Your Heroes

Share with us those who have influenced you or those whom you admire.

(Not in order of significance)

1.) Shigeru Miyamoto



Nintendo's most valuable resource and a man responsible for bringing joy to many children across the world. His games continue innovate and inspire. He created some of gaming's most revered icons, including Mario and Zelda. His games' content is derived from his personal experiences, not other games. This is surely one key to their appeal. Ever quotable, I concede that Miyamoto may becoming out of touch with today's gamer--yet sales figures might indicate otherwise. He has unusual insight.

2.) Randy Moss



Not necessarily the best role model you might say. But I don't care. Randy Moss was much less selfish than Terrell Owens and much less annoying than Keyshawn Johnson. He was also far better. Stats recorded from 1998 to 2004 show a player that kept pace with and even bested the legendary Jerry Rice. But only the highlight reel shows the true story--there is little doubt Moss was better than even him.

First, I will concede a few points. In the present day, Moss is washed up. It's a painful truth. Perhaps he can turn it around with the Patriots--a much better team than the Raiders. Secondly, the Vikings inability to win a super bowl and their standing as a small market team with less media exposure than say, the Cowboys, will cause people to minimize what Moss accomplished.

However, watching him first hand leads to no other conclusion. He was the best WR to ever play the game. At 6'4", he could out leap any corner back. Nobody could cover him one on one. It was a sheer impossibility. And, unlike many other tall, ball hawking WRs, he was fast. Like, Deion Sanders fast. Because defenses catered their strategy around him, he rarely round the open field, but when he did, look out!

And yet, it went even beyond prototypical characteristics and physical prowess. The man had amazing concentration and body control. You would not believe some of the catches he has made. And it wasn't just one or two. It was week in and week out. This is what truly separated him from the pack when he was in his prime. There has never been a better deep threat. He changed the game. In his tenure with the Vikings (seven years), the offense never finished below seventh in the NFL (it should also be pointed out that the 98 squad was the most prolific offense in NFL history--it is commonly believed that the 99 Rams hold this distinction, but this is not true)

Plus, he was an entertainer. I loved when he shot the moon in Green Bay. I loved when he squirted the ref with a water bottle. I loved his amazing catches and the excitement he brought to the fans. It has not been the same in Minnesota without him. When he was around, you knew that they could go deep on any given play. Just watch the high light reel.

3.) Jim Carrey



I don't have as much to say about him. I just think he is one of the funniest actors out there. A lot of the people I've talked to seem to prefer Adam Sandler, and I've never understood that. Both are the victims of falling into a niche; that is, both star in movies that just have a certain feel to them. You watch and you think, "this is an Adam Sandler movie." I think Carrey was more talented, though.

4.) Richard Dawkins



I love his books and I love the way he talks. He is a hated figure to many, but to me, he is logical, reasonable, firm, and articulate. He is one of the smartest men in the world today, but I find him to have a likable personality and even a sense of humor as well. If you watch his interviews on You Tube, you will find a man that is humble, mild mannered, and gentle. His books have the quality of being accessible to all without being patronizing. The Selfish Gene was one of the most enjoyable works I've read. Still need to get around to The God Delusion . . .

5.) Al Franken



It obviously doesn't hurt that I share his political views, but Al Franken appears to be a totally reasonable person. Where Ann Coulter on the right and Michael Moore on the left are at times callous and ridiculous, Franken is collected and reasonable. The books I have read from him (Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot, Lies, and The Truth) are not only funny, but well researched and convincing. I think Lies, his quintessential work, stands on its own as merely a piece of comedy; to read it in that way, however, would be to miss valuable information. I wish him luck in his 2008 Senate bid for the state of Minnesota.

I'm gonna be listing my gaming gods, so here they are in no particular order:

First, Shigeru Miyamoto



The man i have the second most respect for in the business. Arguably the most known creative genius ever(at least in Japan). I think his accomplishments speak for themselves. Mario, Zelda, Donkey Kong, Pikmin and many others. The best way to put it; There's no one quite like him.

Then some folks behind Final Fantasy games:

Hironobu Sakaguchi



The man behind the Fantasy. If you like FF, you like this guy. He is the mastermind responsible for creating the ideas that built the stories that the fans of the series have come to know.

Tetsuya Nomura



A very important man to FF games. He designed the characters for VII and VIII and in my opinion did an amazing job. Especially the characters from VII were great. He also directed Advent Children, which i thoroughly enjoyed.

Yoshitaka Amano



Although my memories of the NES and SNES FF games are not as sharp as they used to be, i had to mention Amano because of the work he did on FF IX. The characters in that game are by far among the best in the whole genre. Especially Quina, Vivi and Freya.

I saved the best for last, Nobuo Uematsu



In my opinion the greatest man in the business. I grew up hearing his work in the FF games. VI, VII and IX are my personal favorites, with VI taking the cake. Without him, FF games wouldn't be as popular as they are now, because they just wouldn't be the same without the magic touch of Uematsu. Koji Kondo is amazing, but Uematsu is even better.

Okay, here I go.

First, there's Johnny Depp, of course.


Then there's Jim Carrey.


Then, my favorite Japanese anime animator and artist, Hayao Miyazaki.


And I think that's all.

Well here we go!
(Not in any order)

1) Shigeru Miamoto


Lets face it he should be in everyones heros. This man influenced basically everyone on this sites life.

2) Shia Labeouf (aka "The Shia")


This guy right here is a new add on for me. As of late his pimp hand has been way strong!! He got to play in one of the sweetest movies this year. Transformers! With the hottest girl. Megan Fox!

3)Jim Carrey


This guy is my faveorite comedian!

Originally Posted by Eldin

2.) Randy Moss



Not necessarily the best role model you might say. But I don't care. Randy Moss was much less selfish than Terrell Owens and much less annoying than Keyshawn Johnson. He was also far better. Stats recorded from 1998 to 2004 show a player that kept pace with and even bested the legendary Jerry Rice. But only the highlight reel shows the true story--there is little doubt Moss was better than even him.

First, I will concede a few points. In the present day, Moss is washed up. It's a painful truth. Perhaps he can turn it around with the Patriots--a much better team than the Raiders. Secondly, the Vikings inability to win a super bowl and their standing as a small market team with less media exposure than say, the Cowboys, will cause people to minimize what Moss accomplished.

However, watching him first hand leads to no other conclusion. He was the best WR to ever play the game. At 6'4", he could out leap any corner back. Nobody could cover him one on one. It was a sheer impossibility. And, unlike many other tall, ball hawking WRs, he was fast. Like, Deion Sanders fast. Because defenses catered their strategy around him, he rarely round the open field, but when he did, look out!

And yet, it went even beyond prototypical characteristics and physical prowess. The man had amazing concentration and body control. You would not believe some of the catches he has made. And it wasn't just one or two. It was week in and week out. This is what truly separated him from the pack when he was in his prime. There has never been a better deep threat. He changed the game. In his tenure with the Vikings (seven years), the offense never finished below seventh in the NFL (it should also be pointed out that the 98 squad was the most prolific offense in NFL history--it is commonly believed that the 99 Rams hold this distinction, but this is not true)

Plus, he was an entertainer. I loved when he shot the moon in Green Bay. I loved when he squirted the ref with a water bottle. I loved his amazing catches and the excitement he brought to the fans. It has not been the same in Minnesota without him. When he was around, you knew that they could go deep on any given play. Just watch the high light reel.

What's so great about a "football player" who doesn't even use his feet with the ball (eg. kicking it)? Try searching "AFL", aka. Australian Rules Football, on Wikipedia; It may not be your country's sport, but it's definently a better "football" game.

Jehanne's list:

Alexander Hamilton - for his contributions to our young States. He played a crucial part in declaring independence from Great Britain, the formation of a new government, and the development of an economic system. He's on the $10 US bill. I also think he's pretty cute.
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Benjamin Franklin - for the many achievements and contributions to mankind. I believe that his role in the States gaining independence from Great Britain was larger than that of George Washington. Washington's role could have been filled by any great military leader --- but the things that Franklin did (going to France to gain their support) could only have been done by him. He was truly an American hero. I've also heard he was a ladies man.
{Image:Franklin-Benjamin-LOC.jpg - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia}

Sejong the Great - for his development of a phonetic Korean alphabet. Before Sejong took on the fabulous task of developing a written Korean language, Koreans were using Chinese (their "big brother" country) for their writings. Having a written language of their own was something that Koreans could really take pride in, and it made reading and writing more accesible to the poorer citizens of Korea. The shape of the phonetic characters is correlated to the shape that your mouth actually takes while pronouncing them. Pretty neat and logical, if you ask me.
{Image:Statue Sejong le Grand.jpg - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia}

Niels Bohr - for his contributions to the body of human knowledge. I wonder where physics would be without him? I did a report on Bohr when I was in 8th grade (damn that was a long time ago); he made me want to be a nuclear physicist! He's also kind of cute.
{Image:Niels Bohr Date Unverified LOC.jpg - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia}

Robert Heinlein - for his many entertaining works and wise words on society and politics. A true libertarian (by mind and heart), patriot, and an engineer, I wish to follow in his footsteps... to think freely and write damn good fiction.


R.A.H. (as a midshipman)

I'm not going to post pics, so I will just say:

Number 5 is Johnny Depp.

Number 4 is Jim Carrey

Number 3 is Tetsuya Nomura

Number 2 is Shigeru Miamoto

My number one hero, are my parents. Who have been with me since my first breath and have taken care of me. They are my Heros.

5.) Adam Sandler. He's a comedian that helped me to pursue the career of comedy. I love to watch his shows and build off of the experiences.

4.) My friends. They help me and I idolize them.

3.) Shigeru Miamoto. You know the reason. If Zelda hadn't of been created none of us would know each other today.

2.) My cousin. She gave me ideas to help build little trinkets that could one day be a best seller. (Off topic completely)

1.) My family. They have always helped me through my ups and downs of life. My mom helps with the viewpoints of school and life while my dad helps with technology. Without them I would have no heroes.

Might I remind everyone, please don't make short posts by simply listing off your heroes. Tell us a little bit about them. The introduction post by Eldin is an excellent example of what I'm trying to get across. If they are your heroes, tell us why, what have they done that has changed your world, how things would have changed without them, etc...

-BGS

First off, my parents. They've done so much for me, and taught me well. THEN comes Shigeru Miyamoto. Cause I wanna work for Nintendo.
...And that's it.
EDIT

BGS, I only just saw your post after I posted....

My Inspiration: T.A. Barron

His novels have inspired me to continue pursuing my dreams of becoming an author someday. His kind, caring soul gives me a role model to look up to. His works and his life keep the extraordinarily imaginative child inside of me alive and brimming full with ideas.

Wow, a lot of people like Carrey and Miyamoto.

Andy Kaufman



Though at his time he may have been seen as a no talented clown he has become a cult favorite in comedy. Don't call him a comedian, he's more of a stage performer. Borat would be today's Kaufman, if he were funny. He was also extremely commited to his work. He spent months dissing Tennessee to provoke Jerry Lawler (a wrestler) to fight him. They eventually had a match that was hilarious. "I am going to get in the ring, and when I do I need COMPLETE SILENCE! QUIET! I AM NOT FINISHED WITH MY SPEECH!" Sadly he died of cancer, or did he?

Tim and Eric



Yes, I like them. I think right now they are one of the funniest comedic artist ever. They parody things that most times go right over people's head. One of my favorite things they did was instead of promote their own show they promote "Shrek the Third" in response to how overly advertised blockbusters are. Look at those faces. How can't you laugh, or at least crack a smile?

My friends

These people have made me-

Break out of my shell
Enjoy life
Develop my own style (in most anything)
Want to better my life

Captain Planet

Worst puns, ever. Worst outfit, ever. Worst villains, ever. Best show, ever.

Here are the first three, and I put them in no particular order:



From left to right, it is my father, my wife, and my mother.

Thinking back on all my parents have done for me and all they continue to do makes me teary eyed. It's incredible that two people can give thier love so willingly and sacrafice anything at a moments notice for that person. I am so lucky to have them as my parents and count this blessing every day. More amazing still is that I am one of five boys my mom raised, and for her to love us all equally speaks on the size of her heart. Hell, my mother and father have also become the surrogate parents "lost causes" like my little brothers friend who was kicked out of his house for using drugs. My parents took him in and are now helping him out with school and even paying some of his medical bills. My parents are amazing people and I wish everyone here could meet them to see of how kind they can be. (But seriously, stay away, some of you people creep me out )

My wife there in the middle is one of my heroes because she has saved me from alcoholism. Before I met her I would drink every night of the week. Any money I would earn on my own I would use to buy beer and tequilla. Some of the stupid things I would do while drunk is put cigarettes out on myself and cut my arms with knives to "impress people with my tolerance of pain". I'd also get into stupid fights with my friends, and embarrass myself by acting like a drunken idiot, oh, and not to mention drinking and driving. Yeah, I'm lucky I hadn't killed anyone.
When I met Victoria I had yet to see she was someone to love. I treated her badly and would always choose to drink over seeing her. On her 18th birthday, I chose to go drink with my friends rather than go to her party. Surprisingly, she didn't leave me. Instead she held an intervention of sorts in which her and a small group of my friends who didn't like to see me drink sat me down and had some serious talks with me. It was when she pointed out all the crappy things I had done to her and myself while drunk that I began to actually listen to someone. Girls in my past had tried but never seemed to really care for my well being the way Victoria did. They just wanted me to quit so I'd pay more attention to them. She seemed genuinely concerned for my health and feared that I might accidentally kill someone with drunk driving. It all made sense to me and I felt like such a bastard for being so selfish.

A week later, we made the decision to move away from home and live in another state with her mother. It was there, away from my friends and the temptation to drink, that I was able to detox and finally reach a sobriety that I had not felt since 5th grade (yes, I started drinking in 6th grade). To make a long story short, she helped to make sure that I wasn't tempted to just buy a bottle and end up at the bottom of it. Aside from this, she has been very loving to me when I feel I have never deserved it. I am a better person because of it, and I feel I can truthfully say that I owe my life to her.

I cannot think of any other real heroes I have. I somewhat consider Link an idol, but as far as heroes go, I think I've listed the three that matter most to me.

The guy who wrote "holes"

and I'm not talking about the book