So yeah, that spoiler thing seemed to work.
If it did, click the button below to see more.
If it didn't, and if you care about plot points up through the second-to-last episode "Granite State", do not read below this line:
Monday, September 23, 2013
Saturday, July 27, 2013
Chromecast!
When Google announced the Chromecast a few days ago, at first I shrugged it off as "interesting, but whatever".
But then when I realized I could get it from Amazon with free Prime Shipping, and it came with 3 free months of Netflix even for existing customers, (sorry, the Netflix offer expired after they realized how broken it was) I just couldn't resist! A grand effective total of $11. I've paid more for stupider things.
So, because of Prime Shipping, it arrived only 2 days later.
Setup was simple. I did it from the Android app; it sets up an ad-hoc wifi network so that you can enter the real wifi credentials, and then you are ready for business.
And, for what it is, it does what it does well.
I installed the Android app, the Windows app, and the Chrome extension (on both my PC and my wife's Mac)
I was able to stream youtube from both my phone and both PCs with no problem.
For Netflix, the first time I tried, Silverlight crashed. But the second time it was just fine.
For "tab casting", I had some trouble, but it turned out that it doesn't work so well with AMD Switchable Graphics, which is exactly what I have in my primary laptop. I get mixed results there, but it does work with Chrome on the Macbook. I'll just have to sit tight and wait for them to fix that other bug.
Tab Casting is pretty interesting. The number one reason is -- at least for now -- free Hulu works! Even in Full Screen!
So we can project Hulu videos -- or videos from any site that doesn't have an "app" interface for the Chromecast -- onto the TV with the greatest of ease.
For Hulu specifically, I suspect that will be getting blocked as soon as they figure out how.
What I haven't tried yet is playing a local video file in a tab and pushing it to the Chromecast. This allegedly works...
Now the downsides:
Other than the bugs, which I hope are getting worked on, and the limited number of things that work with it outside of the Chrome browser..
1) It isn't really easily controllable. It's not for everyone. You still need a PC or smartphone to control the content, and especially with broadcasting a tab, it means controlling it from the actual webpage on your screen. This isn't as easy for Netflix as using the PS3 remote, which my 5-year-old can do by himself.
2) Video quality -- well, this could be psychological, but we noticed that some videos seemed to be lower quality. That being said, the "tabcasting" feature caps at 720p so that might have something to do with it, but it was even the case with Youtube. It's too early to tell whether that was just a matter of the videos we chose, or a real issue.
That's all I can really say so far.
Do I recommend it for nerds? Sure.
Will I use it every day? Probably not.
Do I recommend it for normal people, over some other streaming box? Maybe not until more content is directly supported. Even though it's a mere $35, I think you might still be better off spending more money on something easier to use.
But then when I realized I could get it from Amazon with free Prime Shipping, and it came with 3 free months of Netflix even for existing customers, (sorry, the Netflix offer expired after they realized how broken it was) I just couldn't resist! A grand effective total of $11. I've paid more for stupider things.
So, because of Prime Shipping, it arrived only 2 days later.
Setup was simple. I did it from the Android app; it sets up an ad-hoc wifi network so that you can enter the real wifi credentials, and then you are ready for business.
And, for what it is, it does what it does well.
I installed the Android app, the Windows app, and the Chrome extension (on both my PC and my wife's Mac)
I was able to stream youtube from both my phone and both PCs with no problem.
For Netflix, the first time I tried, Silverlight crashed. But the second time it was just fine.
For "tab casting", I had some trouble, but it turned out that it doesn't work so well with AMD Switchable Graphics, which is exactly what I have in my primary laptop. I get mixed results there, but it does work with Chrome on the Macbook. I'll just have to sit tight and wait for them to fix that other bug.
Tab Casting is pretty interesting. The number one reason is -- at least for now -- free Hulu works! Even in Full Screen!
So we can project Hulu videos -- or videos from any site that doesn't have an "app" interface for the Chromecast -- onto the TV with the greatest of ease.
For Hulu specifically, I suspect that will be getting blocked as soon as they figure out how.
What I haven't tried yet is playing a local video file in a tab and pushing it to the Chromecast. This allegedly works...
Now the downsides:
Other than the bugs, which I hope are getting worked on, and the limited number of things that work with it outside of the Chrome browser..
1) It isn't really easily controllable. It's not for everyone. You still need a PC or smartphone to control the content, and especially with broadcasting a tab, it means controlling it from the actual webpage on your screen. This isn't as easy for Netflix as using the PS3 remote, which my 5-year-old can do by himself.
2) Video quality -- well, this could be psychological, but we noticed that some videos seemed to be lower quality. That being said, the "tabcasting" feature caps at 720p so that might have something to do with it, but it was even the case with Youtube. It's too early to tell whether that was just a matter of the videos we chose, or a real issue.
That's all I can really say so far.
Do I recommend it for nerds? Sure.
Will I use it every day? Probably not.
Do I recommend it for normal people, over some other streaming box? Maybe not until more content is directly supported. Even though it's a mere $35, I think you might still be better off spending more money on something easier to use.
Thursday, July 25, 2013
"What's a MOBA?"
Last night, after failing to resume the previous week's Civ V multiplayer game because of a combination of general Steam issues and an apparently crappy "set up multiplayer game" UI (according to the host), I was told to download and try out League of Legend.
Kevin explained to me that it was a "moba" as if I would know what that word meant. He didn't even give me room to ask, so I had to google it and find out that there's a rich history behind this specific type of game.
Apparently this is a whole class of games that already has a huge lexicon associated with it, and players on public internet games who are nothing but newbie-hating dicks.
The tutorial told me "Get In Your Lane" without explaining that terminology, for example.
And the tutorial even called me bad names for idling too long when I went to talk to my wife just getting home from work. It said it might flag me for bad behavior -- in a single player tutorial!
I didn't play long enough to say I've formulated a full opinion on the game, but I didn't seem to understand what the big deal was after playing through the tutorial. I'll have to try it.
The same Kevin tried to get me into a similar, but turn-based, game on iOS. I think maybe it was called "Hero Academy"? I got bored of that one pretty quickly too (not just because I kept losing, but because there wasn't a lot of variety in what you could do), so maybe this just isn't my style of video game.
(Ironically, a game like Hero Academy in boardgame form might actually be fun for me. I dunno why)
Kevin explained to me that it was a "moba" as if I would know what that word meant. He didn't even give me room to ask, so I had to google it and find out that there's a rich history behind this specific type of game.
Apparently this is a whole class of games that already has a huge lexicon associated with it, and players on public internet games who are nothing but newbie-hating dicks.
The tutorial told me "Get In Your Lane" without explaining that terminology, for example.
And the tutorial even called me bad names for idling too long when I went to talk to my wife just getting home from work. It said it might flag me for bad behavior -- in a single player tutorial!
I didn't play long enough to say I've formulated a full opinion on the game, but I didn't seem to understand what the big deal was after playing through the tutorial. I'll have to try it.
The same Kevin tried to get me into a similar, but turn-based, game on iOS. I think maybe it was called "Hero Academy"? I got bored of that one pretty quickly too (not just because I kept losing, but because there wasn't a lot of variety in what you could do), so maybe this just isn't my style of video game.
(Ironically, a game like Hero Academy in boardgame form might actually be fun for me. I dunno why)
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
BSG Personal Goals Variant
Ooh... gaming content!
Here's a little idea I had about BSG rules, which may be rendered completely obsolete by something in Daybreak. But hey..
Cross-posting to the boardgamegeek forum: http://boardgamegeek.com/thread/1007661/making-personal-goals-more-like-personal-goals
I really don't like Personal Goals, conceptually.
They are completely backwards. Most of the time, even though it's called a personal goal, you have pretty much no incentive to fulfill its conditions unless the listed resource is specifically low. And due to the replacement clause, you are unlikely to even think about some of them until after Distance 6.
So here's my simple idea, instead of "Lose this resource at the end of the game" clause (untested):
Note that this still only matters in a "Humans Win" situation. An unrevealed Cylon with a Personal Goal follows the same rules.
I think that this simple change isn't overpowered, yet still gives players just enough push to try and fulfill their personal goals early and often.
It also gives more incentive for protecting raptors after scouting is irrelevant, if you have Goals that may not be achievable.
Your thoughts?
Here's a little idea I had about BSG rules, which may be rendered completely obsolete by something in Daybreak. But hey..
Cross-posting to the boardgamegeek forum: http://boardgamegeek.com/thread/1007661/making-personal-goals-more-like-personal-goals
I really don't like Personal Goals, conceptually.
They are completely backwards. Most of the time, even though it's called a personal goal, you have pretty much no incentive to fulfill its conditions unless the listed resource is specifically low. And due to the replacement clause, you are unlikely to even think about some of them until after Distance 6.
So here's my simple idea, instead of "Lose this resource at the end of the game" clause (untested):
At the end of the game, reveal all unfulfilled Personal Goals.
For each unfulfilled Personal Goal, destroy one raptor. If there are no raptors, lower one resource with the lowest value by 1 instead.
Note that this still only matters in a "Humans Win" situation. An unrevealed Cylon with a Personal Goal follows the same rules.
I think that this simple change isn't overpowered, yet still gives players just enough push to try and fulfill their personal goals early and often.
It also gives more incentive for protecting raptors after scouting is irrelevant, if you have Goals that may not be achievable.
Your thoughts?
Friday, June 7, 2013
The Next Doctor.. sort of..
This post is kind of spoilery about the latest stuff known about Doctor Who..
So, if you're a fan and you're not up-to-date, skip it.
And if you really don't care for Doctor Who, skip it.
So here's what we know, or what we think we know:
* Clara has become The Impossible Girl, but is still appearing in the next season somehow.
* John Hurt is probably some regeneration that We Don't Talk About from the past, between 8 and 9. Possibly the Shalka Doctor?
* Matt Smith is leaving the show after the Christmas Special.
Here is what I want to happen:
At the end of the Christmas Special, the Eleventh Doctor dies. But they don't show him regenerating.
Cut immediately to the Eighth Doctor -- special guest star Paul McGann -- regenerating into John Hurt.
John soon encounters Clara Oswald, although yet another incarnation who is a stranger to the Doctor.
What ensues is the darkest, grittiest season of the show yet. We see the Time War. We see the atrocities committed by Doctor 8.5, as Clara tries desperately to stop him and keep him under control.
During this season we HATE the Doctor. He is a villain in the extreme. Maybe he even uses a different name. We see Time Lords dying. Maybe his own family. Maybe an encounter where The Master is portrayed as the good guy.
And then, as the darkness of the Time War comes to a close, the John Hurt doctor finally meets his death after a single season, regenerating into special guest star Christopher Eccleston.
Then we fade back to the "present time", where Eleven is in his death throes, and begins regenerating into.. someone new, but that's not important right now.
How does that sound?
So, if you're a fan and you're not up-to-date, skip it.
And if you really don't care for Doctor Who, skip it.
So here's what we know, or what we think we know:
* Clara has become The Impossible Girl, but is still appearing in the next season somehow.
* John Hurt is probably some regeneration that We Don't Talk About from the past, between 8 and 9. Possibly the Shalka Doctor?
* Matt Smith is leaving the show after the Christmas Special.
Here is what I want to happen:
At the end of the Christmas Special, the Eleventh Doctor dies. But they don't show him regenerating.
Cut immediately to the Eighth Doctor -- special guest star Paul McGann -- regenerating into John Hurt.
John soon encounters Clara Oswald, although yet another incarnation who is a stranger to the Doctor.
What ensues is the darkest, grittiest season of the show yet. We see the Time War. We see the atrocities committed by Doctor 8.5, as Clara tries desperately to stop him and keep him under control.
During this season we HATE the Doctor. He is a villain in the extreme. Maybe he even uses a different name. We see Time Lords dying. Maybe his own family. Maybe an encounter where The Master is portrayed as the good guy.
And then, as the darkness of the Time War comes to a close, the John Hurt doctor finally meets his death after a single season, regenerating into special guest star Christopher Eccleston.
Then we fade back to the "present time", where Eleven is in his death throes, and begins regenerating into.. someone new, but that's not important right now.
How does that sound?
Thursday, May 30, 2013
Pi Ramble
Oh hey, in gaming news, I actually played a couple hours of PlanetSide 2 (and got one kill!), and a little bit of XCOM and Jet Set Radio. I must say that the newest video drivers for my Radeon are quite an improvement -- no more weird slowdowns in the middle of animation so far).
I really hope I get some board gaming soon...
So yeah, I have this Raspberry Pi.
I have managed to shut down my main linux server (which used to also be an occasional media front end) and replace 90% of its functionality with this tiny little box.
It's pretty awesome.
I've had to do some compiling to get a few packages on there, but it's exceeding my expectations. I can see it acting a bit slow on some tasks, but the point is not super power.
It's currently got berryboot, dual-booting raspbian and (about 1% of the time) the XBMC-optimized distribution OpenELEC, both fully on a 16GB sdcard. I have plans on expanding the space onto a USB hard drive, but haven't gotten around to that yet.
My mongodb instance, which is mainly used for my silly VTES IRC bot "Gramle", has its data in a ram drive which is slightly faster than the sdcard.
(Some mongo data from my old machine wasn't yet imported; mainly the stuff in my never-quite-begun BSG PBF Moderator tool which is on hold until Daybreak).
If you have any questions at all about my experiences with the Pi, feel free to ask.
And now, silly old me is worried about the hostname. :)
Right now, the machine is named "raziya", named -- purely as a pun -- after Raziya Samater, a classic combat weenie VTES vampire.
But at some point, I was attempting a Battlestar Galactica theme of machine names:
I've got baltar (the Linux server that is going into semi-retirement but isn't dead yet), who (cleverly) has a (rarely-used) Windows XP virtual machine inside him named six.
And I've got my "gaming laptop" named boomer , who (again, so cleverly) is named athena when booted into the rarely-used Linux partition.
I also used to have machines called cally and tyrol, but both have been long since retired.
My ipad was onced called leoben, and then husker, until I felt an obligation to have one machine named ossian (also not a BSG reference, but my dear readers should understand it), so that's that.
My main domain names have nothing to do with BSG, but that has never stopped me from arbitrary themes before... and no other "named" machines have names having to do with BSG at all. My wife's laptops have had names chosen by her for her own reasons, and the machines that don't really have incoming connections (phone, ps3, etc) don't get special names.
(You can see why this is on my blog and not posted to social media, as frivolous as the concern is ;) )
So now I'm thinking, perhaps I should name the machine scar . Coincidentally, my son has been watching Lion King lately, so that's also remotely related..
What do you think?
Any other suggestions?
Do you want to call me insane for blogging about this? :)
I really hope I get some board gaming soon...
So yeah, I have this Raspberry Pi.
I have managed to shut down my main linux server (which used to also be an occasional media front end) and replace 90% of its functionality with this tiny little box.
It's pretty awesome.
I've had to do some compiling to get a few packages on there, but it's exceeding my expectations. I can see it acting a bit slow on some tasks, but the point is not super power.
It's currently got berryboot, dual-booting raspbian and (about 1% of the time) the XBMC-optimized distribution OpenELEC, both fully on a 16GB sdcard. I have plans on expanding the space onto a USB hard drive, but haven't gotten around to that yet.
My mongodb instance, which is mainly used for my silly VTES IRC bot "Gramle", has its data in a ram drive which is slightly faster than the sdcard.
(Some mongo data from my old machine wasn't yet imported; mainly the stuff in my never-quite-begun BSG PBF Moderator tool which is on hold until Daybreak).
If you have any questions at all about my experiences with the Pi, feel free to ask.
And now, silly old me is worried about the hostname. :)
Right now, the machine is named "raziya", named -- purely as a pun -- after Raziya Samater, a classic combat weenie VTES vampire.
But at some point, I was attempting a Battlestar Galactica theme of machine names:
I've got baltar (the Linux server that is going into semi-retirement but isn't dead yet), who (cleverly) has a (rarely-used) Windows XP virtual machine inside him named six.
And I've got my "gaming laptop" named boomer , who (again, so cleverly) is named athena when booted into the rarely-used Linux partition.
I also used to have machines called cally and tyrol, but both have been long since retired.
My ipad was onced called leoben, and then husker, until I felt an obligation to have one machine named ossian (also not a BSG reference, but my dear readers should understand it), so that's that.
My main domain names have nothing to do with BSG, but that has never stopped me from arbitrary themes before... and no other "named" machines have names having to do with BSG at all. My wife's laptops have had names chosen by her for her own reasons, and the machines that don't really have incoming connections (phone, ps3, etc) don't get special names.
(You can see why this is on my blog and not posted to social media, as frivolous as the concern is ;) )
So now I'm thinking, perhaps I should name the machine scar . Coincidentally, my son has been watching Lion King lately, so that's also remotely related..
What do you think?
Any other suggestions?
Do you want to call me insane for blogging about this? :)
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
I really want to play some games...
We are still in a "moving-in" state in our house... so I haven't had much chance to play any games.
I actually got to a Pathfinder session this week (!)
But I'd like to get into PlayGamesWithJosh again.. or at least PlayGamesWithChris.
And video games.. oh video games. My laptop is already getting "old" :) and I think I'm still in the middle of an Xcom game from 4 months ago.
I need to catch up on Steam, PS3, and maybe even pop some emulators onto my new Raspberry Pi.
Speaking of the Pi: Yes, I've got one.
There's not a whole lot to write about it but it far exceeds my expectations for under $50. It's running my whole Linux Server subsystem right now (everything that doesn't require a hard drive or video processing) and I couldn't be happier.
Thinking about getting a second one...
I actually got to a Pathfinder session this week (!)
But I'd like to get into PlayGamesWithJosh again.. or at least PlayGamesWithChris.
And video games.. oh video games. My laptop is already getting "old" :) and I think I'm still in the middle of an Xcom game from 4 months ago.
I need to catch up on Steam, PS3, and maybe even pop some emulators onto my new Raspberry Pi.
Speaking of the Pi: Yes, I've got one.
There's not a whole lot to write about it but it far exceeds my expectations for under $50. It's running my whole Linux Server subsystem right now (everything that doesn't require a hard drive or video processing) and I couldn't be happier.
Thinking about getting a second one...
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