In defense of offers

Question: Who’s the bad guy in the house? (All together) OFFER WALLS! (Once again) OFFER WALLS! (Didn’t hear ya) OFFER WALLS!

Ok, ok, enough with the chanting. Bashing offers is so popular these days it’s almost a new sport. Can’t blame most of the commentators, it’s tempting, and the whole “scamville” charade just made it even more fun. And why not? Offers can be easily portrayed as devil’s spawn, the portal to mischievous premium billing without your consent, money laundering, call it what you may. It’s so easy to terrify non-technical people that you’re almost inclined to join; and if one can benefit a bit from it (no paid service to rid your computer of scam offers yet? Don’t worry, it’s just around the corner), then why not. So looks like we’re covered. Or are we?

Where is my mind? Way out, in the water

(As I'm writing this, EA has announced it has bought PlayFish. All the more reason for a call to the industry to stop panicking and start taking responsibility for its own faith with big fish coming to play. But read on...)

One of the many highly useful skills I learned in Officers' course was artillery aiming. There was a lot more fun stuff I could imagine doing in any given afternoon, but there's definitely nothing like it. And when you just don't have an option (and believe me, in officers' course you don't have an option), you just give it your best shot. Pun intended.


So there I was, trying to get 155 mm cannon to hit a barrel. I don't know if you know how these things go, but artillery aiming is some simple arithmetic and a lot of art. You aim the cannon one way, then course correct the other, then again - in shrinking intervals, until you hit the target (or 50m away from it, which is considered good enough). It must have taken me 5 or 6 attempts to hit the goddamn thing - the gun crew was not a group of happy campers, nor was I. But all in all, it was a good drill, and I passed the test, and got my rank of deputy lieutenant, and mom was happy.