timesink

Well, because of a last minute change of holiday plans, I was forced to travel and pick up my copy of World of Warcraft yesterday. Not that I'm complaining, mind you. Far from it. I was finally able to get back into the game last night and level my primary character up to level 7 in a few hours.

This game is incredible. I've been hooked ever since I was fortunate enough to get into the open beta a few weeks ago. If I were to sum the game up, I'd have to say that it's very much like Everquest, except with all of the major flaws fixed. Leveling up doesn't take ages, which is incredibly nice for players like myself who don't have time to spend eight hours a day in-game. I can play for a few hours and still feel satisfied that I've accomplished something. The quest system is incredible, because it gives you something to do aside from hacking and slashing monsters. Many of the quests may be trite, and considered "gopher" quests, but they add a lot of value in terms of gameplay simply because it breaks the monotony of killing things for experience. I also love that there is no experience loss on death! This has driven me insane in other games because I'd log on to play for an hour or two, end up dying, and then be worse off than I was before! Bravo, Blizzard, for not forcing me to waste hours upon hours of my life for getting my character killed. And that's another thing, dying in WoW is actually somewhat entertaining because you get to become a ghost in order to retrieve your corpse. The screen even goes grayscale and your character takes on a ghostly appearance.

I got the Collector's Edition as well, as I mentioned a little earlier, and I highly reccommend that. The art book is wonderful and the soundtrack is quite good as well. I'm even impressed with the cloth map which everyone else seems to not like so well for some reason. I've gotten cloth maps as omake in other game packages, and this one is by far the best.

[Listening to: Duskwood (Ambient) - Jason Hayes - ]

wow:ce

At last! I will have a copy of the World of Warcraft Collector's Edition. It occurred to me that Best Buy allows you to purchase things online and pick them up in the store. Their questionable business ethics aside, I decided to place my order, and lo and behold, I have a copy waiting for me that I should be able to pick up on the way to visit family tomorrow for Thanksgiving.

The thing I hate most is that I was a part of the beta, so I already have the software installed on my machine. I've also already purchased the game. But I don't have the stinking authentication key that would have me in the game tonight. And because I'm visiting family, it means that I won't even get to play the game tomorrow, but will have to wait until the day after Thanksgiving. Ah well, at least I'll have the art book to look at and the soundtrack to drive my wife crazy with on the car ride up there. I suppose I'll even bring a laptop along so that I can watch the behind the scenes DVD. Now I just have to hope that there's still a server or two out there on which my character names will not be taken...

denied

I went to Wal-Mart early this morning to pick up my copy of World of Warcraft Truth be told, I went in with the expectation of disappointment. Wal-Mart, especially the local one here, does not seem entirely keen on catering to special-interest gamers like myself. I went with the intention of getting the Collector's Edition, because I'm that much of a geek. I nearly caved and bought one of the two remaining standard versions that they had, simply to get back into the game and start playing again, but I restrained myself. I want the Collector's Edition. My only hope is that the stores will not be completely sold out tomorrow night, which will be the first chance I will have to shop outside this silly little small town that has no other place to buy games.

ronald never looked so good

My guess is, we won't be seeing this commercial in the states anytime soon.

pen of the gods

The little things in life are often the things that bring up the most joy. I bought this pen last week on my way to a user group meeting. It is far and away the smoothest writing instrument I've used in recent memory. It is a Uniball Jetstream for any interested parties out there.

new setup

I'm trying out a few things with this post. First, it's my first time moblogging from my new camera phone. It's also my first use of Flickr for image hosting. Hopefully I've got everything set up correctly. Pictured is my new office setup at home. I was forced to move things a little sooner than I anticipated so the place is still a bit of a wreck.

super mario bros on ice

Scary stuff here. Super Mario Bros. On Ice hosted by Jason Bateman and Alyssa Milano. I was really into Nintendo around this time, but I think I still would've found this the most ridiculous thing ever to be put on television. This makes the movie seem Oscar-worthy by comparison.

one step closer to skynet

I don't know about you, but this is downright frightening. A group of scientists in Florida have cultured the brain cells from lab rats and created their own brain-in-a-jar. This "brain" is essentially a living computer that could "someday be used to fly small unmanned airplanes or handle tasks that are dangerous for humans". Great. Only one problem...isn't this a setup to some Hollywood blockbuster? My geek nature is both amazed and horrified by this technology.

One part of the article really got me, too. "Though the 'brain' can successfully control a flight simulation program, more elaborate applications are a long way off." Come on, I can hardly successfully control a flight simulation program. And we're moving this thing up to "more elaborate applications"? Get ready, the machines are about to take over the world.

revenge of the ladybugs

The little red demons have returned. They are swarming around the office and seeking entry as I speak. If you ever need a reason to truly be unscrupuously evil to someone, just subject them to a ladybug infestation. Gonna have to order myself a button, I think.

[Listening to: Sunday Bed-Curl.mp3 - 01 - ]

new toy

Just placed my order for the parts to build my new computer. I'm extremely excited about this one because I should finally have enough of a system to keep up with the games that are coming out, at least for the next few years. Here are the parts I've ordered.

Jetmaster Jr. Case
Asus K8N-E Mobo
AMD-64 3400+ CPU (yeah, I splurged a bit here)
512 MB DDR RAM (2 sticks)
250 GB Hard disk (ooh...SATA!)
CPU Fan
GeForce FX 5700 LE
16x DVD-ROM drive
DVD+-RW Drive (I wanted dual layer, but didn't want to pay for dual layer. Maybe that'll be a later upgrade.)
500 Watt Power Supply
UV-Reactive EIDE Cable
Blue Cold Cathode Light Kit
SATA power connection adapter
Translucent blue SATA drive cable
Creative Inspire 5200 speakers

No additional sound card on this one since the motherboard ships with 8 channel sound. If I find I have enough money left over from my birthday, I may splurge on the Audigy 2ZS with a Live Drive a little later. Another accessory I think I'm going to go for right away is the Beyond TV/Firefly PC Remote bundle I found last night while surfing around looking for cool stuff. I can't wait to have a PC that can act like a PVR, especially one that doesn't require a monthly fee like TiVo does.

Now, hopefully I haven't left anything essential out that will delay my building this monster! ^_^

it's a boy!

Monday, we went to the doctor's office to have our first ultrasound of the baby. It was a completely entrhalling experience for both of us. We spent about a half an hour watching the screen in amazement. We got to see, for the very first time, our new baby. We also found out that we're expecting a boy. It amazed me that we have the technology to do something like that. We were watching our little baby, not more than 5 inches or so long, kicking and moving around. He is evidentally as stubborn as his father because he was upside down and pretty well refused to move from that position; the technician had to poke and prod at my wife's abdomen to try and get the baby to move where he needed him.

After the ultrasound and the following doctor's visit, we ran a few errands and then got to returning things. My wife had already bought lots of baby stuff (boy and girl items). So we had to go return all the pink things. We ended up spending everything we got back from the return and then some on more boy stuff though. This baby is probably going to have enough clothes to get through kindergarten at this point.

new views

A couple of days ago, one of the bosses came up here and gave us all brand new chairs! Though I can't understand the logic, considering we just had our old chairs reupholstered, I was thankful to have a new chair that hadn't been broken in by anyone else. It's actually quite comfy, and more like the one I have at home, which is also nice.

In addition, I decided to rearrange my office from the way it had been for over a year now. This also gave me the chance to go through a year's worth of junk and get rid of stuff I didn't need anymore. Plus, the way my office was, the door was to my back. That, coupled with the fact that I usually code with headphones on and the volume turned way up, meant that someone could walk into my office, stand directly behind me, and watch over my shoulder without me realizing it. I hate when that happens, and it was starting to happen far too often.

My new arrangement has me facing the door (or rather the same wall as the door), so that I can see outside my office in my perhipheral vision. It has noticeably cut down on my paranoia. Plus, it just feels more cozy in here for some reason. I've definitely created a bit more space in here too, so I can actually fit another person in here comfortably if they need to work with me on something. Of course, now that I've switched everything around, I've still got to get used to everything being essentially in the opposite location of where I expect it. ^_^

old new chair

Well, I got my chair back finally, only it's not really my chair. I knew this would happen. Turns out they sent all the chairs of that type off to be reupholstered, whether they needed it or not (go figure). So now, we get the chairs back and nobody knows who each chair belongs to. The people in the other office got to choose first, and then we basically got the last three that weren't chosen over here in my office. I was here early enough that I got to pick my preference out of the three, but none of them was my old chair. Of course, nobody would probably notice or care except for me, I guess. Makes me wish I'd labelled my chair or something. Maybe if I'd known it were going to be stolen, I would have.

potty humor

Here's an example of what passes for humor in my office. I found these posters taped to the wall in the restroom a few weeks ago. I figured they were humorous enough to share with the world. A coworker evidentally picked them up while he was out visiting one of our clients and saw fit to share them with everyone else by posting them in only the most obvious place. For the curious, I believe that these are the posters they use in the fields to remind the workers of sanitation regulations.

Always remember, when working on a farm, it is inappropriate to drop trou and squat in the field. ^_^

the chair thief

So I come in this morning to find my desk chair missing. Someone has stolen my chair. It sucks too, because it was a really comfy chair. Plus, you know how you just kinda get used to a particular chair? I've been sitting in that chair for over a year now; it's my chair! The culprit must be found and brought to justice!

The only clue I have is from someone who was here when it happened. He said that someone came in and took them so they could be "redone", whatever the heck that means. There was nothing to "re-do" about the chairs anyway. The only chairs that were taken were mine and another just like it in my coworker's office. They were the last two in the batch of really nice chairs that we got a year or so ago (everyone else has since broken theirs). Are we being punished for keeping our nicer chairs than the others? Has management come to the conclusion that chairs with armrests confer too high a status for us to sit in any longer? Help, I'm trapped in Office Space!

So now I'm stuck sitting in this piece of crap chair that I stole from another office. Stupid chair with no armrests and no back support. I sit and wait, hoping for the return of my chair, but I can't say that I'm overly optimistic about it. May it collapse under the weight of it's new owner!!! (If I can't use it, nobody should.)

irony

We got some goodie bags today as a result of an order we made from Office Depot. Inside the bag was an assortment of things, including a pen, paperclip holder, sticky notes. Also inside the bag was a staple remover. I find it quite amusing that the bag the staple remover came in was secured with a staple. But then again, simple things amuse me.

first day of class

Today was the first day of the college Tae Kwon Do class that I assist with. I always enjoy the first day of class because it gives us the opportunity to get to know a new set of students. I've been assisting with this class for at least three years now and I never get tired of it. It gives me a sense of satisfaction to be able to teach someone else a new skill. It's also interesting to see the different dynamics that are present with each new group of students. Each group we work with has a different "personality".

This will be one of the smaller classes that I've assisted with, and I have the feeling that this fact alone will lead to a very distinct group attitude. Hopefully, it will also allow us to become a little more personal with our students. With large groups, it is sometimes easy to remain detached and not get to know the students personally. With small groups, it's usually much easier to attain that familial repore with everyone.

Anyway, here's to a great new semester of class!

creature of the night

I have yet to determine exactly the reasoning for the negative effect light has on the productivity of a programmer. All I can do is attest to the accuracy of such a claim. I do my best work after dark it seems, because that seems to be the time of day that it just feels right to be basking in the glow of the light emitted by a computer screen. I find the same is also true of days like today; it's rainy, cold, and dark. Perfect coding weather. If anyone has a reason for this phenomenon, please let me know.

[Listening to: Flower - Moby - Play]

playing for the other team

I've been tempted. Tempted by the allure of half-priced albums. Maybe it's the DMCA-hater in me, but I completely have to side with Real in their latest tiff with Apple. Apple (and their army of zombie monkeys) claims that Real crossed the line when they reverse engineered Apple's DRM to allow songs purchased from Real's online store to be played on the iPod. If you ask me, this is completely ridiculous; competition is only fair. I've been a fairly avid Apple supporter ever since iTunes came to window, but Real is right on this one. You shouldn't only have one choice when it comes to purchasing music online to use on your iPod.

Normally, I'm not all that keen on anything from Real. They left quite the bad taste in my mouth several years ago with their ad-ridden software. But I really believe that they're cleaning up their act. There are still quite a few ads scattered throughout the software, but it's really not nearly as bad as it used to be. But as I said, it's the price cut that's gotten me to download two albums so far. When the prices return to normal, I can't exactly say which store I'll choose to shop at more, but it never hurts to have options.

Of course, the whole format thing doesn't concern me much at all either. So long as I can burn it to CD, I don't care. If it's in a format that I hate, I'll just burn it to CD, rip it to a format I like (like MP3 or Ogg), and be just as happy. I'm just insanely skeptical of any DRM. The first thing I do with any music I buy online is to burn it to CD. That way, if someone happens to want to, say, change the terms of my license, I can always rip the CD to a non-encumbered file format. Yes, I know, the quality might be slightly less, but I never was that much of an audiophile to care anyway.

like a christmas tree

I've been working lately on a unit conversion library with several tricky little calculations scattered about it. I just have to say something about the tool that's allowed me to keep my relative sanity. NUnit has saved me by catching at least five bugs that would've taken me hours later on to track down. TestRunner has also saved me some time by allowing me to run my unit tests from within the IDE, and jump straight to any lines that cause the tests to fail. Not to mention the fact that I can debug my unit tests as well using it. I'd used TestRunner before, but it sucked back then. Fear not, though; it is much improved since then and the only problems I have with it now are when I'm debugging every now and again.

There's just something satisfying in watching those little icons for each test light up like a Christmas tree. Green, green, green, green, RED! Oops! More work to do!

[Listening to: PlayStation - Ending Theme (Gaming FM - Modern Console) - Final Fantasy VIII - ]