this is my four thousandth post on teamliquid! There are a lot of super cool people on this website. Thanks to all of you for putting up with me! I've had a lot of fun talking to all of you. Special thanks to all of the people who put in work to make this website exist and function properly! Double thanks to everyone I've ever insulted (but I don't take it back)!
Thanks to farvacola for being my co-conspirator. Thanks to Shiragaku for worrying too much. Thanks to Azera for being adorable. Thanks to oneofthem for not being one of THEM. Thanks to JonnyBnoHo for being pretty cool (for a yankee suit). Thanks to Souma for fighting the good fight. Thanks to HunterX11 for being on the team. Thanks to frogrubdown for his great precision. Thanks to he-who-shall-not-be-named. Thanks to Boblion for being insufficiently absurd. Thanks to DeepElemBlues, for refusing to acknowledge the fact that I am not a Stalinist and pissing me seriously the fuck off. Thanks to Kukaracha for being one of the first people I talked to, and for being awesome. Thanks to HULKAMANIA for always being right. Thanks to kmillz for being such a thoughtful person. Thanks to corumjhaelen for being too modest. Thanks to TheFrankOne, requiescat in pace. Thanks to babylon for preserving the legacy of the ancients. Thanks to aksfjh for exposing himself to my corrosive influence. Thanks to WhiteDog for understanding the desire called Utopia. Thanks to everyone in TL-ABL. Thanks to everyone I am embarrassed to have forgotten to mention*, and thanks especially to the people who've written to me. Thanks to all the people who post in the politics thread and the books thread. Thanks to everyone who ever thought about something I said.
Negative thanks to Epocalypse because WHY ARE YOU STILL HERE?? GO THE FUCK AWAY!!
This chapter of my life is drawing to a close. At the end of the summer, I will be moving to Riverside, California to start studying for my PhD. I have full funding with a nice fellowship, and the English department at Riverside has just put together a new interdisciplinary program in Science Fiction and Technoculture Studies, which as far as I can tell is just a fancy way to say "things sam wants to study." That's right, somebody is crazy enough to pay me money to read science fiction books and corrupt children. Fiat lux, baby.
I first discovered bw in the fifth grade when I went to a summer camp where you could learn computer programming. A fair amount of computer games got played as this camp, as well, and bw was a big new thing. My favorite unit was the scout. Once I played a three-player game, where the other two people attacked each other and ignored me. Luckily, I was terrible. The terran player attacked the other protoss and killed him with nukes. I was happy making my base - I believe I had a handful of zealots and some scouts. The terran attacked with a some battlecruisers, and we traded. My base was in bad shape. The terran had all the map, and was producing battlecruisers out of about 10 starports. He was sending waves of battlecruisers at me on a-move, and I was defending with some scouts and dragoons, but I couldn't keep up. Then I had a master plan! I teched to storm, which I had never researched before, and managed to kill several waves of battlecruisers with the aid of the spell. The terran mined out and I was able to restart scout production, fly over to his starports, and take them out. gg noob. I was extremely pleased with myself for cleverly grasping victory from the jaws of defeat. I showed the replay to the camp counselor.
When the camp ended I decided I needed to have starcraft. My mom took me to best buy or whatever place, and at first she was pretty worried because it was rated "T" for "Teen." She asked the guy who was working there if it was appropriate for me to have. He told her that it was pretty much the best game ever and that she should definitely let me have it. Thanks, best buy guy! you rock!
I didn't have great internet so I couldn't really play online much. I remember playing a lot of "7v1 compstomp" games, but a lot of times the other guys would team up and attack me. Lame. I played the campaign several times through, and I played a lot of customs against the computer. I liked to play island maps, and make a bunch of guardians or carriers and a lot of cannons on my island so I was safe, and then go on the offensive.
What I'm trying to say is that I was basically a master strategist from the beginning.
When I got to college I was sitting around with some guys I met there and we got started reminiscing about starcraft and decided to have a lan party. None of us really knew how to play, although we had fond memories from childhood. We played 2v2 games and I was by far the best, so my team always won (scouts are good yo). Then someone said "did you know that in Korea, people play this game on television?" I had no idea. He showed me a video of boxer scv rushing some zerg on this tiny map. I was totally dumbfounded. The idea of doing such a thing in a game of starcraft had never even occurred to me. I didn't really understand the concept of a "build" or anything other than building up a bunch of units and then moving out when you felt like you had a good posse together.
I went home for winter break that year and was bored. I decided to look for some of this starcraft on television discovered the Avaratec-Intel Classic seasons 1-3, and spent several days straight watching the games (which loaded slowly and could not be advanced beyond the part which had already been loaded, and if you clicked just a bit to far it froze - urrrrgh). I was totally amazed! How could such a thing be?! tasteless and superdanielman's explanations of what the players were doing made me think about the game in a way which was infinitely more complex than I'd ever imagined possible. and of course that's how I found teamliquid.
my girlfriend did undergrad in riverside so i spent a decent amount of time there. all i can say is go to los jilbertos and get the carne asada fries. god i miss those.
man why do people keep calling me adorable, i dont even know what im doing that makes me seem adorable i dont understand people keep doing this to me...
SHit"!! Congratz sam on the funding and PhD. Serious man, that is awesome! Well done! I'm really gonna miss your input in the general forum, I've never known someone to stay to eloquent and well-informed in an online discussion forum in the way you do, I've really learned a lot from your posts.
You've got an awesome future ahead of you in that case - uber-jealous! Makes me think long term now about going for a PhD myself. Currently I'm beginning somewhat of a sideline career as a freelance scholar in comics studies, but struggling a lot with motivation - I have a CFP due at the end of the month which is taking up all my time. Sci-Fi study sounds fantastic, I've been reading a collection of Philip K Dick's short stories with a brief forward by Dick on what is sci-fi, a great little cluster of seemingly contradictory statements that hang together in a complex manner.
I remember you mentioning complex dynamical systems theory in a thread on climate change – do read Virtual Philosophy and Intensive Science by Delanda, it is a great exposition of Deleuze’s work with the concept and really pushes for a near literal incorporation of it into philosophy.
I always wondered what it was that brought you to TL.
I think you're the first person I'm actually gonna be genuinely sad about seeing go from TL - so thank you!
When it is time for the perm-ban you know where to go.
Gratz comrade ! Nice to know why you're posting here, because it was so far a mystery to me^^ Have fun with your thesis ! (I'm sure you will) And I'm not too modest, I just critic myself ruthlessly. I think. But maybe I'm just de mauvaise foi. But honestly, fuck you Sartre. Where was I againt ? :p
On March 08 2013 17:18 sam!zdat wrote: That's right, somebody is crazy enough to pay me money to read science fiction books and corrupt children. Fiat lux, baby.
Wow, they sound utterly insane. Hope you have a good run before they figure you out!
Is there any chance that you are from Serbia? We have book publish company named Samizdat I dont know if that means something on ENglish but here it have meaning
On March 08 2013 18:15 Srontgorrth wrote: my girlfriend did undergrad in riverside so i spent a decent amount of time there. all i can say is go to los jilbertos and get the carne asada fries. god i miss those.
nono, the carne asada fries from Santanas are FAAAARRRRR superior
Unfortunately for Sam, his ability to at least tolerate much of the nonsense that comes out of my mouth or fingers has practically guaranteed that I shall continue to barrage him with nonsense for the foreseeable future.
Jokes on you, cuzzzzzz.
“Think you're escaping and run into yourself. Longest way round is the shortest way home.”
Congrats ^^ And UCR has a very strong starcraft community, you should check out the CSL team. I believe they even have sponsorships from companies like PNY and Origin
Congrats once again sam!!! Haha, I am very envious of your knowledge in literature, philosophy, politics, and critical thinking. The more posts from you I read, the more interested am becoming in Walter Benjamin. Once I finish reading Wittgenstein, I will get right on to reading his works
Also, in the summer or sometime in the future, I may be in Torrance taking classes to become a sushi chef. So we may be able to meet up eventually ^__^
On March 08 2013 17:28 MysteryMeat1 wrote: I demand to be thanked.
Even though i know who you are and you have no clue who I am. I think you gave me advice once. happy 4k post.
Thanks MysteryMeat1! You rock! I hope that if you were foolish enough to actually take my advice, that it didn't turn out too terribly.
On March 08 2013 18:15 Srontgorrth wrote: my girlfriend did undergrad in riverside so i spent a decent amount of time there. all i can say is go to los jilbertos and get the carne asada fries. god i miss those.
On March 08 2013 18:15 Srontgorrth wrote: my girlfriend did undergrad in riverside so i spent a decent amount of time there. all i can say is go to los jilbertos and get the carne asada fries. god i miss those.
nono, the carne asada fries from Santanas are FAAAARRRRR superior
hmm, idk if carne asada fries really sounds like sam, but I'll give it a shot
On March 08 2013 20:16 Burrfoot wrote: Congrats on the fellowship and 4k posts. I'm sure your parents are prouder of the first one tho! heh.
nah man, my folks got their priorities straight. starcraft comes first.
On March 08 2013 20:57 Azera wrote: man why do people keep calling me adorable, i dont even know what im doing that makes me seem adorable i dont understand people keep doing this to me...
*walks away as i keep muttering to myself*
I'll explain when you're older. keep reading those books! Basically, you're a badass, never change.
On March 08 2013 21:44 Deleuze wrote: SHit"!! Congratz sam on the funding and PhD. Serious man, that is awesome! Well done! I'm really gonna miss your input in the general forum, I've never known someone to stay to eloquent and well-informed in an online discussion forum in the way you do, I've really learned a lot from your posts.
Thanks so much! Thanks for being on the theory-team, I love having you around :D I'm not quitting TL or anything, but probably not posting as actively after the summer.
You've got an awesome future ahead of you in that case - uber-jealous! Makes me think long term now about going for a PhD myself. Currently I'm beginning somewhat of a sideline career as a freelance scholar in comics studies, but struggling a lot with motivation - I have a CFP due at the end of the month which is taking up all my time. Sci-Fi study sounds fantastic, I've been reading a collection of Philip K Dick's short stories with a brief forward by Dick on what is sci-fi, a great little cluster of seemingly contradictory statements that hang together in a complex manner.
go for it man! Live the dream! My roommate from school also works in comics studies - maybe you'll run into him. Philip Dick was my first love.
I remember you mentioning complex dynamical systems theory in a thread on climate change – do read Virtual Philosophy and Intensive Science by Delanda, it is a great exposition of Deleuze’s work with the concept and really pushes for a near literal incorporation of it into philosophy.
added to my cart. I just made a big order with a bunch of theory texts so it'll be a while. One of the books I just ordered is A Thousand Plateaus, though.
I always wondered what it was that brought you to TL.
I believe the first thing I used TL for was to find out how to do a siege-expand.
I think you're the first person I'm actually gonna be genuinely sad about seeing go from TL - so thank you!
When it is time for the perm-ban you know where to go.
GL
don't cry yet - sam's still here <3
On March 08 2013 22:18 corumjhaelen wrote: Gratz comrade ! Nice to know why you're posting here, because it was so far a mystery to me^^ Have fun with your thesis ! (I'm sure you will) And I'm not too modest, I just critic myself ruthlessly. I think. But maybe I'm just de mauvaise foi. But honestly, fuck you Sartre. Where was I againt ? :p
I actually played a ton of Wings of Liberty and I watched every GSL game until the end of 2012 - I had to put starcraft away for a bit so I could focus on my reading (I was obsessing over it). Probably gonna start laddering again with HotS, though... looking forward to it!
I love starcraft, I just don't have a ton to say about it. I'd rather talk about philosophy and communism.
On March 08 2013 17:18 sam!zdat wrote: That's right, somebody is crazy enough to pay me money to read science fiction books and corrupt children. Fiat lux, baby.
Wow, they sound utterly insane. Hope you have a good run before they figure you out!
By the time they're on to me, my agents will already have infiltrated the highest levels of University administration - they'll be powerless to stop me! bwahaha
On March 09 2013 00:58 ZeRoX-45 wrote: Is there any chance that you are from Serbia? We have book publish company named Samizdat I dont know if that means something on ENglish but here it have meaning
Nope, I stole it from your culture! :D I'm from texas. There's not any English word that translates "samizdat" very well. I found the word in david foster wallace's Infinite Jest. Somebody on tl already registered "samizdat", though, so I acquired an exclamation point and now everyone thinks my name is sam. lol. I like it though.
On March 09 2013 01:34 llIH wrote: Congrats. Sounds like a fun PhD adventure
Thanks!
On March 09 2013 03:50 farvacola wrote: Unfortunately for Sam, his ability to at least tolerate much of the nonsense that comes out of my mouth or fingers has practically guaranteed that I shall continue to barrage him with nonsense for the foreseeable future.
Jokes on you, cuzzzzzz.
“Think you're escaping and run into yourself. Longest way round is the shortest way home.”
psssh, I'm blocking you as soon as I move away. You've outlived your usefulness farvacola - to the gulag with you!
On March 09 2013 04:52 r.Evo wrote: Thanks for being one of my favorite posters, always a pleasure to read.
I can't allow you to make a thread titled "Riverside" without Riverside in it though.
Why thanks you flatterer. I have to admit, I'm more of a 70s prog guy myself.
On March 09 2013 05:04 Superiorwolf wrote: Congrats ^^ And UCR has a very strong starcraft community, you should check out the CSL team. I believe they even have sponsorships from companies like PNY and Origin
thanks! I thought I remembered hearing about a riverside CSL team - I think I might even have played them a couple years ago when I was doing csl (I'm sure we lost). Anybody from Riverside CSL?? Post and say hi!
On March 09 2013 05:41 Shiragaku wrote: Congrats once again sam!!! Haha, I am very envious of your knowledge in literature, philosophy, politics, and critical thinking. The more posts from you I read, the more interested am becoming in Walter Benjamin. Once I finish reading Wittgenstein, I will get right on to reading his works
Walter Benjamin was probably the single most subversive influence on my life. Enjoy!
Also, in the summer or sometime in the future, I may be in Torrance taking classes to become a sushi chef. So we may be able to meet up eventually ^__^
Awesome! looking forward to it.
And bleh...do I worry that much?
Of course you worry too much, you silly boy. You're a smart and talented young man and you're always moaning to me about how you don't understand ALL THE PHILOSOPHY and so you MUST BE STUPID. Jeez....
On March 09 2013 06:18 kollin wrote: Congratulations buddy, I hope your PhD and all that shit goes well :D
Here's to many more thousands of posts! You're a great guy, and I trust you'll go far. Stay cool, stay hungry, and best of luck!! Sounds like you're going to have an amazing time there. I know we'll be speaking to Dr. Sam soon~
"Te Occidere Possunt Sed Te Edere Non Possunt Nefas Est"
Congratulations on the 4K post benchmark and the PhD funding My doctoral research has been rewarding so far as well (although I'm on the east coast and studying math and education).
And I do enjoy reading the things you write about regarding debates and hot button issues ^^
whoaa a PhD! Now you are an intellectual elite person. I guess you'll soon have students looking up to you and following you around . Maybe we'll even see Sam!zdat on the news!!! That would be cool. I don't want to ruin the image I have in my head of you, but it would still be worth it. Anyway you're lucky your future is nice and secure. I hope I get that one day
Congrats all around I work at one of the cafes at University Village, discount for you! I used to have streams playing on the TV before the boss told me to quit it. Should come by and talk StarCraftz
I have full funding with a nice fellowship, and the English department at Riverside has just put together a new interdisciplinary program in Science Fiction and Technoculture Studies, which as far as I can tell is just a fancy way to say "things sam wants to study."
On March 09 2013 10:23 GohgamX wrote: One day I know you will be over 9000. Gratz on the 4k!
Thanks
On March 09 2013 10:32 Aerisky wrote: Congratulations.
Here's to many more thousands of posts! You're a great guy, and I trust you'll go far. Stay cool, stay hungry, and best of luck!! Sounds like you're going to have an amazing time there. I know we'll be speaking to Dr. Sam soon~
"Te Occidere Possunt Sed Te Edere Non Possunt Nefas Est"
"They can kill you but they cannot eat you, it is forbidden"??
On March 09 2013 11:23 Mothra wrote: Congrats man... exciting stuff. Surely the starcraft and TL debates will make its way in subtle ways into your academic output.
not so far fetched. the starcraft ladder metagame is a very interesting meme structure!
On March 09 2013 11:53 DarkPlasmaBall wrote: Congratulations on the 4K post benchmark and the PhD funding My doctoral research has been rewarding so far as well (although I'm on the east coast and studying math and education).
And I do enjoy reading the things you write about regarding debates and hot button issues ^^
Thanks man! gl with your studies
On March 09 2013 13:23 radscorpion9 wrote: whoaa a PhD! Now you are an intellectual elite person. I guess you'll soon have students looking up to you and following you around . Maybe we'll even see Sam!zdat on the news!!! That would be cool. I don't want to ruin the image I have in my head of you, but it would still be worth it. Anyway you're lucky your future is nice and secure. I hope I get that one day
LOL. I wish I had a big photo album of the pictures everyone had in their head of me. should be hilarious. I don't know if "nice and secure" is a good way to describe the academic job market, but I'm set for the next few years at least!
On March 09 2013 16:18 Aerisky wrote: Well he doesn't have a PhD yet, he's just going to Riverside to begin his program ^^
psssh. consider it done. ezpz.
On March 09 2013 18:20 fight_or_flight wrote: Congratulations on your fellowship. I hope you'll be able to expand people's minds.
I'm not super into scifi, but I'm reading pkd's exegesis right now.
Cool! how is it? I've got it but I've only ever leafed through it. I'd love to do some work on it someday.
On March 09 2013 18:36 -ZergGirl wrote: Congrats all around I work at one of the cafes at University Village, discount for you! I used to have streams playing on the TV before the boss told me to quit it. Should come by and talk StarCraftz
Cool! Too bad about the streams, I would have gone out of my way to patronize a cafe with sc I'll be sure to stop in!
I have full funding with a nice fellowship, and the English department at Riverside has just put together a new interdisciplinary program in Science Fiction and Technoculture Studies, which as far as I can tell is just a fancy way to say "things sam wants to study."
Hahaha it's a quotation from Infinite Jest I think wanted to toss in a completely random quotation :3
Also I didn't mean anything about the difficulty or whatever, the person to whom I was responding just seemed to think that the blog was about having received the degree so I hopped in ><
On March 10 2013 05:33 Aerisky wrote: Hahaha it's a quotation from Infinite Jest I think wanted to toss in a completely random quotation :3
Also I didn't mean anything about the difficulty or whatever, the person to whom I was responding just seemed to think that the blog was about having received the degree so I hopped in ><
On March 10 2013 05:33 Aerisky wrote: Hahaha it's a quotation from Infinite Jest I think wanted to toss in a completely random quotation :3
Also I didn't mean anything about the difficulty or whatever, the person to whom I was responding just seemed to think that the blog was about having received the degree so I hopped in ><
You explain too much.
I guess I just don't like misunderstandings, because sometimes they'll happen and then everything ends up getting confused, so I usually just like to go ahead and clear things up, you know? + Show Spoiler +
As an english major, and former resident of Riverside, (I now live and work and bought a house in North Corona -Norco- which is down the 15 from UCR) I would like to welcome another SC/TL nerd to the So-Cal!
On March 09 2013 18:20 fight_or_flight wrote: Congratulations on your fellowship. I hope you'll be able to expand people's minds.
I'm not super into scifi, but I'm reading pkd's exegesis right now.
Cool! how is it? I've got it but I've only ever leafed through it. I'd love to do some work on it someday.
For me it's been very good, partly because it doesn't stand alone for me but adds on to other things I've read (on the gnostic/nature of the universe side of things). Both the content is interesting and perhaps even more is the process his brain uses. I think his thought process is closely related to the thought process I wrote about (which obviously wasn't at a professional level). Dick obviously doesn't use deductive reasoning, imo, because he never arrives at a fixed conclusion, but rather goes in spirals. He's not crazy though because, within the context he is speaking in, it all makes sense. You should roughly know where I'm going with this because you read that thing I wrote. btw I'm referring to the 2011 version that's 900+ pages which I'm assuming is the one you have. I'm only 30% through it.
EPT![[image loading]](http://www.engr.ucr.edu/~nsbe/images/ucr_seal.png)
I dont know if that means something on ENglish but here it have meaning 
wanted to toss in a completely random quotation :3
