are highly unlikely. However, even the most unlikely ones have its own universe, where that specific point did indeed happen.

So, what decides that you are in the universe you are now? Well, quite obviously its the one where you are conscious of what's happening, but what happens when you die in this universe?

Simple, you don't. Right now, you are inside the universe in which, due to all luck, you just happen to live for an infinity amount of years. Yes, you can still feel pain, you can still get diseases, etc. etc., but you cannot actually die from any of these. The reasons other people have died is because this is not the universe in which they are conscious, and they are instead really in another universe. So basically, you're talking to someone who has no conscious. Sound familiar?

"B-b-but, I am conscious, but I am reading your blogpost right now! How does that work?" you might ask. Well, let us remember that there are near infinite universes with different possibilities, and so that makes a lot in which this blogpost is still made. Basically: if this theory is true, we're communicating through DIFFERENT DIMENSIONS! Pretty crazy, right?

Now, I'm not going to lie: This theory does take a few liberties, so let's get a little more down to earth, but perhaps not entirely scientifically accurate.

Number two: It's all a dream, Michael!

Alright, let's say you do die. Well, it's likely you probably won't be looking at a black screen for eternity, because that requires you to be conscious, while the whole idea of death is that you're probably not. So, what point are you not conscious in your everyday life? That's right -- when you're asleep!

The dream theory states that, when you die, a part of your brain stays awake, and brings you into a dream state. This dream state lasts for the rest of eternity, however once you realize you are dreaming, you will be able to take full control of your dreams to the point where you can make your dreams whatever you want. For most of us, that may seem kind of hard -- but don't worry, you have plenty of time to do it! And if you already know, then I guess you could say you're ahead of the curb!

This is the oldest theory I've made (sometime at age 12 or so) and with it there are some major inconsistencies, one of which is the definition of death itself, which states that death is when the brain shuts down entirely. Could it be that we've overlooked something, even in the realm of modern science? Not impossible, but unlikely. There's also the idea that the brain is an organ, and it decomposes over time with the rest of the body -- so even if there was a part still active, it would eventually die out.

Fortunately, this all leads to our 3rd and final conclusion.

Number three: The Spirits Within

After realizing these two had flaws when I gathered them for this post originally, I decided to lay down a try and find one last one that had the least amount of flaws as possible. And so, we lead into part 3.

I came under the impression that trying to discover death is impossible without assuming that there is something greater that we don't know -- not necessarily a god, but a vehicle of both creation and destruction that exists and governs the universe. And so I came under the impression that the most reasonable way to explain with there still being this vehicle, is ghosts.

Your conscious is what makes you. It decides personality, actions, everything -- and its safe to say that, like matter, there's no way it can actually die. So let's assume this conscious, when released after the body has passed, becomes an undetectable force. You are still conscious, but you are no longer limited to a body and can move around the world, galaxy, and universe freely. You can also inhabit beings that, there bodies are living, but they do not have a conscious (assuming those exist). So, in the end, yes I said it: spirits are actually the most reasonable way to explain death.

Then again, there is a lot we don't know, that leads to infinite interpretations. The only way we can figure out what death is, is when we go into death itself -- but in the case death fucks us over, let's enjoy life first. 

Have a theory you'd like to share? Why make your own blog post when you can simply write in the comments below? Also, don't forget to check out Codex of Aegis for my stories, and follow @JohnMcGroover for updates on both sites.

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Twitter: @CodexofAegis
Facebook: facebook.com/CodexofAegis 

Sunday, October 26, 2014

Extra-Life 2014 Round-up

Our second annual Extra-Life stream is now over, and although our numbers are small I'm honestly proud of them enough speaking that the stream itself was pretty close just to not happening, unadvertised, and kind of just thrown together at the last minute. Before I start my real review, let's give ourselves some stats on the Astuka Extra-life 2014:


  • We donated exactly $1, tying ourselves for last year. Hey, we aren't big time!
  • We gained 1 follower and 34 views, with a highest concurrent viewer count of 7.
  • We streamed for 10 hours, with only 1 stream hiccup in between.
  • We played 3 games: Roblox, DotA 2, and Lego Minifigures Online (kek)
  • We had 9 people come on in total, excluding myself.

It was interesting in the way that the stream went practically the complete opposite of what it was supposed to be. Like I said before, the stream wasn't going to be the whole 24 hours, but I wanted to go from morning to night. The only problem with this was that the day before the stream I was informed that I had to go to a party in the literal middle of the schedule, and so that brought down my enthusiasm by a lot. Another plan was to make up for the lost time by also streaming on Sunday, but by the end we decided just to wing it and do it all on one day.

Funnily enough, the 3 people who were said to have been confirmed for the show weren't even on it in the first place, due to one reason or another. Instead, the stream consisted of a ton of people who at the beginning only had the faintest clue what was happening but stayed through the very end regardless. There was some people who wanted to get in but never did, and I apologize to them. 

For next year: we'll probably do it about the same way. I feel like at this point in my life I don't have enough free time needed to go out and organize something crazy like last year. I'll probably try to prepare some viewers, mostly as an attempt to remind myself, but beyond that I think winging it is the perfect strategy for something like this. I still like streaming, and I like doing the themed events such as Extra-Life or Week of Streams or Halloween of Spooks. But as for making it a big deal, it's probably impossible by this point. I'm also behind on a lot of posts because of this, so I should probably get to work on that.

They'll be no podcast this week, but expect a lot of extra-life highlights coming soon to the channel. I'll try to get a story up on Codex of Aegis on time, Also, expect another blogpost later in the day, this time about pseudo-philosophy. Probably.

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Twitter: @CodexofAegis
Facebook: facebook.com/CodexofAegis 

Saturday, October 11, 2014

Patch Notes 10/11/14 + New Info on Extra Life 2014!

Hello, my friends!  It's been almost a year in which Astuka's Blog has been in existence (actually probably longer) and we're just about to hit 10k views! Internet stardom, here we come!

If you're a long-time regular, you probably remember something about an Extra Life 2013. Well we plan on doing it again, only this time, with a bit of a twist!

And that twist consists of me being too lazy to ask people individually if they want to join, so we might as well use this time to excersive (excersive? exercise? fuck its early) the social media muscle!

First, on this week's AstukaGaming podcast, I'll be spurting on about the details of what I mean, as well as some more general info. Then, after that, I'll be posting on all of my virtual internet soapboxes (including this one!) the details of what it takes to both watch and join! And I really hope you do come, because... uh... we only have 3 people right now. But also because you'll be helping childrens hospitals! If you donate. Jesus, I need to not write like right after I woke up.

In other important news however, I have this week's Patch Notes!


  • A new, more understandable logo for Codex of Aegis is near finishing construction, and should be on the site soon.
  • Newsletter? What?
  • I'll be setting up, not posting, but setting up my new youtube channel come eventually. Take in mind that AstukaGaming Podcast will always be posted on AstukaGaming. 
  • Stencyl and Unity games are being worked on, but at a snail's pace. Like I've said before, I'd rather take these as practice than to just release them because I can't guarantee their quality yet unlike my writing.
  • I'm pretty sure I've never mentioned almost all of the above things. This is also a horrible example of my writing.
  • General CoA updates (formatting, tagging, etc.)
Well, that's all for now. I hope y

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Twitter: @CodexofAegis
Facebook: facebook.com/CodexofAegis 

Sunday, September 28, 2014

A new look for 9k!

Those of you who frequent the site may notice we look a bit different than normal -- that's mostly because we can't actually integrate Facebook inside of blogspot with Dynamic Views. Whoops! But who cares; Dynamic Views was old school anyway.

There's plenty of news to talk about right now, so let me get started:

First of all, we've hit 9k! Woohoo, we're now only 1k away from 10k, the greater achievement.

Second of all, there's a new episode of the AstukaGaming Podcast! We've decided that after this one we're likely going to stop focusing on having guests and just work off the vague dynamic we have. We're also likely going to bring true the original idea for redux by starting to focus on things other than exclusively video games.

Lastly, there's a Codex of Aegis subreddit! This has already been in existence for awhile, but I've thrown off advertising it until fairly recently. I always add the new story to it, so in case your a redditor, you can now have Codex of Aegis on your feed! Hooplah!

That's not all though, as there's even more news coming soon. Extra-Life 2014? Wider social media integration? Skit channel? Game reviews? BOOK?

Okay, I'm getting ahead of myself.  Some of that isn't going to come for a while, but still!

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Twitter: @CodexofAegis
Facebook: facebook.com/CodexofAegis 

Friday, September 19, 2014

GamerGate Part II: The Quest for the Uncensored News Site

A few weeks ago I made a blog post here discussing the Quinnspiracy. In it I apologized for being late to the party.


Boy, could I have been more wrong.


A lot has happened in these few weeks, and since then it has gone to expand beyond Zoe Quinn herself and even gaming in general. However, for the sake of being careful I'll use this next paragraph to summarize what has developed since then, assuming that the last Quinnspiracy/GamerGate article was the one I made.

It turns out that the alleged internet censorship is real, and it is worse than we thought. This brilliant article by Milo Yiannopoulos shows exposes an emailing list used by many top ranking game journalists, website founders, and indie developers called “GameJournoPros”; a name which leads me to believe that my backseat journalism may be more professional than I give it credit for.

Here is a list of these emails, with important information in highlight, courtesy of Breitbart.com. (images need to be opened in separate tab to be read)

Ah, yes, Journalism ethics sure are bullshit. Besides, I've been meaning to review her game... *wink wink*
People are using your platform to harass a developer. Though more of these people are concerned with censorship, we should really just make that our excuse.
No. This is simply not true. I don't believe it. Shut up.
If we censor their thread about internet censorship, it plays DIRECTLY into their narrative! God, why does making responsible decisions on community content have to be such a pain in the ass!

It's not just popular tech and gaming websites, however. The following image is a screenshot from a reddit AMA with Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks. In it he's asked his opinion on GamerGate.

And on this, the Darwin Award committee struck gold.

Think it's fake? Here's the permalink. In other news, Reddit's moderation team braving through worst intelligence drought in decades.

And I'm not even done. The bastion of anonymity on the internet, 4chan, has been revealed as to be censoring it's threads as well. 



Now this may be not as bad like the last time, however also like last time that's only in proportion to the other current events. We know have feasible proof that censorship is going on in most major discussion areas of the web.

The main defense game journalism has given up to this point is that the GamerGate movement is a thinly veiled misogynistic scheme that insists it's about censorship, but is really just trying to remove women from the industry. What we have proof is that that allegation is the farthest thing from true.

Sworn opponents of censorship and active members of GamerGate, this is your fuel. Use it to create a wildfire so wide that not even major websites can control it. The two greatest inventions in humankind were writing and the internet, because they allowed the common man to speak his mind. Use these gifts. There have been entire country-wide revolts by use of social media alone. Utilize it, and there will be change.


But before we change others, we must change ourselves. Recently I have watched the InternetArtistocrat's GamerGate stream in which he discusses current events and inspires people to raise their flags for better, unbiased journalism. I have decided that if there is interest, I'll use this site – small though it is – to give the unbiased gaming news people have asked for. And that means not just in GamerGate discussion, but all of gaming in general, whether it be reviews or announcements. If I stir up even the slightest interest in this, I will heavily consider trying to do this.

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Twitter: @CodexofAegis
Facebook: facebook.com/CodexofAegis 

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

Patch Notes -- 9/16/14

okay well its more like updates but anyway


  • We actually achieved all the goals made from the last notes, with more good news incoming!
  • In case you haven't already noticed, content on Codex of Aegis is now following a biweekly schedule, each new story coming out the same Saturday as every AstukaGaming Podcast!
  • This gives me more time for not only format edits, but general edits such as typos and sentence flow
  • As Dungeoneer 3 was mostly a practice exercise to increase my skill in C++, it has since been discontinued. I have learned a lot from the project though, and will be utilizing this knowledge (hopefully) in the future.
  • Meanwhile, the Stencyl project that was put on hiatus is now in development! And you guys thought I was bad with projects.
  • Facebook integration will be coming to this blog in the same way that it is on the Codex of Aegis. Look for it soon! (assuming I didn't do it already and just forget)
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Twitter: @CodexofAegis
Facebook: facebook.com/CodexofAegis 

Saturday, September 6, 2014

It's time for MADDEN! (gifs)

Madden has a new viral marketing technique this year. Did they need one? Probably not, but needless to say it makes some pretty sweet-ass gifs.






Wednesday, September 3, 2014

Monday, September 1, 2014

GUYS I THINK I JUST FIGURED OUT P.T (Silent Hills)

Okay this is going to be short and tumblr-tier writing but I seriously think I've figured this out. Also I'm not going to bother explaining the different stuff, I'm just going to assume you've played through the game.

1. The radio states that the neighbors have heard the father chanting numbers before hand, like he was trying to "cast some strange spell". It also says similar events have happened before (this is important for later).

2. A little later the radio says the same message but there's a cut in it in which the numbers are said. This is in a different voice then the radio and the fetus (who talks during the end of both the normal ending and Silent Hills ending).

3. Swedish radio states  they're "opening a portal to another dimension" (very important for later).

4. There is a reoccuring theme in the game in which the idea of poor welfare and job loss is referenced. If we remember what the baby says near the normal ending, it states the father lost his job and the wife had to get some shitty job as a grocery clerk.

Alright, so how are these four all connected? Let me blow your fucking mind.

Father is in distress. Lost his job and his wife is cheating on him with a manager. Gets a tip somehow (we don't know this) about someone who can help, but only gets a string of numbers as a hint. Guy nearly goes crazy trying to figure this out. After a while, he realizes it: it's not the numbers that are important, its what the numbers make. Its Jareth (or gareth fuck if i know)

Guy prepares to finally do the ritual. Thinks he's ready. Waits until midnight. Ten paces forward. The cries, the whispers -- they hit him. He knows what to do.

"Jareth."

Silence. Dead silence.

He doesn't understand. Did he do something wrong? Was there another step to it? Poor guy has a panic attack, before he hears the phone next to him ring.

"H-hello?" He asks, still shivering from the ritual itself.

"You've been chosen."

Man on the other line hangs up. Door near him unlocks. He's scared, trembling even, but he knows what to do.

He needs to open the door. To go to another dimension. To find Jareth.



That was 10 months ago. At least, it felt like it.



Daily radio plays. Apparently, a father killed his whole family before hanging himself with a garden hose. What happened? What would drive a man mad?

Not only that, but what would drive many other men -- fathers -- mad?

There's only one way to find out. Recreate the steps. Go open the door. Go to another dimension -- Hell, aka Silent Hill.


Go find Jareth.



------


Yes I know its not exactly together (there's probably more pieces to the puzzle) but I feel like the story of the new Silent Hill goes like this. I've been way off on my predictions before though, so we can only know once we've found out.


P.S. To the people who don't see how Luci, the drugs, the fetus, the bag, etc. etc. fit into it?

This game is a teaser.

It has no direct relation to the main title.

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Twitter: @CodexofAegis
Facebook: facebook.com/CodexofAegis 



Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Patch Notes -- 8/26/14

It is me and we are back again and welcome to patch notes!!!!!


  • As of right this moment, I have removed some of the unused content cluttering Codex of Aegis. This includes the Google Translate, "Follow by Email", and Viewcount widgets
  • These fixes should help load speed if you're viewing from a slower computer.
  • Later today (or tomorrow) there will be an update to Dungeoneer to make it a bit more playable. Like I said, I will be actively updating it until it is fun enough to be considered a real game.
  • This will mean it will probably be the main thing updated on Codex of Aegis right now, so check back often!
  • The Astukagaming Podcast has the tentative date of Sunday 31st and will be hosted by me and featuring Vaughan Jones and our guest Ash-Bit Gaming. 
  • At around the second week of September, there will be a MASSIVE dump of content on Codex of Aegis, which will then unfortunately be followed by another drought. I mentioned in the last post I was working out a reliable schedule for work-school, and I'm still trying to get it together. I apologize to anyone looking forward to new story content.
  • So, uh, I kind of forgot last Patch Notes that I said I was going to fix the formatting on the Codex of Aegis stories. I'll try to get at that later today.