Archive for the 'Technology' Category

Braid

Published
by
pikafoop
4 months, 3 weeks ago
in Games, Geek, Humor, Technology and Xbox 360
. 1 Comment

You go back, Jack, do it again

If you pay attention to “gaming news” at all, you probably already know about Braid.[1]  And, if you’ve heard about Braid, you’ve also heard this:

Braid is a very important game, and everyone should be playing it.

I’m not sure what that means[2], but here’s what I do know.  I started playing Braid with my wife - I handled the gameplay, and we brainstormed over the puzzles - and it was really cool.  I even had a dream that featured one of the more mind-bending time effects.  Then, as family and friends converged onto our couch for a weekend celebration, I showed it off to them, and instead of dismissing it as a shiny toy, most of them jumped in and joined the brainstorm.

So, I guess it’s a party game for brainiacs?  As long as you have one platform-enabled thumbster among you?  Could be.  $15 isn’t much to spend to entertain a room full of people.  ($20, if you add in the cost of a bottle of Advil for the ones that get a migraine.)

If you care for an overview of what makes Braid work so well, I’ve described some of what I noticed after the break.  Spoiler danger: low.

Continue reading ‘Braid’

  1. I won’t get into a lot of detail about it for that very reason, but you can check out Giant Bomb’s video review (WARNING: The “S” word is used) if you need some background. [↩]
  2. Especially since it’s only out on XBLA right now!  PC to come later, though. [↩]

IT Admin Locks up San Francisco’s Network

Published
by
pikafoop
5 months, 3 weeks ago
in Technology
. 0 Comments

A friend shared this in Google Reader today: PC World - Business Center: IT Admin Locks up San Francisco’s Network.  She commented: “I’m a bit surprised that this isn’t more common. Who wouldn’t want to arrest the BOFH?”

Wow… I hope I’m not in the minority here, but I’m surprised it happened at all.  IT workers are professionals, and from where I’m standing, professionals take our jobs seriously.[1]

Sure, I laugh at the stereotypes, too, but the BOFH is just a fantasy villain!  If you can’t trust a professional, something is wrong.  Your IT guy may know a lot of things that not everyone knows, and may have access to a lot of things that not everyone does - but so do your auto mechanic, your architect, your building’s electrician, and your doctor.[2]

(And no, friend, I don’t take offense at your comment.  I just wanted to give a counterpoint.)

  1. That goes for individuals and groups as well.  Where was his manager in all this?  Why didn’t someone in his department intervene?  What is their contingency plan? [↩]
  2. Your IT guy may also act a little weird, but you probably think that about your mechanic, too. [↩]

Packaging Efficiency FAIL

Published
by
pikafoop
6 months, 1 week ago
in Hardware, LOL &c. and Life
. 0 Comments

Amazon sent me this:

Kensington Bluetooth USB Micro Adapter

In this box:

Kensington Bluetooth USB Micro Adapter plus box

Wow.

Wubi - The Easiest Way to Linux

Published
by
pikafoop
7 months, 2 weeks ago
in Linux
. 0 Comments

Wubi - The Easiest Way to Linux
Wubi is a Ubuntu installer for Windows users that will bring you into the Linux world with a single click. Wubi allows you to install and uninstall Ubuntu as any other application. If you heard about Linux and Ubuntu, if you wanted to try them but you were afraid, Wubi is for you.

I’m not afraid, that’s for sure.  I haven’t managed to get this working, yet, although I only really gave it a cursory try.  It didn’t work the first time, but I think that may be my fault somehow, and then I had to get back to another project.

I did get far enough in the process, though, to realize that it’s got serious potential.  It used a disk image and the Windows boot file instead of having to repartition my drive and install a bootloader.  When it failed, I just uninstalled it, and everything went back to the way it had been before I started.

Has anyone else tried this?  Does anyone else want to try this?

Refactoring - Part 2

Published
by
pikafoop
7 months, 2 weeks ago
in Administrivia and Linux
. 0 Comments

When I was at TigerDirect, buying the two 500GB drives, the guy behind me in line couldn’t believe that I’d need that much space.  However, I am vindicated: after copying all the old servers’ hard drives, I’ve just about filled one of the drives.  Granted, the second drive is nearly empty, but I’m going to need someplace to put new files.

I’m also going to have to make up for the lost sleep, I fear.

Now I have to sort through 500GB of files.  And it would be nice to get Fuppes back up and working so I can stream media to the XB360.  And I should get enough of my home directory restored on the new server that I can use it for voice chat.  Thank goodness that the mail, web and chat servers are offsite now.

(A quick note to those who may be considering installing Ubuntu on a Mac Mini:  It’s not quite as straightforward as installing Ubuntu on another computer.  I have it set up to automatically boot into Ubuntu, and it’s working great, but it took some work, some extra software, and plenty of failed boots before I got to this point.  And, of course, editing some configuration text files, which I understand can be a turn-off for some people.  I also can’t freely boot into Mac OS, lest I have to disable the ext3-formatted USB drives.  That’s okay by me, though - I don’t plan on booting into Mac OS. If you’re considering duplicating my project, we can discuss it in the comments!)