I guess they are suggesting that NFL fans must be hungry for some action. ;)
]]>It also makes me want to work on those other Web projects I've wanted to do for a while. I avoided starting these for a long time, but now I'm motivated to work on them. I think I'll just work on them whenever I have slack time (in between jobs).
What are these projects? Well here's the really short list:
The Friday Gamers Website - Really this is Ken's idea, but we should probably get it done soon. It's basically a website for and about our gaming group.
A website about books - I recently ran into a situation where I was trying to remember the name of a book (I couldn't even remember the name of the author. I could only remember some details about the story). I looked at many websites on books and was kind of surprised and the very superficial nature of them. I expected to find something like Boardgamegeek, but didn't. So I thought it would be interesting to design something better than what is already out there.
Egress - a secret project. I conceived this idea a couple of years ago and have wanted to produce it since. Those in the know already know what it is.
]]>Then about a month ago, a friend of mine (Hi Rory!) told me he wanted to sell his Nokia N800. I had looked at this device before and was pretty impressed with it's capabilities but it ran about $400 (I think) when it came out. This was way more than I would have spent on it at the time, but I was able to buy the N800 for $100 from my friend. I jumped at the chance.
As an E-book reader, it fits all of my criteria. It handles plucker style e-books (which I get from project Gutenberg), PDFs (I'm currently getting free pdfs from Tor Books on a weekly basis), and plain text formats (for most other files). It is comfortable to read on and it has a wide screen which can be fully utilized. So in the E-book category it is working superbly.
But since it is an Internet tablet, it does so much more! I can browse the Internet, play games, and even play music on it.
The Internet browser works well for most pages. Occasionally I find some odd problems, but they are usually minor. I use this feature mostly to get my e-books from Project Gutenberg, but I have just browsed around on the Internet with it. I have also setup the RSS Feed agregator to get my favorite news feeds.
For games, I have downloaded a sudoku program for it (which is tolerable), a version of Ataxx, and ScummVM. With ScummVM I have been playing Gobliiins on it, but I really need to find my copies of Monkey Island 1 and 2 for it.
The only music I have played on it so far are Internet radio stations. I probably won't take much more advantage of the music playing features for two reasons. First it only has a 2 GB SD card in it right now. This isn't even close enough for my pitifully small music collection. Second, and perhaps more important, I really like to use my iPod for podcasts, music and video. In fact, lately I have been using both together by browsing the internet on the N800 while playing some podcasts on my iPod.
So, I think I finally found the solution that works for me. :)
]]>The Good
First let's start with the story. In Professor Layton you are trying to discover the location of the Golden Apple - a treasure of the late Baron Reinhold. To do so you must talk with the puzzle obsessed people of the town of Mystere. The story is actually pretty good, if somewhat predictable. I knew very early on what the people of Mystere really were because of some subtle clues along the way. This lead me to an incorrect assumption about Inspector Chelmy, though (Note: I'm being circumspect here because I don't want to ruin it for anyone who wants to play the game).
The interesting thing about this story is it's approach to using puzzles as part of a game. Usually, games try to pretend the puzzles are some intricate part of the game. You are supposed to believe that the puzzle is tied into some device seamlessly or some other such nonsense. In Mystere, the people are obsessed with puzzles and pose them to you as you progress in the game. Sometimes, characters will pose them as a trade such as "If you help me solve this puzzle, I'll give you information." There are a few places where the puzzles are presented as the means for opening a lock or triggering a device, and there are places where puzzles "just appear" or are "hidden". But most of the time, it is a direct QA session between characters.
The second thing about the game that is real appealing is the artwork and animation. The artwork is very clean and well done. The animation is really nice and would fit well as a cartoon on TV. There was only one spotty bit of performance in the playing of the animation (the main characters are running and the movement is just barely choppy) but otherwise it is superb.
The Bad
The only bad thing I can say about the game is actually about the puzzles themselves. Most of the puzzles are classic puzzles or variations on them. For instance, one puzzle is the classic about a farmer with a raft that must ferry across a river a wolf, a sheep and a piece of cabbage. This is an extremely old logic problem and easily solved. Only a few of the puzzles gave me any trouble at all. A couple of them were because of my own weaknesses in puzzles. In fact, as I write this I only have one final bonus puzzle to complete: 135 - Royal Escape. It is a perfect example of the type of puzzle I have the most trouble with.
The Ugly
There really is no truly negative thing to say about this game. I really enjoyed it even if most of the puzzles were easily solved. I look forward to the promised sequel.
On a scale of 1 to 10, I'd give this game an 8.0.
]]>I decided to get myself a game for either my DS or my Wii, so I stopped into EB games. In the end I got 2 games: Dewey's Adventure for the Wii and Professor Layton and the Curious Village for the DS. Mostly I just goofed off and played those for the rest of the day.
So, it was just a lazy day.
]]>This bugs me because we haven't been playing the new system very long and we discovered this to be missing. How is it that WOTC didn't notice this in their play-testing? Considering how often space battles happen in Star Wars, you would think they would have noticed. In fact, they just put out a supplement book which is all about spaceships and there wasn't one in there either. Seems like quite the oversight.
So I had to do what I normally do, make one of my own. It's functional, it's crude and it's here. I could have done more with it but I didn't want to spend too much time on it. As it was, I spent about 2.5 hours doing this in Scribus, which isn't bad considering I don't use Scribus too often.
I think when I make my RPG, I'm going to describe in general terms the stats for characters and not bother making a character sheet. ;)
]]>Hardware Tools
Every tool kit should include the following tools at a minimum. I have more than this, but I have used all of this at some point in the last 2 months
Software
Most of the time I find the hardware is just fine and it is the OS or other software which is the problem. So this list is probably more important than the hardware list.
FRUs (Field Replaceable Units) - testing only!
I made a decision before I started that I wasn't going to sell equipment. However, in order to narrow down the problem it may be necessary to replace hardware for testing purposes. Here is my short list of parts needed to do this testing.
Miscellaneous Parts
Additionally, it is necessary to have Cat5 cable and RJ-45 connectors on hand if you need to make cable. I also keep a variety of screws, adapters and other odds and ends in case I need them as well.
That's a lot of stuff!
Yes, it is. I typically only bring in my main tool kit and laptop when I do a service and leave the extra stuff in my trunk. All of this takes up so much room in my trunk, that I only keep it in my car when I am going to a job. Otherwise, I take it out.
Just a quick peek into what I lug around with me on a daily basis. ;)
]]>
I guess they are suggesting that NFL fans must be hungry for some action. ;)
]]>I've been getting asked that question quite a bit, lately. Well, I operated for my first week from last Monday to yesterday and I made slightly more than $200. While most people would consider this low, I feel it is a good start. In fact, making any money at all in the first week of business is a very good thing. So I feel I'm heading in the right direction at least.
No, I can't live on $200 a week, but some of my new customers want to pass my information on to people they know who need work done. So, the "word of mouth" advertising has begun. As I build up my client base, they will tell more people about my work and I will get more business. That is my primary strategy for now: a little bit of traditional advertising followed by a lot of referrals.
So, really, it is going alright. In fact, I already did a short job this morning, I have another scheduled for tomorrow and one more for this weekend. I've barely begun this week and I have more lined up than I did a week ago. So, I hope to net more this week than last week. :)
]]>The Website
boardgamegeek.com is a fantastic site. Like the name suggests it is all about board games. It contains information on a wide variety of games and includes such things as reviews, game session reports, forums, and loads of other things. The website speaks for itself though so visit it and see what it has to offer. I've been visiting the website for a long time, and it continues to grow as time passes.
I suggest this site very highly for people wanting to know more about a game before buying and for people to find others to play games.
Well...what are you waiting for?
Click on the link above and visit it already. ;)
The Convention
About 3 years ago, they started running a convention in the Dallas/Ft Worth area. Mike has been living down there for some time and went to the first one. He wanted others to come down and go to the con with him, but at the time I didn't have the extra funds or time to make the trip. Mike raved about it, so I knew I'd have to come down some year. This was the year, I was impressed with the way it ran.
The basic premise behind the con is centered around the extensive game library they bring to it. You get what is basically a "library card" to check out games. You can only check out one game at a time, but that is hardly a limitation since you'll be playing games with a group of people who will likely have checked out other games. This seemed to be the norm. You can also bring along your own games to play, but I like to try new things and I wouldn't be likely to do this.
One thing that was nice about trying new games is that it was easy to find someone who already knew the rules to explain the game to you. We tried a few unusual games for which no one at the table knew the rules and before we were very far in reading the rules, someone would show up who knew how to play. This was one of the very cool things about the con - the people. Most of the people at the con were very nice and outgoing. This made it easy to jump into games at random or get people to join the games.
The Games
The games that I played that made an impression on me were as follows:
Cuba - This was perhaps the best game I played at the game. It feels a lot like Puerto Rico, which is a favorite for me. I highly recommend this game to anyone.
Felix the Cat in The Sack - This is a neat little pick up game. This fast paced card game impressed me enough to want to pick up a copy. Unfortunately, I couldn't get one at the con. :(
Ave Caesar - Normally, I'm not one for "racing games" but this one is very fun. I don't know if I would ever buy it, but I would play it again.
Space Dealer - This is a real time board game. It uses sand timers to determine when actions can be performed. It is rough on first time players, but I thought it was pretty good. This is one that you need to get to know before you stop pulling your hair out while playing. Somehow, I still ended up tied for first. :)
Antiquity - This is another game that is very rough on first time players. It is essentially a balancing act. You need to balance your city building and resources to accomplish the goal of your patron saint. It is real easy to get knocked out in this game by making the wrong moves. Very unforgiving, but intriguing.
Darjeeling - This was an interesting abstract game of Tea collecting and shipping. I liked this one, but didn't really "get it" until a few rounds in. Nevertheless this is another one I would like to play again.
...and a host of others
A Painful Experience
The most painful experience I had at the con was with a game called Wongar. This isn't necessarily a bad game, but the rules were poorly translated. Normally not a problem, since as I said before it was usually easy to find someone who would helpfully explain the rules. This good Samaritan attitude did not extend to Wongar, however. Everyone who knew how to play the game that saw us playing would say, "Playing Wongar, eh?". And when asked if they knew how to play they would say they had played some time ago and make for the hills. It is significant that even the people who were winning were cheering when the scorpion cards would come up, because they knew that meant the game was coming closer to ending. I think I'd like to try it again with a clearer understanding of the rules, though.
Summary
The con was great fun. I like the laid back pace of the convention and really like the people I met. I will definitely have to go again some time. :)
I put in my 2 week notice before Halloween. Everyone was shocked at work and seemed to think it was sudden. I had to explain that it wasn't sudden at all...but planned over an extremely long period of time. When I make plans like this, I tend to keep them to myself. Even my roommate was surprised when I told him about it. He knew I had always wanted to do this, but didn't realize I was so close to being able to do it.
In order to achieve this goal, I had to achieve a smaller subset of goals first. The first was to remove all debt. As it stands, I have no debt. The only bills I have are rent and utilities, so I have very little worries about my financial situation. The second goal was to build up a certain amount of capital to be used to keep me afloat while my business gets rolling. This I have done over the last 3 years. I currently have enough saved up to live happily for more than 6 months without any income at all. These 2 things by themselves were good starts, but I have also created some contingency plans in case of failure. Some of these contingencies can be enacted during slow times for my business to continue to receive revenue. Some are to be used in case of total failure. Either way, in 6 months time, I should know whether my business will really make it or not.
People at my old job were really supportive about the idea. Many tried to talk me out of it initially, but once they found out I was resolved they wished me well and gave me advice. I will miss the people there, but I won't be totally out of touch. My roommate still works there and I hang out with some of the others socially.
Oh...but I haven't said what I am going to do for a living now. :)
My new business is an on-site IT business. I'll be helping people with their computers and networks in their homes and businesses. So, it is basically the same thing I was doing the last 2 years at my old work, but for private people and businesses.
What's next? Well, I have to get my ducks in a row (business license, tax ID, insurance, etc...). I'm going to start all of that on Monday...but a curious turn of events is that I timed all of this to happen just before my trip to Texas, so as not to leave them short at work. This means that, in the greater scheme of things, I won't really be available to start work until after Thanksgiving weekend. Most likely, I will have some loose ends to take care of after I get back from my trip.
Well, wish me luck! :)
]]>I've only been waiting for Phantom Hourglass to come out since about the time Minish Cap hit the scene. Despite that, I didn't get my copy until the Friday after it was released. I had a great deal of things going on that required my full attention and I didn't want to be tempted to ignore them in favor of playing a new Zelda (a real hazard). Now I've been playing it for more than a week and I have to report on my impressions thus far.
I'm getting close to the end. I have all of the sea charts, all of the spirits, all of the pure metals, and the Phantom Sword. Based on the dialog from certain characters, it sounds like I just have to beat the main villain and I'm done. Actually I could already be done with that, but I have decided to take a break from the main adventure and collect as many of the ship parts as possible. This is basically the only collection aspect of the game. So, I think I'm still short 3 hearts so I'm looking around a little. I've seen what there is to see and can make a faithful report.
The Good
First off, I was a little uncertain about using the stylus/touchscreen for almost everything. However, this actually works really well with the game. It takes a little getting used to, but once you do, you can manipulate Link in every fashion you could with a D-pad and buttons and more. There are some quick buttons that are helpful though. The left and right triggers pull out your secondary weapon. This is particularly useful with the Boomerang. The D-pad and buttons will pull up the map screen, item list or menu list depending on which direction or button you select. This makes it convenient whether you use the DS right-handed or left-handed.
The boomerang and the hammer are extremely useful with the stylus. The hammer can be used at a distance (in a straight line with no objects in the way). The boomerang follows a path made by drawing with the stylus. This allows you to set a long path for hitting buttons or enemies in hard to reach places. I have done a great deal of experimenting with the boomerang and have become a fast draw with it using the trigger. This would not have been easy to do without the stylus.
The story so far is really good. It picks up right after Windwaker and builds upon that story line. Link and Tetra are traveling on the pirate ship when they run afoul of a ghost ship. Tetra boards the ghost ship just as it disappears and Link must save her. Then the usual Zelda actions follow. You have to collect spirits, sea charts and eventually pure metals to save Tetra and the world. Basically, Zelda as usual, so fans won't be disappointed.
The Bad
One of the difficulties of using the stylus for movement is the roll. It is very tricky at first and even after practicing it for a while, I'm still not guaranteed to do it successfully every time. This is about the only thing I wish there was a button for (like in every other Zelda).
The exchange quest is very short. Probably the shortest one ever. Not really much of a problem for casual players, but long time Zelda-fans will be surprised at how quickly they complete it if they do it late in the game like I did.
Some pundits won't like the interconnection with Windwaker. Personally, I like Windwaker, but if you didn't like the sailing aspect in that game then you might not like it in Phantom Hourglass. And you will sail quite a bit in this game.
The Ugly
There are no totally negative aspects to this game. I may be biased on that considering how much of a Zelda fan I am, though. ;)
Summary
I've been very pleased with this game and anticipate finishing it soon. I'm still collecting ship parts, but I may just finish it up soon and move on. I don't think collecting them will have any further benefit for me in the game at this point.
All in all I'd give it a 9.0 out of 10.
]]>So, for the last 1.5 years I have been eating healthier and eating less. If I were to gauge my health by my weight (which is not the point or a good measurement) then I could happily report that I went from 353 pounds to 275 pounds. Almost 80 pounds lighter than I was a year and a half ago (There was a point not too long ago where I had dipped below 273 but I gained some back from a little backsliding).
Well, I knew this day was coming for 2 years (almost) but it is time to start on the 3rd E ... exercise! I've debated how to approach this for several months now, but was undecided on how to do it. So Monday morning, I started my new exercise program - which is based on my old Army PT program. I'm taking it slow to start, so I did crunches and flutter kicks yesterday and push ups today. Not very many of each, just enough to feel the effects of the work out. I will increase this with time.
Also, after searching the internet I found an electronic copy of the Army FM 21-20 which is on physical training. I need to go through this manual to build a good workout routine. But for now, I'll start small and work my way up. :)
]]>Old GPS system
Quite a while ago I bought an iPaq PDA with a GPS attachment from a friend of mine (Hi Rory!). This device has served me well for a number of years. However, as time has passed I have noticed certain flaws with it. For a start, I apparently can't get new maps for it. This isn't too bad as I usually know where I am going or I have a backup printed map from some place like mapquest. The second thing that has become a problem is the speed with which the GPS software on the iPaq copes with creating a new route. There have been a couple of trips where it has taken too long for it to decide on a new route and I have actually had to find a good stopping point to let it catch up (This happened on my trip to Kansas a couple of years ago and has stuck in my memory since). But the most annoying thing with the old GPS is that while I can store as many maps as I have space on a compact flash card, I am limited to a set number of maps that can be open at a time. This means that I can't plan a trip from here to Tennessee without planning a stopping point in between to swap maps. So, it was time to get a new one.
The Tom Tom ONE
The device itself is smaller than I had anticipated, yet it's screen is clearly readable even while driving. I have taken it out for a couple of test drives just to see what it is capable of and so far it seems pretty good. Here are the good points and bad points.
The Good
The view the Tom Tom gives is an orthogonal like view so you can directly match the road to the map it is displaying. This makes it easy to pick out roads, turns and points of interest as landmarks. This sure beats the traditional top-down flat maps of other GPS systems by a mile. This feature alone makes it a winner in my book.
The voice directions are very clear and loud enough to be heard even when the radio is playing at a moderate level. It comes with a selection of voices and you can download more from their website (most at an additional cost). I was real tempted to get the John Cleese voice for my Tom Tom but it looks like it will cost ~$15 (Maybe later on that).
The bottom bar of the Tom Tom gives a wealth of information including: direction of next turn, name of next street to follow, estimated time remaining for trip, and ETA (estimated time of arrival). This last threw me off a bit because I originally thought it was supposed to be the current time. I was confused by it being "off by so much" until I actually saw it go down a little while I was driving. Nevertheless it is a cool feature.
Setting up trips on the Tom Tom is fast and easy. A lot faster than on my old GPS system. In fact, this is a major plus, because this makes the device easily usable for every day use.
The Tom Tom is very fast at being able to generate a new route. I tried a couple of deliberate missed turns and it bounced back right away. I was pretty impressed with the speed with which it created these new routes.
It has all of the maps of the US and Canada already in it. No more swapping of maps unless I leave the States! That means I can plan my trip to Tennessee in one shot or in pieces as I please.
The Bad
The software that comes with the Tom Tom is called Tom Tom Home. This software takes a little getting used to. Often times it appears to do something but doesn't actually do it until you go to a specific area of the program and tell it to update the Tom Tom device. This is very confusing to a new user. At first I thought there was something wrong with my device (I had bought it refurbished so this was a real possibility) because it wasn't getting the promo voice on it. Once I figured out that it had a 2 step process, I've been able to work with it just fine.
Additionally, Tom Tom Home does very little. I was expecting to be able to set up trips in the software and transfer them over to my device. All it is really for is backing up the device and putting various files on the device. This isn't terrible, just surprising. I guess the manufacturer figured you wouldn't need this functionality since the Tom Tom ONE seems quite capable of setting up the trips through it's own interface. It does have what appears to be some form of emulator for the device, so maybe it allows setting up of trips through that. I don't know because I really haven't investigated it.
Every time I do an update with Tom Tom Home I have to go through the setup on the device all over again. This isn't all that bad because the setup is quick and easy, but it is a little annoying.
Summary
Well, so far I like my Tom Tom and for good reason. But the real test is coming up in less than 2 weeks.
We shall see how it handles that! :)
]]>With Video or Not?
I first considered getting a device without video. I decided against this pretty quickly as I may want to get into video podcasts in the near future. So it would be silly to get a device that didn't accommodate such things.
30 GB or 80 GB
This was a little more difficult of a decision. I originally thought I would just get the 30 GB, but I was concerned that I would run out of space if I started loading videos on it. So, I ultimately decided on the 80 GB one. Ironically, the iPod has more storage capacity than the computer it is syncing with right now (my laptop only has a 60 GB HD in it). This will probably change in the not too distant future, though.
Results
Well, in the time I have owned my iPod, I have learned a few things. The interface wasn't what I was expecting. The iPod uses a "paddle-like" touch wheel to navigate with a center button to select. It took me only moments to learn the basics. Personally, I think it works extremely well for this type of device. Podcasts are generally kept separate from music and don't appear to play from one to another like music does. This is somewhat annoying, but it looks like I can setup a smart playlist in iTunes which will force it to do so. I have to experiment with this a little yet, so hopefully it works.
All in all I'm extremely pleased with this device. :)
]]>So far, I am really enjoying this game. I first got interested in Paper Mario on the Game Cube with Paper Mario: Thousand Year Door. Now I see why the sequel was made. The game play is nearly identical to the sequel and the story so far (I'm making my first foray into the Dry Dry Desert) is really good. This is shifting me temporarily off of Wind Waker for a while until I finish it.
Now Nintendo only has to release Majora's Mask and Mario RPG on the VC and I'm all set. Surprisingly the best part of owning a Wii has been the VC. I've been able to play some old favorites and try out ones I had never tried before.
One thing I really like about the VC games is that you can delete games you aren't playing and download them again later (at no additional cost) or offload them to an SD card. This is good as I am rapidly running out of space!
Time to go home and play more Super Mario!
]]>