Trading Card Games (TCGs)

My first encounter with a TCG was in 5th grade. Back then Pokemon had just come out and it was all kids were talking about in the school yard. Soon after that trading of Pokemon cards became a thing. During breaks the classrooms transformed into little stock markets and through efficient trading I managed to accumulate a decent collection without investing too much of my precious pocket money. At that point I liked collecting the cards, especially the holographic ones, rather than playing the game.

A couple years later, when the Pokemon hype had quieted down, another TCG accompanied by a well known anime caught my attention. Now it was all about YU-GI-OH!

But this time instead of just collecting shiny cards I played the game with a friend. Soon we discovered a fantasy store nearby and would go there every Tuesday to "duel" other people. The whole thing got spiced up by a little competition, since for every duel you won you got a stamp in your YU-GI-OH! season stamp book. Ofcourse there was a limit to the number of times that you could battle a certain opponent during a match day, but that made it even more interesting. We quickly realized to be under the top 4 players of that particular fantasy store and a friendly rivalry turned into a race for stamps to be the number one. It all peaked in the participation in a regional qualifier for the german championship. My friend and another guy of our four man rival group qualified and actually went to the german championship, though unfortunately they didn't make it very far and reported of the insane decks they encountered. Not long after that my interest and motivation to play YU-GI-OH! faded and it took a while until I picked up another TCG again.

I am well aware that so far I havn't mentioned the ancestor of all TCGs: Magic the Gathering. The reason is that I never got into it and I am reluctant to do so since it has been around for decades and seems to have a relatively high entry barrier.

This was not a problem with the current TCG I am playing, at least not at the time I got into it. As a digital TCG just starting up including characters from my favorite old real time strategy game I quickly fell for Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft. Especially initially it was very addicting. The ability to play a TCG on my phone whenever I want against opponents around the world is very intriguing. Only the trading part I loved so much as a kid was cut out due to the potential abuse the digital world enables. Even after two years there are still more features and more content added regularly and I can't wait to see what comes next. Even though it lacks the charm of playing with physical cards going digital was definately a step in the right direction.

Whether I will stick to Hearthstone or maybe give Magic a try some day, I am a fan of TCGs and am excited where the journey will take me.

Nerdy fitness

In my opinion everybody should engage in some form of physical activity. The benefits of sport are undeniable: 

- weight loss

- improved posture

- stress relief

- improved coordination

- etc.

On the other side sport isn't everything and not everyone enjoys it. 

Even though I think physical activity is impotant I believe that there must be a somewhat lazy and not as healthy counter part. The problem is to find the right balance. 

That's why I have a personal rule concerning my physical fitness:

"You should always be as fit as you think is necessary to have a fair chance during a Zombie Apocalypse."

Being hopelessly out of breath after running a short distance when relentless Zombies are trying to harvest your carefully accumulated body mass is a death sentence.

Regular exercize will grant you the following abilities that will greatly increase your chances of survival:

Strength to lift heavy objects that block the way or pull yourself up on ledges to get to safe places / areas.

Stamina to run from hordes of the undead.

Agility to dodge attacks, whether from a Zombie or a fellow survivor looking to eliminate you.

Balance to not fall when you can least afford it.

While being physically fit doesnt guarantee that you survive the rise of the undead it is still a highly beneficial factor, because come on, what is a beer belly really gonna do for you when the Zombie Apocalypse happens other than maybe help you over an extended period of starvation.

DC or Marvel (?)

Before I even start describing my view of the matter, I just want to point out that the order of names
in the headline is purely alphabetical.

While there are many conflicts in this world, there is one in particular that will certainly never be resolved. It is an ancient question that sparked countless heated arguments among comic book fans for decades: DC or Marvel?

I have many great childhood memories with heroes of both universes, but which one do I like better?
Well it's a close call, extremely complicated and full of almost unsolvable dilemmas.

Let me start with Marvel:
Marvel brought forth idols and classic comic heroes like Captain America, Spider-Man, The Incredible Hulk, The Fantastic Four, The X-Men, Iron Man, Thor and many more. Not only are there stories for each of their heroes individually, but they brought them together in different teams, most famous of which are the Avengers. Also they expanded their storylines and character arsenal beyond the familiar planet Earth into the entire universe and even other dimensions and parallel universes. Only recently (relatively speaking) Marvel has made a strategically brilliant move: the creation of the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe). It's a series of movies and tv shows about different characters of the Marvel universe all connected to each other in a time line telling one big story roughly following the story arc of the comics. This has led to a more general
popularization of Marvel super heroes (yes they are cool now), even of lesser known franchises like The Guardians of the Galaxy. In my opinion the main factor of the MCUs huge success is the high quality, since each single movie is also enjoyable to watch on its own.

Let's now take a look at the competitor DC:
From what I wrote so far it seems hard to compete with such a MARVELous fictional universe (see what I did there?). But then again there is BATMAN! (yes his majesty may only be spelled in capital letters). BATMAN is my favorite hero of all time. I never really liked Superman because he was way too powerful. BATMAN on the other hand is much more relatable. I could never be Superman since he has so many ridiculous super powers stemming from his alien origin. On the contrary I could totally be BATMAN (theoretically speaking). All I need is a shit ton of money, some cool gadgets, a cool personality and lots and lots of training. But BATMAN is not all there is to DC. Or is he...?
As I said I don't really like Superman and other than that I can only think of a couple heroes that are worth mentioning. These include The Green Arrow, The Flash, The Green Lantern, Aquaman and Wonder Woman. Those are all cool and interesting heroes, but compared to Marvels roster not quite as good. Additionally the quality of the DC movies (excluding BATMAN) is also not quite as good and the big connected story line is missing so far.

So for me the question is basically reduced to BATMAN or Marvel? (still alphabetically) and as I said it's a very very close call.
The reason being dilemmas like:
- Cool, interesting and colorful roster of heroes vs. BATMAN
- Incredibly intriguing web of story lines vs. BATMAN
- Awesome Movie universe adaption vs. BATMAN
...
You get the idea.

I had to think about this for a very long time. If I had to choose just one hero the choice would be easy.
You know what it is.
(it's BATMAN)

But considering the complexity and diversity of what Marvel created, my answer to the initial question is: "Marvel".
The key element in my decision was the MCU, which is just fantastic. Otherwise the answer would have been:

BATMAN!

An ode to Stargate

I recently bought and rewatched all the seasons of my favorite science fiction show of all time: Stargate. Beginning with the original movie following up with seven great seasons of Stargate SG1, then alternating between SG1 and Stargate Atlantis with two SG1 movies in the mix, until the story line of SG1 was complete. After the tenth season of SG1 there were still two more seasons of Atlantis to be watched before rounding it all up with two seasons of Stargate Universe, though it leaves business unfinished and the heart of every true Stargate fan broken, but I will get to that later.

It is widely agreed upon that the original Stargate movie is a great movie and sometimes it is even referred to as a masterpiece. In my opinion it indeed is a great movie, though I only watched it after falling in love with the tv show.

To me the whole idea behind the stargate, instantaneous travel to other platets, has always been almost as fascinating as the question of whether there is other life out there somewhere in the vast distances of the universe. The concept of stepping through the event horizon of a wormhole, not knowing what awaits on the other side and almost unlimited possibilities made watching Stargate SG1 a great experience each week a new episode aired. Throughout the seasons also the production quality increased dramatically, which made the experience even better.

My favorite aspect of all the Stargate shows has always been the technical evolution of humanity. I was excited about every newly discovered piece of technology and almost became angry whenever the team passed up a chance to acquire some new tech, even though I understood it was the morally right thing to do. Eventually though, over the course of ten seasons of SG1 and with the help of various alien allies, Earth became one of the dominating factions in the milkyway galaxy and defeated numerous supposedly more advanced and powerful enemies.

The relatively late introduction of the Ancients also known as the gate builders, a highly advanced race similar to humans, that eventually evolved to the point of living as powerful beings of pure energy, gave the show an increadible depth and also gave birth to the spinoff shows Atlantis and Universe.

Atlantis being the generally most popular Stargate series had a whole new galaxy to explore and shed more light on the history and legacy of the Ancients. This show had numerous new enemies waiting one more powerful then the next and was focussing even more on the scientific advancements to be made. While being its own show it aired simultaniously with SG1 for three years with the occasional crossover episode. One of the things that I really like about the Stargate franchise is that it all ties together in a big timeline building something bigger than just one show.

The next Stargate installment took it even further than just exploring one other galaxy. It was exploring the entire universe on a ship sent on its way by the Ancients long before their ascension, hence the name of the show: Stargate Universe. This show had a darker style and a more depressing atmosphere. Since it was focussing more on the people stranded aboard the ship billions of lightyears away from earth, rather than on exploration and adventures, at least in the first season, it was disliked by a great number of viewers and even frowned upon by some fans. Personally I enjoyed the story told in this show and the endless possibilities it presented. Unfortunately it was discontinued alongside Stargate Atlantis due to dropping viewer ratings the moment it really picked up momentum. While Atlantis at least had some kind of closure after its fifth season and was being continued in a series of books Stargate Universe was cut off in the middle of a cliffhanger leaving every true fan like me heartbroken and weeping for more. Even the mercy of continuing the story in written form was not granted, despite the chances of ever getting a third season are next to non existent. The desire for closure inspired many fan fiction authors to write down what might have happened afterwards, but since most times it is nowhere near the quality of professional writing and knowing that it is not official it is just not the real deal.

Rewatching all those seventeen seasons and three movies took me back to great memories and immersed me into the fantastic universe that the Stargate franchise has built over the years. Following and caring about all those great characters that saved not only Earth but also entire galaxies numerous times was an inspiring experience. This franchise is my all time favorite and will continue to be even when Roland Emmerich reboots Stargate with a new movie trilogy, which doesn't necessarily have to be bad. Maybe it even is chance for Stargate to rise once again. At least the hope will never die.

Cartoon evolution

Recently I was zapping through the tv channels and suddenly stopped in awe as I started feeling like a little boy again. It was the jungle book and as I sat and watched the whole thing including singing along to the songs I wondered why children movies and cartoons changed so much. The old movies I used to watch told a magical story with memorable characters and catchy songs that I still know and love today. I have to admit that I am certainly not up to date with childrens movies and cartoons, but there are changes to be noticed, not always for the worse. While the hand drawn animations of the 90's have a charm of their own, todays CGI animated movies seem light years ahead with their graphics. Also the stories didn't lose their wit.
Only the humor in newer movies seems to be aimed for a little older audience. I doubt that some of the jokes are understood by 10 year old children, though possibly they are meant for their parents who are forced to accompany them to the movie theatre. What has me really concerned are the cartoons nowadays. I definately prefer Ducktales for example over Spongebob. After watching todays cartoons for more then five minutes I can almost feel my brain cells committing suicide. I guess it's only a more mature point of view. Probably my parents thought the same thing about the cartoons that I was watching as a kid. My guess is that the targeted age group has shifted upwards, which is amused by the simplest kind of humor. But maybe my sense of humor is just rusty and old fashioned. We will never know and it will be interesting to see the changes in the next ten or twenty years.

The importance of sport

Since it is slowly (and I emphasize "slowly") becoming summer now and getting warmer outside I can't help but notice that the gym is filling up with people trying to get in shape for swimming season. But actually it is important to do sport and be active all year around. Not only do regular sportive activities make it easier to achieve the desired weight or body shape, but it is also very healthy. Doing sport is good for relieving stress and keeps you fit even in old age.

Now occasionally I like to go for a good run for example. The only problem with running in my opinion is that it's very boring unless I listen to music. Also I find it hard to motivate myself to go outside and do a couple laps, especially when it's not sunny. What I found really helpful as motivation is having specific goals. I for example plan to participate in a public event with many other people, which gives me a specific distance I will have to run and I can set a specific time for myself that I can work towards.

What I like even better than running is going to the gym. It gives me alot more possibilities so I can do whatever I feel like at that moment. One could argue that going to a gym isn't necessary since you can do the same things at home. But let's be honest here, when staying at home we all rather lay around and watch tv. Once we made the effort and left home we are much more likely to do an efficient work out. Though working out isn't everything, a healthy diet is just as important as doing sport.

What I also enjoy doing and what is especially important for children in my opinion, not only for health but also for social reasons, is team or competitive sport. When I was 6 years old I started to do judo and play
tennis and I stuck with both of them until I couldn't attend regular practice anymore due to classes in  university. Both of those activities were in retrospect not only good for developing body coordination skills but were also aiding my social life since I found many friends while having a fun time.

My point is: doing sport and being active is important. Add a healthy diet and you will save yourself alot of doctors appointments. It doesn't matter if you go running, lift weights, play tennis or go dancing as long as you stay active. Enjoying what you do is also an important factor, because if you don't, motivating yourself is hard. So don't be afraid of trying different things. Hopefully I could encourage some of you to get off that couch and go out to do some sport.

Stay active :)

Zombie Science: Wounded Zombies

This is a continuation of my thoughts concerning the science behind Zombies (see older post) as we know them from popular media like movies or computer games. This time I focused my attention to the question: what happens when Zombies are wounded?

Assuming it is possible for corpses to be reanimated and walk on earth as living dead, killing humans and consuming their flesh, the question might be raised if other than defying death the rules of human biology still apply to them.
Thus it is questionable that despite being dead they can survive heavy injuries.When their bodies are severely damaged they consequently lose great amounts of blood. Though in order to move muscles it is necessary to transport oxygen into the muscle tissue. Heavy blood loss prevents this from happening. Greatly injured zombies therefore may not necessarily die but should be disabled or not able to move at all. For the same reason it is not possible that a severed zombie head continues biting for a longer time period since its connection to blood supply is cut off. For a short period of time however it seems possible, similar to a chickens body running around for a little bit after being beheaded. The only plausible explanation that I could come up with was the scenario that a virus infection is causing the Zombie outbreak and said virus produces and supplies the reanimated body with a sufficient amount of oxygen. This way it would either have to feed the oxygen into the blood stream, which would result into the same problems or it would have to administer oxygen directly into the desired muscle tissue. Either way the brain is still needed to control everything, therefore it is still the weak point of the Zombie.