The Beast- Season 4- Episode 4- Back in the Gym

New episode up of the series. I'm not liking the arm punches and zero defense. I look like an MMA fighter. But that's what video critique is for right..

Jokatech Podcast Episode 17 - Call It, and New Art Pieces

I've noticed that there has been a complete drop off in blog visits and views for posts. Interesting....Anyway, this is a new podcast link for my analysis of the Pay Per View boxing event between GGG and Danny Jacobs. I was a casual fan of both, and I've noticed in the racially tense environment of today, matches like these and the Kovalev vs. Ward fight, become platforms for hatred, rather than exhibitions of skill.

View if you like. Ignore if that excites you. I'm also including some new art pieces

Fight Podcast link.

Art Pieces-

Playstation TV is the worst console ever

I've hated Sony as a company for a while now, but I've never wanted to physically destroy them like I do now. Months ago I purchased the Playstation TV, since I kept hearing about the perks that it offered, with cross-play and streaming. At first, I played only a couple of titles on it from time to time. Lately, I've been debating a move the the PS4, but decided on passing on the purchase, due to  much of the politics of game purchases today. It seems that updates are now done several times every week for the entire platforms and games across all current gen systems. XBox, PS4, Nintendo, and even my Vita is constantly bombarded with updates. Some of these are fixes, but mainly patches to further tighten the companies grip on your purchases.

  The other day, I got a 1.5 Gig update that was mandatory for HellDivers. This update included 1 new weapon and a bug fix. Now the game is twice the size it was originally, making me have to erase data to fit it on the card. From what I hear, you can't even get complacent with fighting games, because they patch them every month and rearrange rosters and character set ups. I have a huge issue with that. I was getting into fighting games, and was going to get Street Fighter x Tekken going on my PS TV. Of course, it's one of the myriad of games blocked from usage on the system. I went down the line and saw that almost every single fighter I wanted to play on the Vita is blocked, just because.

 I spent an entire day plugging code and configuring my system and account, in what amounted to a prank. Apparently, there are fixes that allow you to hack your PS TV and play all of the blocked games. I tried for weeks to no avail. Eventually, I purchased a brand new unit with old firmware so that I could bypass the patches. All of a sudden, as soon as I make the purchase, I'm magically told that the firmware is too old to used the hack, when I was told the older the better the entire time, by every single site. Now that system is a dud. But then I find a source of info that hacks the latest firmware. At first I'm skeptical, but then it begins to make sense. The programs needed, all seem to work and do their job. It took me hours of backing up my system and entering commands, and generating file keys, when I finally got the resulting file I needed. I put the damn file in the system, and absolutely nothing happened. The entire thing was an elaborate joke.

  And Sony has no plans of adding to the white list, so all of these games are just plain unplayable. Beyond wanting to cave in the skulls of the idiots who put the tutorials together, I am sick of the system all together. It was advertised as a Vita killer, when it was released years ago. Over half of the library is inaccessible to the system. I'm completely disgusted with the Playstation TV, and it is without a doubt the worst system ever made. I would never recommend to under any circumstances. I'm pissed I wastes so much time and resources on this endeavor, but I'm glad that the systems themselves only cost about 40 dollars now. A short while ago, they were $100 at minimum, because they were being peddled as a system. It is the furthest thing from a system. Aesthetically, it is an appealing unit due to its small size and ability to use a dual shock controller and HD cables, but when a system has a library like this, it is a joke that it was even released. Originally, I heard that games that used touch screen, and the mic etc, were blacklisted to improve functionality of the system. But then I found out that Sony basically played some kind of drinking game to decide what to omit. Basically, what that means is that it was completely random. Fighting games like Injustice, Street Fighter X Tekken, Playstation AllStars etc are made to transition to a dual shock controller. They are also staple titles for the system. None of those games work. And the funny thing is that the method reveals the motive. Preceeding titles of the same series that were released on PSP or Playstation 1, work just fine on system. They were clearly targeting Vita titles.


 I can't even type much more, because thoughts are crowding my head- violent thoughts towards the execs at Sony. Wow, what a piece of crap.

Works in Motion

I asked myself today, "What did we do before Youtube and Facebook?" It's a rhetorical question, but I felt like it was very deep to contemplate it for a minute or two. With recent technology, I've thought about how it has almost erased the ability to write and communicate on an intelligent or deep level. Right now, I'm nearing the halfway mark of my next novel, which is a very important project to me, because I really had to research and go outside of my comfort zone for this one. But I find it's been a bit of a challenge to think retrospectively. After a while, we've become so indoctrinated with the mundane cycle of work, social media, and gossip new or gossip TV, that it's hard to even visualize the past days for me. I've been trying to detach and go back in time like some writers do when working on pieces. I was reflecting the other day about how interaction, conversation, and going outside to enjoy creation used to be natural. Now, you have to force yourself because staring at a computer screen is natural now. Ask yourself what you spend the rest of your day doing, when you aren't sleeping or hooked to social media and reality television marathons.

  Even myself, as a sports nut, I find if I do binge watch sports news, I will burn hours watching repetitive coverage, when not watching the actual events. Then I blog occasionally about events, but that too gets repetitive. And you can't count outings with family and cliques as stepping away from social media when you are attached to it on the go. Go to any gathering, and you'll notice everyone  glued to their phones during so called conversation. And the scary thing is that it is no longer considered rude. It's become commonplace. Even when you do to outings or events, social media is still funneled back into your face with the same event organizers. Every 60 year old soccer mom, or newscaster has a twitter handle, and spends their time tweeting. It's all about gossip and news.

  Art and music are some of the only things along with sports, that, when I'm immersed in it, depending on what it is, I feel taken a bit back in time. I've been going over Wing Chun instructional videos with a teacher I studied from years ago. He too has now been bitten by the social media bug, and is actively involved, but at least he remains old school in his approach. I really enjoy taking his material in. Even interviews are not what they used to be with athletes or other celebrities. Every statement in an interview is a bland, "It is what it is." I think Keith Thurman is a breath  of fresh air as far as intellects go. It's rare to see any athletes these days that articulate and contemplative. He has a very broad and inquisitive mind, that goes beyond technique in boxing. His interviews have been some of the only ones I haven't skipped through, or turned off.

  Anyway, I rambled enough. Just food for thought. Here are a few new art pieces, a poem I completed, titled, "Your Definition," and the early release of the upcoming album, "Religion."

YOUR Definition

So I'm seeing 3 guys pummel a 4th, and as he goes to scream out in agony,
They cry before he does, indignant at his disapproval, until they can keep going.
And I look on with tears and rage in my eyes, thinking, "There's no way I can be him."
And yet you think I will.
What exactly do you call love?
Is it giving what you feel like to another,
Or fulfilling their needs even to your deficit?
It was a battle of about 20.
I didn't think I'd survive, but I took one vile creature down.
Fallling into unconsciousness, I'm in the back seat of a getaway truck.
Is this real?
Why aren't you controlled?
I'll believe you if we get away.
All I ever wanted was to be loved.
All I want now is to be free.
The edge of the universe with nothing but God's grace is a dream sanctuary.
I have no faith in what is called the people.
This and that tumult of religous apathy is life and love
As YOU define it.
And it is totally wrong.
Your confusion is not validated or amplified with popularity.
For all of your wickedness, I would love to be the vessel
Of your destruction, if not your healing.

Album- "Religion"
https://soundcloud.com/jokatech/sets/religion-soundcloud-early-release