Building Others Up...With LEGOs! - Homeschool Blogger

All right, another paper I wrote, and a theme change soon.

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 16:08:00 -0600

I wrote a paper a while back on the morality of using cheat codes in video games, and I thought you all might want to see it.

Are “Cheat” Codes Really Cheating?

By Thomas Smith

Video games are a source of enjoyment for many people, but some have exploited things in games, especially the early years, known as cheat codes. The purpose of cheat codes were to assist beta testers in testing certain aspects of the game, to make sure there were no glitches, and were usually left in the game but never released to the public, if they could help it, as some testers or programmers would leak the codes, which were used to make the game much more easier. Also, some glitches slipped by the testers, leaving holes in the programming that players could exploit for an unfair advantage. As time progressed, programmers began to build into their games cheat codes, bonus items, and new play modes especially for the player, and these became known under the general term “cheat codes”. Some even designed what is known as cheat devices, which alter the games programming to access cheats that were not programmed into the game.

But what is the definition of “cheat”? Those terms mean nothing if we do not know what the word “cheat” means. According to the Merriam Webster online dictionary, the “cheat” we are referring to means to violate rules dishonestly, usually for an unfair gain. According to the definition, is it moral and honest to use “cheat codes”? No. Not if we are violating the standard rules of the game for an unfair advantage, such as making a character invincible. So, does that mean “cheat codes” that simply change the color of a bowling ball or change the time of day in a game, or give you an item that is obtainable only through a special code are immoral or dishonest? No. Some better definitions of these would be extras, Easter eggs, and bonus play modes.

Some “codes” are used to circumvent the normal way of doing a puzzle, challenge, or level. I think a better definition of these would be “back doors”. Most of the time, back doors are used to get around a difficult level, location, puzzle, or challenge. Would that be moral? I don’t believe so. Would it be moral to talk your teacher into giving you only a two page test, while all your classmates got three? Absolutely not.

Also I mentioned glitches. If you find that if you jump higher than you normally would in a game your character could fly and thus avoid most of the traps of the game, would it be moral to use this? No. It is the same as using a beta tester cheat code. The programmers and game designers did not even attempt to give you this help so far as we know.

So all this begs the question, “Who is harmed by my using literal cheat codes, back doors, or glitches? If no one’s hurt, it okay, right?” Of course not. There is no victimless crime. You will lose the fun and challenge of a game that is difficult. The programmers who worked hard to make a game that would be fun and difficult lose all the time they put into the game trying to make it hard. Easter eggs, different play modes, secret levels, and extras are put in for your enjoyment, and do not detract from the difficulty and challenge of the game. This is not a very important issue. You will not go to jail if you use a code. But you will lose the money you spent on a game that has become no longer fun, because you used a cheat that took the challenge from it.

There. I hope you like it. Also, I am planning on making a theme change soon, so keep an eye out for that. And everybody who want's to stay on my friend list needs to PM me! I will be PMing you soon so that you don't forget.
Courage and Godspeed
legochristian

For a Short time the number of comments matched the number of posts...

Sat, 26 Sep 2009 18:05:00 -0500

Just some Baa-scically cool stuff. legochristian. P.S Don't forget my friendlist cleanup! I'm gonna purge January 2009.

Friendlist cleanup.

Fri, 18 Sep 2009 16:37:00 -0500

Hey all. I am planning on cleaning up my friend list before HSB moves to a new system. So, PM me saying that you like being my friend, and I will make sure I don't delete you! (sis and Bioagent, don't worry. you're safe) I'm gonna leave this post up for a while so that no one misses it.
later!
legochristian
P.S. Like the new header? I made it in Lego Digital Designer.

The blogger awakes!

Sat, 1 Aug 2009 12:53:00 -0500

I'm still alive. Just nothing much to talk about. I got a new game, Mega Man Star Force 2: Zerker X Saurian. It's really fun. Comment me with something interesting to blog about.

Well, Its about time!

Tue, 5 May 2009 11:35:00 -0500

I figured I should post now.... It's been what, at least two weeks? The lawn mowing business is pressing... Not a lot of free time, but I did find a cool video.

That says it all, and in lego bricks too! What do you guys think of doing something like Viral Vednesdays? (wednesday....) Something where you post a cool vid you find on the net on wednesdays? Sound fun? Try it, we'll see.

Everybody likes Robbie, we all love Raymond.

Wed, 15 Apr 2009 11:40:00 -0500

"Everybody likes magic....and flowers! Here, those are for you..."
Larry, Night at the Museum.

A few of my lesser known intrests that you might like as well....

Everybody likes....Louie Armstrong, and that moustached
mushroom plumber hero, Mario.

Allow me to warn you... Don't follow the "related" videos,
some of them might be junk.

And, Everybody likes.... taxes! NOT! This was a cool video I found on World Net Daily.
I think it relates to the current economic problems and what our government is doing to fix it,
and I thought it was appropriate for tax day.

And everybody likes...Superheroes! My favorite one is Jesus, but my favorite fictional one is Spider-man. (according to creator Stan Lee, you're supposed to use the hyphon.)

The Spider-man Theme Song. Spiderman, Spiderman, Does whatever a spider can. Spins a web, any size, Catches thieves just like flies. Look out! Here comes the Spiderman. Is he strong? Listen bud— He's got radioactive blood. Can he swing from a thread? Take a look overhead. Hey there! There goes the Spiderman. In the chill of the night, At the scene of the crime, Like a streak of light, He arrives just in time! Spiderman, Spiderman, Friendly neighborhood Spiderman. Wealth and fame, he's ignored— Action is his reward. To him, Life is a great big bang-up— Wherever there's a hang-up, You'll find the Spiderman!

And last but certainly not least, Everybody likes....A nice big chunk of scripture. John Piper spouted this off in a sermon about ...MEMORIZING THE BIBLE! No teleprompters, no notes, just pure memorized scripture. It went on for 15 minutes! Here's just five.

Awesome, huh? Pretty amazing.
Godspeed.
legochristian

Passion week Passages number two and Driving blues

Wed, 8 Apr 2009 15:14:00 -0500

I am driving. Sort of. hmm.. how to put this.... I need a certian amount of hours Behind the Wheel before I can get the next level of license. And I have to learn how to parelell park. So today I made some flags to practice with. I might just post how to make them on another website...If I do I'll tell you. But I have to drive almost 17 hours before next friday.... Pretty fun huh? Sometimes, driving's not all it's cracked up to be. But you gotta love zooming around a corner doing 75 on the freeway. With the cruse on. It's fun, trust me. You feel like Speed Racer or Jeff Gordon or someone. It's cool. Anyway, to today's (and yesterday's) Passion Week Passages. In case you're wondering what clearing out the temple has to do with easter, (see my last post) I am posting passages that chronicle some of the things Jesus did his last week on Earth before he died.

Matthew 21:19
Seeing a fig tree by the road, He went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then He said to it, "May you never bear fruit again!" Immeadeatly, the tree withered.

Matthew 21:42
Jesus said to them, "have you never read in the Scriptures: ' The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes'?"

Hope you enjoy what I'm doing!
legochristian

Easter, Water on Mars, and a response to a comment.

Mon, 6 Apr 2009 13:59:00 -0500

An anonymous commenter left this comment on my post revising the Separation of Church and State:

I happened upon your blog, and while I was reading your well-written article on the separation of church and state, a couple things came to mind. First: When you say that the first amendment allows us the freedom to follow the religion of our choice, you're right. But you seem to neglect that it also allows Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims, and anyone else the freedom to follow the religion of their choice, just as much as Christians. And you don't see any Hindus posting quotes from the Sutras in public places. That is the point of separation of church and state: to allow everyone to follow their own religion, whether it is the popular one or not. You as an individual can pray in school; you just can't make everyone pray, since it's likely that many people there aren't Christian. Second: the Founding Fathers were not Christian. They were Deist. Thomas Jefferson, Ben Franklin, and probably George Washington were all Deists. They believed that there was some higher power that created the Universe, but that it was not necessarily a Christian God. They followed universal morals embraced by most all world religions not because they were Christian, but because they were right. Even non-Christians can have morals.

Now then, this commenter made some points: 1. I focused on Christianity, not all religions, 2. Some of the Founding Fathers were not Christian.

Point number 1: I focused on Christianity, because, #1, this is a copy of a book review I wrote on Separation of Church and State: What the Founders Meant by David Barton, a Christian. So, I used examples he gave because that pamphlet was my source material, and I am also a Christian. Secondly, the phrase "Separation of Church and State" is being used to attack Christians, no one else (please note I did not specify a specific denomination), because Christians are the only ones who are non inclusive. Most other religions have various gods, and would be more than willing to accept us into their framework if we would just accept their gods as well. I'm sorry, but we can't do that. Jesus said "I am the Way and the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (emphasis mine)

Point number 2: Where in the world did I say that the Founding Fathers were Christians??? I know for a fact that Thomas Jefferson probably wasn't a Christian, because of a Jefferson Bible he had printed for his children, essentially a modern day bible storybook, except for all of the miraculous instances in Jesus' life pointing to him as the messiah and Savior were taken out. So no, I didn't say that. But what is true is that most of the Founding Fathers believed in the God of the Bible, even if they didn't accept Christ. Non-Christians can have morals, but only if they are influenced by the Bible. If you can find How Christianity Changed the World by Alvin J. Schmidt, you can see how our moral system today was heavily influenced by Christ.

Now that that's out of the way, a lighter note.

WATER HAS BEEN FOUND ON MARS!!!!!
This could be very controversial. I will post a pic of the exact spot....

You also might have noticed I let April Fools day go by without a joke.........

But we're past that now. Easter is coming! So, I decided to post some bible passages about easter week...
Matthew 21:9
The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted "Hosanna to the Son of David!" "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" "Hosanna in the highest!"

That was Sunday's. Here's todays:

Matthew 21:12
"It is written," he said to them, "'My house will be called a house of prayer,' but you are making it a 'den of robbers.'"

I will try to post one every day this week....If I can't, I'll make up for it.

Later!
legochristian

Ohhh.... my acheing back.....

Wed, 1 Apr 2009 16:04:00 -0500

Weather where I live stinks. One day it will be a balmy 75 degrees and sunny, and the next -20 and snowing. And then it goes back to 75 in the afternoon. Okay, I'm exaggerating a little. But that's what's been happening here for the past couple of weeks. What makes it worse is that when it was winter, it was all brown, no snow, windy, and -12. Now, in SPRING, when it's supposed to be brown, it's white in the morning, 30 degrees, blowing snow, then slush and brown grass just starting to turn green in the afternoon. It dosen't help that I shovel 5-6 peoples sidewalks and driveways. In the mornings. When it's blowing and stuff. I guess I can't complain. We are in a drought, and other people in other places get worse. God is pulling a major April Fools day joke on me. I was grumpy and complaining this morning (when I was shoveling) and now I am talking about Phil. 2:14: "Do everything without complaining or arguing,...." It really screws up your day when you complain when you're grumpy. It may not be your fault, you might be right, and it might feel good for a second to complain about others and how you are so abused... but in the end it gets you testy, and other people testy, and then you start to argue... and things spiral down. Your day is ruined. It pays to obey this passage. Trust me, I know from experience. ( I also know you can put your back out and get major cricks in the neck and arms from shoveling from experince....)
legochristian

A cartoon by me, and the "Wall of Separation Between Church and State" revamped!

Sat, 28 Mar 2009 10:35:00 -0500

This is my first cartoon, so cut me a little slack on the drawing part of it. I'm probably going to make all the girls who think pigs are cute sick. Anyway, here we go.

One panel hilarity. Yes, that's supposed to be Farmer Hogget. And you can figure out who the roast pig on the table is.

And now, do you guys remember the little post I made a while back on the separation of church and state? Well, for a school project, I revised it a little, and I wanted to show you the "NEW AND IMPROVED" version of it. Here we go.

David Barton’s pamphlet Separation of Church and State: What the founders meant cleared up a lot of stuff for me. Most people think that the words “separation of church and state” are in the first amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Well, here is an exact quote of the First Amendment:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Hmm. Not there huh? Where did it come from? Here is a quote from a letter from Thomas Jefferson to the Danbury Baptist Association in response to their question about whether the Bill of Rights (not yet ratified at that time) would allow the congress to pass laws restricting the church. Jefferson wrote:

Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man & his god, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legitimate powers of government reach actions only, and not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, thus building a wall of separation between church and state (emphasis mine)

There, do you see it? Now, put that together with the first amendment and what does "separation of church and state" mean? It means that the government does not have the power to restrict our freedom to have the Ten Commandments on a government owned park, in a public school, or to restrict our freedom to talk about God and his son Jesus in school, senate, or the House of Representatives, or anywhere else. What it does restrict is the Government from having the power to make any one religion or Christian denomination the national religion. Now, you may argue with me (ACLU members....) that the framers (as the people who helped to word each amendment are called) meant something completely different. Well, George Washington had something to say about separating God from any establishment, political or otherwise, in his Farewell Address:

Of all the dispositions and habits that lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable [inseparable] supports. In vain would that man claim the tribute of patriotism, who should labor to subvert these great pillars of human happiness – these firmest props of the duties of man and citizens. The mere politician, equally with the pious man, ought to respect and cherish them.

Whoa! Sounds a little harsh. Any man, who tries to separate God from the political establishment, can’t call himself a patriot! Then he went on:

Let us with caution indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion. Whatever may be conceded to the influence of refined education…reason and experience both forbid us to expect that nation morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle.

Washington just said that you can’t have a good, moral nation, without religion! And he was one of the framers! It sounds like the language is pretty clear. No religion, no morals. No God and politics, you’re not a patriot. Judging by various other quotes that can be found on the internet, the other framers agreed. And they were right. When the Bible is not taught in schools, drug abuse, sexual impurity, crime, and general immorality spikes. That makes sense too. If there is no knowledge of God, then there is no knowledge of any reason to have good morals. If society frowns on them, so what? It won’t really matter anyway, since we all just decompose and turn into worm food when we die. Or at least that’s what people think when the government takes Christianity out of schools, workplaces, and just the general public. So, what are we going to do about it?

Building a better world...one plastic brick at a time,

legochristian.

P.S. Like the new stuff?

P.P.S: Please comment. I like it when you do.