Beyond Cops and Robbers is the first book in a trilogy called “How the West Was Lost,” by Derrick S. McCluskey. The trilogy is a philosophical mockumentry of life, in that it is composed of gritty real-life storytelling with existential overtones. Beyond Cops and Robbers is homage to Friedrich Nietzsche’s “Beyond Good and Evil.” McCluskey, begins the work with a question of, “What is right? What is wrong?” This preamble launches the story as we meet the protagonist Eric McCarthy in a bar talking to his mentor about the futility of life, specifically the life of a cop.
Many of the characters in the novel are quite relatable to the times we live in. Two main characters are a Priest and a Politician. They have the typical dichotomy of a public and private persona and are quite manipulative as they vie for control over the populace of Springfield, Massachusetts. It is apparent that the author is making a commentary on them as the priest has the acronym “R.A.T.” for the Reverend Anfernie Thompson. The politician’s name is Joey Nada, nada being Spanish translation for “nothing.” While it is obvious that these personas are contemptible, they are merely exposed as what we accept for spiritual and political leaders today with no narrative commentary.
The plot of the story chronicles the life of a mid-career cop who has become disenfranchised with not only his job, but also his life. This main character represents the classic mid-life crisis persona searching for answers. As the character, Eric McCarthy, tries to balance his home-life and career the city he works in is under siege. Inexplicitly, parts of the community considered to be the dregs of society are systematically being erased through mass homicides. McCarthy; however, is not really a classic hero trying to save the day as much as he is just a human being trying to save himself. While a dark satire, it is hard not to become intoxicated with the lucidity of McCluskey’s world.
Stirring the pot is a character seldom mentioned and referred to as The Admiral. As the eyes peering out of the clouds (on the book’s cover) suggest, The Admiral seems to be omnipotent. It is this character called The Admiral that takes responsibility and acts out on what he believes is a viable solution to a societal cancer. It is left to the readers to figure out their own lines of good and evil, right and wrong, perhaps going beyond what once was.
The book is a fast-paced entry into independent thought. It highlights how the masses are manipulated through their own apathy. This first work of Sound Bite Fiction is meant to replace the pillows and remotes with introspective thought and personal action.
Many of the characters in the novel are quite relatable to the times we live in. Two main characters are a Priest and a Politician. They have the typical dichotomy of a public and private persona and are quite manipulative as they vie for control over the populace of Springfield, Massachusetts. It is apparent that the author is making a commentary on them as the priest has the acronym “R.A.T.” for the Reverend Anfernie Thompson. The politician’s name is Joey Nada, nada being Spanish translation for “nothing.” While it is obvious that these personas are contemptible, they are merely exposed as what we accept for spiritual and political leaders today with no narrative commentary.
The plot of the story chronicles the life of a mid-career cop who has become disenfranchised with not only his job, but also his life. This main character represents the classic mid-life crisis persona searching for answers. As the character, Eric McCarthy, tries to balance his home-life and career the city he works in is under siege. Inexplicitly, parts of the community considered to be the dregs of society are systematically being erased through mass homicides. McCarthy; however, is not really a classic hero trying to save the day as much as he is just a human being trying to save himself. While a dark satire, it is hard not to become intoxicated with the lucidity of McCluskey’s world.
Stirring the pot is a character seldom mentioned and referred to as The Admiral. As the eyes peering out of the clouds (on the book’s cover) suggest, The Admiral seems to be omnipotent. It is this character called The Admiral that takes responsibility and acts out on what he believes is a viable solution to a societal cancer. It is left to the readers to figure out their own lines of good and evil, right and wrong, perhaps going beyond what once was.
The book is a fast-paced entry into independent thought. It highlights how the masses are manipulated through their own apathy. This first work of Sound Bite Fiction is meant to replace the pillows and remotes with introspective thought and personal action.
is a Japanese video game music synthesizer programmer currently working at Square Enix. He also took part in music creation on some of his projects.
Works
;Synthesizer programmer
*Legend of Mana (1999) - with Takeharu Ishimoto, Hidenori Iwasaki, and Ryo Yamazaki
*Front Mission 3 (1999)
*Vagrant Story (2000) - with Takeharu Ishimoto and Hidenori Iwasaki
*Final Fantasy XI: Rise of the Zilart (2003) - with Hidenori Iwasaki and Ryo Yamazaki
*Hanjuku Hero VS 3D (2003)
*Romancing SaGa: Minstrel Song (2005)
*Egg Monster Hero (2005)
*' (2007) - with Keiji Kawamori
*The World Ends With You (2007)
*' (2007)
;Composer
*' (2005) - with Nobuo Uematsu, Tsuyoshi Sekito, Kenji Ito, Naoshi Mizuta, Ai Yamashita, and Kenichi Mikoshiba
;Arranger
*Final Fantasy X (2001)
*Final Fantasy XI (2002) - with Hidenori Iwasaki
*Dawn of Mana (2006) - with Junya Nakano
Discography
* Vagrant Story Original Soundtrack (2000) - bonus track
* Final Fantasy X Original Soundtrack (2001)
* Final Fantasy XI Original Soundtrack (2002)
* Hanjuku Hero 4 -The 7 Heroes- Sound Collection (2005)
Works
;Synthesizer programmer
*Legend of Mana (1999) - with Takeharu Ishimoto, Hidenori Iwasaki, and Ryo Yamazaki
*Front Mission 3 (1999)
*Vagrant Story (2000) - with Takeharu Ishimoto and Hidenori Iwasaki
*Final Fantasy XI: Rise of the Zilart (2003) - with Hidenori Iwasaki and Ryo Yamazaki
*Hanjuku Hero VS 3D (2003)
*Romancing SaGa: Minstrel Song (2005)
*Egg Monster Hero (2005)
*' (2007) - with Keiji Kawamori
*The World Ends With You (2007)
*' (2007)
;Composer
*' (2005) - with Nobuo Uematsu, Tsuyoshi Sekito, Kenji Ito, Naoshi Mizuta, Ai Yamashita, and Kenichi Mikoshiba
;Arranger
*Final Fantasy X (2001)
*Final Fantasy XI (2002) - with Hidenori Iwasaki
*Dawn of Mana (2006) - with Junya Nakano
Discography
* Vagrant Story Original Soundtrack (2000) - bonus track
* Final Fantasy X Original Soundtrack (2001)
* Final Fantasy XI Original Soundtrack (2002)
* Hanjuku Hero 4 -The 7 Heroes- Sound Collection (2005)
N-Sider is a website that provides news, reviews, history, and opinion articles relating to Nintendo Co., Ltd. The site was founded in 2000. It is currently an independent media organization funded and managed by Cory Faller with several. Despite occasional confusion, N-Sider is unrelated to the now defunct official NSider forums operated by Nintendo of America.
History
In 1999, Fran Mirabella III worked for GameFusion's Dolphin Cove website, covering Nintendo's next generation console then codenamed "Dolphin". In the Spring of 1999, Fran began recruitment for "Project Snow," a codename for a Nintendo-centric website which was to be launched as NFormer.com. This was the original incarnation of what is now N-Sider.com. Before NFormer launched in August of 2000, Fran's former co-workers at GameFusion decided to retain the rights to the NFormer.com domain. As a result, Fran made the decision to independently register the domain name N-Sider.com and establish a new website.
Mirabella left N-Sider immediately after it launched and was hired by IGN Entertainment. N-Sider.com officially launched on 2000-08-21, on the eve of Nintendo's GameCube unveiling at the SpaceWorld exhibition in Tokyo, Japan. Several staff members were hired and helped to round out the coverage.
In April 2001, N-Sider artist Kevin Freitas left the site and was hired at Sandbox Studios in London, Ontario. (In December 2002, he was hired at Rockstar Games Canada, in Missisauga, Ontario, Canada.)
IGN began its "Developer Profiles" section in January 2001, created by the staff of N-Sider.com. The developer profiles were analytical write-ups on Japanese, European and U.S. development houses working on GameCube software -- these profiles included: Intelligent Systems, Rare, and EAD. The group was once again approached by IGN in early 2005, however this time with the offer to merge the entire N-Sider database with the site. The offer was turned down and instead N-Sider and IGN agreed to a deal where N-Sider would contribute a series of articles to be featured on the IGN GameCube section. Several items were shared during this partnership, but it eventually dissolved for various reasons.
Columns
* - A "letters" section that features letters to N-Sider staffer Brandon Daiker submitted by readers, usually pertaining to that week's "topic." The letters are usually irreverent and have little pertinence to the selected topic of the week, and Brandon's "responses" are noted for being equally belligerent and inane. Frequent appearances of poorly Photoshopped or doctored images. Started in 2003.
* - The more serious reader interaction column since the founding of the site in 2000. In editions through early 2003, the questions were fielded by a group of N-Sider staffers. Recently (since 2005), staffer Jeffrey Van Camp has taken the helm with contributions from Travis Woodside and other writers.
* - Founded in late 2002, N-Banter is quite literally an HTMLized column featuring conversations between two or more N-Sider staffers about a specific topic. Previous installments have dealt with the handheld wars, E3, and Wii speculation.
* - Now Playing was a communal effort from several N-Sider staffers who would chime in on a semi-regular basis with impressions of the games they were playing at the time. Unlike most of the site's normal content, Now Playing included information on many non-Nintendo titles and staff favorites, like Chrono Cross, Katamari Damacy, and Nights into Dreams.... Much of the Now Playing concept will be integrated, in some form, into the next version of the site.
* - The Rumor Mill popped up in 2003 with late staffer Kenneth Kyle Wade at the helm. The purpose of the column was to address current Nintendo rumors and attempt to discern their validity. Several topics were discussed, like GameCube price drops, Sonic the Hedgehog as a character in Mario Kart: Double Dash, and early details on the launch of the successor to the Game Boy Advance in 2004, which was later determined to be the Nintendo DS. An effort was made to revive the column in mid-2005 by Glen Bayer and Dean Bergmann, but as of 2006 the column is not being produced.
Community
Although there has been some confusion over the N-Sider name and Nintendo.com's NSider "online community," which closed on September 17, 2007, the two are separate entities. N-Sider.com currently hosts a database of Nintendo games, hardware, and employees.
History
In 1999, Fran Mirabella III worked for GameFusion's Dolphin Cove website, covering Nintendo's next generation console then codenamed "Dolphin". In the Spring of 1999, Fran began recruitment for "Project Snow," a codename for a Nintendo-centric website which was to be launched as NFormer.com. This was the original incarnation of what is now N-Sider.com. Before NFormer launched in August of 2000, Fran's former co-workers at GameFusion decided to retain the rights to the NFormer.com domain. As a result, Fran made the decision to independently register the domain name N-Sider.com and establish a new website.
Mirabella left N-Sider immediately after it launched and was hired by IGN Entertainment. N-Sider.com officially launched on 2000-08-21, on the eve of Nintendo's GameCube unveiling at the SpaceWorld exhibition in Tokyo, Japan. Several staff members were hired and helped to round out the coverage.
In April 2001, N-Sider artist Kevin Freitas left the site and was hired at Sandbox Studios in London, Ontario. (In December 2002, he was hired at Rockstar Games Canada, in Missisauga, Ontario, Canada.)
IGN began its "Developer Profiles" section in January 2001, created by the staff of N-Sider.com. The developer profiles were analytical write-ups on Japanese, European and U.S. development houses working on GameCube software -- these profiles included: Intelligent Systems, Rare, and EAD. The group was once again approached by IGN in early 2005, however this time with the offer to merge the entire N-Sider database with the site. The offer was turned down and instead N-Sider and IGN agreed to a deal where N-Sider would contribute a series of articles to be featured on the IGN GameCube section. Several items were shared during this partnership, but it eventually dissolved for various reasons.
Columns
* - A "letters" section that features letters to N-Sider staffer Brandon Daiker submitted by readers, usually pertaining to that week's "topic." The letters are usually irreverent and have little pertinence to the selected topic of the week, and Brandon's "responses" are noted for being equally belligerent and inane. Frequent appearances of poorly Photoshopped or doctored images. Started in 2003.
* - The more serious reader interaction column since the founding of the site in 2000. In editions through early 2003, the questions were fielded by a group of N-Sider staffers. Recently (since 2005), staffer Jeffrey Van Camp has taken the helm with contributions from Travis Woodside and other writers.
* - Founded in late 2002, N-Banter is quite literally an HTMLized column featuring conversations between two or more N-Sider staffers about a specific topic. Previous installments have dealt with the handheld wars, E3, and Wii speculation.
* - Now Playing was a communal effort from several N-Sider staffers who would chime in on a semi-regular basis with impressions of the games they were playing at the time. Unlike most of the site's normal content, Now Playing included information on many non-Nintendo titles and staff favorites, like Chrono Cross, Katamari Damacy, and Nights into Dreams.... Much of the Now Playing concept will be integrated, in some form, into the next version of the site.
* - The Rumor Mill popped up in 2003 with late staffer Kenneth Kyle Wade at the helm. The purpose of the column was to address current Nintendo rumors and attempt to discern their validity. Several topics were discussed, like GameCube price drops, Sonic the Hedgehog as a character in Mario Kart: Double Dash, and early details on the launch of the successor to the Game Boy Advance in 2004, which was later determined to be the Nintendo DS. An effort was made to revive the column in mid-2005 by Glen Bayer and Dean Bergmann, but as of 2006 the column is not being produced.
Community
Although there has been some confusion over the N-Sider name and Nintendo.com's NSider "online community," which closed on September 17, 2007, the two are separate entities. N-Sider.com currently hosts a database of Nintendo games, hardware, and employees.
Velocitron (known as Speedia in Galaxy Force and Speed Planet in promotional materials) is a fictional planet featured in Transformers: Cybertron and is the location of one of four ancient Transformer colonies that lost contact with the home world of Cybertron long ago, along with Earth, Jungle Planet, and Gigantion. Each of these colonies possess a Cyber Planet Key, containing a fragment of the power of Primus. The name Velocitron is used infrequently. The planet is more commonly referred to as "the Speed Planet" or simply "Speed Planet." The planet's full, formal name appears to be "Velocitron, the Speed Planet."
A variable desert planet, it was terraformed into a global race track, with the pursuit of perfect speed and performance the primary motivating force in its society and culture. Disputes are settled in formal races, with the winner claiming victory over the dispute, as well. Automated repair machines maintain the race courses, which include tracks featuring various environments and obstacles as well as simpler straightforward courses.
Characteristics of Velocitron's inhabitants include transluscent wheels of unknown material, and double-barrelled long-range weaponry.
The planet's leader is Override, as she is the fastest of all Velocitronian Transformers, with no equal planetside. She holds semi-annual planetwide races to determine the next leader, with the planet's Cyber Planet Key (which exists in the form of a trophy called the Planet Cup) awarded to the winner.
The location of Velocitron was first re-discovered by Megatron using the map he had stolen from Vector Prime. Vector Prime himself later located the planet as well, by studying a copy of the Atlantis Pattern found at a museum in Mexico.
Hot Shot felt right at home on the planet, and participated in the planetwide race alongside a few of his Autobot comrades, despite reservations by Optimus Prime. Despite quarreling with his companion, Red Alert, Hot Shot managed to overcome the challenges of Speed Planet and won the great race. In addition to gaining Override's friendship, the Autobots also learned a valuable lesson about interacting with the inhabitants of the different planets.
The starship that carried the Cyber Planet Key to this world was named Ogygia.
In the final episode of Transformers: Cybertron the "Speedia 500" race is held to determine the leader of Velocitron, which Hot Shot wins. Dirt Boss comes in second, Ransack third, Dark Crumplezone fourth, Brakedown fifth and Clocker sixth. Override didn't even compete, as she joins the new Space Bridge project lead by Optimus Prime. The name of the race is a reference to the Japanese name of the planet, which is Speedia.
Speed Planet Transformers
* Override (Nitro Convoy) - Speed Planet's leader and champion.
* Brakedown (Autolander) - One of the oldest Transformers on Speed Planet, and Clocker's mentor.
* Clocker (Skids) - An eager young racer and Brakedown's student.
* Ransack (Gasket) - A shifty miscreant who was recruited by Megatron. His partner is Crumplezone.
* Crumplezone (Landbullet) - The brawn to Ransack's brain. He was also recruited by Megatron.
* Dirt Boss (Inch Up) - A rough, wild outlaw who works with Ransack and Crumplezone in order to defeat Override.
* Blurr - Another experienced racing instructor. Only appears in the toy-line.
* Swerve - A young racer who participates in underground "oil-sport races." Only appears in the toy-line.
A variable desert planet, it was terraformed into a global race track, with the pursuit of perfect speed and performance the primary motivating force in its society and culture. Disputes are settled in formal races, with the winner claiming victory over the dispute, as well. Automated repair machines maintain the race courses, which include tracks featuring various environments and obstacles as well as simpler straightforward courses.
Characteristics of Velocitron's inhabitants include transluscent wheels of unknown material, and double-barrelled long-range weaponry.
The planet's leader is Override, as she is the fastest of all Velocitronian Transformers, with no equal planetside. She holds semi-annual planetwide races to determine the next leader, with the planet's Cyber Planet Key (which exists in the form of a trophy called the Planet Cup) awarded to the winner.
The location of Velocitron was first re-discovered by Megatron using the map he had stolen from Vector Prime. Vector Prime himself later located the planet as well, by studying a copy of the Atlantis Pattern found at a museum in Mexico.
Hot Shot felt right at home on the planet, and participated in the planetwide race alongside a few of his Autobot comrades, despite reservations by Optimus Prime. Despite quarreling with his companion, Red Alert, Hot Shot managed to overcome the challenges of Speed Planet and won the great race. In addition to gaining Override's friendship, the Autobots also learned a valuable lesson about interacting with the inhabitants of the different planets.
The starship that carried the Cyber Planet Key to this world was named Ogygia.
In the final episode of Transformers: Cybertron the "Speedia 500" race is held to determine the leader of Velocitron, which Hot Shot wins. Dirt Boss comes in second, Ransack third, Dark Crumplezone fourth, Brakedown fifth and Clocker sixth. Override didn't even compete, as she joins the new Space Bridge project lead by Optimus Prime. The name of the race is a reference to the Japanese name of the planet, which is Speedia.
Speed Planet Transformers
* Override (Nitro Convoy) - Speed Planet's leader and champion.
* Brakedown (Autolander) - One of the oldest Transformers on Speed Planet, and Clocker's mentor.
* Clocker (Skids) - An eager young racer and Brakedown's student.
* Ransack (Gasket) - A shifty miscreant who was recruited by Megatron. His partner is Crumplezone.
* Crumplezone (Landbullet) - The brawn to Ransack's brain. He was also recruited by Megatron.
* Dirt Boss (Inch Up) - A rough, wild outlaw who works with Ransack and Crumplezone in order to defeat Override.
* Blurr - Another experienced racing instructor. Only appears in the toy-line.
* Swerve - A young racer who participates in underground "oil-sport races." Only appears in the toy-line.