Hello all,

As a number of you already know, I've been waiting for ages (well, months anyways) for my May recital recording. It FINALLY arrived today, along with another little surprise... apparently another recital from 2007 was also recorded and they forgot to send me the recording. So I got a copy of it, too. Here's May 2009, and here's September 2007. They're all messed up in order, but I've numbered them. The 2009 program was entitled "Poets of the Piano," a play on a phrase typically used with Chopin (the Poet of the Piano). All of the pieces have a poetic basis or inspiration.

Live recordings as they are, there are some recording glitches, audience noises, and wrong notes. But whine not - you get what you pay for.

Here's the program for the 2009 recital and a little description of each for the numerically challenged who can't put them in order. I'll do the 2007 recording write-up later.

Two Elegiac Melodies, Opus 34 (1880); Edvard Grieg (1843-1907)

1. Heart's Wounds

2. Last Spring

These are arrangements of a pair of songs from his Opus 33 set. He also set them for strings. The piano version is particularly lovely. Heart's Wounds features a recurring and gripping melody that keeps coming back in different ways, expressing musically the way in which grief keeps returning over and over again, gnawing at you with more power and urgency even as time passes. Last Spring can be thought of as "Final Spring," and is a perfect musical expression of nostalgia. Some truly beautiful and innovative harmony is evident there. Grieg was known as the "Norwegian Chopin" for his attention to melody and his innovative harmony. Last Spring in particular is an excellent example of the validity of the title.

Selections from Songs Without Words (1829-45); Felix Mendelssohn (1809-47)

3. The Poet's Harp, Bk. 3, Opus 38 no. 3 (1836-37)

4. Duetto, Bk. 3, Opus 38 no. 6 (1836-37)

5. May Breezes, Bk. 5, Opus 62 no. 1 (1842-44)

Mendelssohn, like many early Romantic composers, was fascinated by the new lyrical capabilities of modern pianos. So he and many others started writing short piano works called "character pieces," often paralleling the popular lieder (art song) of the day. Most of the Songs Without Words are written very much like lieder, with a very obvious melody and accompaniment, but by the same token they are obviously piano works. So Mendelssohn captured the essence of lieder - particularly the focus on one succinct idea in a work - but did not sacrifice pianistic virtuosity in doing so. In fact, some of these are fiercely difficult to play, though they sound quite effortless when performed well.

He wrote 8 books of these things, so there are an awful lot of them. I chose 3 that I especially like, and which formed a nice contrast to the rest of my first half, which is rather heavy from an emotional perspective. The Poet's Harp is a virtuosic work with rolling broken chords and a soaring melody. Duetto features an obvious and very gorgeous duet between the upper and middle registers of the piano. May Breezes demonstrates a more mature Mendelssohn with a beautiful retransition to the original theme and some compelling harmony. I chose it primarily because my recital was in May. Fortunately it's also a great piece of music.

Four Ballades, Opus 10 (1854); Johannes Brahms (1833-97)

6. No. 1 in D Minor. Andante

7. No. 2 in D Major. Andante

8. No. 3 in B Minor. Intermezzo - Allegro

9. No. 4 in B Major. Andante con moto

Brahms wrote these tortured masterpieces at the tender age of 21, clearly indicating what a musical genius he possessed. Stricken by the illness of his dear friend and mentor, Robert Schumann, as well as an unwanted infatuation with his wife, Clara Schumann (who was 14 years his senior!), the works are mostly melancholic or distressed in character. Even the writing in major keys does not sound at ease, and is tinged with a profound sadness.

The first of the set was inspired by the Scottish ballad "Edward." You can read up on that poem if you want some insight into Brahms's frame of mind when he wrote the ballade. If flows seamlessly into the gentle opening of the D Major ballade, which is notable for its stark contrast between the tranquillity of the first theme (not an emotionally calm tranquillity, mind you), and a fierce, driving middle section. The third ballade is the most peculiar, and has been open to much speculation in the musicological world with respect to its intent. A simple glimpse into Brahms's understanding of sound is evident at the start, where he disturbs a listener's sense of rhythm with rests. Further along, the spectral middle section is hauntingly beautiful and wispy, like a memory from the past that you somehow can't quite remember. The final ballade features a deeply pained opening melody with subtle harmonic clashes to support it, then melts into a meditative state. Closer to the end, a chorale is introduced - one of the few moments in the entire opus that sounds genuinely content and at peace - but this soon disappears, and the work fades away with an echo of that remorseful tune that opened the work.

INTERMISSION

10. Ballade in G Minor, Opus 23 (1835-36); Frederic Chopin (1810-49)

11. Ballade in F Major, Opus 38 (1836-39); Frederic Chopin

12. Ballade in A-flat Major, Opus 47 (1841); Frederic Chopin

13. Ballade in F Minor, Opus 52 (1842-43); Frederic Chopin

Chopin's writing for piano is justifiably famous for its virtuosic demands, but what he is truly known for is his uncanny natural sense for a beautiful melody. He was a big fan of opera, despite the fact that he wrote almost exclusively for solo piano. This love for the voice translates very clearly into his piano writing. It's easy to take for granted the weight of Chopin's influence nowadays, because composer's have been following his lead, writing long, singing lines for piano ever since. But it was Chopin who was really the first to truly recognize the piano's potential to carry a long melody, in spite of its status as a percussion instrument, and perhaps more impressively, in spite of its notable inadequacies in the early 1800s.

The four ballades are pillars of the solo piano repertoire. They need no introduction, really - just listen and follow the journey. Each of them IS a journey, and between the four, there are few human emotions that will not be touched at some point or in some way.

14. Prelude in D-flat Major, No. 15 from 24 Preludes, Opus 28 (1835-39); Frederic Chopin

This was my encore. It's the lengthiest of a set of 24 preludes (one in every major and minor key), which was clearly inspired by Bach's Well-Tempered Klavier. Still, it's a character piece and on a much smaller scale than the ballades. It is popularly known as the "Raindrop prelude" because of its continuous repeating A-flat which carries throughout just about the entire piece. It's a beautifully written work.

Hope you enjoy!

Hiztoria.com is a new website that lets people share and discover anything and everything about websites. Rate, review, share, and talk about websites big and small. Hiztoria even has Gamespot in it's databse.

I just bought a new boat and decided to take 'er for the maiden voyage this past weekend.
This is my first boat and I wasn't quite sure of the exact Standard Operating Procedures for launching it off a ramp, but I figured it couldn't be too hard.
I consulted my local boat dealer for advice, but they just said "don't let the trailer get too deep when you are trying to launch the boat".

Well, I don't know what they meant by that as I could barely get the trailer in the water at all!
The stupid truck would die and start floating before the trailer even got close to deep enough!

What am I doing wrong? Should I load the truck down with some lead or maybe rocks so it doesn't float?

Anyhow, here's a picture. See for yourself. What am I doing wrong?

I thought I would wait, before telling people, to see if I would actually keep updating it... and so far I've found I have a lot to say.

Like all my dear former GameSpot friends, I have started posting on a blog elsewhere. It's not for lack of love for this site, it's just because I'm interested in beginning new memories.

I will always be reading, and I will pop in from time to time (as I have here), but I hope to frequently update my blog there, if you are so inclined to read it:

Doubt The Stars

So far it's been about things related to video games, of course, it's about some things that are personal, and it's about working in game development, above all.

Sometimes all you can do is cling to your beliefs.

Good luck to all those who are staying here, but my time here on Gamespot is coming to a close.

You can find me as one of the admins of www.thevirtualunderground.net, a refuge for my favorite community on this site. All are welcome, so please drop by.

You can also find me on the PMS Clan forums (www.pmsclan.com), Scorehero (www.scorehero.com and #scorehero on gamesurge), and lurking around DOACentral (www.doacentral.com).

And remember... no matter how sad Parappa gets, he can get through anything because he believes.

As unelectable politicians popular with teenagers go, I have to say, I'm really feeling some serious nostalgia for Ralph Nader now that I've seen what Ron Paul mania looks lie. It may be that I came closer to agreeing with Nader than I do with Paul.Or, now that I think about it, maybe it's just that Nader's supporters didn't delude themselves into thinking he had a shot at anything more than a few percent of the vote, so they didn't come across quite so insane.But man, I can't wait for the Republican primary to be over. The political boards here are getting close to unreadable.

I recently got to thinking about RTW again, and decided to write up a short piece on the Seleukid Empire, one of the diodachoi or Successor States left behind after the death of Alexander III and the dissolution of his empire. Their army has a unique combination of Greek, Roman, and Middle Eastern influences that make it one of the strongest and most flexible forces in the game (their units were detailed in my earlier entry about the Greeks. Scroll down a wee bit).The Seleukids also control rich lands in Syria and Mesopotamia, with the wealth of Greece and Egypt easily within their reach. However, they, like the Greek Cities, start out with vulnerable, far-flung cities surrounded by many potential enemies. Their cities stretch in almost a straight line from the western coast of Asia Minor all the way to the foot of the Iranian Plateau. They share borders with the Greeks, Armenians, Parthians, Pontians, and Egyptians, as well as a number of independent cities which can quickly change the strategic situation, regardless of who conquers them. Needless to say, the Seleukids must spend much of the early game trying to maintain diplomatic relations between many potential allies and enemies.

However, prospects are good if you can survive the early stages. Ptolemaic Egypt, another Successor State and a historical blood enemy of Seleukia, will attack early and often, but good generalship and aggressive campaigning can gradually push them back to the Nile itself. A sound strategy is to land a small force on Cyprus and force the Egyptians out of Salamis- this deprives Egypt of a secure naval base and nets you considerable overseas trade. From there, your forces can advance almost in a straight line, issuing out of Damascus, marching south into Phoenicia to sieze Sidon, then continuing south to Jerusalem. A sharp turn west brings you to the Nile delta, where your army must cross several narrow, easily defended bridges before reaching Alexandria. This is the most dangerous terrain you'll face in your Egyptian campaign, but hopefully Egypt's armies will have been sufficiently depleted in the battles for Judea and Phoenicia. Once Alexandria falls, there is little hope for an Egyptian comeback- Thebes and Memphis are only a stone's throw away, and although they are both very large, rich cities, they can't hope to field enough men to match whatever experienced troops and officers you should have at this point.

So, what about the actual nuts-and-bolts of defeating the Egyptians; how does their army operate, what are its strengths and weaknesses? How do their troops compare to the Seleukids? Although the Egyptian troops are extremely Egyptian-looking, in form and function they very closely resemble the Carthaginian or even Greek armies. Their most common infantry, the Nile Spearman, is a phalanx unit, and a competent one. Like the Carthies and Greeks, they carry fairly long spears, with about three points extending out in front of their formation. However, the spear carried by your phalangites, the Macedonian-style sarissa, is much longer, with up to five spearpoints projecting ahead of your ranks. However, unlike Greek or Carthaginian hoplites, who make up for their shorter spears with heavier armor, the Nile Spearman is not particularly tough. It may be able to contend with your Levy Pikemen, who are not even a match for Milita Hoplites (or Egypt's Nubian Spearmen, who are identical statistically) on an individual basis, but your Phalanx Pikemen- good infantry by anyone's standards- should eat them for lunch. However, Egypt has another infantry unit which my prove more problematic- the Desert Axeman. These excellent heavy infantrymen are, statistically speaking, more than a match for most of your troops in hand-to-hand fighting. Fortunately for you, you can put five spearpoints between them and your phalangites, so long as they attack from the front. The bad news is, these men, fighting in loose formation on open ground, are substantially faster and more maneuverable than pikemen advancing in close order. They are extremely dangerous to your flanks- guard them well with cavalry.

On the subject of cavalry, yours and the Egyptians are roughly on a par. Early Seleukid cavalry is basically identical to that of the Greeks- you get Greek Cavalry, which are effective lancers, and Militia Cavalry, which are weak in close fighting but can throw javelins while moving. These horsemen are fast, light, and cheap, making them a good counterpart to your ponderous Pikemen. The Egyptians have two light lancer-type units, Nubian Cavalry (slightly weaker than Greek Cavalry) and Nile Cavalry (slightly stronger than Greek Cavalry). These, however, are less common than chariots, the thing that really sets Egyptians apart. Some carry archers,and some carry swordsmen, but both have scythed wheels that are deadly when charging- unless they're charging into pikes. Although charging chariots will sometimes have just enough momentum to breach the spearwall and deal some casualties, they will invariably be destroyed in the process. Chariot archers are also so relatively few in number that they can easily be outshot by foot archers. However, they candevastate whatever non-phalanx infantry you have (missile troops and mercenaries) with their unstoppable charge, and in a battle with cavalry, they will usually be defeated (due to their low defense) but at great cost (due to their ability to mow down many soldiers at once with their scythed wheels). Militia Cavalry are still very effective against them, since they can avoid actually closing with the enemywhile hitting them with javelins, which are very effective at killing their crews. Of course, you can train Chariots of your own- they are less effective than Egyptian ones, however, since they have only a driver, now archers or swordsmen. Theymay be usefulagainst the light infantry of Armenia, Pontus, and Parthia, but against the massed spearmen of Egypt, they're not particularly useful.

In missile troops, the Seleukids probably have the advantage in the early game. The Seleukids can train archers, which are extremely effective against the kind of massed, lightly-armored spearmen you'll probably face early and often, and can also train Peltasts, javelin-throwers who, despite short range and low ammunition, make excellent close-in support for your slow-moving phalanxes. The Egyptians can also train archers, but instead of peltasts, they train slingers. Slingers have long range and lots of ammunition, but are less lethal than archers and, because they fire along a flat trajectory rather than an arc, can only provide support before the melee infantry engage. Needless to say, you'll probably be seeing a lot more archers than slingers during your campaigns. If you take your time, you may encounter Pharaoh's Bowmen, which besides being extremely deadly at long range are also well-armored and competent at hand-to-hand fighting. These troops are deadly against your own archers and especially your slow-moving, densely-packed phalangites. It's best to try and finish the Ptolemies off before they can get such superb troops.

So, basically, your Pikeman units will be very effective against the Egyptian infantry and chariots, so long as you make good use of combined-arms tactics, as Alexander the Great did.Use your phalanxes as a strong base of maneuver, protecting your missile troops from enemy horsemen and chariots and holding the enemy infantry in place for your fast, light horsemen. Keep winning battles and taking cities, and you should be able to gradually grind the Egyptians to dust. With their rich territories added to your kingdom, you have a strong, secure base and, due to your many victories, a large and experienced army under a famous commander. The good news is that, with this new strength, it should be easy to seize the rest of Asia. Pontus and Armenia are both small kingdoms with only 2 cities initially, and although the Parthians own an additional city on the northern coast of the Caspian Sea, they also have only 2 starting cities in Asia. All three of these factions rely mainly on Hillmen and Eastern Infantry, unarmored soldiers with short spears and wicker shields. Your phalanxes will wade through them. These three kingdoms will often make good use of cavalry as well though; employing missile cavalry early on and later developing superb heavy cavalry, but you should be able to eliminate both before any of their cities are sophisticated enough to produce high-tier troops. In response to the missile cavalry that you will doubtless encounter, it's probably best to have your own foot archers engage them at range, with your own cavalry ready to repel a charge. Sending cavalry of your own to chase them down is sometimes worthwhile, but often just leads your horsemen away from the real battle, tiring them and reducing their effectiveness. The Pontic Heavy Cavalry, mounted javelin men, are actually quite tough for low-tier cavalry, and pursuing them can sometimes result in a bloody melee. Basically, fight defensively with your archers and pikemen and hold your cavalry in reserve, and you may even defeat them before you conquer Egypt.

With all the land from the Caucasus to the Nile delta now under your control, you have three main options- you can march through the wastes of Libya to reach the rich cities of West Africa, you can cross the Hellespont to subjugate Greece, Thrace, and Macedon, or you can march north via the Caucasus mountains, to mop up the last of the Parthians and conquer Scythia. The third is the least cost-effective. The Seleukid army is poorly suited to warfare against horse archers on the open plains of Ukraine and Russia, and the cities of the region are small and unsophisticated (read: not worth conquering). Although West Africa is a rich prize, a long march through the open deserts between Thebes and Thapsus means wasted time, and a diversion from the richer and more immediate prizes of the southern Balkans. With the collossaltrade income and large powerbase that Greece and Macedon will give you, your kingdom will be prepared to take on the Romans- in fact, you'll probably run into the Roman Scipii during your Greek campaign.

Against the Romans, your best bet is to try to defeat them through superior combined-arms tactics. That is to say, don't rely too heavily on infantry. Use your high-tier heavy cavalry, the Cataphracts and Companions, and make good use of your Silver Shield Legionaries, which make for a good link between your phalangites and horsemen and may even be your infantry-of-the-line in some armies. Don't forget Elephants, either. Your elephants and cavalry are the biggest advantage you'll have over the Romans,but your phalanx is both a blessing and a curse- it gives your infantry a chance to beat superior forces in head-on combat, but leaves them miserably vulnerable to enemy flanking attacks and missile fire. Just fight the good fight and your forces should be parading through Rome in no time.

I plan to a blogpost 3 times a week from now on. Okay for today i have a alot.

Last night i had my appendage removed. I woke up at like 3 in the morning and had lots of pain and went to the hospital. After being there i had surgery it hurts really bad. After 1 night in the hospital i'm home and i feel better. I know this is a short blog but im lazy. 

Also here is my Photography Album Ch Ch Check it! Comment Please

www.pbase.com/rickcoulby 

If only I could understand mainstream rap music. I feel like I’m being left out in the dark from the largest popular music movement of the last two decades, its rough. Truth be told I’m completely dumbfounded by the success of pathetic morons like 50 Cent, Lloyd Bank$ (YEA YEA), Chamillionaire etc in the music marketplace. Indeed when one’s lyrics push the artistic status quo with references to **** hoes and what not – one clearly deserves recognition and success…..right?

My longstanding hatred of “gansta” (YEA YEA) rap music aside, Chamillionaire’s latest track Ridin simply infuriated me. Not only is the video absolute generic rap trash (YEA YEA GOT DEM **** AND HOES YEA YEA), but the song touches on some deep political and social issues. Yup…..

Dey see me rollin'
Dey be hatin'
Patrollin' and try'n to catch me ridin dirty
(tryna catch me ridin dirty) X 4
My musics so loud
I'm swangin'
Dey hopin' that they gone catch me ridin dirty
(tryna catch me ridin dirty) X 4

----------------------------------------------------------------------------Chamillionaire is a modern Cicero. His eloquent use of the English language most definitely will impress any well read and self respecting individuals should they come across his fine artistic compositions. The main theme of the chorus is Chamillionaire’s state while driving under the influence, including references to obnoxiously loud music, swangin and the police upholding the law and what not.

Police see if they can see me lean
Im tint so it ain't easy to be seen
For me to see me ride by
They can see the gleem
And my shine on the deck and tv screen
Riding with a new chick she like hold up
Next to the playstation controlla
Theres a full clip in my pistola
Send a jacka into a coma
Girl yeen know I'm crazy like krazie bone
Just tryna bone ain't trying to have no babies
Ride clean as hell so I pull in ladies
Laws on patrol and you know they hate me
Music turned all the way up and to the maximum
I can speak for some **** try to jack for some
But we packing something that we have for um...
Will have a **** locked up in the maximum
Security cell
I'm grippin oak
Music loud and I'm tippin slow
Twins steady twisting like hit this doe
Police pull up right behind and it's in his throat
Windows down gotta stop pollution
City change
**** like who is dat producin
Thats the Play N Skillz when we out and cruisin
Got warrants in every city except Houston
But I still ain't losin

----------------------------------------------------------------
Deep stuff. Such incredible discriptions of pimped out rides, cannabis use, sexually active promisucuous whores and Playstation controllers. Wow Chamillionaire you continue to impress. Surely this song will help end all the horrible stereotypes plaguing rap music today.

I been drinkin n smokin', hold this ****
Cause I really can't focus
I got to get it home befo' the po-po scope this
Big ol' excursion, swervin, all up on the curb and
**** been sippin on that hennesy and that gin again
That sin again we in the wind,
Doin a hundred while I puff on the blunt
And roll another one up
We living like we ain't givin a ****
I got blunt up in my right hand, 40 oz in my left
Freezin my ballz
Roll another tree, green leaves and all
Comin pretty deep, me and my dawgs
Yo, I got to hit the back streets
Wanted by the six pounds and I got heat
glock-glock shots to the block
we creep-creep, pop-pop
Hope cops don't see me, on the low key
With no regard for the law, we dodge em like **** em all
But I won't get caught up and brought up on charges for none of ya'll
Keep a gun in car
And a blunt to spark
Roll up if you want
**** get it poppin dawg
Ready or not we bust shots off in the air
Krazie Bone and Chamillionare

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ah so I finally understand the message of this song! Mr. Chamillionaire is angry at the police for attempting to curb his illegal drug use, sex with underage women, driving under the influence, violation of noise pollution laws and gang related violence. Damn them indeed Mr. Chamillionaire. How dare dem crackas do dat to u?

I weep for the future. (YEA YEA)

Next week one game is coming out that I want, and have pre-ordered. Sims 2: Nightlife. Scrolling through the releases that are coming up, though, the week after next we'll see the following:

• Dragonshard
• Fable: The Lost Chapters
• Indigo Prophecy
• Other titles that I'm sure will sell well, but don't interest me.

Now, as some of you know - I'm a PC gamer. That's it, that's all. So I don't even want to consider if I were buying for several platforms. So here's my question, to the game industry at large:

"Mr. Publisher,
Do you really expect me to spend $200 in two weeks on games? If so, when do you expect me to play these games?"

(Grrr. What will wind up happening is that these three games that I might have gotten will probably not be purchased by me. It would overstretch my gaming money budget, and also my time budget. By the time I get to buy a new game, something else will be out that I'm more interested in (Elder Scrolls, Oblivion, maybe?), or it'll be next year and I'll pick the game up in the bargain bin.

One would argue "Arki, why are you griping?", and I suppose the short answer would be because I don't have enough resources to enjoy all the games that I'd like to. That would require me being independantly wealthy, nay - filthy rich, even and probably that I foreswear any and all relationships.

And it also makes me sad for the game companies. Sure, they'll enjoy sales. But not as much as if they'd planned their release a bit better. Take Indigo Prophecy: an adventure game that is definitely an adult game in the level of darkness in the story and looks to be real good. But it's by a small company, and there's not a whole lot of buzz about it. And when are they releasing? The same week as Myst V: End of Ages? You got it. Somebody needs to be slapped on that one.

Anyway, enough of my griping. Here's hoping in the future they'll give me a month or two between hot releases.

PS: I would have linked you for Myst V, but the url contains http://www.gamespot.com/pc/adventure/mystvendoF-A-Ges/index.html?q=myst, which is against TOS for me to post. Anybody want to take a guess at just how irate I am right this particular minute? And I swear, if I get modded for censor bypassing in this postscript, I'll be cancelling my GS complete account due to horsecrap.

http://forums.gamespot.com/gamespot/show_messages.php?board=314159273&topic=22313975&page=0

I weep for Gamespot.