Hiyas!

[DrakeWurrum]

Hello, GCForums. I came here when I finally decided to do some background research on one of my favorite web sites, Google. So I only recently have learned the full extent of their services and capabilities and their history. I was searching for some Google wallpaper when I found this site, (I was getting sick of my KOTOR wallpaper).

I am addicted to video games and forum-trawling. I will soon start up college trying to get a Masters degree in Computer Science, and even managed to get into the university's honors computer science program.

I like to read sci-fi/fantasy novels, espcially when they involve dragons. Dragons is one of my favorite topics.

I also have an interest in martial arts, especially kendo, kenjutsu, and iaido since they involve the use of a sword. I hope to take up the study of one during college, if possible, and maybe one day get to the point where I can fight using a sword in each hand.

Aside from being a Google enthusiast, I am also a FireFox and Nintendo enthusiast. I guess I'm also a dragon enthusiast, too.

[Eric]

Hello, Drake, welcome to our wonderful community. I hope you enjoy your stay and make many friends here. Looking forward to discussing more about your interests with you in the future .
I can't say I'm really a nintendo enthusiast, but I am a squaresoft zealot. From your avatar, it seems you like the game 'Chrono Trigger'. It's one of my most favourite games.(It's the second best game ever made according to the "Best video game ever" tournament at gamefaqs.com ).
Here are some translations for the japanese swordfighting arts you want to learn:
Iai-[do/jutsu] = well 'Iai' is the swordfighting art which teaches to dispose of the opponent quickly and has no real definition. 'Do' means 'way' or 'path' so 'Iaido' is the "way of the Iai", I guess. 'Jutsu'/'Jitsu' means style or art.
Kendo = 'Ken' means sword and you know that 'do' means now, so 'Kendo' means "way of the sword". I prefer the name "Mitsurugi itou-ryuu zando". I parse 'Kendo' as "swordfighting for newbies" personally. It teaches to improve oneself, not beat people to a bloody pulp.
Kenjutsu = Same as kendo except this one teaches to prevail or win in real fights and does teach to beat people to a bloody pulp.

The form "do" is used to emphasize a version of an art which teaches to improve oneself while the form "jutsu" indicates that it is the version of the same art which instead teaches to kill. The 'jutsu' versions are more deadly and advanced. 'Kendo' is more or less just a sport. It's like 'japanese fencing'. They fight with wooden swords in Kendo practice most of the time.
Yeah, I know Japanese.
I hope you learn something you didn't know from this .

[geekerati]

Very nice intro Drake, you seem to be a very interesting member. Welcome to the Google Community

[tokkolo]

Hello DrakeWurrum, Nice introduction Welcome to Google Community.

[DrakeWurrum]

Well, Eric, it's nice to know somebody out there likes to help people out, but I already figured out what the different sword arts were thanks to Wikipedia. It's a great online resource. Iaido is also sometimes called battojutsu and is focused on sword-fighting starting with the sword not yet drawn, while ken[do/jutsu] focuses on sword-fighting where the sword is already drawn. Iaido is about taking out the opponent as quickly as possible. Oh, and so you know, the wooden sword is known as a bokken, and the only reason they are used is so that actual swords are not damaged; they could care less about whether or not you are injured. :P

Researching kendo online, I really don't find having to wear that armor all that appealing. I don't think that kenjutsu is exactly the best thing to learn, either, since it's main purpose is really as a form of warfare. Iaido would be something helpful to learn in daily life in case I get mugged, though I doubt it would exactly be normal to walk around with a sword on my hip. To be honest, if I could choose to learn a martial arts style, it would be wielding one sword in each hand, (preferabbly one being a katana and the other a wakizashi), without wearing any armor. I guess I've been influenced by video games just a wee bit too much.

I can totally relate to you being a SquareSoft, (actually now Square Enix), zealot. Although I like Nintendo a lot, I tend to get a lot more games for the PS2, especially RPGs like Kingdom Hearts and Final Fantasy. I've played Chrono Trigger, but I did it on my computer with the ROM. I would love to play Chrono Cross, but I haven't been spending money on games very much lately, and I really don't want to have to search for it.

Thanks for the warm welcome everybody. It's nice to see that GC has such a nice community. I should fit in nicely, since we've got just as good a community over at MonsterGamer.

[Eric]

Originally Posted by DrakeWurrum

Well, Eric, it's nice to know somebody out there likes to help people out, but I already figured out what the different sword arts were thanks to Wikipedia. It's a great online resource. Iaido is also sometimes called battojutsu and is focused on sword-fighting starting with the sword not yet drawn, while ken[do/jutsu] focuses on sword-fighting where the sword is already drawn. Iaido is about taking out the opponent as quickly as possible. Oh, and so you know, the wooden sword is known as a bokken, and the only reason they are used is so that actual swords are not damaged; they could care less about whether or not you are injured. :P

Researching kendo online, I really don't find having to wear that armor all that appealing. I don't think that kenjutsu is exactly the best thing to learn, either, since it's main purpose is really as a form of warfare. Iaido would be something helpful to learn in daily life in case I get mugged, though I doubt it would exactly be normal to walk around with a sword on my hip. To be honest, if I could choose to learn a martial arts style, it would be wielding one sword in each hand, (preferabbly one being a katana and the other a wakizashi), without wearing any armor. I guess I've been influenced by video games just a wee bit too much.

I can totally relate to you being a SquareSoft, (actually now Square Enix), zealot. Although I like Nintendo a lot, I tend to get a lot more games for the PS2, especially RPGs like Kingdom Hearts and Final Fantasy. I've played Chrono Trigger, but I did it on my computer with the ROM. I would love to play Chrono Cross, but I haven't been spending money on games very much lately, and I really don't want to have to search for it.

Thanks for the warm welcome everybody. It's nice to see that GC has such a nice community. I should fit in nicely, since we've got just as good a community over at MonsterGamer.

Yeah, I know that the wooden sword is called 'bokken'.
'Boku'(sometimes 'Doku') for wood/timber and 'ken' for sword. Japanese is very hard to learn.
Yep, they don't care whether you get hurt or not. You should see South Indian martial arts in action, even practice is brutal and a practitioner has his life at risk every moment. They use swords with blades that "stretch", the swords are called 'uremis'. I think in English, the best way to express they're nature would be to call them "flexible swords".
Perhaps this image may give you a clearer conception.

[DrakeWurrum]

Originally Posted by Eric

From your avatar, it seems you like the game 'Chrono Trigger'.

By the by, if you also take a look at my siggy, you'll see that I've got the sprite for Crono there as well.