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December 28, 2005

World of Warcraft

Since I clearly didn't have enough things contending for my time, I decided to give World of Warcraft a try this Christmas break.

My initial impression was bad. First I tried to just go to the site to download the client. After all, it's an online game, why should I have to go the store? Well, it seems the client isn't available for download. So I went to the store to buy a copy and found out why it's not for download. It installs from five, yes 5, CD's. At that level, they really should just be shipping on DVD. On my first attempt to install, the installer locked up on disk 2. I did eventually get it installed, and then on startup in downloaded about 140MB of patch files since the discs had been made, then an install for the patches, then the creation of an account, then the character generation, and so on and so on. I'd probably put about two hours into the whole thing before I saw my first game screen.

But since then, WOW!!! I'm still getting a feel for the interface and the various world-rules, but it is pretty cool. I tried There a couple of years ago and was non-plussed. It had good graphics and a pretty decent interface, but there was nothing to do. World of Warcraft doesn't seem to suffer from that problem.

Part of what got me going on this is that my brother plays. If this goes well, I'll have to try developing a character on the same server as him and see about doing some adventuring together.

Gaming by Dan | Permalink | Comments (2)

December 20, 2005

Mock the stupid

I recently came across an LJ-community called Mock the Stupid. It's a collection of anecdotes that, well, mock the stupid. Check out my first post: Vegetarian Chicken.

Blog by Dan | Permalink | Comments (0)

December 18, 2005

Things in the room meme

From HappyTester:

1. What is the oldest object in the room with you?

   I’m drinking a Coke right now, and I’m looking at one of the water molecules drifting near the top. That hydrogen atom – no, not that one, the one on the left – has one of the oldest protons in the universe. Serial number 44982892843992. Anything with less than twenty digits is a real collectors’ item, but I just drank it, so you won’t see it on EBay.

2. What is the newest?

   I just formed a methane molecule. Don’t ask.

3. What is your favorite object in the room with you?

   Remember that Coke I mentioned?

4. What is the most valuable object?

   The arrangement of bits on my laptop hard-disk. The company I work for has spent millions upon millions for it.

5. What is the ugliest object?

   That mirror. No, wait… never mind.

Meme by Dan | Permalink | Comments (1)

December 17, 2005

Friday Five: Sibling Rivalry Goes to Court

Today’s (Ok… yesterday’s) question comes from Gord:

Imagine a royal court in some medieval period, somewhere in the world: it could be medieval Japan, medieval India, medieval Europe, medieval Persia or the Maghrib, or what have you. You are a relatively minor player in this court, as the youngest of the several children entitled to the throne, and chances are you'll never get that far... unless, of course, you plot carefully enough, get the right people killed, and install yourself there. Which five people in the court would you ply with small gifts, tokens of affection, sexual favors, threats of blackmail, or whatever would get them on your side when the time comes for you to make your move for the throne? Please describe each person in terms of his or her position in the court, usefulness, and how he or she was won over to your side.

This is your Evil Overlord filling in for Dan tonight, and ever there was a Friday Five question written for me, this is it.

• The chef: She was an older woman who had gone almost blind in her later years, but that had not prevented her from running her kitchen as efficiently and well-ordered as the fighting ships that would come centuries later. Alas, she also had a softness for certain spices, and my much-derided merchant friends kept me in steady supply. This allowed me a certain freedom in the kitchen that continued even after my sister’s untimely demise of arsenic poisoning.
• The scribe: He was an intelligent and crafty man, willing to cross certain lines to advance a cause. His position as the chief scribe in charge of the royal accounts gave him just the access I needed, and when I promised him such financial reforms as a central bank and paper currency, he was more than willing to make a few adjustments to the accounts. You know, I always said it was a mistake for my closest brother to be in charge of the local rents and taxes. Just where that money went is still a mystery, but perhaps he’s enjoying it in exile.
• The armorer: He was a master craftsman, but he was also obsessed with improving his skill, to make a blade finer than any that had come before. His knowledge of metallurgy was truly profound, perhaps the best in the kingdom, but not in the world. The promise of folded Damascas steel was just too much for him to resist. It’s a pity, though, that his reputation was so marred when the shield he made for my eldest brother, Father’s favorite, failed so tragically at the jousting tournament.
• The maid: She was such a sweet girl and served my parents eagerly since she was old enough to carry a pitcher, but she was gullible and easily confused. Witchcraft and evil spirits were a particular concern of hers. After all, they were everywhere and could easily take on the forms of anyone around us, even loved and trusted figures. Still, she was a faithful servant of God, and I can only assume it was this purity of hers that allowed her to survive the fire that swept through my parents’ bedchamber, consuming all.
• The lover: Ah yes, my lover, that beguiling commoner who both frustrated my mother and aroused my father, who moved invisibly through the court because she was both scorned and protected. And of course, everyone knew that she slept around, but no one dared tell the young prince who seemed so taken with her. Yes, she was an unconventional choice, but she would have made a fine queen. At least, that was enough of a promise for her to efficiently and anonymously clean up the evidence. You know, those little details like the chef’s unfortunate and fatal fall on the ice, the scribe’s startling death from alcohol poisoning, the armorer’s senseless death in a common robbery, and the maid’s guilt-ridden leap from the tower. Yes, she would have made a fine queen indeed were it not for that truly remarkable and inexplicable girdle-related accident she suffered three days before my coronation. Pity, that… truly a pity.

Other Friday Fivers may be found plotting their siblings’ demise here.

Evil Overlord /Meme by Evil Overlord | Permalink | Comments (0)

Dungeons and Dragons: Gateway to the Occult!!!

If you're worried about your children falling prey to the EVILS OF DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS, then be sure to check out this informative video.

Keep your children safe. Ban dice and books from your home.

Tinfoil Beanie by Dan | Permalink | Comments (1)

December 13, 2005

Travelling

I'm out in California again this week, which sucks pretty hard. Work is in super-crunch mode, which is why I'm here, so it's not like I'm even getting the chance to do cool San Francisco things.

However, I did get a little coolness on the trip out. On the plane I sat across the aisle from a guy returning from an Alamo Drafthouse festival, their annual BUTT-NUMB-A-THON. I've never been, but it's apparently a 24-hour marathon film festival with several cool films including a few not-yet-released films. Usually, at least one of them is a surprise. This year it was the upcoming V is for Vendetta which will be released sometime in 2006. My fellow traveller was flying the film back to LA after the screening, with the film canisters taking up the other two seats on his row.

Apparently, that's his main job, flying movie prints around the country for advanced screenings. I guess they don't considering the shipping companies secure enough. But how cool of a job would that be?? You travel all around the country and even the world and go to film festivals, getting to see lots of films in advance of everyone else. I'll admit, it's not the best job for a family man, but he was young and likely single (I saw no wedding ring), so it must have been as good of a grunt job as you can find.

So, now I return to my previously scheduled, non-glamorous nose-grinding.

Life in General by Dan | Permalink | Comments (0)

December 06, 2005

Intercession

Here's a piece I worked up over the last several days. It came together very quickly, but the fine tuning took forever due to the render complexity. The final render didn't finish until today.

(click for full image)

Render by Dan | Permalink | Comments (3)

December 03, 2005

I do not have cancer

As you may recall, one of the low-probability explanations of my stomach problems was stomach cancer. This was considered a very, very low probability, i.e. on the order of 1 in 15,000, so I was suprised to learn this Tuesday that when they did the endoscopy, they took a biopsy.

So, for a couple of days there, I'm wondering, "Well, what did the doctor see that made him do that? Did something look suspicious?" Anyway, the biopsy came back clear, so I do not have cancer.

It's also not a bacterial infection, and that was the real reason for taking the biopsy. However, my stomach lining is showing quite a bit of inflamation. It's not an ulcer, though, at least not yet. "Not yet" was what they said.

Here's the doc's plan:

• He doubled my dosage by telling me to take it morning and night, not just daily.


• I need to lose 50 pounds. It's a stretch, but it's feasible -- I'm currently about 70 pounds over my college freshman weight.


• I need to reduce the stress in my life. Mind you, I'm typing this up at 1:50am as my work computer finishes off a test, and then I'll have to take care of just two or three more little things. With luck I'll be in bed by 3am.


• I should avoid certain foods until the problem settles down. This is actually tougher. Part of it is that the nurse couldn't really give me a list of what those foods would be. She rattled off a few, but I get the impression it was 3 items from a list of 500. Also, a little Internet reading tells me that the community is somewhat divided on the "don't eat that" issue. For some people, it definitely makes a difference, but researchers don't know why.

In other news, I did manage to finish off my NaNoWriMo bit. I'd say more, but the test just finished on my work computer. Maybe later.

Life in General by Dan | Permalink | Comments (2)

December 01, 2005

Don't you remember?

Freely stolen from roninjedi, because he stole it from someone else:

If you read this, if your eyes are passing over this right now, (even if we don't speak often) please post a comment with a COMPLETELY MADE UP AND FICTIONAL memory of you and me. It can be anything you want - good or bad - BUT IT HAS TO BE FAKE. When you're finished, post this little paragraph on your blog and be surprised (or mortified) about what people DON'T ACTUALLY remember about you.

Meme by Dan | Permalink | Comments (4)