Buddhist
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Zuckerberg apologizes for Facebook's response to Myanmar conflict
Mark Zuckerberg has been accused of keeping too quiet on the many issues affecting Facebook recently, so Myanmar activists were surprised when they received a personal response from the chief exec following their open letter criticizing his approach to hate speech in their conflict-stricken country.
Review: 'The Zen of Steve Jobs' graphic novel
I just took ten minutes (hey, it's a comic book) and read Caleb Melby and Jess3's The Zen of Steve Jobs graphic novel and I think anyone who is a fan of comic books or Steve Jobs is going to like it. As I told you in September, the 60-page graphic novel is a re-imagining of Steve Jobs' life during the mid-1980s after he left Apple and before he founded NeXT. Specifically, it deals with Jobs' relationship with Kobun Chino Otogawa, a Zen Buddhist priest (who also married Jobs and his wife, Laurene Powell). The writer, Caleb Melby, makes it clear from the get go that the graphic novel is not fact. He combines existing Jobs/Kobun interviews and biographies with his own interviews of several Kobun students who were contemporaries of Jobs. The result, enhanced with Melby's imagination is a really interesting story. In the graphic novel, Jobs and Kobun clearly have a Luke Skywalker/Yoda thing going on (although Jobs is more of a jerk to Kobun than Luke was to Yoda). As the story progresses, the reader is treated to flashbacks and flashforwards of how the Buddhist principle of Ma eventually affected Apple's designs after Steve's return. Speaking of style, Jess3's art is beautiful -- a combination of manga and western styles with clean lines and sweeping, single-color tones. While this graphic novel is about Steve Jobs, Kobun is the most interesting character. His real-life death eerily mirrored the fictional Joseph Knecht's death in Hermann Hesse's The Glass Bead Game almost exactly, and Melby depicted that well (readers of both will probably note the similarities between the two before they even finish Zen). The Zen of Steve Jobs finishes with some extras, like a fascinating afterword from the author about why he brought Steve Job's to life in comic book form, a mini-biography of Kobun and some interesting behind-the-scenes looks as to how the project was created. The Zen of Steve Jobs is available in print from Amazon (US$10.28) or on the iBookstore ($9.99).
The Daily Quest: Paladins, Rogues and Bank Alts, oh my!
We here at WoW Insider are on a Daily Quest to bring you interesting, informative and entertaining WoW-related links from around the blogosphere. Honor's Code takes a look at how they'll be utilizing the dual spec system as a Protection Paladin in Ulduar and begins assembling a patch 3.1 talent build. Do you enjoy Buddhist's over-the-top PvP videos, such as Ming Must Die? RogueRogue.com is (probably) proud to present: Six Silent Shadows. Be warned, this video contains some vulgar language. Okay, maybe a lot of vulgar language. Consider it NSFW. With all the hoopla around the Blizzard Authenticator lately, you may be interested in The Stoppable Force's walkthrough of the activation process. Our own Paladins discussed which judgement does what, but Blessing of Kings tells you the who, when and why about optimizing judgements. Skrooge is on a quest: Make 25,000 gold in as little time as possible, using only the auction house. His quest began with only three things: Auctioneer Advanced, 100g, and a tuxedo. Click here to submit a link to TDQ
WoW Moviewatch: Buddhist 3v3: Ming Must Die!
Warning: This video is longer than your average, and definitely includes language not suitable for the workplace. It's not all potty-mouth, but it's got some cursing and strange sounds.Do you remember Insane Gouge Crits, by Buddhist? Well, the master of PvP Parody is back with another installment in the ongoing struggle to be Rogue Hokage. Behold Buddhist 3v3: Ming Must Die!The love of Buddhist's life (his soulmate, if you will) has been damaged by a rival rogue, Ming. Now, Buddhist and his 3v3 team must fight through Ming's merciless minions to regain Cel's power, and prove who is the true Rogue Hokage.This video is parody of the PvP genre, and sticks its tongue firmly in cheek at the majority of rogue and PvP culture. It's steeped with references and odd quirks, so it helps to have some knowledge of who's who. Ming, for example, is actually a very well known blogger in "rogue society." Serennia is a prominent Arena fighter, and was once hailed as the "best warrior in the world." And if the dialogue from Ming seems funny after her initial confrontation with Buddhist's crew, check this video out about Swarm.The video made me laugh. The stream could use a little better quality, but overall, I enjoyed this new installment. Mileage is going to vary, of course, but I enjoyed the irreverent, self-aware humor.If you have any suggestions for WoW Moviewatch, you can mail them to us at machinima AT wowinsider DOT com.Previously on Moviewatch ..
WoW Moviewatch: Insane Gouge Crits 7
PvP-oriented videos aren't really the usual fare for WoW Moviewatch. I admit I watch a lot of them myself, though, mostly trying to pick up tips and tricks for the Arena. So, when I came across Insane Gouge Crits: 7 by Buddhist, I was pleasantly surprised. Don't get me wrong -- this is a PvP video, with all the action of "I sneak up on a guy and crit him" that you'd expect from that kind of rogue action. But that being said, Buddhist put a lot of work into making this PvP video more interesting that others you might see. It definitely stands out from its fellows in terms of the opening and closing sequences, both of which hint at movie-esque stories happening behind the scenes. I think this shows that it is possible to bring PvP videos up to the thought and art of more full machinima. There's voice acting, framing, and thought put into scenery. It's definitely a step up, and I would encourage Buddhist to keep bringing his PvP exploits to another level. If you have any suggestions for WoW Moviewatch, you can mail them to us at machinima AT wowinsider DOT com.Previously on Moviewatch ...
All guilds are is dust in the wind
Recently my WoW friends and I decided to start a new guild. We're really excited about all the interesting things we plan to do together, we've thought of new ways to recruit people, and naturally we think we're starting something pretty special. But there's one thing that makes me feel prouder and happier about this than I have been before, something my new guild leader pointed out: that this guild, no matter how great it is, is just dust in the wind.In fact, we realized all guilds are basically temporary arrangements of diverse people for certain purposes; they grow, change, and dissolve even as the people in them grow and adapt to new situations. A lot of people become upset by guild changes, especially if they're trying to lead and lots of drama ensues. They know in their head of course that no guild will last forever, that WoW itself will not last forever, but they still become sad when, eventually, things fall apart.My friends and I are discovering that there's no need for this sadness. A great guild, you could say, is like a Buddhist Mandala: an impermanent gathering of individual grains of sand, destined to live its time and then get brushed away. Most of my friends come from a guild that had served us well and gotten old with us, and leaving it behind just felt like the right thing to do. Someday our new guild will get old and we'll leave it behind to do other things -- and that's okay. The purpose of a guild is not to reign eternal, just to let us do what we want to do together now, and enjoy every minute of the present.
