I finally caught up on all the Walking Dead episodes that have been languishing on my DVR. I do enjoy the actors and the characters, but some things have me yelling at the TV.
- "Url Abnu, V abgvprq lbh unir n uheg yrt. Jr unir n fhetrba jub zvtug or noyr gb uryc. Va gur zrnagvzr, jul qba'g lbh tb bhg fpniratvat sbe hf."
Having recently gone through a rental search with schools being a major consideration (BTW, why do none of the websites offer school ratings as a search criteria?!), I found it amazing how often an apartment complex near a highly rated school was literally just outside the district boundary. Purely coincidental, I'm sure.
Even though I've enjoyed the Arkham series, I've probably spent more hours total in Terraria, and I've added more this week. I feel almost guilty for picking it up way back when for only $2.50. And they're releasing another major content update in a couple days. For free. 4 years after release. I wish more studios would show occasional love to their existing catalogs.
With the Arkham games, I've waited until I could get it everything in a bundle. This time, it has the added benefit of letting me avoid a stinker of a port.
H1 - Awesome visualization. I could easily watch another hour expanded with more detail as well as similar presentations on other subjects. I wish history in school had been presented, or at least augmented, in such a fashion instead of the dry and boring classes I had.
Had been playing Witcher 3, but I heard there's a big patch coming. I don't mind early access for strategy-type games with a lot of replayability. I've played quite a bit of Gnomoria and Rimworld and they're hardly finished. But for plot driven game, hearing of an upcoming patch tends to make me want to pause playing.
I've been looking for games I can play with my daughter, so I picked up an extra copy of Terraria during the Steam sale. We had fun playing that over the weekend. We've done a bit of Minecraft in the past, but I find Terraria to be easier to navigate, more gamey, and you don't have to memorize how to assemble items.
Lost was like a magician's sleight of hand. They made me believe that all the quirks and mysteries were significant and meaningful. While it lasted it was a fantastic ride, perhaps the best I've experience with a TV show. The final season can't take that away.
V gubhtug gur gevc gb Qbear jbhyq raq jvgu Qbena erirnyvat n fpurzr gb trg evq bs Gbzzra naq chg Gelfgnar'f orgebgurq ba gur guebar (orsber be nsgre gur jrqqvat).
V jbhyq or qvfnccbvagrq vs vg gheaf bhg Fgnaavf vfa'g ernyyl qrnq. Oevraar unq n ybat fgnaqvat zvffvba gb xvyy uvz naq ab nccnerag ernfba gb xrrc uvz nyvir.
V qb shyyl oryvrir Wba Fabj vf qrnq... ohg V'z abg pbaivaprq ur jvyy erznva gung jnl. Fher, nyy gur fghss nobhg uvf yvarntr pbhyq or n erq ureevat, ohg vg frrzf uneq gb oryvrir gurl'q whfg trg evq bs gur punenpgre yvxr gung.
Light-skinned blacks likely have a lot of white in their ancestry. They only have to "pass" in a society that says anything less than 100% is non-white.
Pl2 - It seems crazy that stories like these don't generate more alarm. This is a problem that will cost a lot of money to deal with, and it's happening at multiple places across the country (and the world). And, as a layman, I would imagine that in addition to the problems with buildings and infrastructure, the sinking land would permanently reduce the capacity of the aquifers to hold water. Who knows what kind of problems this will cause the surrounding ecosystems.
Don't get me wrong. I enjoyed the games and spent countless hours playing them and I'll almost definitely buy FO4. The trailer just didn't encourage me to jump aboard the hype train yet.
I was a bit underwhelmed with the Fallout 4 trailer. Based on just that, it feels like FO4 is going to be more of the same. With The Elder Scrolls, the change in setting between Morrowind, Oblivion, and Skyrim were quite significant. Fallout just has the same drab, brown landscape with sparse vegetation (albeit without the green tint of FO3 this time). Perhaps there will be something new in the gameplay with the scripted protagonist, but I expect it'll mostly stick to the (wildly popular and successful) formula.
I've been playing Witcher 3. It's a good game and runs well for me, despite having to disable Geralt's silky, flowing locks. The story has always been the big driver for me in the series. I'm a bit disappointed to find that the choices from previous games don't have as much of an impact as I would like. And the number of options even in the first zone induced a bit of decision paralysis. If I don't do these side quests now before advancing the main plot, will I be able to do them later? Can I sell these looting swords I'm lugging around or do I need to spend my limited funds having the smith break them down into crafting materials? I've put in a couple dozen hours already and still feel like I've barely scratched the surface. I fear I may burn out on the game before I run out of content or even get through the main storyline.
I think society as a whole needs to recalibrate its outrage meter. Social media, and Twitter in particular, have made it absolutely trivial for tens of thousands of people to be critical of events in real-time. A lot of people saying "this thing is bad" does not necessarily constitute outrage.
I definitely feel the itch to upgrade, but I keep telling myself to wait until both AMD's next gen is released and to see what impact DX12 will really have. Besides, I can run W3 well enough (but not maxed out) at 2560x1600.
I dusted off my save files from my unfinished second play-through of The Witcher 2. It took me a bit to be able to regain a grip on the story and lore and various characters. I am looking forward to The Witcher 3, despite the brewing controversies. I wonder, though, if I should wait for and Enchanced edition like the previous two games had.
I never played Majora's Mask, but it sounds like a similar mechanic was borrowed by Half-Minute Hero. Like the name suggests, you only have 30 seconds to stop the bad guy from ending the world. Time is paused in towns and you can reset at various points of the gameplay and you have to figure out how to complete each mission within the allotted time.
*Comment archive for non-registered commenters assembled by email address as provided.
On “The Value of Playing with Commercially Produced Toys”
I find all physical objects to be limiting. I take it a step further and insist that all my daughter's toys be imaginary.
On “Planned Parenthood and Incentives”
Ugh. What happened to the 5-minute edit window?
BTW, I think a comment generated using the quote button should work as a "reply" instead of a brand new comment.
"
I'm sure his life has a very real worth to the for-profit prison industry
Ask the for-profit prison industry.
On “Sunday!”
I finally caught up on all the Walking Dead episodes that have been languishing on my DVR. I do enjoy the actors and the characters, but some things have me yelling at the TV.
- "Url Abnu, V abgvprq lbh unir n uheg yrt. Jr unir n fhetrba jub zvtug or noyr gb uryc. Va gur zrnagvzr, jul qba'g lbh tb bhg fpniratvat sbe hf."
- "Trr, gurfr jnyxref ner pbairavragyl genccrq oruvaq n punvayvax srapr. Vg jbhyq gnxr whfg n srj zbzragf gb qvfcngpu gurz nyy naq znxr fher gurl jba'g rng hf yngre. Yrg'f whfg vtaber gurz."
- "Gur jbeguyrff cevrfg jubfr yvsr jr fnirq vf onq-zbhguvat hf gb gur yrnqre bs guvf frggyrzrag naq gelvat gb trg hf xvpxrq bhg. V'yy whfg xrrc guvf haqre zl ung."
- "Yrg'f tb sbe n jnyx va gur mbzovr vasrfgrq jbbqf. V qba'g jnag gb pneel bar bs gur cyragvshy evsyrf be fubgthaf, fb V'yy whfg gnxr 1 cvfgby."
"Bx, V qba'g arrq nal thaf ng nyy, V'yy whfg gnxr n xavsr."
Gur bire-gur-gbc tber jr'ir frra guvf frnfba ybbxf yvxr evqvphybhf O-zbivr ubeebe fcrpvny rssrpgf, rfcrpvnyyl Abnu'f qrngu. Vg ernyyl qvzvavfurq gur vzcnpg bs n flzcngurgvp punenpgre'f qrngu. Fbzrgvzrf yrff vf zber.
On “The End of Home Ownership and the Rise of Rents”
Northern Virginia. It hadn't even occurred to me to go through an agent. I don't think it's as common here.
"
Having recently gone through a rental search with schools being a major consideration (BTW, why do none of the websites offer school ratings as a search criteria?!), I found it amazing how often an apartment complex near a highly rated school was literally just outside the district boundary. Purely coincidental, I'm sure.
On “Discussing the Unilateral Exit Right…”
I'd pay more than a buck for them to take it...
On “Saturday!”
Even though I've enjoyed the Arkham series, I've probably spent more hours total in Terraria, and I've added more this week. I feel almost guilty for picking it up way back when for only $2.50. And they're releasing another major content update in a couple days. For free. 4 years after release. I wish more studios would show occasional love to their existing catalogs.
With the Arkham games, I've waited until I could get it everything in a bundle. This time, it has the added benefit of letting me avoid a stinker of a port.
On “Linky Friday #120: Rebels & Empires”
Here another interesting visualization I saw recently on Jamelle Boiue's twitter feed:
The Atlantic Slave Trade in Two Minutes You can pause and click on the dots for more information about most ships.
"
H1 - Awesome visualization. I could easily watch another hour expanded with more detail as well as similar presentations on other subjects. I wish history in school had been presented, or at least augmented, in such a fashion instead of the dry and boring classes I had.
On “Identity and its Monuments”
Considering the apparent inability of those who make this claim to enumerate specific charges, I'm inclined to agree.
On “Stars, Bars and Me”
As a white guy, I used to generally shrug off or roll my eyes whenever I'd see a confederate flag.
These days, married to a black woman and father of a mixed race child, it feels menacing.
On “Saturday!”
Had been playing Witcher 3, but I heard there's a big patch coming. I don't mind early access for strategy-type games with a lot of replayability. I've played quite a bit of Gnomoria and Rimworld and they're hardly finished. But for plot driven game, hearing of an upcoming patch tends to make me want to pause playing.
I've been looking for games I can play with my daughter, so I picked up an extra copy of Terraria during the Steam sale. We had fun playing that over the weekend. We've done a bit of Minecraft in the past, but I find Terraria to be easier to navigate, more gamey, and you don't have to memorize how to assemble items.
On “Charleston Shooting and the Multiple Choice Public Response”
My favorite:
No proposal would have prevented all shootings, therefore none are worth discussing, much less implementing.
On “So, Can We Talk About This?”
Lost was like a magician's sleight of hand. They made me believe that all the quirks and mysteries were significant and meaningful. While it lasted it was a fantastic ride, perhaps the best I've experience with a TV show. The final season can't take that away.
"
V gubhtug gur gevc gb Qbear jbhyq raq jvgu Qbena erirnyvat n fpurzr gb trg evq bs Gbzzra naq chg Gelfgnar'f orgebgurq ba gur guebar (orsber be nsgre gur jrqqvat).
V jbhyq or qvfnccbvagrq vs vg gheaf bhg Fgnaavf vfa'g ernyyl qrnq. Oevraar unq n ybat fgnaqvat zvffvba gb xvyy uvz naq ab nccnerag ernfba gb xrrc uvz nyvir.
V qb shyyl oryvrir Wba Fabj vf qrnq... ohg V'z abg pbaivaprq ur jvyy erznva gung jnl. Fher, nyy gur fghss nobhg uvf yvarntr pbhyq or n erq ureevat, ohg vg frrzf uneq gb oryvrir gurl'q whfg trg evq bs gur punenpgre yvxr gung.
On “Rachel Dolezal and the Slippery Notion of Race”
Light-skinned blacks likely have a lot of white in their ancestry. They only have to "pass" in a society that says anything less than 100% is non-white.
On “Linky Friday #119: Money & Sport Edition”
Pl2 - It seems crazy that stories like these don't generate more alarm. This is a problem that will cost a lot of money to deal with, and it's happening at multiple places across the country (and the world). And, as a layman, I would imagine that in addition to the problems with buildings and infrastructure, the sinking land would permanently reduce the capacity of the aquifers to hold water. Who knows what kind of problems this will cause the surrounding ecosystems.
On “Saturday!”
Don't get me wrong. I enjoyed the games and spent countless hours playing them and I'll almost definitely buy FO4. The trailer just didn't encourage me to jump aboard the hype train yet.
"
I was a bit underwhelmed with the Fallout 4 trailer. Based on just that, it feels like FO4 is going to be more of the same. With The Elder Scrolls, the change in setting between Morrowind, Oblivion, and Skyrim were quite significant. Fallout just has the same drab, brown landscape with sparse vegetation (albeit without the green tint of FO3 this time). Perhaps there will be something new in the gameplay with the scripted protagonist, but I expect it'll mostly stick to the (wildly popular and successful) formula.
I've been playing Witcher 3. It's a good game and runs well for me, despite having to disable Geralt's silky, flowing locks. The story has always been the big driver for me in the series. I'm a bit disappointed to find that the choices from previous games don't have as much of an impact as I would like. And the number of options even in the first zone induced a bit of decision paralysis. If I don't do these side quests now before advancing the main plot, will I be able to do them later? Can I sell these looting swords I'm lugging around or do I need to spend my limited funds having the smith break them down into crafting materials? I've put in a couple dozen hours already and still feel like I've barely scratched the surface. I fear I may burn out on the game before I run out of content or even get through the main storyline.
On “Linky Friday #118: Evil Dentists, Haunted Mansions, and the Scent of the Dead”
I think society as a whole needs to recalibrate its outrage meter. Social media, and Twitter in particular, have made it absolutely trivial for tens of thousands of people to be critical of events in real-time. A lot of people saying "this thing is bad" does not necessarily constitute outrage.
On “Saturday!”
I definitely feel the itch to upgrade, but I keep telling myself to wait until both AMD's next gen is released and to see what impact DX12 will really have. Besides, I can run W3 well enough (but not maxed out) at 2560x1600.
"
Bad Luck Brian: Place to myself and finally have a real chance to dive into The Witcher 3... power outrage.
On “Saturday!”
I dusted off my save files from my unfinished second play-through of The Witcher 2. It took me a bit to be able to regain a grip on the story and lore and various characters. I am looking forward to The Witcher 3, despite the brewing controversies. I wonder, though, if I should wait for and Enchanced edition like the previous two games had.
On “Saturday!”
I never played Majora's Mask, but it sounds like a similar mechanic was borrowed by Half-Minute Hero. Like the name suggests, you only have 30 seconds to stop the bad guy from ending the world. Time is paused in towns and you can reset at various points of the gameplay and you have to figure out how to complete each mission within the allotted time.
*Comment archive for non-registered commenters assembled by email address as provided.