OddballGreg - Videogame Annualisation (Quantity Over Quality?)

Nothing says Videogame Terror like an Xbox controller right? No... not really, but at least it's vaguely related to the subject in some form no?

You remember Assassins Creed Black Flag? Unity? Rogue? 3? Brotherhood? Revelation? What about Call Of Duty Modern Warfare 1? 2? 3? Advanced Warfighter or even World At War? Videogame Annualisation is an interesting issue these days to consider, so I'm going to consider it for you guys. (Teehee)

Have you ever heard the old adage "Quality over Quantity"? Probably. The fact of the matter is that it feels like the mainstream videogame industry might be a little unsure of the finer nuances of that saying. Consider the fact that there are 3 Assassins Creed games coming out next year. Assassins Creed Identity, Assassins Creed Rogue, and the next-gen Assassins Creed Unity. There's also yet another Call Of Duty game coming out. Yet another Final Fantasy came out this year, (what is it now? over 20 or 30 games?), and there's another Battlefield game out. (Slightly older news, but still relevant.)

So lets argue for all these games right now. Consider the simple fact that these games, despite being released so frequently and making many around the web bemoan the saturation of the market with tired ideas, people still buy it. Why? Well, for those controversy and conspiracy seekers out there, the reasoning can be pointed at anything from brainwashing to the subjugation of people's will through the economy in order to prevent them from rising up against the world's governments. Or it could just simply be the fact that these games are fun. (I dunno about you, but the latter seems ever so slightly more likely. Maybe it's just me.) Consider this: Call Of Duty's multiplayer has been effectively the same ever since Call Of Duty 2, with the only real changes being aesthetic and class/killsteak/era/loadout changes over the course of each game. So why do people keep buying the same thing over and over?

Simple. It's fun! Ask anyone who's played Call Of Duty without taking it too seriously, and they'll point out that the gameplay has just the right mix of strategy, action, funniness and occasional badassery that it's sometimes difficult to stop playing. I myself recently completed several runthroughs of the "Extinction" mode in Call Of Duty Ghosts with a friend, and then promptly started playing the Nazi Zombies gamemode of Black Ops. Why change something that people obviously enjoy and like? "Ain't broke, Don't Fix It" is the literal attitude in this case, and rightly so. As long as the existing formula remains fun, there's no reason to do anything more to it than drop in some fun new side ideas to keep things fresh. 

So why is all this a bad thing then? (I know, after typing all that, I'm wondering myself.) Well, for starters, buying the same thing repeatedly doesn't exactly feel like value for money, especially when the latest Call Of Duty often sets a person back about $60 or R600 here in South Africa. Paying that much for a game that is mostly like the last give or take a couple features and a new but rather short and occasionally inconsequential story does feel a bit like a rip. Those kind of changes could be something simply given as a cheap downloadable DLC pack at a sixth of the price. Strangely enough, the average gamer doesn't seem to see it that way and simply shells out what is quickly becoming an exorbitant fee for the same rehashed content. (I will say in Call Of Duty's favour however that Advanced Warfighter is definitely looking far different from it's predecessors. Shall be interesting to keep and eye on that.)

The other thing to consider is that in terms of the Quantity over Quality argument, the games may be suffering. Perhaps not as a result of rushed development cycles as most of these games, despite being the same franchise, are made by different development teams, which means that there is no loss of focus on them, which is good. However, the games may be suffering from becoming something that people can take for granted due to it's over-availability. Consider something you've had all your life, perhaps even since your were born. Maybe you were lucky enough to always have a cellphone, or had the freedom to always go where you liked when you wanted to. Both are fantastic things, but many seem to take them for granted until they no longer have them, at which point they suddenly want them so much more.

That argument in terms of the games industry is that it effectively means that we appreciate every newly released title less and less because we come to expect that there will simply be another game to play later. Call Of Duty Ghosts was met with a lackluster reception for being more of the same and trying to get attention with gimmicks like fish AI and dog companions, yet when Diablo 3 was released a decade after Diablo 2, despite being incredibly controversial for many reasons ranging from it's always online DRM to it's real money auction house, the game sold TONS of copies, simply because the longtime nostalgia of Diablo 2 had many wanting to see just how much better their old favorite could have become. Which means in terms of marketing and the production of games, the questions really is, "is more actually better?" While the argument will likely continue for a long time to come, one can only decide for themselves if they like how the mainstream gaming industry is handling it's game franchises or not.

In any case, that bring this interesting soliloquy on the subject of game annualisation to a close. Do you have something to add to either argument or simply wish to voice your own opinion on the matter? If so, feel free to do so down in the comments section below, or via Facebook/Twitter as we here at TCSA love to hear your feedback. Of course, if you have friends that enjoy debating the fundamental aspects of marketing, economics and the game industry, maybe share this post with them. They might find the arguments I've posed here interesting. And if you yourself would like to read more interesting articles like this one, then do be sure to like the Official TCSA Facebook page and/or follow us on Twitter using the associated buttons on the bar to the left so that you can get the latest posts, as they're published. Regardless of what you do, I thank you for having taken the time to read this post; hope that you have/had an absolutely FANTASTIC day, and I will speak again soon.

Happy gaming my friends.

JovialJman - Gym And It's Unfortunate Consequences

"Workout machines and gyming... I can't find anything snarky to say about this. Oh well." - OddballGreg

Gyming can be very fun with friends, and you can get a really good body afterwards; but do it wrong and you can impair yourself for the rest of your life. Lets talk about that.

I have recently started going to gym seeking to improve my fitness and physique (as you might have guessed), but started by myself and had no clue as to what I was doing, nor did I have a schedule that I would use to train effectively. However, once I found someone that I could gym with, my word is there a difference and a half as to what you can do and how far you can push yourself at gym with the assistance of a gym partner.

When working out properly, the other person can push you far beyond that which you could go yourself, and in a safer way, as they can observe your form and assist you to improve it where need be. Since my friend who I started working out with has been going to gym for a while, the weights he uses are rather scary to put it lightly. Doing some of the curls and presses, I was using an 8th of the weights he was, which is a bit depressing, but since I am only just starting, it is to be expected as we all have to start somewhere.

Doing cardio, I realized just how unfit I am, (something that will be changing soon hopefully), but I am pushing myself a bit further each day. Different muscles are worked on in different ways, and if I understood correctly, bodybuilding and strength building are rather different things. The way you workout matters a fair amount on the type of muscles you want. If you do many reps, (Which means how many times you pull up and let the weight down), with a light to medium weight, then you will build the size of your muscles, (and strength, thought that is not the main goal), but if you do few reps with heavy weights, you will increase the strength and not so much the size of the muscles.

People tend to work 2 muscle groups a day, or at least from what I have heard and seen. You get arms, legs, back. chest, stomach, shoulder and the cardio, (I know cardio is not a muscle but it works various muscles and is important for general fitness). You may do some of these a few days in a row but others it is recommended to give it a day or two's break before doing it again. It is a good idea to try and figure out a gym plan before just going for it as some of the techniques and routines may harm your body overtime. Ask a person working at your gym to assist you if you need help.

This image shows most of the muscles in the human body

After your workout, if you pushed yourself, you will see that your muscles will be so tired that simple activities become far more difficult, (like typing... if you need to write a blog, that gets a little painful...). I have been stiff for 4 days now and while it is good to be exercising, it is also really annoying. I know that it will wear off in time, but it lets me know that I was working those muscles quite well. I was initially ignorant and worked on the same muscles in my arms before they had a chance to recover, which didn't help the stiffness at all as I'm sure you can understand. (Ah well, live and we learn).

I am sorry for the rather short post, but my arms just want me to stop. (Teehee). If you feel that I did not say something I should have, or have any gym stories of your own that you would like to share, please tell us down in the comments, over Facebook or tweet us on Twitter. Also, do you know of anyone who does gym or would like to start, please share this with them as I am sure they would appreciate it. Of course, if you enjoyed today's post and would like to see the newest ones as they are published, please like us on Facebook and/or follow us on Twitter using the associated buttons on the bar to the left. Thank you for taking the time to read today's post and I shall write again overmorrow.

Work hard my friends.

OddballGreg - The Meaning Of Our Actions

Doves are a symbol of peace. They're also fairly humorous when they cock their heads back as if they challenging you to say what you said again, brah! (Teehee)

This weekend, I've had the opportunity to spend an absolutely fantastic day with some of the most meaningful people in my life, which unexpectedly, has also lead me to consider just how meaningful the smallest of our actions can be in the lives of those around us. Lets talk about that.

Every action has meaning in our world. While as a statement, that is not a very profound thing to consider, when one explores the true scope of their actions and their possible effects on the world, it becomes truly astounding how much of an impact your seemingly small and perhaps relatively unimportant life may have on the world.

Consider, for a moment, that the world exists with, or without you, and continues to do things as it will regardless of you. While not an empowering statement in itself, it is necessary to understand that the world is always on a path. Things will always be happening. The empowering thing to understand about this, is that you, as a single human, are powerful enough to affect the history of the world, by simply doing nothing.

While doing nothing is hardly unmemorable, consider the fact that world works in what can be compared to waves. Every action has a consequence that is felt infinitely beyond it's initial impact. The dropping of atomic bombs is felt to this day by the "Hibakusha" as they are known in Japan. The destruction of Twin Towers in America is an event that is memorialized every year to this day. Both these events are the results of people's choices to take action in life.

So what has doing nothing done? In my favorite example, there is the remarkable case of Adolf Hitler, the infamous German fuhrer of World War 2, cited as responsible for many atrocities in the world. For you see, Adolf Hitler's life continued as a result of one man's choice to not take action. During World War 1, Hitler was injured in battle and was recovering in a field hospital which was captured by British soldiers. The man who entered the tent came upon the piteously injured Hitler, and decided to do nothing, allowing him to live on and commit the atrocities he became known for later in life. 

Now consider how that man's choice to not take action can potentially be attributed as the cause of World War 2 and it's atrocities. In the same way, your choices at this moment to do nothing have that same amount of power. What might you be doing to the path of mankind's history by the things you do or do not right now? The possibilities are forever endless, and in some cases, even your most seemingly insignificant decisions can change the lives of those you come into contact with.

Yesterday, I had the greatest pleasure of spending my day with a group of the most important people in my life, some of which I have mentioned before for the decision to be my brother in blogging, their penchant greatness as a happy and friendly individual, or their social awesomeness despite their belief in their own social awkwardness. Who I had not mentioned in the past however, was the man who we had gathered together on the day to celebrate his birthday (despite it actually being today, Happy Birthday my friend.)

This great friend of mine was not always such to me you see. When we originally met in the junior years of high school, he found it endlessly amusing to tease and in all technicality bully me to no end. It was not a fun period of my life, and I absolutely hated going to school because of him. Infamously, he is in fact one of 3 people in my entire life that has driven me to violence in an effort to get him to shut the hell up. (Being a very friendly and patient person, that is an extremely difficult thing to manage.)

The interesting thing however, comes in how profoundly affected he was by something I did merely as something I would always do. He had been playing sports of some kind when someone tackled him and severely injured his leg, making it extremely difficult to get around the school, which enjoyed scheduling lessons up and down the various flights of stairs. Despite being injured, the people he was friends with at the time found it funny and simply laughed at him and his plight. To his shock, the last person he ever expected to help him, walked up to him and did just that.

Various factors throughout my childhood resulted in my belief in being a better person in the world, not the least my motto "Be The Miracle". As such, I thought nothing of helping someone who had so badly wronged me. As my fried recounted with awe at his birthday party, he asked why me, the person who he had literally driven to try and injure him, was carrying his bags and helping him get around the school. My answer, if I didn't help him, I would merely be perpetuating this cycle of cruelty, and would rather be the person who helped those around him, instead of having to live looking over my shoulder for any knives that may be coming for my back. I even went to him the next day to see if he needed help again to get around the school.

4 years later from that event, and it still makes me feel amazed at how much those words and actions have influenced my friend, and the respect that has for me as a result. When he tells that story, I can hear how much those actions, and our continued friendship means to him, and it something that continues to fill me with awe and joy to have been such a positive piece of somebodies life. When I sat there in the Jacuzzi with those friends of mine and looked at the respect they held for me when my friend specially mentioned myself for the things we had done together, and even my girlfriend who had joined me that day to continue what had become a tradition for myself to arrive early, and leave late, helping to set up for the party and being there with him to the end. (Though perhaps slightly earlier than the end in this case, since sleeping over was not quite an option when my girlfriend was with me. I don't begrudge that in the least though.) In all honesty, as I sit here and write these words and think about the genuine smiles and congratulations from my friends, I cannot help but feel slightly teary eyed. (It's dust... I'm sure of it! Haha)

So the next time you are sitting thinking that your life may be pointless, just remember the fact that our actions, and even our decision to not take action, can, and does have a profound effect on the world, whether you realize it or not. The things you do today can cause the next world war, change mankind's history, or even change the lives of those around you. You are never powerless.

In any case, that's all I've got for this subject. If you have a story of a way that you had a profound affect on somebody's life, let us know down in the comments below or via Facebook/Twitter as we here at TCSA love to hear from you guys. Of course, your sharing of this post with your friends who may or may not need a motivations boost will likely be appreciated by them, and definitely appreciated by us here at TCSA. Better yet, if you would like to read more posts like this one, then do be sure to like the Official TCSA Facebook page and/or follow us on Twitter via the buttons on the bar to the left so that you can get all the latest posts, as they're published. Regardless of what you do, I thank you for having taken the time to read this post; hope that you have/had an absolutely FANTASTIC day, and I will speak again soon.

Live well my friends.

JovialJman - Wisdom and Words ... Again

"Creativity is using the same post but putting the word "again" into it, to sound like it was just you being sassy and not lazy. Teehee" - OddballGreg

Did your friend turn a blind eye to your bare-faced lie after you rubbed them the wrong way or did the jaywalker bust your chops for having sideburns? Words and sayings that we use every day have very unique origins, that are debated among many. Let's talk about that.

When you are doing something (usually wrong) and another person pretends not to see it, they are said to be "turning a blind eye". This saying is said to come from time of war, during one of the battles, the commander of the British fleet attempted to stop Horatio Nelson from continuing the attack on enemy ships, by the use of signal flags, but Nelson rose his telescope to his blind eye and said, "I really do not see the signal." Now if you lie on the other hand, it is easier to spot it if you have no hair on your face, as nothing is concealing small movements. So if a person makes no attempt to conceal a lie they are telling a "barefaced lie."

After trying really, really hard to reach a goal but you fall just short, someone might say, "close but no cigar." At carnivals they used to give cigars out as prizes, so if you almost won at a carnival game but didn't, you came close but got no cigar. Herders use a stick to herd sheep, if they are short of a dog. The waving motion causes the sheep to travel in the opposite direction, but sometimes they have too many sheep to wave the stick at, so when you have more of something that yo need, it is said you have "more then you can wave a stick at."

Don't be a sheep. You won't know if you are many or if you are one.

"Blood is thicker than water" is often referred to as strong family bonds, but the origins might have little to do with family. In the Middle eastern culture, blood rituals symbolized bonds that were a lot stronger than that of family bonds. So when warriors symbolically shared blood on the battlefields, it was believed their bonds were stronger than those of blood brothers. When you are family, however, it can be hard to "rub them the wrong way." This saying comes from colonial America where servants were to wet-rub and dry-rub the wooden floors in their masters house, and if done against the grain it would leave streaks, which annoyed the owners.

Walking across the street at a place that is not designated to walk, is called "Jaywalking." This word came from birds, (naturally), Jay birds that traveled into towns often became confused and are unaware of some of the dangers that the town might have, eg traffic. People began using the term "Jaywalker" to identify someone who walks across the road in a reckless or irresponsible manner. When you get home after seeing a jaywalker, you can "let your hair down." this means to relax after a tiring day. This phrase came into existence because of Parisian nobles. They risked disapproval from their peers if they were found in public without a fancy hairstyle. Many of the styles of the time required a lot of work, so when they came home after a long day it was really relaxing to literally let their hair down.

You must have seen sideburns before and if you are a male over 17, you most probably have had sideburns at least once in your life. This word for facial hair was named after a person, Colonel Ambrose Burnside was well known for his facial hair on the sides, (see picture below). People started calling the hair on the cheeks sideburns and then the term just stuck. Now there were some people who "bust your chops" by giving people a hard time. This phrase started when people punched others in the face for having sideburns, (also know as chops, how rude is that).

"Burnside didn't have much hair on his head, so he grow some on his cheeks." - Theory by JovialJman.

OMG stands for, "oh my gosh/god" and has been used by many a teenage girl around the world, but the person who coined the acronym was the furthest thing from a teenage girl as you can get. Admiral John Arbuthnot "Jacky" Fisher, 1st Baron Fisher of Kilverstone used it first while writing his memories in 1917, (that is a while before the internet don't you think). The exact words he used were, “I hear that a new order of Knighthood is on the tapis—O.M.G. (Oh! My God!)—Shower it on the Admiralty!” Then there is a word that means little girl but is used by boys and men alike. "Boobies" used to mean little girls, the way it is used today might be because bubby (plural boobies) was used by children as a child-talk term for a breast and it evolved from there, (this may have been the same as the name Dick)

When someone is "shitfaced", they are most probably young, but did you know it was a term to describe young people, ie teenagers.  A Scottish dictionary from 1826 defined it as "having a very small face, as a child." Drinking Whiskey could get you "shitfaced" if you don't watch out. Whiskey (or whisky) comes from the Gaelic words "uisge beatha", which means “water of life,” (Scottish people might take their drinking a little bit seriously). Vodka is a bit more potent than whiskey to some (unless you are Russian, the birthplace of Vodka), but it means small water, (yes Russia named it after water, which explains why they drink it as such).

This picture is a tough question

Anyways, did you find any of these words interesting? or are you "shitfaced"?, please let us know down in the comments, on Facebook or on Twitter, as we here at TSCA love to hear from you. Thank you for taking the time to read today's post, and if you liked it or would like to see the newest posts as the are published, please like us on Facebook and/or follow us on Twitter, using the associated buttons on the bar to the left. Do you have any friends or people you know who like to drink Whiskey or might need a bit of "chop busting", please share this post with them as I am sure they might get a laugh out of it and will thank you for sharing it. I hope you have/had a really good day, and I shall write again overmorrow.

Cheers and cross the streets safely, jaywalkers.

OddballGreg - 10 Pre-2000 Songs We Still Listen To

If you know who this character is, then you're probably a fan of trance music. Image is from this YouTube Video. Turns out its hard to get high quality images from ancient music videos.

Music is a very large part of most people's lives, so it makes sense that we pick and choose our favorite songs as we go. However, for some people, their age or upbringing is rather obvious by their choice in music, not that we particularly care. Here's a list of 10 Pre-2000 songs that we just won't stop listening to, in no particular order:

1. Darude - Sandstorm 

Lets start the list of songs from pre-2000 with a song that was almost released in 2000. Sandstorm is the insta-hit trance song by the Finnish DJ Darude from 1999, complete with a cult following of dancers and a horde of 20 to 30 year olds reminiscing about the good old days when music videos could have random running people instead of swinging balls and naked teen stars. (Teehee)

2. Kansas - Carry On Wayward Son

As a fan of the hit TV Series Supernatural, not knowing the name of the famous song that has played in the final episode of every season would be a shameful thing to admit as the band Kansas saw immensely renewed fame as a result of the 1976 made song's use in the series.

Bonus points for going hipster and saying I was listening to this song with my dad before Supernatural was ever aired. (Please don't hit me.)

3. Billy Joel - We Didn't Start The Fire

The previously number 1 hit in the US from 1989, We Didn't Start The Fire is the fast paced pop rock song that makes you realize just how much happens in 40 years with over 100 references to news headlines from 1949 to 1989. It also happens to be hellishly catchy and fun to listen to, which is probably why I'm not alone in frequently listening to it despite the song actually being 6 years older than me.

4. ACDC - Highway To Hell

Speaking of hell, this wouldn't be a list without a reference to the 1979 released Highway to Hell and classic rock hit from ACDC. (You know, those guys everyone said were satanic before bands like Slipknot came out and took up the mantle.) Having been raised by an a drummer, it shouldn't surprise you that this song was something I knew well in my younger years. (That and the scary album art of Gene Simmons's Kiss. *Shivers*)

Fun fact, There are actually several places in the world called Hell, so it's arguable that this song could be making reference to any one of them, not the least the Hell in Michigan, United States.

5. Michael Jackson - Thriller

Of course, anything talking about pre-2000's would of course make reference to the "King Of Pop" as he was known, Michael Jackson. The much controversial Thriller was released in 1983 by the much controversial singer and dancer who was famous for things like crotch grabbing, anti-gravity shoes, good singing, color changes, and court cases about alleged pedophilia. Regardless of his actions and eccentricities, his songs remain famous to this day, having even gone platinum in music sales posthumously. His life must have been Thrilling to be certain.

6. Black Sabbath - Iron Man

There is great potential for irony in a metal song named after ferrous materials of metal designation. (ALL THE METAL PUNS!) In all seriousness, considering the advent of the famous Robert Downey Jr. movies Iron Man 1, 2 and 3, I'm not surprised this song is popular. (Okay fine, it was pretty popular before those movies anyway.) Either way, when you hear the iconic grungy guitar sounds of this songs intro, it's hard to mistake it for anything else. It might also be the only thing you listen to occasionally.

7. The Doors - Riders On The Storm

While perhaps not something immediately listened to in life, my enjoyment of this song actually came from hearing it in the Snoop-Dogg remix version that makes thousands of gamers immediately dream about racing cars on the Play Station 2 when they hear it. This 1971 song by The Doors will forever be famous for the laid back story telling that was the last recorded song including Jim Morrison to ever be released.

8. Boston - More Than A Feeling

Having practically heard this song from the moment of birth, (okay, that may be exaggerating, but my dad played Boston music A LOT while I grew up), suffice to say that this song has always been something of a favorite of mine for his upbeat rock tune that you just don't hear elsewhere. This staple of classic rock from 1976 will always be a favorite of many old rock enthusiasts, regardless of age.

9. Queen - We Will Rock You

Ah Queen, the first band I ever considered my favorite. How could we all not nod respectfully towards the legend that was Freddie Mercury who fell in his prime. Of course, it was difficult choosing between 1975 hit Bohemian Rapshody and the 1977 hit We Will Rock You for this list, since technically I listen to them both about equally as often, but when I consider just how much the 2 stomp one clap motif of We Will Rock You is used as sporting events, I think what was my first favorite song wins. (Totally not biased in any way, I promise).

Extra points if you remember how fun it was to have this and many other rock songs in the 2001 film "A Knights Tale"... which I think I'm going to go watch now.

10. Pink Floyd - Another Brick In The Wall

Pink Floyd, the band famous for music that sounds drug induced, and my uncle's spite when I originally told him I didn't know who the band on his shirt was. Turns out, they're pretty awesome despite it frequently feeling like they had had poured LSD onto the computer when their songs were composed. 

Of course, any school child with a taste for the older music would tell you that Pink Floyd's 9 minute long, number 1 hit from 1979 was probably their anthem... that and Alice Cooper's "Schools Out" which was my common choice of song to sing at the end of every school term... for about 9 years running.

So if your name happens to be Aleks Da Silva and you're a good friend of mine, then you can proudly say that your nagging paid off and got OddballGreg to write a post about music. (You didn't have to do much nagging though. Teehee)

Do you have a song that you feel should have made this list? (Of course you do.) If so, let me know down in the comments below or over Facebook/Twitter; perhaps I'll even do a follow up article where I talk about them as well if enough people do so. And even if don't, you sharing this post with your music loving friends will of course be much appreciated by both myself, and most likely them I'm sure. Perhaps even like the Official TCSA Facebook page and/or follow us on Twitter so that you can get the latest articles, possibly including that follow up I mentioned, as they're published. Regardless of what you do, I thank you for having taken the time to read this post; hope that you have/had and absolutely FANTASTIC day, and I will speak again soon.

Rock hard my friends.

JovialJman - Heritage Day (aka. National Braai Day)

"To all our Non South African readers, a braai is roughly like a barbeque... as far as I'm aware." - OddballGreg

Heritage Day, the day everyone calls National Braai Day and spends sitting around a fire with friends and family while celebrating the roots of their history and their country. Swimming and good food are a common component of this day.

We here in South Africa, have a public holiday on the 24th of September known as Heritage Day, (sadly it was yesterday). In Kwazulu-Natal, (one of the provinces here), it was formerly known as "Shaka Day". This was a day of commemoration for the legendary Zulu king, King Shaka Zulu. When the Public Holiday Bill was presented to the New South African Parliament, they omitted Shaka day. The IFP political party at the time, (a South African party with a large Zulu membership), objected the omission and a compromise was reached, in which it was decided to create a day where all South Africans could observe and celebrate their rich cultural Heritage, and thus Heritage Day was formed.

This is a day where all people are encouraged to celebrate their culture and their historical roots. In a way to focus more on the shared culture rather than the differences, a rather new thing has come about known as Braai4Heritage which has called upon the citizens of South Africa to celebrate their heritage and roots around the open fire known as the BRAAI on the 24th September, Heritage Day. In 2007 Arch -Bishop Desmond Tutu was named the spokesperson for Braai Day and in 2008 the National Heritage Council endorsed it as well.

The National Braai Day anthem. Really worth a listen.

Jan Braai has a website hosted just for Braai day. "The National Braai Day initiative aims to position National Heritage Day as South Africa’s annual day of celebration."(quote taken from braai.com.) This website has many recipes that are mouth wateringly good as well as hints and tips on how to get the best cooked meat you will ever see ... and eat.

Yesterday, my family and I gathered around the fire and had a "lekker" braai. (Lekker = Nice) It was a perfect day to go swimming but the water was too cold, so we just went for a rather short lived dip. Throwing a rugby ball around with cousins and kicking a soccer ball around was a rather enjoyable time. After the dip, I was trying to warm up as the sun was setting when my brother decided to pour a bucket of ice water over me, at which point what happened next was really unexpected. I will comment the link for the video once it has been uploaded so you can see.

In any case, Heritage day is a rather great day for us to enjoy a good food cook-up and enjoy the rich culture and history of our county. Also, in my opinion, a Braai is better than a Barbecue. If you agree, or don't, then please let us know your opinion down in the comments below, over Facebook or via Twitter. Thank you for taking the time to read today's post as well and if you happen to have any friends that love to Braai or those who like learning new customs, consider sharing this post with them, as I am sure they will appreciate it. If you would like to see the newest posts like these as they come out, then please do like us on Facebook and.or follow us on Twitter so that you can get the latest articles, as they're published. I shall chat again overmorrow.

Braai safe my friends.

OddballGreg - =3 (Funny Videos and Presenter Comedy)

Do you know how hard it is to take a screenshot of a person while they're talking that doesn't make them look constipated or in pain? VERY. Picture is from the =3 video "Sheep to the Balls".

Do you like videos of animals doing stupid things? (Or people?) Do you like people making jokes about things? Well fantastic, because the popular YouTube show "=3" does both these things... TOGETHER! The show also happens to quite funny too.

Robby Motz, Actor who talks loudly for a living, (at least according to his twitter account), is the new(ish) presenter of =3, the internet show where they find the latest viral videos, put the best parts of them into one neat little package, and then crack jokes about them for good measure.

While originally the creation of Ray William Johnson, the famous actor and comedian who created =3 as well as other interesting and generally succesful projects including the now retired music project "Your Favorite Martian"which was one of the most successful YouTube band start-ups and a relatively unheard of thing in it's time.

A generally well liked individual for his iconic humor and willingness to make fun of occasionally controversial subjects, Ray William Johnson was and still is a highly respected individual who famously grew the =3 show to massive heights. He is often cited as inspiration to many for their own YouTube careers, with individuals such as Boogie2988 fingering his featuring of their videos on =3 as the reason for their own success on YouTube and resulting lifestyles. (Basically, he's just awesome.)

Of course, most things do come to an end, and he eventually ended his career as the =3 presenter when he found that the show was no longer satisfying his needs as an artist, much to the outcry of his fans. Thankfully, he found the young and thoroughly entertaining Robby Motz (Pictured Above) to hand the reigns over to. While perhaps a bit young and inexperienced, (and initially mocked for looking like he had been crying), Robby Motz has taken up the mantle from Ray quite effectively and has brought back the brilliant show to its former glory.

Fun fact, I just spent 4 paragraphs not talking about this articles topic, and you actually read it. (Teehee) Jokes aside, =3 is a rather funny show to watch, what with cameo's from many a character about the internet, (usually) cleverly thought out jokes, recurring humor from previous episodes and just general fun from hilarious videos on the internet that you may not have known about. If you've got some time to burn, I highly recommend checking out the show here on Ray William Johnson's YouTube Channel.

Anyways, that's all she wrote. (Or so the saying goes.) If you enjoyed the article, want to yell at me for talking about the wrong things in detail, or simply which to thank me for providing you with yet another way to waste your life, then do be sure to say so down in the comments below, or via Facebook/Twitter. We here at TCSA love to hear your feedback, as it helps us to make the blog better for you guys. Better yet, why don't you share this post with your friends, if they've got nothing better to do, (or even plenty better to do), they may appreciate the thought. And of course, if you yourself would like to read more articles like this one, then do be sure to like the Official TCSA Facebook page and/or follow us on Twitter to get the latest posts as they're published. Regardless of what you do, I thank you for having taken the time to read this post; hope that you have/had an absolutely FANTASTIC day, and I will speak again soon.

Farewell my Friends.

JovialJMan - 100 Posts Special

"Because writing 100 posts is comparable to having a birthday... right?" - OddballGreg
"Who brought the 100 candles?" - JovialJman

98 Days ago (on the 18th of June), we started writing daily blog posts. Today, we've written 100 posts, (imagine that ...) Let's talk about some of the interesting things regarding the journey here, and crack a few jokes too.

Did you notice that there are more posts then days? (I didn't until yesterday). The reason for that is the fact that OddballGreg published 3 posts on one day, (I think he got a bit too excited ...) There have also been 2 days which the post were a bit too late and were not counted and indexed for that day; Greg's post yesterday ,being one, as he had no internet access (I am sure he facedesked when he realized that he could not post it on time). The other being Greg's Blogging Music post which went up at midnight but was seen as the next day.

This is my 19th personal post , and boy has it been a strange journey here. I have had the very kind help of Greg, to help improve my writings, and he has said it has improved, (let us know in the comments if you agree or disagree). Ideas are limitless but when I have to think of a post for a day, then all the options seem to disappear, like magic, (somewhat strange for a novice magician)

TCSA has been going for 38 days, if you start counting from Greg's last Storytime Sunday, which, of course, I do, (that is over a full month of OddballGreg and JovialJman's joint ramblings on TSCA, (who would have thought it's been that long).

On 30th of July 2014 OddballGreg achieved 1000 total pageviews, (OddballGreg was all by his lonesome then). Today we are sitting at ± 2600. What an achievement! I would like to thank each and every one of you who have shown your support. Thank you.

Let's recap on some of the post that has seen a fair amount of attention (their page views are accurate as of the 23rd of September) :

The Magic of Performing Magic (75 views)

This was my 4th post and a somewhat follow up to my first post, The Disillusion Of Magic, which was recommended by a dear friend of mine, Clinton. I am rather passionate about the topic, which I really think shows in the amount of views it has gotten. It is my favorite post I have written so far as it allowed me to talk about a favorite pastime of mine.

Parkour and Muscle Damage (60 views)
"A story about a younger me jumping around on things, swinging on things, and hurting myself like you would expect. Also, turns out that parkour is still really fun even though I tend to hurt myself. I quite enjoyed telling this story about my usual bad ideas, and was quite proud when Parkour South Africa shared the article on their Facebook community."-OddballGreg

Tabletop Roleplaying Games (44 views)

"I may be a nerd, I may play Dungeons and Dragons, but so do a ton of other people in world, even though we have computers and videogame consoles. People really enjoyed reading this article, and I really enjoyed writing about a really awesome hobby. In fact, perhaps Jerome and I will write an article about the escapades of us playing DnD eventually." - OddballGreg

Statistics (And The People That Believe Them) (37 views)

"You probably still believe statistics, but since they make up such a large part of our lives, we can probably let you off the hook for that. Apparently, a fair percentage of people like reading about the potential statistics have for being wrong, but hey, percentages can be fudged now can't they?" - OddballGreg

The Truth About Spongebob (34 views)

This post was one that was recommended or suggested by my sister. I was struggling for an idea on the day and she said Spongebob is a representation of the 7 deadly sins, and thus the post had formed. I was still learning how to write a post with more accuracy so Oddball had to help a bit with that one. While doing the research for that one I came about a fair deal of other cartoons and their supposed connotations.

With the top page views as they are, if we were to speak about Spongebob giving magicians statistics of Role Playing games, after his accidental muscle damage from parkour, would that be the most popular post so far? maybe, (let us know down in the comments, what your idea would be for a popular post). Geocaching (Glorified Treasure Hunting) is less then a week old, but it has already climbed to the 6th position of the most viewed post. It goes to show that if the right audience is achieved, the amount of views should go up, and since there are people out there ,that I know of, that would like to start or already have started Geocaching they find it somewhat interesting and share it with others.

We have had views from many different places, here is a list of some; The United States, South Africa, United Kingdom, Germany, Poland, Netherlands, Turkey, Canada, Kenya, Italy, Ireland, France and the Philippines. We have a very diverse audience but it is scary to think that we have gotten a few more view from America, than South africa, they represent about 44% and 41% of our total pageviews respectively.

Do you have any thing that you would like us to talk about, or have any questions, please ask away down in the comments, over Facebook or on Twitter. Thank you for taking the time to read today's post. If you know of anyone that you think might like the blog, please share this with them, as I am sure they could find it of some interest. If you would like to see the newest posts as they are published, please like us on Facebook and/or follow us on Twitter. Thank you for your support and I hope you have/had a wonderful day. I shall write again overmorrow

Enjoy National Heritage Day (aka. National Braai Day) tomorrow buddies.

OddballGreg - A Day Without Internet

Google. The most accurate description of the internet these days... Also Bronies.

Have you ever spent a day, without access to the internet? If you’re over the age of 30, probably, but some for the younger generations these days, the thought of being without internet is a slightly alien idea, and today, was one I experienced, with much strange thoughts as a result.

Yesterday at about 2pm roughly, the internet ceased to function at my house. I don’t know why precisely, as the internet and telephone service providers had no idea either. So there I was, sitting with no internet, no ability to do my usual day to day work, and a rather unsure, niggling feeling in the back of my skull wondering what to do with my day.

For some, the answer would be obvious. Read! Play Videogames! Sleep! (All rather enticing options of course.) Unfortunately, the greater majority of my consciousness insists on at least a partially productive day, and so I spent my day doing housework in preparation for the upcoming weekend. (A truly eventful day to be certain.)

While hardly a startling revelation in itself, this rather strange day of menial labour and disconnectedness left me wondering what it would be like for the world if all of a sudden, the entire internet shut down for a day.

The comic in me likes to think it will be the most productive day in human history, but only because everyone would be trying so hard to get the internet working again. On a more realistic note, one has to wonder just how badly the world would be affected by such a thing. Children would actually have to do their homework instead of googling the answers, researchers would have to actually go to a library, internet trolls would probably be completely unsure what to do with themselves, or would simply go back to irritating people in some other way. (Who can say what they’re going to do at any time.)

While it is unlikely that the internet would ever go down and cause such utter pandemonium on earth, (Likely…), it is strange to think that the internet, this strange construct of interconnected computers, has become such a largely important and often integral part of our lives. Humans appear to be very keen to become dependent on things when it suits them, despite the tragic consequences they may suffer if their addiction ever become unfulfillable.

In any case, I’m done cleaning for now, and at least have been able to post this article but a single day late, which is hardly terrible by any means. If you think it is, or simply wish to add to the list of problems having no internet would cause, then please feel free to let us know down in the comments below, or via Facebook/Twitter as we here at TCSA love to hear from you guys. Of course, feel free to share this with any friends who like to ponder strange possibilities. It might be fun for them. Better yet, if you yourself enjoy posts like these, then consider liking the official TCSA Facebook page and/or following us on Twitter so that you can get all the latest posts, as they’re published. Regardless of what you do, I hope that you have/had an absolutely FANTASTIC day, and I will speak again soon.

Happy thinking my friends.

JovialJMan - Wisdom and Words

"Because, books equals wisdom! Right?" - OddballGreg

Did you break the ice after you went the whole 9 yards, or did you grab the wrong end of the stick after getting up on the wrong side of the bed? Sayings are an very common part of our lives, and are a very interesting point of debate in terms of their roots. Lets talk about that.

If it is "raining cats and dogs" then you are in for a really strong rain. This saying has many different origins, the most popular being, the one from the 1500's where the houses commonly had thatch roofs and at the time pets weren't really allowed inside of the houses, and so they went into the thatch roofs for warmth. This meant that when it rained quite hard, the animals would slide down out of the that and if a person was looking out the window at the time, it would seem like it was raining cats and dogs. On the other hand, "going cold turkey" means to completely stop something abruptly. This is a reference to the the belief that when a patient was going through drug withdrawal, their skin became translucent and covered in goose bumps, which made it look like a plucked turkey.

To "give someone the cold shoulder" is a rather rude way of telling someone that they are not welcome. The origin on the other hand was a polite way in medieval England to tell people to go home. The host would offer people a cold piece of meat from the shoulder of the animal to let the people know they could go home. Then there is "eating humble pie" which is when you apologize and suffer humiliation with it. The beginnings of this one is from the Middle Ages during which the lords would eat the best cuts of meat and all the entrails and giblets, know as "umble", were given to the person of the lowest status, thus indicating their low status and thereby humiliating them. 

"Going the whole 9 yards" is when you give everything you have, "110%" as they say. In the Second World War, the fighter pilots were given 9 yards of ammunition and if the used it all up, they were said to have "gone the whole 9 yards". Of course, "breaking the ice" with someone is to start conversation or to initiate a friendship. Before planes and trains were around, the best way to trade items over long distances was by ship. During the winter months, these ports were wont to suffer as the big ships would get stuck in the ice around them in which case a smaller ship would often go and break a path through the ice for the larger ship to follow through. This allowed business to once again commence in those ports.

When you "spill the beans", this means that you are telling someone something that should be a secret. In ancient Greece, the way to vote for people entering various organizations, was to place a white bean, (yes or agree), or black bean, (no or disagree), into a container. If someone was to tip over the container with the beans, either by accident or on purpose, and thereby reveal the results of the vote, and essentially "spill the beans" on the confidential result.

Then there is to "sleep tight", in which case you were to have a good night's sleep. In the time of Shakespeare, the mattresses were held to the frame with string. and to make the mattress more firm you had to tighten the strings, thus the term sleep tight came about as the mattress was tightly held to the frame. Now in the morning you could "wake up on the wrong side of the bed." wherein someone has woken up grumpy or is rather unfortunate on that morning, and is thereby in a rather foul mood as a result. Also during Shakespearean times, people believed that things to the left and things that pertained to the left were considered sinister, so the house maids often used to push the bed right up against the wall in guest bedrooms so you had to get up on the right side of the bed to avoid a sinister start to the day. ("Fun fact: the Latin nickname for 'lefty' is 'sinistro' which literally means sinister, strangely meaning that people who were left handed were considered inherently sinister" - OddballGreg)

In any case, did you know about the origins of any of these sayings; or perhaps know of some sayings with interesting origins yourself, please let us know down in the comments below or over Facebook/Twitter. Also, do you have any friends or relatives that enjoy general knowledge or simply like knowing useless facts, if so, please share this with them as I am sure they would appreciate the thought. If you would like to show your support for TCSA and/or see the newest posts as they are published, please like us on Facebook and/or follow us on Twitter. Thank you for taking the time to read today's post, and I hope you have/had a really good day. I shall write again overmorrow.

Sleep tight buddies.

OddballGreg - Reddit ("Front Page Of The Internet")

Welcome to http://www.reddit.com/, front page of the internet, also the new cause for my sleep issues and general lack of time.

Reddit, "the front page of the internet", and the new reason why I'm suffering from sleep deprivation. As a community based media website, Reddit has become a very large part of the internet for the way it allows like minded people to gather on the internet around any variety of subjects.

A couple of days ago I took it upon myself to explore Reddit, (as you've probably figured by now I hope.) Also, a couple days ago, I knew what it was like to have free time. Too bad Reddit is actually such an unexpectedly fun website to be on, in a variety of ways, and is unfortunately sucking up my life as badly as YouTube was/is. But before I get to that, allow me to explain what exactly Reddit is.

Reddit is something of a social media website... loosely. It's not quite like Facebook or Twitter which are centered around the people you choose to friend and follow, but instead is based upon what is referred to as "Subreddits" which are essentially self-maintained communities based on specific interests, hobbies or just general things. Do you like making websites? Perhaps you'll enjoy the /r/HTML subreddit, or if staring at confusing tags and words on a computer aren't you thing, maybe you enjoy /r/books instead? Or if you simply enjoy a funny story of some REALLY bad luck, perhaps /r/TIFU is more to your liking. (Today I... *cough* "messed" Up)

Regardless of your interests or choice in humor, Reddit has an absolute wealth of information if you look in the right places. My personal time sinks have been in some very unexpected places ranging from /r/Space which discusses everything to do with the "great unknown", (*cough* nerd), to the hilariously psychotic musings of /r/AskReddit as they pose the question: "How would you dispose of he body?" (I'll give you a hint, the winner is the guy that already works in a crematorium.) There's also my new favorite place on the internet: /r/PhotoshopBattles, in which the inhabitants enjoy taking the time out of their days to do things like make a cat catching a butterfly do some very funny things. (Pictures Below)

"Oh... MY BUTTERFLY!"

"I will mention that this is humor and in no way disrespect to anyone's religion or beliefs."

I thought it was kangaroos that did the boxing?

Yeah no... I'm sure you can appropriate any terrible pun you like to this image without my help.

 In any case, apart from being rather terribly funny, Reddit is also an absolutely wonderful place to discuss things with like-minded and experienced individuals. In my case, the ability to research how to do various HTML aspects and seek help when necessary has been extremely useful once or twice. In addition to that, there's also AMA's, (Ask Me Anything's), which are commonly hosted by notable people in the world so that people can get the straight answers that they want on any specific subject from someone who knows about it. Some of the people I really enjoy watching on YouTube like Quill18 and Michael Steven from Vsauce have hosted AMA's of their own on Reddit. (Too bad that was before I knew what Reddit was actually about.)

In any case, if I seem distracted from now on for some reason, I'm probably browsing Reddit or laughing at ridiculous photoshopped images... or... you know... Space stuff. (Teehee) Do you have a favourite subreddit that you think is really awesome, or simply think that I have too much time on my hands, then be sure to let us here at TCSA know down in the comments below or via Facebook/Twitter as we love to hear from you guys. Better yet, if you have some friends looking for a great and near boundless website full of communities and information, then be sure to share this article with them as I'm sure they'll appreciate the info. Of course, if you would like to read more articles like this one yourself, then do be sure to like the Official TCSA Facebook page and/or follow us on Twitter using the associated buttons on the bar to the left so that you can get all the latest posts, as they're published. Regardless of what you do, I thanks you for having taken the time to read this post; hope that you have/had an absolutely FANTASTIC day, and I will speak again soon.

Happy Redditing mio compadres.

JovialJMan - Tutoring

"JovialJman is so cool, he teaches people by folding his arms and ignoring them. Or by letting the lady behind him that you probably didn't notice deal with it." - OddballGreg

Teaching people things is a difficult thing to do. Sometimes because the person doesn't want to learn, or because what they're trying to learn is hard to understand. In my experience, learning to teach people what they need to know to do something correctly is both difficult and necessary for their success. Let's talk about that.

I have always been that guy who helps people out when it comes to maths, and I have found that oftentimes people don't understand the things they are doing in maths, but try to do it anyway so they can get it done and out the way (Rather than serving detention). Since realizing that, I started teaching people maths in a way that helps them to understand what it is that they are actually doing at school and now (for a fee) and I enjoy it.

Two years ago, I would never have said that I would ever enjoy teaching but when it comes to maths it has turned out to be something I quite enjoy. The only problem being that I have a bit of a low tolerance to people that don't really listen. (A rather big problem if you have many people asking you to tutor them.).

I have, so far, tutored two people this year, (and two while I was still in school),  and from what I could understand from them, is that I actually help them understand the concepts behind the maths which made it easier for them to do and easier to remember the steps as a result. My memory is something to laugh at but maths I can just do even though I don't always know how to explain it to someone. I can however do it because I understand the meaning behind what I am doing as I work towards the answer.

There are different ways to go about teaching, (which I found out while trying to learn how to teach, yes you have to learn to teach believe it or not, bachelors in education are not silly qualifications.). I tried to see where the person was at with their thought process and build on that and correct the errors; as starting from the beginning means a lot of time might be wasted on stuff they know really well already. After you have found out how they approach different problems you can get them to refine their actions and provide a more secure way of achieving the answer or become faster at the approach they are already using by improving their understanding of the methods and the reasons behind them.

Unfortunately, my overconfidence with maths did me from getting the matric mark I wanted as I did not concentrate on the different aspects of certain questions and, liking getting to the answer straight away, I left out crucial steps where in maths you have to show how you got to the answer to be fully awarded the makrs. This is really annoying in my opinion but it is something that they must keep in place. This allows the people that do not understand the different parts in maths too well to try and understand the steps and get at least some of the marks, instead of giving up hopelessly, (even though some still do that).

Despite all that, teaching is not as easy as I thought it might have been. I have had my struggles and downfalls, but I always managed to get it right in the end thanks to hard work, a good understanding of maths, and my humbling experience in the form of worse than expected school results. I will say thank you to all the teachers out there that may be reading this as you must put up with a lot from your pupils and yet you still go at it day after day. I commend you. So for those of you that cause mischief in the class, do remember that the teacher does what that they do for your benefit, not theirs. Without teachers, our regular lives would not be possible, so keep that in mind the next time you want to be painful in class.

In any case, that's all I've got for the topic of tutoring for now. Do you teach people and appreciate just how much it takes to teach properly, or are you a trouble maker in class for whatever reason, please let us know down in the comments or on Facebook/Twitter. If you enjoyed this post and would like to read the newest posts as they are published then please like us on Facebook and/or follow us on Twitter using the associated buttons on the bar to the left. Do you have any friends that would like to become a teacher one day, or a friend that causes trouble in class despite how hard these unfortunate teachers work; if so, please share this with them to show what teachers and tutors go through to help expand the minds of their students. Thank you for taking the time to read today's post, and I shall write again overmorrow.

Learn hard comrades.