Just search for this subject and you're going to hit a bunch of funny and perhaps stinging reads. I know I've been guilty of a few of them on occasion. The first article in that query link refers directly to me and warns others to not become my friend because of my musical ambitions. OK, so I want you to listen to my music, how can I help it?
My personal opinion that most things that are considered faux pas are really just people with good intentions. But I can't seem to wrap my head around this last event that occurred recently. One of my online friends decided that he would prefer to keep personal and business contacts completely separated, a completely understandable desire. But instead of using the lists feature to block certain content to certain people, or even creating a second profile, this person decided to create a personal page, something that a user "like"-s, such as an artist's or product's page.
I didn't follow along with this request. I mean, I saw it as totally one-sided. I "like" you and can follow all your updates but you can't and don't do the same with me. That isn't the point, I don't think. In the end, I think I saw this as just a slightly gentler way of saying, "Look, I don't want to be your friend here anymore." But as with other gaffs, sometimes I think it still might just be more prudent to silently delete me if you don't want my online company. Heck, I might never even notice that you did it if you're a quiet Facebooker. Really, all of my attention to this seems kind of silly, but I think it's interesting how personal interactions have been molded and broken in the digital world. We are, after all, human beings on the other side of our silly avatar pictures.
Showing posts with label technology. Show all posts
Showing posts with label technology. Show all posts
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Sunday, November 16, 2008
This Thing Rules!
The Korg DS-10 I ordered finally arrived last week. I've been playing with it intermittently when I get time and I'll say it again: if you have any interest in real music creation and not just playback of pre-made samples as in Jam Sessions, this is the real deal. It's set up with step sequencers and a tracker that can store up to 16 patterns made by you. The reason I like this more than Jam Sessions is the sound synthesis. If I wanted to play a guitar, I'd just play a guitar. But not everybody has access to vintage analog synthesis. There's enough control with the DS-10 that you won't run out of ideas for new sounds any time soon.
I have one song almost finished and another is in the works although I'm not sure I like it. Here's a video to demonstrate some of the flexibility I'm talking about. This guy gets some things wrong. For instance, there's no sine wave available in the either of the synths. There's triangle, sawtooth, pulse, and noise, but no sine. OK, I'm nerding out now. Here's the vid for beginners:
I have one song almost finished and another is in the works although I'm not sure I like it. Here's a video to demonstrate some of the flexibility I'm talking about. This guy gets some things wrong. For instance, there's no sine wave available in the either of the synths. There's triangle, sawtooth, pulse, and noise, but no sine. OK, I'm nerding out now. Here's the vid for beginners:
Friday, October 17, 2008
Monday, January 28, 2008
Warp Five, Mr. Sulu
I've been pretty busy at home over the past couple of weeks. I repainted the second bedroom. I've also moved my studio into that bedroom as well to make way for a nursery. I was a bit reluctant to do that, but now that I have it in here, it feels pretty good. There's a TV with a DVD player in here so that we can watch movies or TV shows while working out, plus the audio to the TV is routed to a home stereo unit for better audio playback. I then ran the stereo unit to the mixer that's connected to my computer so that if I want to record from the radio or the DVD player into Pro Tools, I can. I feel like Captain Kirk in here. It rules.
We had our childbirth class at the hospital on Saturday and it really has me excited. Well, that and I put the stroller together, installed the car seat bases, and spent more time getting the nursery ready last weekend.
Sandy and Evan, thanks for the cookies. They were really good. Evan will be glad to know that I'm taking some time to install the Doom 3 expansion and Last Man Standing mod update.
We had our childbirth class at the hospital on Saturday and it really has me excited. Well, that and I put the stroller together, installed the car seat bases, and spent more time getting the nursery ready last weekend.
Sandy and Evan, thanks for the cookies. They were really good. Evan will be glad to know that I'm taking some time to install the Doom 3 expansion and Last Man Standing mod update.
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Next Stop, The White House!
One of my favorite quotes was uttered by W. C. Fields, "If at first you don't succeed, try again. Then quit. No use being a damn fool about it." The first time I'd ever seen those words, they were posted on the wall in the room of my high school government and economics teacher. Unfortunately for him (or me, I can't quite decide), I did not take those words to heart, especially when it came to his tests. Ironically, I think he eventually began to give me points for persistence or perhaps pity when, as the answer to every single question about a specific bit of legislation enacted half a century prior to my birth, I would answer "The Hawley-Smoot Tariff," which is perfectly real but something about which I was painfully uneducated considering that I had only heard about it while reading Dave Barry essays aloud with my friends instead of studying for the government exams. But years later, my youthful persistence to remain ignorant would eventually worm its way back to considering the Fields quote in the context of a harsher reality.
Earlier as a preteen, I loved both playing games with and programming computers. At the time, when asked if I'd had a hobby, I would respond that programming was it and also that I was considering a career in it. Again unfortunately for me, once I became old enough to study such subjects in high school, I discovered that I was good at music and that I liked girls, not to mention that I had also developed a healthy distaste for actually being in high school, which put a premature cap on the progression of my programming skills. But as a college student, I was reintroduced to computer games via Duke Nukem 3D and found that the games I had imagined as only a possibility as a child were now actually being made. It also did not escape me that, not only were those games being made, there was decent music to go along with them, music that someone probably got paid to write. I made up my mind then and there as an undergraduate student struggling to discover what exactly it was that I wanted to do with myself for another fifty years, to embrace my roots and focus on a career in technology as it related to music and sound.
Of course, little did I know at the time that my chances of making music as a career, even in the burgeoning days of computer games' surging popularity, were about as slim or slimmer than my becoming the President of the United States based on my knowledge of the Hawley-Smoot Tariff. I was determined that I could blunder my way in based on my love and knowledge of music and naively applied to every open position I found while sending some truly pathetic examples of demo reel non-showmanship including cassettes with unmarked labels and blank CDs with Sharpie-d contact information scrawled onto the surface. Yes, I have been guilty of these faux pas and more but I do not, however, apologize for anything because without any training or guidance of any kind, I was making it up as I went along, like a jazz solo or a high school government essay exam.
Once I successfully realized that I had a screen door's chance at being built into a submarine of landing an audio gig, I did what anyone with a dream of fantastic underdog success might do. I held onto my dream like a convict guarding his cigarettes, garnered a string of singularly terrible jobs, and continued to work on learning the skills that would someday enable me to make audio for video games. The journey has led me over five hundred miles through blue collar enslavement, entitled trust fund baby classmates and ivory-tower academics, and even a slightly off-target, but related career. However, even with almost half a decade of additional experience holding a related job and an equal amount of time devoted to the attainment of the job, I still could not get the time of day from the game industry if I stopped it on the street and offered it cash. It is as though I am constantly running five steps behind the departing bus, always making it to the door just after it's been closed and locked.
What turns a simple goal into a dream and what drives us to chase them so stubbornly? Perhaps it is the faith that success comes to those who are persistent and patient. But perhaps that success also comes from one's ability to be clever, crafty, or ingenious, to know how to turn the tide in one's favor with a simpler idea. Then, there is also the question of fortune, the act of being in the right place at the right time. Speaking for myself, I feel as though I have the persistence and patience down to a science. But I must lack the ingenuity to truly follow through. Not to mention that the very idea of simple fortune seems as strange to me as any. In any case, I don't know what the future will bring, but if the past is any indication, the words of W. C. Fields continue to resonate with my experiences. Perhaps I should quit my job and run for office.
Earlier as a preteen, I loved both playing games with and programming computers. At the time, when asked if I'd had a hobby, I would respond that programming was it and also that I was considering a career in it. Again unfortunately for me, once I became old enough to study such subjects in high school, I discovered that I was good at music and that I liked girls, not to mention that I had also developed a healthy distaste for actually being in high school, which put a premature cap on the progression of my programming skills. But as a college student, I was reintroduced to computer games via Duke Nukem 3D and found that the games I had imagined as only a possibility as a child were now actually being made. It also did not escape me that, not only were those games being made, there was decent music to go along with them, music that someone probably got paid to write. I made up my mind then and there as an undergraduate student struggling to discover what exactly it was that I wanted to do with myself for another fifty years, to embrace my roots and focus on a career in technology as it related to music and sound.
Of course, little did I know at the time that my chances of making music as a career, even in the burgeoning days of computer games' surging popularity, were about as slim or slimmer than my becoming the President of the United States based on my knowledge of the Hawley-Smoot Tariff. I was determined that I could blunder my way in based on my love and knowledge of music and naively applied to every open position I found while sending some truly pathetic examples of demo reel non-showmanship including cassettes with unmarked labels and blank CDs with Sharpie-d contact information scrawled onto the surface. Yes, I have been guilty of these faux pas and more but I do not, however, apologize for anything because without any training or guidance of any kind, I was making it up as I went along, like a jazz solo or a high school government essay exam.
Once I successfully realized that I had a screen door's chance at being built into a submarine of landing an audio gig, I did what anyone with a dream of fantastic underdog success might do. I held onto my dream like a convict guarding his cigarettes, garnered a string of singularly terrible jobs, and continued to work on learning the skills that would someday enable me to make audio for video games. The journey has led me over five hundred miles through blue collar enslavement, entitled trust fund baby classmates and ivory-tower academics, and even a slightly off-target, but related career. However, even with almost half a decade of additional experience holding a related job and an equal amount of time devoted to the attainment of the job, I still could not get the time of day from the game industry if I stopped it on the street and offered it cash. It is as though I am constantly running five steps behind the departing bus, always making it to the door just after it's been closed and locked.
What turns a simple goal into a dream and what drives us to chase them so stubbornly? Perhaps it is the faith that success comes to those who are persistent and patient. But perhaps that success also comes from one's ability to be clever, crafty, or ingenious, to know how to turn the tide in one's favor with a simpler idea. Then, there is also the question of fortune, the act of being in the right place at the right time. Speaking for myself, I feel as though I have the persistence and patience down to a science. But I must lack the ingenuity to truly follow through. Not to mention that the very idea of simple fortune seems as strange to me as any. In any case, I don't know what the future will bring, but if the past is any indication, the words of W. C. Fields continue to resonate with my experiences. Perhaps I should quit my job and run for office.
Thursday, August 24, 2006
iGasm
So I finally picked up an iPod last week. I had been considering the purchase for over two years, so I wouldn't quite classify it as an “impulse buy”. It wasn’t entirely my decision to move forward as I was given permission to stop considering it when Amy informed me that we had amassed a sufficient cash reserve via our credit card's cash-back bonuses, which in our case is like spending free money due to the way we use the account. In addition, it helped that I purchased a refurbished model as it saved me approximately one hundred dollars while still including the same standard warranty as a brand new model. The only items I did not receive were a proper manual (a quick start manual was included) and the pretty packaging.
I had read much on the Internet from iPod naysayers concerning everything from battery life to DRM'ed proprietary formats; however, a singular feature of which the Internet is almost completely incapable is reasonable discourse. My early experiences thus far have put most of the quibbling arguments to rest, but it is an absolute truth that the battery life is terrible. It is bad enough that it practically makes the purchase of the portable charging adapter a necessity. So far, though, that is my only complaint.
In terms of benefits, there are the obvious ones that I expected such as the ability to carry about 75% of my music collection with me anywhere as well as complete compatibility with every file available in the extensive collection of the iTunes music store. But, after I installed the iTunes software, which is required for the iPod to sync with your music collection, other benefits quickly exposed themselves. For instance, in the past, I have been a WinAmp devotee, but the sheer user-friendliness of iTunes, not to mention the inclusion of some outstanding encoding algorithms, immediately made the program my primary audio library management suite. Here again, the Internet becomes a stagnant pool of chirping nerds squawking about the amount of resources a particular program requires. Specifically, I remember reading a thread about iTunes requiring ten times the CPU resources that WinAmp requires and the multiplier only increased when compared to more obscure players. But, I would argue that most users don’t give a rip about squeezing a few more cycles out of their CPUs. Even those users on the brink of caring about such things probably have a machine that is capable of handling the larger footprint with ease.
To return to my point, I feel that WinAmp has become a bloated, unfriendly tangle of options meant to entice the fiercest of tweakers and while I can certainly appreciate the desire for limitless customization, I eventually won’t need any more plug-ins that enable me to listen to Sega Genesis file formats. There comes a time when I simply want the ability to use my tools efficiently. Speaking of efficiency, my distaste with WinAmp begins with its handling of the metadata editing for AAC encoded files. Disappointingly, it does not allow for the same data field (artist, album, composer, etc.) to be batch-edited across multiple files with one click. WinAmp requires the user to select the files and then copy/paste the value into the text field for each file. I suppose it could be pointed out that by clicking ‘Next’, the dialog box moves directly to the next file’s entry, but when one must deal with thousands of files, that process is entirely too cumbersome. On the other hand, iTunes lets the user batch edit metadata fields in any of its supported file formats.
Another benefit to using iTunes is that it does a decent job of keeping your music library organized automatically. Apart from a few naming convention quirks, I find that it does an excellent job with popular music. With classical music however, I find that I need to babysit the program a little as I prefer to have my classical music organized by composer because everyone recognizes Ludwig van Beethoven but almost nobody recognizes Anton Nanut or the Ljubljana Radio Symphony Orchestra. Finally, in iTunes, I found that I can rip approximately ten CDs per hour whereas when I was using my combination of Nero and WinAmp, it would take twice that amount of time.
Before I close for this session, I should point out the new addition to the sidebar, my last.fm playlist. Last.fm is a website much like Flickr.com that is heavy on social networking centered around one’s taste in music. If you click on the list, it will take you to my user page. I’m DrRosenRosen. By the way, could I borrow your towel for a sec? My car just hit a water buffalo.
I had read much on the Internet from iPod naysayers concerning everything from battery life to DRM'ed proprietary formats; however, a singular feature of which the Internet is almost completely incapable is reasonable discourse. My early experiences thus far have put most of the quibbling arguments to rest, but it is an absolute truth that the battery life is terrible. It is bad enough that it practically makes the purchase of the portable charging adapter a necessity. So far, though, that is my only complaint.
In terms of benefits, there are the obvious ones that I expected such as the ability to carry about 75% of my music collection with me anywhere as well as complete compatibility with every file available in the extensive collection of the iTunes music store. But, after I installed the iTunes software, which is required for the iPod to sync with your music collection, other benefits quickly exposed themselves. For instance, in the past, I have been a WinAmp devotee, but the sheer user-friendliness of iTunes, not to mention the inclusion of some outstanding encoding algorithms, immediately made the program my primary audio library management suite. Here again, the Internet becomes a stagnant pool of chirping nerds squawking about the amount of resources a particular program requires. Specifically, I remember reading a thread about iTunes requiring ten times the CPU resources that WinAmp requires and the multiplier only increased when compared to more obscure players. But, I would argue that most users don’t give a rip about squeezing a few more cycles out of their CPUs. Even those users on the brink of caring about such things probably have a machine that is capable of handling the larger footprint with ease.
To return to my point, I feel that WinAmp has become a bloated, unfriendly tangle of options meant to entice the fiercest of tweakers and while I can certainly appreciate the desire for limitless customization, I eventually won’t need any more plug-ins that enable me to listen to Sega Genesis file formats. There comes a time when I simply want the ability to use my tools efficiently. Speaking of efficiency, my distaste with WinAmp begins with its handling of the metadata editing for AAC encoded files. Disappointingly, it does not allow for the same data field (artist, album, composer, etc.) to be batch-edited across multiple files with one click. WinAmp requires the user to select the files and then copy/paste the value into the text field for each file. I suppose it could be pointed out that by clicking ‘Next’, the dialog box moves directly to the next file’s entry, but when one must deal with thousands of files, that process is entirely too cumbersome. On the other hand, iTunes lets the user batch edit metadata fields in any of its supported file formats.
Another benefit to using iTunes is that it does a decent job of keeping your music library organized automatically. Apart from a few naming convention quirks, I find that it does an excellent job with popular music. With classical music however, I find that I need to babysit the program a little as I prefer to have my classical music organized by composer because everyone recognizes Ludwig van Beethoven but almost nobody recognizes Anton Nanut or the Ljubljana Radio Symphony Orchestra. Finally, in iTunes, I found that I can rip approximately ten CDs per hour whereas when I was using my combination of Nero and WinAmp, it would take twice that amount of time.
Before I close for this session, I should point out the new addition to the sidebar, my last.fm playlist. Last.fm is a website much like Flickr.com that is heavy on social networking centered around one’s taste in music. If you click on the list, it will take you to my user page. I’m DrRosenRosen. By the way, could I borrow your towel for a sec? My car just hit a water buffalo.
Thursday, August 18, 2005
Televised Presidents
Amy and I have been researching televisions and we came to a decision last Saturday about what we wanted. We ended up finding the Sony 34XS955 to be a good fit for what we wanted currently and for future component upgrades as well. It will be delivered on Saturday and I'm looking forward to rewatching my entire DVD collection on the new set.
Of course, the new set is a 16:9 set that doesn't fit in the furniture that we have. So, we took a trip to Ikea last night and picked out a new entertainment center that should work out well. The biggest concern we had to face with this new TV set was it's weight. The CRT set weighs in at 205 pounds and not every shelving unit can support that kind of mass. It was really just a price vs. pounds issue. We chose pounds because the price for less poundage was just too high.
I've been listening to a couple later CDs by the Presidents of the USA. I hadn't realized that they'd released any new material since II and the new sets Freaked Out and Small and Love Everybody are great. I'm not sure what it is with songs about planets and small bits of fuzz that drive toy cars that I find so appealing. Regardless, I've always really liked these guys and, in certain ways, these two newer albums are consistently better than their older stuff. I still think Dune Buggy is one of my favorite songs, but Jupiter and Poke and Destroy are now also at the top of the list.
Of course, the new set is a 16:9 set that doesn't fit in the furniture that we have. So, we took a trip to Ikea last night and picked out a new entertainment center that should work out well. The biggest concern we had to face with this new TV set was it's weight. The CRT set weighs in at 205 pounds and not every shelving unit can support that kind of mass. It was really just a price vs. pounds issue. We chose pounds because the price for less poundage was just too high.
I've been listening to a couple later CDs by the Presidents of the USA. I hadn't realized that they'd released any new material since II and the new sets Freaked Out and Small and Love Everybody are great. I'm not sure what it is with songs about planets and small bits of fuzz that drive toy cars that I find so appealing. Regardless, I've always really liked these guys and, in certain ways, these two newer albums are consistently better than their older stuff. I still think Dune Buggy is one of my favorite songs, but Jupiter and Poke and Destroy are now also at the top of the list.
Tuesday, February 15, 2005
Dead Aardvark
Amy and I got together with Jordan and Jeanne Sunday night for dinner and a movie. We went to a small Italian restaurant called Martino's and then retired to their basement which is quite literally a small movie theater. Jordan has a digital projector mounted from the ceiling that projects its image onto the screen. I'm not sure of the exact dimensions of the screen, but it has an aspect ratio similar in appearance to typical 16:9 televisions. The main differences, of course, are that it's a screen and it covers an entire wall. I was unsure what Amy's reaction to something like that would be and was pleased to discover that she was duly impressed. I am one step closer to my goal! Anyway, we watched Hero. It was, as usual, visually stunning and the combat sequences were amazing. Martial arts movies just plain rule.
In the frustrating news department, I did a quick check to see if there were any updated drivers for my professional audio card and found that the company, Aardvark Audio, has gone out of business. My first reaction is to sell the card, get what I can for it, and buy something that is still being manufactured. I haven't experienced a second reaction yet. I might just be stuck with it, which is fine unless I need support. I've also heard rumors that they only went under temporarily until some legal issues are sorted out, but I'm not holding my breath.
Currently listening to: Van Halen, I'll Wait
In the frustrating news department, I did a quick check to see if there were any updated drivers for my professional audio card and found that the company, Aardvark Audio, has gone out of business. My first reaction is to sell the card, get what I can for it, and buy something that is still being manufactured. I haven't experienced a second reaction yet. I might just be stuck with it, which is fine unless I need support. I've also heard rumors that they only went under temporarily until some legal issues are sorted out, but I'm not holding my breath.
Currently listening to: Van Halen, I'll Wait
Tuesday, January 25, 2005
Back-up Before B-Fest
The annual B-movie festival B-Fest will wreak its own brand of cinematic havok on the campus of my alma mater this weekend. Dennis and I will most certainly be in attendance. However, I consider us only two of the lucky few who were able to acquire tickets. The entire event sold out in just two and a half days. That's under 72 hours to you and me, Jimmy. Next year, I expect a nerd riot.
However, even more pathetic than an all out dork brawl over a festival of terrible movies, are the dorks who have seen the current line-up of movies already. I must admit that I have already seen three of the movies on this year's list, but my dorkiness pales in comparison to Dennis who has seen almost all of them. As he has already been primed by the opportunity to preview this year's selection, I expect his jokes to be of the utmost caliber.
On other notes, Evan and Sandy were forced to cancel their trip to our house this past weekend due to the weather. After shoveling the driveway and marveling at the result of my task, two 4.5 foot piles of snow flanking the driveway, I agreed that remaining in their hometown bunker was a wise decision.
The uncooperative weather did give me a chance to change out my problematic hard drive, however. I no longer have to live in fear that I will never see my precious data again if the machine were to shut down inadvertently. Not that I would have been at a complete loss if it actually had occurred, though. I do backup my data on a regular basis just in case such a thing were to happen. I hope you do, too.
However, even more pathetic than an all out dork brawl over a festival of terrible movies, are the dorks who have seen the current line-up of movies already. I must admit that I have already seen three of the movies on this year's list, but my dorkiness pales in comparison to Dennis who has seen almost all of them. As he has already been primed by the opportunity to preview this year's selection, I expect his jokes to be of the utmost caliber.
On other notes, Evan and Sandy were forced to cancel their trip to our house this past weekend due to the weather. After shoveling the driveway and marveling at the result of my task, two 4.5 foot piles of snow flanking the driveway, I agreed that remaining in their hometown bunker was a wise decision.
The uncooperative weather did give me a chance to change out my problematic hard drive, however. I no longer have to live in fear that I will never see my precious data again if the machine were to shut down inadvertently. Not that I would have been at a complete loss if it actually had occurred, though. I do backup my data on a regular basis just in case such a thing were to happen. I hope you do, too.
Tuesday, September 07, 2004
SWRAP It Up
I went with Jeff to the SWRAP Expo this weekend which was quite an experience. It was my first time going to the expo and probably won't be the last. I've always had a soft spot in my heart for the Commodore 64 but these guys and gals take it to a whole new level. They are truly pushing 20 year old computers to their limits and beyond. One of the most impressive demos was Steve Judd showing the SLANG language compiler for the SuperCPU. Basically, a programmer can assign any keywords she prefers to its equivalent command in assembly language. In BASIC terms, instead of passing the CPU a POKE statement with a numerical value like 53281,0 you could say screenbg(black) instead. If that still doesn't make sense, don't worry. Just trust me that it was cool.
Another impressive demonstration by Jim Brain addressed software that allows things like .zip archives and even HTTP sites to be mounted as storage drives on the C64. Jim showed how it is possible, with his software, to make the C64 think that it sees a storage device when it is actually looking at a web site or any number of archive file formats. He said that he plans to include FTP sites in the future.
Other demos included a prototype of the C-One, a Commodore machine emulated in PC hardware which was running in a very sweet modded case, by the way, an expansion device (the VIC REL) and software that lets you automate other electronic devices (a radio controlled truck was used for the demo) with your C64, a C64 BBS including real time chat hosted on a Linux server, and a Nintendo Light Zapper that had been modded to work on a 1702 Commodore monitor. I also got to see the IDE64 in action. The Last Ninja loaded up in 2-3 seconds instead of the usual few minutes.
In terms of purchases, I was able to acquire two new Epyx 500XJ joysticks, music composition software, an Incredible Musical Keyboard overlay, a Commodore Programmer's Reference Guide, and a near-mint , boxed copy of Might and Magic. Needless to say, I spent a decent amount of time using my C64 for the rest of the weekend! I had actually forgotten how fun it was to program with this computer. Not long after my parents brought our old machine to Chicago, I dug back in to BASIC programming for a refresher and yesterday I finished a program that pretends to predict your future but mostly just spits out nonsense.
After the expo, Amy and I went with Dennis to the Music Box theater to catch a midnight showing of Forbidden Zone. I had never been to the this theater before and it was awesome on the inside. The theater was built in 1929 (probably before Black Tuesday) and it was thoroughly ornamented to look like you're sitting in a small Mexican town. At least, I thought it looked like a Mexican town. Anyway, the inside of the theater looked much like the inside of one of the restaurants in the Mexico Pavilion at Disney's Epcot Center. Strangely enough, the music that was playing before the movie started was game music from the C64 with a woman singing some kind of gibberish over it. One of the tunes she made up words for was the theme from Auf Wiedersehen Monty. I was truly struck by the synergy of events that day. By the end of the movie, I had been awake for about 20 hours so I wasn't entirely coherent, but seeing as though the movie was even less coherent than I, it hardly mattered.
Another impressive demonstration by Jim Brain addressed software that allows things like .zip archives and even HTTP sites to be mounted as storage drives on the C64. Jim showed how it is possible, with his software, to make the C64 think that it sees a storage device when it is actually looking at a web site or any number of archive file formats. He said that he plans to include FTP sites in the future.
Other demos included a prototype of the C-One, a Commodore machine emulated in PC hardware which was running in a very sweet modded case, by the way, an expansion device (the VIC REL) and software that lets you automate other electronic devices (a radio controlled truck was used for the demo) with your C64, a C64 BBS including real time chat hosted on a Linux server, and a Nintendo Light Zapper that had been modded to work on a 1702 Commodore monitor. I also got to see the IDE64 in action. The Last Ninja loaded up in 2-3 seconds instead of the usual few minutes.
In terms of purchases, I was able to acquire two new Epyx 500XJ joysticks, music composition software, an Incredible Musical Keyboard overlay, a Commodore Programmer's Reference Guide, and a near-mint , boxed copy of Might and Magic. Needless to say, I spent a decent amount of time using my C64 for the rest of the weekend! I had actually forgotten how fun it was to program with this computer. Not long after my parents brought our old machine to Chicago, I dug back in to BASIC programming for a refresher and yesterday I finished a program that pretends to predict your future but mostly just spits out nonsense.
After the expo, Amy and I went with Dennis to the Music Box theater to catch a midnight showing of Forbidden Zone. I had never been to the this theater before and it was awesome on the inside. The theater was built in 1929 (probably before Black Tuesday) and it was thoroughly ornamented to look like you're sitting in a small Mexican town. At least, I thought it looked like a Mexican town. Anyway, the inside of the theater looked much like the inside of one of the restaurants in the Mexico Pavilion at Disney's Epcot Center. Strangely enough, the music that was playing before the movie started was game music from the C64 with a woman singing some kind of gibberish over it. One of the tunes she made up words for was the theme from Auf Wiedersehen Monty. I was truly struck by the synergy of events that day. By the end of the movie, I had been awake for about 20 hours so I wasn't entirely coherent, but seeing as though the movie was even less coherent than I, it hardly mattered.
Friday, August 13, 2004
Painkiller on $0 a Day
Painkiller is now operating rather smoothly on my (mostly) current rig. Jordan, the director of my audio department, lent me a Ti4600 128MB card which did the trick. I had a Ti4200 64MB in there before and it just didn't have the RAM to handle all of the data. It's a beautiful game that would be fantastic in a cooperative mode if the developers had bothered to implement one. I would call it a horror-themed Serious Sam. The main character doesn't have the goofy charisma of Sam (who in turn couldn't quite match Duke Nukem), which makes for a lot of bloody gun fights but no ridiculous one-liner dialogue. Personally, I hope someone comes along and injects another huge dosage of humor into the first person shooter genre again. I'm so bored of ultra-serious WWII and other military based games. I don't even play them anymore and I'm still sick of them.
We are almost fully moved into the new house. There are a couple of boxes yet to be unpacked and some that need to be stored in the basement, but we have successfully eliminated the huge pile of boxes in the living room and picked up all of the stray packing material from the floor. It's really starting to feel like we live there. What we truly need is some furniture. The living room is practically a desolate wasteland. It contains a couch and a bookshelf that act as a small oasis in a barren desert. Once we generate some ideas for how we want the rooms to look, we can actually start some remodeling and repair projects. But generating ideas is the fun part. Actually working on a project isn't terrible either. However, ponying up the dough for the idea is a whole different story. We'll see we can actually afford. I keep telling myself, "One room at a time."
My parents are in town for a few days to see the new house and to run around the city a little bit. It's going to be a fleeting weekend.
Currently listening to: Charles Dodge, The Waves
We are almost fully moved into the new house. There are a couple of boxes yet to be unpacked and some that need to be stored in the basement, but we have successfully eliminated the huge pile of boxes in the living room and picked up all of the stray packing material from the floor. It's really starting to feel like we live there. What we truly need is some furniture. The living room is practically a desolate wasteland. It contains a couch and a bookshelf that act as a small oasis in a barren desert. Once we generate some ideas for how we want the rooms to look, we can actually start some remodeling and repair projects. But generating ideas is the fun part. Actually working on a project isn't terrible either. However, ponying up the dough for the idea is a whole different story. We'll see we can actually afford. I keep telling myself, "One room at a time."
My parents are in town for a few days to see the new house and to run around the city a little bit. It's going to be a fleeting weekend.
Currently listening to: Charles Dodge, The Waves
Friday, August 06, 2004
Furniture or a Killer Gaming Rig?
Like a bird that meticulously assembles a nest twig by twig, we are slowly reassembling our possessions in some kind of meaningful order. The coming weekend should prove to be quite a boon to our unpacking process. However, I may, perhaps, be too busy riding a new bicycle around town to notice much. I'm looking forward to the purchase of a new bike so that I can commute to work without the guilt of adding to the planet's environmental problems or the lethargic resignation of my will towards the pudgy waistline I have developed. Also, as we once again have a lawn to maintain, we will also be purchasing a lawn trimming device not to mention that we are also in need of some sort of torture contraption...er...weight machine (at Amy's request). The potential purchases do not come without some keen sting of regret, though. I haven't even started thinking about furniture.
Why the regret, you may ask? All of this, in one way or another, leads me back around to my insatiable lust for technology. You see, Ian gave me Painkiller as a gift for participating in the wedding. But for the last few months, I have been purposely avoiding eye contact with any game product which could possibly tape open my eyelids to the fact that my computer is now hopelessly behind the times in terms of eye candy. So, I spent some time this week tweaking my system in the hopes that I would actually be able to play Painkiller with some minor alterations and sacrifice of the visual quality of which the game is capable. This was, however, to no avail. So, Painkiller is now forced to the end of the list of unplayed games I have lying around, which is not such a bad thing in and of itself. What is frustrating is that I am now keenly aware of my need to build a new gaming machine that will put the spank on the likes of Painkiller, Far Cry, and, yes, Doom 3. The problem is that I do not have the funds to build such a machine, especially considering all of the other purchases that we have planned for the next few months. Not to mention that I am acutely aware of the laughable futility of ranking a gaming rig ahead of such things as a lawn mower and furniture, but geeks simply do not deal well with obsolescence.
Currently listening to: Mesa Kasumai, Good Enough (For Fodder)
Why the regret, you may ask? All of this, in one way or another, leads me back around to my insatiable lust for technology. You see, Ian gave me Painkiller as a gift for participating in the wedding. But for the last few months, I have been purposely avoiding eye contact with any game product which could possibly tape open my eyelids to the fact that my computer is now hopelessly behind the times in terms of eye candy. So, I spent some time this week tweaking my system in the hopes that I would actually be able to play Painkiller with some minor alterations and sacrifice of the visual quality of which the game is capable. This was, however, to no avail. So, Painkiller is now forced to the end of the list of unplayed games I have lying around, which is not such a bad thing in and of itself. What is frustrating is that I am now keenly aware of my need to build a new gaming machine that will put the spank on the likes of Painkiller, Far Cry, and, yes, Doom 3. The problem is that I do not have the funds to build such a machine, especially considering all of the other purchases that we have planned for the next few months. Not to mention that I am acutely aware of the laughable futility of ranking a gaming rig ahead of such things as a lawn mower and furniture, but geeks simply do not deal well with obsolescence.
Currently listening to: Mesa Kasumai, Good Enough (For Fodder)
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