Archive for March, 2008

What’s for Breakfast?

So, about 18 months ago I made a commitment to myself to improve my health. Overall, I’ve been very successful, except in the exercise arena (that’s a subject for another post entirely). However, I’ve run into a bit of a breakfast rut. (continued)

Share Your Little Software Secrets

I primarily use Linux (specifically, Kubuntu Linux) as my main computing platform, so most of the software I could recommend might be of little use to the majority of readers (except for my advice: give Linux a try, without doing anything permanent to your computer, with a LiveCD. You might like it). That said, there are some cross-platform or Windows-only tools that I’ve grown to love, and I thought I’d share. I’d also like to hear your suggestions for little software programs or tricks that make your life easier. (continued)

The Best Photo You’ve Ever Snapped

Believe it or not, even though I have the insta-zoom, five years old, cheapo digital camera; I actually really enjoy photography as an art form and once took a dark room class. My favorite photograph which I actually took myself was a floral shot of some bromeliads at the Denver Botanical Garden, and which I still use as a computer desktop background to this day (read on to see the photo).
Ever have a photo you’ve taken that you’re proud of? Share! (continued)

Half-Written Works: The Risen Lands

So, I sometimes like to write. I could write something with mainstream appeal, like a novel or a short story. But more often than not, I end up writing bits and pieces of roleplaying games. One such is The Risen Lands, a vaguely Earthsea-esque fantasy game with a truly over-the-top number of races, nations, and ways to perform magic. I still like it, though– at least to me, it seems coherent and exciting. It’s still very much a work in progress, but I thought I’d share it.

Does anyone else have half-written things that they nibble away at?

Are you paying Attention?

Well?

Book Review: Coldfire Trilogy

I recently finished the Coldfire Trilogy, a sci-fi/fantasy trilogy by C. S. Friedman, and enjoyed it more than any series I’ve read in quite a while. In brief, the books are set on a planet recently (1200 years ago) colonized by humans that is quite similar to Earth except for one major difference — a strange force, called the Fae, is present on this planet and responds to humans by making their thoughts and emotions become (almost always unintentionally) more-or-less “real.”
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How Would You Revise the General Curriculum?

Recently at work, I’ve had a lot of data files to go through– The instrument I’m using spits out data as a series of (hundreds of…) text files, each with about eighty pieces of data. Rather than go through that by hand, I sat down and wrote a little script to collate the data for me into one, organized file. A co-worker was amazed by this– which got me thinking: There’s only going to be more computers in the future. Should at least a little bit of programming be a required subject in school? What else could be revised?
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Wedding Planning– It Begins!

Because of Teisha’s candidacy exam (see her anticipation, below), we haven’t really started planning for our wedding yet. Which isn’t so bad, since we aren’t planning to get married until May 2009. Nevertheless, it never hurts to solicit suggestions, hear about other weddings (what worked, what didn’t), and to share our ever so tentative plans.
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Trunk Monkey!

Trunk Monkey. Yes this is exactly what you think it is (check out ep 4 theft retrieval system)

Nintendo Wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!

So, I bought one. For those of you who know me, this was an utterly ridiculous purchase. The only video game I’ve ever enjoyed was Smash Brothers, and that was only because I could mash enough buttons to turn into a rock and squish people. Sometimes.
But, what can I say? I got caught up in the craze and WANTED. Pure, unadulterated WANT.
Now that I’ve got one….any suggestions on what to do with it? Favorite games? Internet thingy-type-stuff? Some way to finish the dang warthog races in Rayman’s Raving Rabbids?