From Tikkun Kelim: ( http://s3nt.com/b24 )
One thing I like about having the Wordpress Stat Analysis plugin is that it tells me what searches are being done on my blog. Which, in turn, I can use to address topics that interest the people who come here. Today's interesting search was about eInk. I LOVE eInk. The technology is basically not that different from the etch-a-sketch (I'm REALLY simplifying here, but bear with me), but it has fascinated me since I first heard about it. My personal first exposure was through reports of the Librie' device that was released only in Japan. Several things stuck out for me: 1) Long battery life 2) Screen that is readable in sunlight, and 3) Resizeable text. I actually wrote a letter to Sony about the device, asking them to update me when they had a version ready for North American distribution. As it turned out, I wouldn't have to wait that long.
The Librie' itself was designed as a Japan-only device. The legends under the buttons, the operating system, and all documentation were in Japanese. Nevertheless, Dynamism.com offered the Librie' with a translated firmware and enough instructions to get the book-loading software working. I went for it, and was extremely happy with the device. I still like it, actually. There's a small chip off of the bottom corner of the battery compartment that makes mine a bit fragile and subject to power weirdnesses if you mess with it, but the only reason I don't still use it is because Vista isn't compatible with the Librie' software. Memory sticks have to have a Linux-based file system to store books properly, so it can be awkward trying to load the device. But modders and device hackers have written apps aplenty for these tasks, so it's not really that big a deal. I was pretty satisfied with the device until the Sony Reader came out.
The Sony Reader addressed a lot of the complaints I (and others) had with the previous device. It had a pretty reasonable price point (relatively speaking) compared to the $600-700 Irex Iliad (a much more fully featured device) and the $400 Cybook (which at the time wasn't eInk). It supported TXT, PDF, and RTF files, which meant I could easily download file versions of books I'd already purchased and read them on the Reader (They've since added Adobe Digital Editions and ePub support). Since I already had a library of LRF files (the Reader and Librie's native format), it was a natural choice. The screen was also much improved with much less ghosting and a shorter page turn time. The Kindle and the new version of the Reader have improved this even further, but I haven't needed to upgrade.
Another path would have worked for me just as well, and that is the Mobipocket -> Kindle path. Because of the Librie', I never did get Mobipocket books for my Treo, but it was a very popular format, and something I considered at times. Had I done so, the Kindle would be a great choice, because it has Mobipocket support (Amazon bought the format). I did have a pretty negative experience with Amazon though. They used to have a digital book locker service, and I bought a couple that way. Later they dumped them and I basically lost my money and the use of those books. I haven't been really keen on testing Amazon's willingness to continue supporting it's customers since then. However, the Kindle is very popular, and I doubt it's going to disappear anytime soon, so it's probably a very safe bet. It has a very good screen, but I don't like the device shape itself. You may wish to see one in person before purchase to decide if it's the most comfortable shape for your hands.
My analysis of the current eInk offerings is as follows. The Reader has the best price point, if you don't mind hooking it up to your PC or dropping files on an SD card. The Kindle is great if you trust Amazon, and you live in a very urban area where EVDO is ubiquitous (Mountain folk are SOL). The Iliad has a huge screen and wifi, but has battery issues and may need some more firmware updates to be as fully featured as the marketing makes it out to be. The Reader and the Kindle have the best quality eInk screens, while the Iliad is best for PDFs because its screen is the largest. There are a couple of other devices, but I've only heard scraps of hearsay about them, so I won't comment on them at this time. Whoever you are, O Seeker of eInk screens, I hope that helps!
Monday, July 28, 2008
Sunday, July 27, 2008
At a loss
From Tikkun Kelim: ( http://s3nt.com/b24 )
Where is this uncommon 'common ground'? All friends and foes are far afoot, seeking better quests and thrillier thrills. Dust coats my sandals and staff, and it's time for a nap. Too tired to sleep, and with the knowledge that sleep leads only to dreams of death, no desire arises to actually pass out. Why bother?
Where is this uncommon 'common ground'? All friends and foes are far afoot, seeking better quests and thrillier thrills. Dust coats my sandals and staff, and it's time for a nap. Too tired to sleep, and with the knowledge that sleep leads only to dreams of death, no desire arises to actually pass out. Why bother?
Friday, July 25, 2008
Like it or not...
Never forget that it's the contact, not the content. If inspiration doesn't flow, forget the technical, remember the source - be it a dream, or a friend's conversation, an enjoyable evening, the adrenaline rush of an argument, or the touch of a lover. These moments touch the deepest parts of us, and the context all melts away.
IOW, quit pigging out on the garnish. :)
IOW, quit pigging out on the garnish. :)
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
FF4DS
From Tikkun Kelim: ( http://s3nt.com/b24 )
Final Fantasy IV was a very early favorite of mine. I’d have to say that 5 is still my favorite out of the whole series, but I’m definitely a minority in that view. Recently Square-Enix has been extremely prone to remaking its classic titles with Lucasian results all around. So it was with great trepidation that I checked out FF4. First of all, the fact that it was on the DS made me nervous. Devs tend to think that just because the thing has a touch screen, means that you should have to use it for all 60-80 hours it takes to finish these old skool grind fests. No, no, no, no, no, no. Bad devs, no cookie. Give us the option, as some people do prefer it, but also program the buttons. Y’know the direction pad and the four buttons right there. Yeah, use them. So point number 1, does it give you both options? Yes, indeedy. It might be nice to tell people that they can navigate by putting their finger on the map, but it’s all good. Second big deal for me was, do the graphics look at least a little better than the GameBoy (FF Tactics Advance 2 failed miserably on this one). I mean, the DS is no powerhouse, but it’s still way better than the GBA was. Sure enough. And lastly, as a port with better graphics, I usually expect tweaks to the interface. They really went above and beyond on this point. One of the things I loved about FF5 was the ability to change your command list around (ahem), adding in different abilities from the various classes to create a semi-unique character class. FF4DS goes a step beyond even that. Anything can be put on the menu, whether it’s an individual spell, an item, or an ability. This sort of customization really improves the flow of the game. The encounter rate gets high in some areas, but it’s forgiveable seeing as battles can be streamlined. I also think they give you quite a bit of magic/MP really early and am not sure how balanced that is, but it does make the story easier to get through. This is just an initial impression, so if my opinion changes through play, I’ll post more.
Final Fantasy IV was a very early favorite of mine. I’d have to say that 5 is still my favorite out of the whole series, but I’m definitely a minority in that view. Recently Square-Enix has been extremely prone to remaking its classic titles with Lucasian results all around. So it was with great trepidation that I checked out FF4. First of all, the fact that it was on the DS made me nervous. Devs tend to think that just because the thing has a touch screen, means that you should have to use it for all 60-80 hours it takes to finish these old skool grind fests. No, no, no, no, no, no. Bad devs, no cookie. Give us the option, as some people do prefer it, but also program the buttons. Y’know the direction pad and the four buttons right there. Yeah, use them. So point number 1, does it give you both options? Yes, indeedy. It might be nice to tell people that they can navigate by putting their finger on the map, but it’s all good. Second big deal for me was, do the graphics look at least a little better than the GameBoy (FF Tactics Advance 2 failed miserably on this one). I mean, the DS is no powerhouse, but it’s still way better than the GBA was. Sure enough. And lastly, as a port with better graphics, I usually expect tweaks to the interface. They really went above and beyond on this point. One of the things I loved about FF5 was the ability to change your command list around (ahem), adding in different abilities from the various classes to create a semi-unique character class. FF4DS goes a step beyond even that. Anything can be put on the menu, whether it’s an individual spell, an item, or an ability. This sort of customization really improves the flow of the game. The encounter rate gets high in some areas, but it’s forgiveable seeing as battles can be streamlined. I also think they give you quite a bit of magic/MP really early and am not sure how balanced that is, but it does make the story easier to get through. This is just an initial impression, so if my opinion changes through play, I’ll post more.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Cheap Shots and Deep Thoughts
From Tikkun Kelim: ( http://s3nt.com/b24 )
Ah, the inevitable backlash for posting Jack Handies. Probably should remember to brace for it, but the ride is always the same. Wish it'd get easier, but know it won't. Why does it work that way? Usually the assumption is that there is either a personal issue to be resolved, or the universe doesn't like upskirts. Not sure it really matters, because the end result is the same. Incidentally, how does typing without first person pronouns in resume language actually reduce ego? Comments from the Salamander using a first person pronoun are easily less egotistical than plenty of accusations of "love letter to self" ala (ab)USENET. Ah, well, just ignore the grousing.
Also, links only show up on the main blog. Sorry 'bout that.
Ah, the inevitable backlash for posting Jack Handies. Probably should remember to brace for it, but the ride is always the same. Wish it'd get easier, but know it won't. Why does it work that way? Usually the assumption is that there is either a personal issue to be resolved, or the universe doesn't like upskirts. Not sure it really matters, because the end result is the same. Incidentally, how does typing without first person pronouns in resume language actually reduce ego? Comments from the Salamander using a first person pronoun are easily less egotistical than plenty of accusations of "love letter to self" ala (ab)USENET. Ah, well, just ignore the grousing.
Also, links only show up on the main blog. Sorry 'bout that.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Distributed Events Revisited
From Tikkun Kelim: ( http://s3nt.com/b24 )"lest we construct some unified tellurian theory that blinds us to ontological reality..."
I've been looking at another factor that may dictate temporal viscosity when synchronizing the effects of non-local manifestation. Heidegger talks a bit about lethe, the nothingness behind being in philosophical terms. The confrontation with nothingness in many ways allows each individual to express their nature, but I think there's a larger ontological implication here as well.
In my experiences, places on the outside of the Cluster, the continuum of our reality, tend to have a tinny, empty feel to them. These are the places where chaos and wild magics are free to warp and change the 'rules' at will. In places where reality is stable, I find that there is history - a braid of ongoing local family dramas in many cases - that keeps things both stagnant and yet reliable. I believe this is because of lethe, the essence of the human soul and its memories, or as Aikeena put it, "the breakdown of information and identity."
Where people live, lethe accumulates. Lethe can build up with deadly consequences, the most visible symptom of which is inner city crime or chronic sectarian strife. Also, when stagnant, as in a small town with a great amount of history, lethe can prop up repressive social orders. It is the force which conceals our biases and denial from us, and which allows us to continue living despite unbearable pain.
This is the primary reason that synchronicity is not instant and in my opinion, the largest factor in determining the temporal viscosity of an area.
I'm responding to this previous post because it seems to be the all-time most popular post on my blog. Might as well write about what people want to read, eh?
The wiki has been updated with some stubs (for the partzufim and some of the practices) until I have time to properly wikify them (as I did with Lethe).
I've been looking at another factor that may dictate temporal viscosity when synchronizing the effects of non-local manifestation. Heidegger talks a bit about lethe, the nothingness behind being in philosophical terms. The confrontation with nothingness in many ways allows each individual to express their nature, but I think there's a larger ontological implication here as well.
In my experiences, places on the outside of the Cluster, the continuum of our reality, tend to have a tinny, empty feel to them. These are the places where chaos and wild magics are free to warp and change the 'rules' at will. In places where reality is stable, I find that there is history - a braid of ongoing local family dramas in many cases - that keeps things both stagnant and yet reliable. I believe this is because of lethe, the essence of the human soul and its memories, or as Aikeena put it, "the breakdown of information and identity."
Where people live, lethe accumulates. Lethe can build up with deadly consequences, the most visible symptom of which is inner city crime or chronic sectarian strife. Also, when stagnant, as in a small town with a great amount of history, lethe can prop up repressive social orders. It is the force which conceals our biases and denial from us, and which allows us to continue living despite unbearable pain.
This is the primary reason that synchronicity is not instant and in my opinion, the largest factor in determining the temporal viscosity of an area.
I'm responding to this previous post because it seems to be the all-time most popular post on my blog. Might as well write about what people want to read, eh?
The wiki has been updated with some stubs (for the partzufim and some of the practices) until I have time to properly wikify them (as I did with Lethe).
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
tiredyrant
From Tikkun Kelim: ( http://s3nt.com/b24 )Sometimes I wonder how everyone can speak so easily on these online spaces. I feel tremendous weight with every word as though my life depends upon revealing and not revealing just the right things. Like peering into palantir and having to brush past some flaming disembodied eyeball that feels like an angry old woman giving you the evil eye, but 1000 times more potent.
"No. That's perfectly normal paranoia. Everybody in the universe gets that."
- Slartibartfast
"No. That's perfectly normal paranoia. Everybody in the universe gets that."
- Slartibartfast
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
If
From Tikkun Kelim: ( http://s3nt.com/b24 )If there were such a thing as magic, and one had, for whatever reason, decided to do "evil" magic, I think the best way to go about it would probably be to convince people that any resistance they faced (as a result of the aforementioned Dr. Fu Manchu) was a test from their (insert higher power/self/pantheon) and that it was their duty to (be stoic in the face of said event/learn from it/et cetera) instead of actually learning to use magic to respond.
Monday, June 16, 2008
MGS 4
Even having never played this particular franchise, I was pretty impressed. Admittedly, I played on easy, and often would get through a round of frantic hiding and sneaking, only to find myself feeling stuck and unsure right before the level end where there was no conflict. The constant sense of awareness and the need to be alert to everything in your environment is palpable in a way I've not experienced in other games, and I really enjoyed the nuances of crawling, sniping, using tranquilizer darts and figuring out the right weapon for the right situation.
The octo-camo allows you to adjust your camoflauge automatically based on immediate conditions. Your camo rating affects how likely you are to be seen, and seems to have links to your stress levels as well. There are three primary stats, Health, Psyche and Stress (which shows up on the battlefield). Health works in the standard way, but Psyche is different and somewhat interesting. Psyche measures your will, in a sense, and it even comes into play during cut scenes. When Snake is told bad news, his Psyche meter will often drop by a quarter during the cut scene. When you realize that losing all of your Psyche can end your game also, it provides an approximation of the drop in the pit of your stomach that you or I might feel when hearing bad news. Stress is there to enforce the "stealth" aspect of the game, as it goes up continuously during prolonged battles. There are ways to reduce stress, such as a Playboy magazine, a psychologist who will talk to you via your codec, and an iPod for listening to soothing music, but none of them are effective enough to make it easy to just "run and gun" this game.
One of the primary things that I enjoyed was the fact that the cut-scenes would often blend directly into an action sequence - with the life meters and other indicators popping up on the screen as your turn to act came up. The movies that were interspersed with the rendered cutscenes were also a nice touch - very surreal and worthy of the subject matter. The storylines of the main characters were exquisite, providing an excellent conclusion to an epic saga. Specifically the back-stories for the four boss characters were pretty lame though, which baffles me, because they could have just as easily left the back-stories out altogether. Just as a note, if you don't like intricate stories and cut scenes, you probably won't like this game. There's enough gameplay that you could probably pretend that it's a generic third-person shooter and just skip the story, then move to the online portion, but it seems like a waste to me.
Technologically speaking, this game had gorgeous graphics, and tight mechanics. I didn't see a hiccup during the whole game. One factor that I haven't seen mentioned a lot that really helped immerse me in the game's story was the ability to listen to the codec messages that are sent during gameplay into a bluetooth headset. While the cut-scene codec messages are still on-screen, it's during gameplay that I want the immersion factor to be high, and this really helped with that.
Overall, I'd say this is one of the first video game storylines that has engaged me in this way since Final Fantasy X. I was shocked to find a story that interested me this much outside of my typical RPG genre, but the surprise was not unwelcome. I have now added it to the list of franchises and gameplay styles that I am willing to play.
The octo-camo allows you to adjust your camoflauge automatically based on immediate conditions. Your camo rating affects how likely you are to be seen, and seems to have links to your stress levels as well. There are three primary stats, Health, Psyche and Stress (which shows up on the battlefield). Health works in the standard way, but Psyche is different and somewhat interesting. Psyche measures your will, in a sense, and it even comes into play during cut scenes. When Snake is told bad news, his Psyche meter will often drop by a quarter during the cut scene. When you realize that losing all of your Psyche can end your game also, it provides an approximation of the drop in the pit of your stomach that you or I might feel when hearing bad news. Stress is there to enforce the "stealth" aspect of the game, as it goes up continuously during prolonged battles. There are ways to reduce stress, such as a Playboy magazine, a psychologist who will talk to you via your codec, and an iPod for listening to soothing music, but none of them are effective enough to make it easy to just "run and gun" this game.
One of the primary things that I enjoyed was the fact that the cut-scenes would often blend directly into an action sequence - with the life meters and other indicators popping up on the screen as your turn to act came up. The movies that were interspersed with the rendered cutscenes were also a nice touch - very surreal and worthy of the subject matter. The storylines of the main characters were exquisite, providing an excellent conclusion to an epic saga. Specifically the back-stories for the four boss characters were pretty lame though, which baffles me, because they could have just as easily left the back-stories out altogether. Just as a note, if you don't like intricate stories and cut scenes, you probably won't like this game. There's enough gameplay that you could probably pretend that it's a generic third-person shooter and just skip the story, then move to the online portion, but it seems like a waste to me.
Technologically speaking, this game had gorgeous graphics, and tight mechanics. I didn't see a hiccup during the whole game. One factor that I haven't seen mentioned a lot that really helped immerse me in the game's story was the ability to listen to the codec messages that are sent during gameplay into a bluetooth headset. While the cut-scene codec messages are still on-screen, it's during gameplay that I want the immersion factor to be high, and this really helped with that.
Overall, I'd say this is one of the first video game storylines that has engaged me in this way since Final Fantasy X. I was shocked to find a story that interested me this much outside of my typical RPG genre, but the surprise was not unwelcome. I have now added it to the list of franchises and gameplay styles that I am willing to play.
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