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Metamorphosis
...Within the Ebony Moonlight...
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Name:
Firestorm717
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| [x] [X] Prisoner's Dilemma [X] [x] |
| I am a Chinese-American Myers-Briggs INTJ currently studying in the United States. Once upon a time, I was set on becoming an electrical engineer specializing in multimedia signal processing, but a combination of fate and luck brought me to the field of economics, where I now conduct research in applied game theory, auctions, and market design. I both draw and write extensively in my free time (what little there is these days), so if you see some of my work here, please feel free to post some constructive criticism. Particularly, I enjoy the Japanese animation style of artwork practiced by such well known mangaka as Higuri You and Kaori Yuki. I believe that more recognition should be given to these pieces in the professional community due not only to their unique portrayal of human beings, but also their reflection of the continuing evolution of Japan. I am an agnostic humanist, have never had any interest in religion, and do not wish to subscribe to one. I believe that religious texts are important from a philosophical point of view, much as we study Plato or Confucius, but not to be taken literally down to the letter. Morality is strongest when derived from within one's own being rather than as the dictates of an omnipotent ruler. Given the choice, I would always prefer reason to blind faith. Technically speaking, I fall in the category of libertarian (financially conservative, socially liberal) on the political spectrum, although I usually identify myself as a moderate liberal. However, that does not mean I see no merit in the opposing viewpoint. It is my belief that we should not polarize into Democrat and Republican, red and blue (it really strikes me as pathetic that we have started to identify ourselves by colors), but rather objectively analyze the individual policies of each ideology for practical advantages. Nothing irritates me more than blind partisanship on any side. Specifically, I am interested in the role the media plays in politics and how propaganda has been used over the years to manipulate public opinion. As such, I generally try to keep up with current events through both print media and television, as well as the latest in rapid communication - online blogs. My journal is a repository for various news articles I have come across online which are pertinent to my interests, often accompanied by my personal observations and/or opinions on the subject. Feel free to leave a comment expressing your views; I am always up for an intelligent discussion over the issues, so long as you remain courteous and respect my beliefs. Additional relevant links are also very much appreciated. This journal is slash/yaoi friendly. Yaoi, or slash in the Western world, refers to romantic, often sexual relationships between two or more males. If you are offended by that, please leave. I make no apologies for this interest and will not hesitate to ban anyone who derides homosexuality. |
| [x] [X] Zero Sum [X] [x] |
Other Journals swordstorm - Writing and fic ideasddx_genius - House RP journaldoublegunshot - Rafe RP journal for  crimson_ariaempireofgrey - Rufus RP journal for after_holyshotgun_prince - Rufus RP journal for finalredemptionGraphics Resources Oxoniensis retro_palace77words_iconographerluminicityhexicons |
| [x] [X] Matching Pennies [X] [x] |
| I'd be deeply honored if you choose to friend me and in most cases will friend you back ^_^. Just please leave a comment in my latest journal entry to introduce yourself, and if possible, describe why you'd like to be friends. One disclaimer, however - if you are friending purely based on fandom, know that I tend to jump randomly and erratically from one fandom to the next, so most likely my current obsession will fade away at some point to give way to another. This does not mean I don't still love all my fandoms, but I usually fixate on one at a time. The constants in my life are news commentary, slash/yaoi, Japanese animation, and perhaps most importantly, interesting, meaningful discussion. So if you're up for that, by all means, leave a message! Some policies on information shared here - I generally make it a rule not to directly give my name, age, or location in posts. This is both a way to protect my privacy as well as prevent prejudice, unconscious or otherwise, so that I am judged primarily on my thoughts and personality. However, astute observers and those who know me in real life will eventually be able to surmise some of these facts. I ask then, out of respect, that you not disclose any of this on Livejournal or link me directly with my offline life. |
| [x] [X] War of Attrition [X] [x] |
~Oscar Wilde Everything in moderation, except for knowledge. ~Aristotle I prefer tongue-tied knowledge to ignorant loquacity. ~Marcus Tullius Cicero To love an idea is to love it a little more than one should. ~Jean Rostand Everyone should be respected as an individual, but no one idolized. ~Albert Einstein God is a metaphor for that which transcends all levels of intellectual thought. ~Joseph Campbell Sometimes I wonder if we shall ever grow up in our politics and say definite things which mean something, or whether we shall always go on using generalities to which everyone can subscribe, and which mean very little. ~Eleanor Roosevelt As Pascal put it more than three hundred years ago: "Let us weigh the gain and the loss in wagering that God is. Let us estimate these two chances. If you gain, you gain all; if you lose, you lose nothing. Wager, then, without hesitation that He is." I have always considered Pascal's Wager as a questionable bet to place, since any God worth believing in would prefer an honest agnostic to a calculating hypocrite. ~Alan Dershowitz Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that's no matter - tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther...And one fine morning - So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past. ~The Great Gatsby Am I a genius? I don't think so. Not yet, anyway. As Burt would put it, mocking the euphemisms of educational jargon, I'm exceptional - a democratic term used to avoid the damning labels of gifted and deprived, and as soon as exceptional begins to mean anything to anyone, they'll change it. The idea seems to be, use an expression only as long as it doesn't mean anything to anybody. ~Flowers for Algernon The senator charged that professor Harold Lasky, a British scholar and politician, dedicated a book to me. That's true. He is dead. He was a socialist, I am not. He was one of those civilized individuals who did not insist upon agreement with his political principles as a precondition for conversation or friendship. ~Good Night, and Good Luck Advertising has us chasing cars and clothes, working jobs we hate so we can buy shit we don't need. We're the middle children of history. No purpose or place. We have no Great War. No Great Depression. Our Great War's a spiritual war...our Great Depression is our lives. We've all been raised on television to believe that one day we'd all be millionaires, and movie gods, and rock stars. But we won't. And we're slowly learning that fact. ~Fight Club Sisyphus teaches the higher fidelity that negates the gods and raises rocks. He too concludes that all is well. This universe henceforth without a master seems to him neither sterile nor futile. Each atom of that stone, each mineral flake of that night filled mountain, in itself forms a world. The struggle itself toward the heights is enough to fill a man's heart. One must imagine Sisyphus happy. ~Albert Camus If you want to find the number 216 in the world, you'll be able to pull it out of anywhere. 216 steps from your street corner to your front door. 216 seconds you spend riding on the elevator. When your mind becomes obsessed with anything, it will filter everything else out and find examples of that thing everywhere...But Max, as soon as you discard scientific rigor, you are no longer a mathematician. You become a numerologist. ~Pi I never saw a wild thing sorry for itself. A small bird will drop frozen dead from a bough Without ever having felt sorry for itself. ~D.H. Lawrence Endure. And in enduring, grow strong. ~Dak'kon Hell is repetition. ~Stephen King |
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