Finally… Progress.

Posted on June 2, 2011 by UberToast

It’s been a little more than a year since my last post – this is partially due to Blogger discontinuing FTP publishing and partially due to my own laziness. Well, I’ve finally taken the steps to start getting the site back on track. I’ve installed WordPress, imported the remains of the old site and begun the lengthy process of customization. This is no short order since I intend to build a complete custom theme for the site. So, while I may have a suitable soapbox to shout from again, my postings may still be sparse as my efforts will be primarily focused on getting the site properly configured & styled.

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Control is key

Posted on April 7, 2010 by UberToast

I’ve never been much for fighting games; with me they rate above sports game, but not by a great amount. My 2 favorite fighting games haven’t been because of the game speed, fight mechanics, graphics, moves or lineage of the game series, but instead, because of the characters. Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 – I treasure Mega Man, and Soul Calibur 3 (on the Xbox) – I could kick ass with Spawn, how fun is that?!

Yesterday I received the box pictured above. “Wait a minute…” you’re thinking, “John, why would you get the Tekken 6 LE bundle if you don’t care for fighting games?” I have a remarkably simple answer: Control.

As the post is titled – Control is key – considering the recent release of Game Room and my ongoing frustration with control in XBLA releases of classic arcade games, the Wireless Fight Stick that comes with the Tekken 6 LE bundle, a solid arcade styled controller, is perfect for correcting the control disparity between the arcade originals and their Xbox 360 counterparts. I likely won’t play much of Tekken 6, but the bundle was on sale and easily makes Game Room and XBLA releases so much more enjoyable, there was no question in getting it.

I was somewhat weary the first time I tried the Wireless Fight Stick with Game Room, it worked just fine, but my first game of Yar’s Revenge was pitiful; a mere 12K points when I have hit 150K in the past. I then tried the controller with Shao-lin’s Road, a game I couldn’t break 62K on with the standard 360 controller – my first game I pulled off 125K points, doubling my previous best. I think the controller is a winner – it’s inexpensive, solid, responsive and wireless.

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Desk Cleaning Haiku

Posted on April 5, 2010 by UberToast

Desk overwhelming, cleared to restore sanity, how long will it last.

While I haven’t actually cleared my desk yet, the above is what goes through my head. I have too much stuff. Stuff that certainly has a use, but not necessarily a use right now. And that stuff usually makes it way to my desk over time. 3 primary cleaning projects: Clearing my desk, moving my computer & server back into and recognizing the equipment rack, and making the closet accessible again. I need to systematically break each down and work in manageable chunks – attempting to tackle the whole project would be too overwhelming and would lead to failure.

Unfortunately each of the cleaning projects have elements that are either part of or in the way of one of the other projects, this compounds the difficulty in the systematically working through them. What I really need is a weekend without any plans, allowing me to focus on these projects exclusively. Also some space to temporary move things to while completing the projects, and a good way to organize these spaces so they are accessible and functional. I have no difficulty cleaning any of these spaces, the difficulty comes in when I actually need something from one of them – they aren’t accessible and this leads to the return of the mess. This then leads to reduced productivity at my desk as I am uncomfortable with the environment and want to get away from my desk as quickly as possible.

One of the few things that I truly have organized and accessible are the DVD collection and the commonly played segment of my gaming collection. Each has its designated space, is alphabetized and cataloged. This cannot be said for my books, tools, misc electronics and the portion of the gaming collection I have no room to display right now.

I try to be an organized individual; things seem to work better for me with logical, designated spaces for things. I’ll get there at some point, or toss the whole lot out the window.

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And Another Thing…

Posted on March 18, 2010 by UberToast

Exactly that… “And Another Thing…” Eoin Colfer’s recent release, the 6th book in Douglas Adams’ epic Hitchhiker’s Guide trilogy arrived today. (Via UPS, they know how to knock on a door.) Yay! I shall begin immediately. I have high hopes for this – Mr. Colfer, please do not disappoint me.

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Capable vs Willing

Posted on March 18, 2010 by UberToast

I purchased an item from a Hong Kong eBay dealer on February 20th, paid for it the same day. It was shipped March 1st, it arrived at my local USPS facility on March 16th then it took 2 days for it to move a mile up the road from the Post Office to my apartment complex… and it was delivered, right? No, of course not, that would make the story too short and boring; who wants to read a post like that. Delivering the package would have meant that the postal worker would have actually had to… wait for it… turn around from the main assigned mail boxes and deposit the package in one of the lockable oversize mail boxes (some 4 feet away from my mailbox) OR walk over to my door and knock on it (if it needed a signature). Too much work apparently, as I instead received a friendly note in my mail box saying “Sorry We missed You” — Puzzling… how can they miss me when they never attempted to get a hold of me?

No I am not just bitter that I haven’t received the expected package, nor am I angered on how long it has taken. I don’t mind something taking a while as long as the time is warranted for the action. I’m annoyed because this is just nonsense and someone not wanting to take the time to do their job. Of course I can’t run over to the Post Office today to pick up the package (as I just found out by going there) because it is still out on the truck taking a scenic tour of my neighborhood. I can go back tomorrow to get it. Joy.

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