This blog is not a blog. It's more of a notepad. I don't plan on updating it frequently, it's just a place for me to post the occasional idea, thought or observation.
I sell things on eBay. To break up the usual monotony, I decided to post something a bit fun. I listed a digital photograph being sold as art, called "The Egg Sandwich." Below is a picture of the digital photo for sale, along with the description I wrote on eBay.
Now keep in mind, I'm selling the thing for a penny, more just to brighten the place up than to actually make money. So you can imagine my delight when a potential customer had some questions regarding the item. I must admit, the questions were pretty legendary.
As would any responsible seller, I responded right away, doing my best to address the buyer's concerns and questions. Below my response, you'll see the additional photos the customer requested.
As an eBay seller, it's very important to quickly and concisely answer customer questions and concerns. Now that I've done this, I'm almost certain this satisfied browser will pay top dollar for this amazing, one of a kind piece of art. If the buyer responds with anything else, I'll update this post.
The Constraints of Reading
I love to read. The only problem I have with reading is how long it takes. Now, I read pretty fast. The average reading speed, according to Forbes, is about 300 Words Per Minute. Last I checked, I was around 450-500 WPM. I intentionally improved my reading speed through learning and practicing various speed reading techniques. And while it truly didn't take very long--in fact this post was originally going to be a little lesson on speed reading--it wasn't as instantaneous as we expect everything to be in this modern age of "GIMME NOW!"
The main constraint in reading is the method we've used to read since we started writing stuff down. Take this paragraph for example, as you read, pay attention to how your eyes move. Unless you've broken reading and found a new method, you're probably reading 1-4 words before moving your eyes, reading 1-4 more and moving your eyes again. These eye movements are called saccades and this saccadic movement is largely what determines our reading speed. Where you may read 2 words per saccade, the speed reader can read 5-6 or more, making each saccade more efficient, decreasing the number of saccades and therefore increasing reading speed. But what if we eliminated saccades all together? That's exactly what the Rapid Serial Visual Presentation (or RSVP) method does.
Being Programmed
Rapic Serial Visual Presentation reading presents you with one word at a time. You focus your eyes on that one word, or sometimes a specific letter depending on the software, and the words flash by without you having to move your eyes at all. You'll be amazed at just how much faster you can read without saccadic eye movement. The method looks to me like being brainwashed or "programmed," as in sci-fi movies, where rapid pictures are flashed on a screen and the viewer stares blankly, almost like their brain is subconsciously downloading the information.
RSVP reading is like that, minus the whole sci-fi, brainwash, "You're now our mental slave" thing. The best part about it is that RSVP reading isn't some far off future tech, no, it's something you can start using RIGHT now with various websites, Web browser plugins and apps. I'll cover one option for each platform, but if the ones I give as examples don't work well for you, there are plenty of other apps/plugins that do pretty much the same thing.
Your Inner Voice
Unless I'm crazy (don't answer that!), we all have a little voice in our head that reads the words "aloud" to us. While it may or may not be you actually reading out loud, the voice in your head is, for all intents and purposes, reading to you. Most people either vocalize outright or sub-vocalize, or let their inner voice read to them. This is another constraint to speed reading. Using your inner voice you can really only read as fast as the voice can talk. But this voice, believe it or not, is not crucial to reading or comprehension. While you may find comprehension harder upon first silencing the voice, you'll eventually find your comprehension improving as you read faster and faster without that pesky voice slowing you down. I mention this because this voice's speed and your ability to shut it up will inform how well RSVP reading works for you. You will fall behind if you continue to vocalize or sub-vocalize. This is the only aspect of RSVP reading that requires any practice. As such, try to focus on reading the rest of this article without vocalizing or sub-vocalizing. Focus on understanding the words, phrases and themes without actually having to say them in your head.
Reading Online
Spreeder- Spreeder is a free-to-use website that enables anyone with the ability to copy and paste to speed read using the RSVP method. To quickly test the method out, visit Spreeder and press the "Spreed!" button under the text box to read the example text with the RSVP method. Now whenever you find an article you want to read, or anything else online for that matter, just copy and paste it into Spreeder and have at it.
The little box under Spreeder's text box tells you how many words per minute the website is set to. Using the settings drop-down menu in the same box, you can adjust this to either read faster or slower if you're having trouble keeping up at 300 wpm. If so, no worries, you'll find yourself automatically improving at this skill the more you use it, so soon you'll be able to keep up with 400 wpm, 500, maybe even 1,000.
Sprint Reader for Google Chrome- Sprint Reader is a Google Chrome extension offering the same basic functionality of Spreeder without the need to go to a specific website to use it. To use Sprint Reader, all you do is highlight the text you want to read, right-click and select the Sprint Reader option (or do the same process through keyboard shortcuts). Much like Spreeder, Sprint Reader lets you customize the speed with which words are presented. Sprint Reader also lets you determine how many words appear on screen at once. While 1 is the norm, with practice you'll be able to read as many words at once as you would in a typical saccade while reading normally.
Reasy for Firefox- Reasy is a lot like the other options listed here, but it's a Firefox add-on for those using the appropriate Web browser. Like Sprint Reader, you highlight the text you want to read and it's presented in a new window.
Speed Reader for Android- Another useful RSVP reader, Speed Reader for your Android device or smartphone. This free app is compatible with .txt, .pdf, .epub, .html and .xml formats, among others.
QuickReader Lite for iOS- As per the usual, I had trouble finding a quality free app to RSVP read on iOS. QuickReader Lite is about all I can find. Don't get mad at me, get mad at Apple, app developers, Jesus or whoever else you want to direct your anger at. For iOS users, I suggest trying QuickReader Lite and, if you like RSVP reading, upgrade to the paid-for app or use another, well-reviewed (but also not free) app, Fastr Pro ($3.99).
Go Forth and Read
Now that I've given you the tools to boost, hack or cheat your reading speed (whatever you wanna call it,) go forth and read! I've personally found it easier to read blogs and articles with this method and am anxious to test it out on a book. After you've tried it out, let me know your thoughts on RSVP reading and whether it's something you think you'll use regularly.
Anyone who has played Skyrim can tell you how easy forging is. You find a few materials, press a few buttons and BAM, you've got a Daedric Sword of Asskickery. Unfortunately, the real thing isn't quite so simple. Real smithing requires time, dedication, practice and most importantly, tools you probably don't have and wouldn't know where to even start looking to acquire.
Fortunately, this here's the Internet and as we know, we can find virtually anything we can think of here. I don't know about you, but I think it'd be pretty awesome to be able to forge my own knives and small glass pieces. Naturally, I practically freaked out when I found a video from YouTuber NightHawkInLight teaching how to make your own small forge at home using a soup can, a small blowtorch and a few other easily acquired materials.
It goes without saying that safety should be your first priority, working with fire and hot metal. Badassery should be a close second though. This first video covers how to make the actual forge. The second gives the basic process NightHawkInLight used to craft a home-made knife.
Search engine optimization is a big deal for writers, or anyone that owns a website. Proper utilization of SEO and keywords helps drive new traffic to your site, so it's a pretty valuable tool. In a nutshell, SEO is the use of keywords on your posts or website. For example, if you included the keywords "Doctor Who" and someone used Google to search "Doctor Who," your page is more likely to show up earlier in the results than if you didn't use said keywords.
But "Doctor Who" is way too general. There are tons of sites out there discussing the show and fandom, and unless you've got serious site traffic, you probably don't stand a chance getting to the top of those Google results with such a generic keyword. A better use of keywords would be something like "Doctor Who regeneration," or "Doctor Who merchandise." But instead of randomly taking a shot in the dark, it's wise to research what keywords and terms are frequently searched for.
While there are a plethora of paid for and free SEO/keyword research tools available, you can get a quick idea of what Doctor Who topics are the most popular simply by visiting a site like Bing or Google. Enter your chosen topic, but DO NOT hit "Search" or your keyboard's "Enter" key. Instead, take note of the search engine's suggestions.
While the result isn't nearly as valuable as using a real keyword tool to find actual stats, figures and other important keyword info, it gives you a few suggestions based on what other people are searching for. With this info, you could target your post on the upcoming 8th season of the rebooted Doctor Who and likely have a better chance of reaching the top of Google for your 10 seconds of "research."
Sony's official PlayStation Meeting has come to an end, and with it came the official announcement of the PlayStation 4. Gamers don't have long to wait. With Sony teasing a Holiday 2013 release, we'll be playing the new system in less than a year's time. While many big-name gaming websites are sure to cover the event in more detail and eloquence, I'll use this post to cover what excites me about the system. What qualifies me? Nothing much, other than the fact that I've been a gamer my entire life and have a talent for writing things legibly.
While Sony was very forthcoming with many details, the glaring piece of info they left out was the price. Unfortunately, we'll have to wait for official word, but U.K. paper The Times rumors that the system will actually debut cheaper than the PlayStation 3 did, at around $465. Another omission sure to raise plenty of curiosity, Sony never actually unveiled the physical system, giving us no idea what our PS4 systems will look like. But enough about what they didn't announce, lets get on to the good stuff. We'll start with a quick breakdown of some basic specifications they've already announced.
THE SPECS
Like the PS3, the new PlayStation will feature an on-board hard drive for storing games, saves and other content. Aside from that and the whopping 8GB of unified memory, the specs remain pretty vague. While the PS4 will have an onboard hard drive, the system will also be the first to truly integrate cloud computing.
THE INTERNET
The PS4's cloud service, powered by Gaikai, makes shopping the PlayStation Network a breeze. As it is today, if you find a game you want to try or buy, you have to wait for the demo or full game to download while you sit there and twiddle your thumbs. With cloud integration, the PS4 and PSN will be able to instantly stream any game available on PSN directly to your system. Additionally, the service hopes to eventually make every PSOne, PS2 and PS3 title available for streaming, giving you an almost unlimited collection of possible games. The cloud takes innovation beyond games on the PS4 and makes this a truly social system. The system enables your friends (assuming you give them permission first) to actually watch you play your game in real-time, seeing how you play what you play. If you get stuck on a particular part, your friend can instantly give you advice or even take over your game and control it with their controller to beat that impossible boss battle.
Another awesome feature announced was the ability to transfer your game from your PS4 and TV directly to your Vita. We'll have to wait and see how the vast power differences between the PS4 and Vita manifest, and whether they'll interfere with or strip-back the gameplay. This feature, already available on the Wii U, might not be very exciting for players who don't own, nor plan on purchasing a Vita.
That's not where the Internet power of this new system ends, though. The PS4 will also be directly integrated with Facebook, UStream and a new "social gaming network" exclusive to the PS4. Aside from the typical gamer tags we're used to, we'll soon have access to actual profiles for the people behind the controller. As the screenshot shows, the network will show a real picture and name associated with the gamer (I assume that's optional), which may help bleed out the immature negativity seen in many online games (I'm looking at you, racist, homophobic pre-teen COD players!). Additionally, these profiles take advantage of a feature present on the PS4's new controller, the DualShock 4.
THE CONTROLLER
As should be expected, Sony has decided to stick relatively close to tradition with their new controller, which largely resembles every other PlayStation controller we've ever seen. The most notable change is the touch pad sitting right in the middle of the controller. Similar to the touch pad on the back of the PlayStation Vita, the DualShock 4's pad looks kind of small at first, so it will be interesting to see how Sony and other developers implement it in gameplay.
The controller also features motion controls similar to those found in current PS3 controllers, but that's not all. The controller's new "light bar" technology allows your controller to identify you, while also allowing for more precise and advanced motion controls through a bar placed by your TV, similar to the Wii's light bar. The controller includes its own speaker and headphone jack for hooking the DualShock 4 into a headset.
Lastly, I mentioned a feature integrated with the Internet and the new gaming profiles. The new "share" button (between the D-pad and the touch pad) allows you to quickly and effortlessly capture and share in-game content. When you press the button, your game is automatically paused and you see a menu similar to the one pictured above. On this menu, you can browse through your playthrough and select the exact screenshot or clip you want. With a few button presses, you'll have your video ready and uploaded, and you'll be back in the game as soon as you're finished.
THE GRAPHICS AND GAMES
The graphics on the PlayStation 4 look absolutely stunning, obviously. People have said this since the PS2, but "games finally have the ability to look realistic." Words won't do this section justice, so watch these videos. Since the best way to show off the graphics is to show off the upcoming games, these two sections have become one. This first demo is NOT a game, but simply a demonstration of the PS4's power. All videos following this first one are games, though.
Quantic Dreams PS4 Tech Demo, courtesy of GameSpot
Drive Club, new racing game from Evolution Studios
Killzone: Shadow Fall by Guerrilla Games- looks absolutely stunning!
Deep Down, new Capcom PS4 project.
And finally, my favorite, Sucker Punch's Infamous: Second Son
FINAL THOUGHTS
Excuse the excitement, but AAAAH! I want a PS4!!! While details still remain scarce, this first taste has certainly enticed me. From the beefed up online features, the advanced specifications, the new controller and almost photo-realistic games, Sony's PlayStation 4 is almost guaranteed to be one of the best consoles we've ever seen. While Microsoft has yet to unveil the next Xbox, it's going to have to do a lot to get me as excited as the PS4 has. As for the Wii U, what was that, again?
Even if we have nothing to worry about and these recent incidents are a product of our over-active imaginations, that's not to say an outbreak will never occur. While I don't claim to be an expert on zombies, nobody else is, either. Until an actual outbreak occurs, all we can do is speculate and assume we know the rules. For all we know, real life zombies could somehow develop a telepathic link with each other to plan and organize their attacks. The point is, what qualifies me is exactly what qualifies anybody else as a "zombie expert," I've studied them a lot. As an avid lover of zombie fiction, a professional instruction-giver, a critical thinker and a hopeful author writing a future-instant-classic-masterpiece of zombie fiction, I feel I have what it takes to--theoretically--survive the all but imminent zombie apocalypse and teach you how to survive it, too.
Grandma and Grandpa will easily outlive your ass.
Part 1: Before the Outbreak
If we are in the midst of Z-Day, you won't have much time to prepare. If this is the case, you must begin your preparations immediately. If this is just a false alarm, you've got plenty of time. Be that as it may, proper preparation is paramount to your survival, so don't put it off except maybe to share this blog post on Facebook or Twitter. It's like that old saying, "fail to prepare, prepare to fail get eaten alive by zombies."
I could never advise this much enthusiasm.
Step 1:Educate yourself on basic survival skills. This should be your first priority for a few reasons. For one, knowing how to survive against zombies doesn't do you any good if you can't survive against mother nature. After the outbreak, all of the niceties and conveniences that come with living in the modern age go right down the non-functioning shitter. Furthermore, these skills will help you survive in a variety of situations, making them good to know regardless of whether the zombies are coming.
If you can't start a fire, purify water, hunt for survival and survive in a cold environment, you can't survive the zombie apocalypse. More than simply reading up on these skills, take a camping trip and try them, all the reading in the world means piss next to a bit of actual experience. These are just the tip of the iceberg, consider getting yourself a few really good survival books to learn the ropes.
Go ahead punk, make my end of days.
Step 2:Arm yourself.Don't kid yourself, you're not Chuck Norris. Even if you were, your ball-smashingly-tight-jean'd roundhouse kicks of fury wouldn't be nearly as effective against a flesh eater as your sword, ax or crowbar. Bladed weapons are a good choice, but knowing how to use them is just as important as getting them. Invest in weapons training courses, then practice your ass off until you're a master swordsman. While you're at it, enroll in a martial arts class and learn how to physically defend yourself, it certainly wouldn't hurt your chances.
If that route sounds impractical to you, author Max Brooks suggests
crowbars as a stellar zombie killer in his bestselling The Zombie Survival Guide: Complete Protection from the
Living Dead.Crowbars
offer enough weight and power to easily bash in any former human's skull, while
the pointy end can be sharpened and used for stabbing and impaling their rotten
brains. Aside from killing, it's a good all-around tool to have at your
disposal, and one that is likely to last a long time. Another handy skill to
have is the ability tomake
your own weapons.
The use of guns is a highly debated subject among the z-crowd. Some feel it's not worth it to even bother, since everybody else will be looking for guns. That's why you need to act now. Get a few varying guns now, and as much ammo as you can without the government getting involved. Consider a couple of pistols and a shotgun for close range, with a rifle or two for shooting things further away. When it comes to zombies, only shoot them when it's a matter of life and death. If you can use a weapon that doesn't require ammo or make a loud noise, use that. The loud gunfire will likely attract more flesh eaters.
Of course, many fail to realize that zombies aren't the only monsters in this new world. With resources so valuable and tensions so high, other people are just as dangerous as zombies. The guns are mostly to use against them. Since people are much stronger, smarter and faster than zombies, don't hesitate to waste a bit of ammo if things get out of hand. While I'm not trying to turn you into a cold-blooded killer, the world will, and it'll be your decision as to whether you'll kill or be killed. Judge wisely though, don't shoot anybody without having to. With a bit of luck, you may avoid a larger battle or war that you can't afford to fight. While avoiding people is generally advisable, you'd be a fool to go it alone. Which brings us to our next step.
Hatchet tossing camo-chick, check!
Step 3:Plan your party. The people you ride the waves of apocalyptia with are second in importance only to your personal preparedness. Hopefully you've got a lot of friends, and hopefully they're not all completely useless. Get on Facebook or open your cell phone's contact list and go through the names. Write down anybody with a skill set that may be useful after the apocalypse. There are eight crucial roles that must be filled during the zombie apocalypse to help ensure survival. It's your job to make sure your group has at least one of each type, preferably two or three. While all members should have an all-around skill set that may place them in multiple groups, anybody that doesn't fall into at least one of these categories will only slow you down, waste your resources, and increase your chances of death. The eight types of people needed are listed below, at the end of the article. It also goes without saying that before anybody is considered, their personality and mental well-being must be taken into account. Even if somebody is a dead ringer for one of these categories, they'll quickly outlive their usefulness if they slow progress, question decisions and make life harder for other members of the group. When determining your initial group, choose people very close to you. Who cares if you know a good leader in the next state over? If they're not already dead, you will be by the time you get to them. Thinking locally is the best course of action.
Once you determine who you want in your group, make a plan to meet in a specific location when the outbreak actually occurs. The location should be central and relatively easy to reach for all parties and it should be somewhere safe and inconspicuous enough to hold up for at least two days while you wait for the group to gather. One of your houses is the safest bet. While getting out of the city will eventually be a priority, surviving the first week in the city will give your group time to gather and help you avoid the deadlocked traffic of every living soul trying to leave the city at the same time. Let the wondering fools be the zombie bait while you wait quietly for your Avengers to assemble.
You can always just resort to cannibalism, it's all the rage virus right now.
Step 4:Stock up. Preparedness is pretty pointless if you run out of food and water. Now, while you can still buy things with money, begin stock piling supplies. You won't need to break the bank since you'll only be staying in the city for a short time. Set however much money you can aside every month for things like bottled water and non-perishable or long lasting food. Remember, you likely won't have refrigeration, so don't stock up on anything you'll have to keep cool. Once you have a better idea of the people you'll have in your group, you'll have a starting point. Plan for one to two weeks of food for each person. Divide the costs any way you guys see fit, but store the products in your predetermined safe house, where you'll all meet when the brains hit the fan. Making each member of the group pay for their own supplies will help weed out anybody who isn't serious about zombie preparedness. Consider having every member of the group buy plenty extra, in case you guys end up taking on any stragglers who aren't as prepared as you. Otherwise, be prepared for the emotionally heart-wrenching task of turning them away in their most desperate time of need or risk prematurely depleting your own stocks.
The End of the Beginning
With these four essential steps taken care of, you'll already have a higher chance of survival than almost everybody else. While it may seem a bit kooky and silly to actually prepare for a zombie apocalypse, you'll forget all about that when this preparedness is saving your ass. Remember, we may already be in the midst of a zombie outbreak, so get on this stuff as soon as possible. Following are the eight types of people you'll need in your group.
The Eight Types of People You'll Need After the Zombie Apocalypse
Opt for leaders that aren't monumentally large stone heads.
The Leader(s)- While I'll leave specific group politics to you and your group, direction and focus are absolutely irreplaceable. Without a central leader or small group responsible for making big decisions, the group will waste time arguing and fighting each other instead of banding together and solving problems together. This person or sub-group should be fairly determined by majority vote only after much deliberation, debate and discussion. As a leader, the group's survival is now your life and main priority. If you don't feel you can handle the responsibility, step down and let somebody who can handle it take over. Good leaders may come from any walk of life or former profession, but look for charismatic, good-hearted and compassionate people who still have what it takes to do anything necessary for the groups well-being.
Zombies don't even want to fuck with this guy.
Protectors- These are the warriors of your tribe. Not only will they serve as the groups primary protection against zombies and other people, they'll be able to train the group in combat, survival and battle strategy. Be careful not to include anybody prone to lose their temper or act irrationally in tough situations. Such people may be bad asses, but the last thing you want is someone who could destroy your group from the inside. People who make good protectors may be former soldiers, police officers, martial artists or anybody else with a history of physical prowess or battle experience.
Nobody should be this happy about zombies... choose a different scout.
Scouts- While other jobs may only require a couple people, you'll need at least three or four scouts. The scout's job is to venture into the world and collect supplies and intelligence. While it's a very dangerous job, it'd be even more dangerous to sit around without the means to survive or better your situation. Scouts will systematically visit nearby houses, shops and any other building, raiding them for anything useful. They'll also be useful for getting to know your surroundings, the best places to hide and the best routes to escape. Since scouts may come into regular contact with zombies or hostile survivors, they should work closely with the protectors to quickly learn to defend themselves. If you can spare one, send a protector with them to ensure your scout's safe return. Observant, task-oriented and ballsy people make the best scouts.
Hardhats mean business!
Engineers- Know any smart problem solvers of the "get-shit-done" variety? Good, you'll need them. Your group will inevitably run into road blocks and hiccups and it's the engineer's job to remedy them. After the basics of survival are taken care of, engineers are very good at planning out the group's long term survival. They'll figure out how to build the things you guys will need to survive and thrive in the new world. Obviously, engineers make really good engineers, but so does anybody with a high level of intelligence that can be applied to real-world situations.
Rapist Mustache Optional.
Handymen/Mechanics- Or women, if you want to get anal about it. Regardless of their gender, these are the hands of the engineers and your saviors when shit begins to break down. While cars will usually be out of the question, they'll be able to fix just about anything else that needs fixing. Aside from fixing things, handyme.... handyfolk can help fortify your group's shelter or build you a new one, if need be. Those with plenty of experience using tools fit best for this role. Any actual handymen or mechanics are obvious shoe ins.
Rolling pins double as head bashing tools in a pinch.
Home Makers- As any chauvinistic pig will tell you, "dinner ain't gonna make itself." Nor will your clothes automatically clean themselves now that showering is out of the picture. The job of the home makers is to prepare food, clean clothes and take care of any other daily needs around the survival base. While it's not the most exciting job, it's one of the most crucial. Clean clothes go a long way for morale, and, well, you die if you don't get food.
Stop posing like a hard ass and stitch me up!
Medics- In a world without hospitals, but with no shortage of zombies or hostile survivors, injuries are practically a sure thing. After the apocalypse, there's no such thing as a minor wound. With the lack of hygiene caused by the inability to clean yourselves regularly, a splinter can fester and turn into a mortal wound. While the medics won't likely be performing any complicated surgeries, basic stuff like cpr, medical knowledge and the abilities to clean and stitch wounds could be the difference between death or survival. While doctors, veterinarians and nurses are your best bet, anybody with a bottle of booze and a sewing kit will do in a bind.
The new faces of day labor.
Laborers- Anybody that doesn't fit into the above skills, but can walk, lift things and work, would make a good laborer. Without a specific task, laborers help wherever needed while also training to later take on more crucial jobs. Just because they're not medics or warriors, don't underestimate the laborers. These generalists may be able to fill in for a protector who is off with a scout. And if said scout doesn't make it back, you've got a quick replacement.
I'm pretty sure that's Beatlejuice in the middle...
Unless you've been living under High Hrothgar for the past two weeks, you've probably noticed how expansively vast the Nordic province of Skyrim is in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. While Bethesda claims it's about the size of Cyrodiil, the creative level of detail and use of mountainous terrain make Skyrim feel much larger than the province from The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. Yet the area you can access, the actual Skyrim province, may only be about 1/3rd of the area you'll be able to travel in the future.
Thanks to the PC version's console commands--special commands for debugging and cheating, among other things--a Tumblr blogger discovered something quite promising lying beyond the official border of Skyrim. According to the the blogger, Tamriel Explorer, "the landmass of almost all of the provinces in Tamriel, has been put into Skyrim." Walking towards these provinces normally greets players with an invisible wall and a "You cannot travel further in that direction" message. The crafty use of console commands lets you break through these invisible walls, though, as any self-respecting Dovahkiin should. Exploring beyond these borders shows that both the Morrowind and Cyrodiil provinces are part of the game's map, even though you're not supposed to visit them. The provinces from the two previous Elder Scrolls titles aren't populated with NPCs or creatures. The textures on the ground and trees are rendered very poorly, certainly not up to snuff with the beautiful province of Skyrim, almost as if they're simply placeholders. This is certainly one of the biggest mysteries in Skyrim, even stranger than Cicero (though not nearly as annoying). What are Morrowind and Cyrodiil doing in Skyrim, and why can't we access them without cheats?
One theory floating around the net is that Cyrodiil and Morrowind were included for modders. Bethesda's always highly valued their avid modding community. In the two weeks the fifth Elder Scrolls title's been available, modders have already created over 1,000 mods for the PC version, and this is all before the big B has even released the Skyrim Creation Kit, making modding much easier, and affording modders added depth and creative liberty. As someone who's used over 200 Oblivion mods since first installing the game in 2006, I have faith that modders wouldn't disappoint and, given ample time, would recreate stellar versions of Morrowind and Cyrodiil, much like the Morroblivion project.
While I love my mods, the second possibility is even more enticing. As IGN's Jamie Feltham reported back in June, Bethesda plans on releasing "more substantial" DLC than with previous games. I know, you're very discouraged that you may not get any horse armor or Frostcrag Spire, but just hold on. Bethesda's Todd Howard says the Skyrim DLC will be "closer to an expansion pack feel." While this certainly doesn't confirm anything, it leads me to speculate that big plans may be in store for the unused provinces included in Skyrim. What if Bethesda included Morrowind and Cyrodiil planning to let players return to these provinces with future DLC? Would that be something you'd be interested in, or would you prefer totally new places you've never seen? What do you think Bethesda included Morrowind and Cyrodiil for? Let me know in the comments, preferably with all the feverish fanboyism I've come to expect from fellow gamers.
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