Biggs' Zone

A Geek's Cogitations, Conjectures and other Cortical Experiences

Someone Got Run Over By A Greyhound

By

On August 15, 2016

In General Cogitation

“THUMP! ………………… THUMP!”

It doesn’t really sound like that, figuratively and literally. It’s more of a crushing sound, bones and morale. It will take your life and your loyalty depending on the context. The worst part is, most of the time you won’t even see it coming. One minute you will be going about your day and the next you’re fodder for the wolves! Sure there are usually warnings but depending on who, or what has your attention can affect whether you recognize the warnings. Depending on the severity you might be able to come back from it, but life will be different.

Obviously the former has more mortal consequences and relies on the hands of good doctors and surgeons. The latter will require more action from you and your ability to subvert the greater evil.  If its within your means to influence the outcome, it might behoove you to take the hit. Sometimes its better to lose the battle in order to win the war. It’s important to keep in mind that in these cases you need to help yourself because its clear nobody is going to help you. It’s time to start making plans.

Always Plan Ahead

All you need is the plan,
the road map,
and the courage
to press on to your destination.
Earl Nightingale

You have to know how you are going to handle the immediate situation and you have to make a plan for the future. There is never a good outcome, only the bad and the ugly. The ugly likely means your future plan and your immediate plan are going to be the same and there is nothing you can do about that (except try to be the bigger person). The bad means you have options to consider. Will you constantly feel judged when you are walking through the halls each day? Can you endure the day-to-day and, again, try to be the bigger person? Also keep in mind that no matter how long its been since the beginning, if there is ever another hunt, which you know there will be, are you going to be the target again?

You have to think about what the future will look like, and it may or may not be a pleasant view. Has your outlook changed? Greyhounds have a tendency to make you take a second look at yourself. Talking to your peers may help, especially the brutally honest ones. It also doesn’t hurt to keep all your options open and don’t forget to weigh the pros and the cons. Unfortunately none of this is going to be pleasant; in fact its going to add quite a bit of stress but do not be afraid to make the hard choice.

It’s All About Perception

The important thing in either situation is to keep your cool; thus trying to be the bigger person. It’s obvious you already are because it was the coward that put you here. If you remain calm but keep your guard up, chances are they will be less guarded. Remember, it’s all about perception. Don’t be influenced by their jargon, especially when they tell you that eventually it will feel like it never happened. But you will never forget. Also, don’t stoop to their level and try to run someone else over; that will not make it right.

The jaded will dwell on it but only the guilty will want you to forget.

Biggs’ Labs: MythTV, Plex and FreeNAS [Complete]

By

On July 30, 2016

In Biggs' Labs, Technology

MythTV, Plex and FreeNASI am crushing it on these tech projects I have going on at home, I just haven’t been very good at keeping up with posting about them. I can mark another item off the list as my MythTV, Plex and FreeNAS project is complete.  Here is the updated project list:

In Home Network

MythTV, Plex and FreeNAS (DVR and Media server)

Home Automation (in progress)

Home Automation – Raspberry Pi integration (on pause)

All of the projects I have on deck were all relying on getting the in-home network operational. I imagine I will be able to complete the remaining projects faster now that I have a proper network set up. In fact that was the case with my Home Media Server project. I have gone on a tirade before about how much I loathe doing the cable & Internet provider dance. It finally reached a point where I became tired of paying $130+ for hundreds of channels that I rarely watch. I do enjoy some of the specialty channels such as DIY, HGTV, Velocity and Food Network but sometimes those channels were more for background noise. Besides I think they will eventually be available through other media sources (i.e. Netflix, Hulu, Apple TV).

Read More

As the Burning Legion Comes, We Bid Adieu to Draenor

By

On July 27, 2016

In Gaming, MMORPG, World of Warcraft

Burning Legion ComesLast week we saw the activation of the 7.0 patch. The patch that paves the way to the launch of Legion. If you haven’t been paying attention, the patch includes the new Appearances interface, changes to all class talents, and the Demon Invasion (to name a few). As of the time of this post, the Demon Invasion hasn’t begun yet. It might be as soon as one week later, or it could still be a few weeks off. When that invasion happens, we will get the Demon Hunter class. Regardless, as the Burning Legion comes we bid adieu to Draenor.

Was Warlords of Draenor a Success?

roger-rabbit-two-bits

Shave and a Hair Cut …

So was this expansion a success? I doubt it. If you look at the subscription numbers over the past year, they haven’t been good. Blizzard has lost millions of subscriptions. Granted they still have more active subscribers than any other title out there, but they have dropped from 12 million down to about 5.5 million. That has got to make them cringe worse than Shave-and-a-haircut affects Roger Rabbit (I’m dating myself here).

Honestly, I think each expansion, since Wrath of the Lich King, has been weaker than the one before it. I don’t think it helps that this expansion uses time travel, which is always a sensitive concept to tackle. Yes, I thought it was cool to see Khadgar and fight Blackhand and Archimonde but this expansion felt more disjointed than Mists of Pandaria. It’s the curse of poor time travel story telling. It was clearly just an opportunity for the developers to create encounters with historic heroes. There was no attention given to the butterfly principal; our mere existence should have caused rippling consequences throughout the entire timeline. Perhaps Nozdormu swoops in at the end and uses a neuralyzer.

Were There Redeeming Qualities?

I don’t think this expansion was a complete wash. While the story lacked connectivity and relevance, the expansion introduced some new mechanics that I think are fun. Garrisons were the closest thing Blizzard has ever come to player housing. Unfortunately I think that is the closest we are going to get. One of the biggest criticisms about garrisons was that it ostracized players. The entire social component that is the foundation of the game was lost because everyone stayed in their garrison. I love the concept of the garrison; perhaps they just gave us a little too much to do and not enough reason to leave (other than daily quests).

The followers were another fun idea and I’m excited that its something they are going to continue in Legion. Collecting followers, for me, almost became like collecting Pokemon. You especially wanted to collect the familiar names (like Admiral Taylor, Harrison Jones, Millhouse Manastorm and Leeroy Jenkins, to name a few). I would like to know where Budd was this expansion; he would have been a great follower! I also liked that some followers had the Bodyguard trait, which is very useful when you are leveling or doing daily quests and you’re squishy.

One other thing I liked about Warlords of Draenor, albeit minor, was getting to see Draenor before it was torched and became Outlands. It was pretty cool to see Auchindoun in all its glory before it was turned to rubble. Karabor before it becomes Black Temple. Tanaan Jungle before it becomes Hellfire Peninsula. Someday, I would like to see Karazhan before it became dilapidated.

There was also that epic, and overdue, showdown between Garrosh and Thrall.

So we bid you adieu Draenor; I wish we could have prevented that which you will become, but the Burning Legion comes and we must be prepared!

minion_keboard_smI could accomplish so much more if I only had minions!

I Tried But Pokemon Go is a Definite No Go

By

On July 20, 2016

In Gaming

Just so I’m clear, this is not going to be another smear editorial against Pokemon Go players. I have been a gamer since the first time I picked up an NES controller. So I get it. I understand why people are out there, obsessively hunting down Pokemon in the parks and by the streams. I think what is most interesting is the world is now aware just how many gamers there are. Gaming isn’t something that goes away after puberty. We were playing it all through high school. It got most of us through college. Now we are gaming after work and after the kids go to bed. There are a lot more of us than most people thought. But I digress. The real point is, Pokemon Go isn’t for me.

Pokemon Go at Work

I found this guy hanging out above my monitors at work

I’ll be honest, I did install it for about two days. I go on a two-mile walk during my lunch everyday so I thought it might be something interesting to do while I walk. By the end of the second day I was uninstalling it from my phone (important note: remember to remove it from your Google account too). It isn’t that I think it was boring because it definitely has the right hooks to be a fun game.

You’re a gamer, why aren’t you playing Pokemon Go?

I am clearly the target demographic, so why am I not out there chasing down Pokemon? Part of it is that I’m just not into Pokemon. I was born just shy of when Pokemon became a huge fad. Also, when I take a walk my goal is to complete a certain distance within a certain amount of time which requires me to walk at a certain pace. Constantly checking my phone and veering off track to catch a Pokemon just didn’t align with those goals.

So it’s gone and I don’t feel like I’m missing out, but that’s just me. If my friends and peers want to play it, I support them 100%. I feel it behooves me to bring your attention to one thing though: be mindful of your data usage! Since it hasn’t been out for a full month, people haven’t seen their cell phone bills yet. Several of the articles I’ve been reading warn people that it can really eat up your data, and your battery (case in point, my battery went down 20% in just 20 minutes). I do believe, however, that the developers are working on some solutions for these issues.

I am going to wrap this up on a positive note. Despite the ridicule, I think the Pokemon Go phenomenon has the potential to have some very positive results. Gaming geeks rarely get to meet face-to-face unless its a Comic-con. Along comes a game that has millions getting out of the house, with a common objective. Despite the burning daystar, barriers are being broken down and we are meeting new people, with common interests, IRL!

/cheers

minion_keboard_smI could accomplish so much more if I only had minions!

Tech Talk: Apple Watch (vs Fitbit & Frivolity)

By

On July 18, 2016

In Apple, Tech Talk, Technology

Apple WatchI used to wear a watch all the time. I had a Fossil watch so it wasn’t a luxury brand, but it wasn’t a bargain brand either. When I lost weight, the watch no longer fit and would need links removed to make it fit again. I waited so long to get the appropriate tools to remove the link that the battery died. I was unable to open the back to replace the battery, so I continued to go on without a watch. In the fall of 2014 Apple announced their latest gadget, the Apple Watch. I was skeptical, a watch is such a mundane accessory, what could possibly be cool about a watch. By the end of the demonstration I knew I would definitely use the Apple Watch. There was no doubt in my mind. Alas, the frugal part of me knew that I could not, and would not, pay the $400 price tag for a watch.

A little over 8 weeks ago, I was shocked to find an amazing, and rare deal on Apple Watches at Micro Center. After combining coupons and price matching, I saved about $150 on an Apple Watch. I knew that Apple will likely be releasing Apple Watch 2 this fall, but I didn’t care. I was more willing to pay $250 now rather than wait to see what I wouldn’t be buying in September. Granted $250 is still a pretty hefty price tag for a watch. I did some budgeting and some math and slept on it a few nights before I pulled the trigger on it. It was probably still a frivolous, luxury commodity, but most Apple products are.

There are two things that have really stood out after having bought and used an Apple Watch for about two months now. First, I use it a lot more than I thought I would. At first I was honestly worried that I may have just spent frivolously but the more things I discovered I can do the happier I became with the purchase. I think the most telltale sign was the fact that I only take it off when I’m going to bed. When I was wearing a normal watch, I would always take it off after I came home from work and I rarely wore it on the weekends. Now its the first thing I put on every morning.

It’s nice that I don’t have to take my phone with me any time I want to sit somewhere else in the room or go into an adjoining room. My watch can tell me if I have any messages or email I need to check, as long as I stay within Bluetooth range of my phone. I can even reply to text messages, if the reply doesn’t require an extensive response. I can quickly glance at sports scores, check the weather, control music, even access our smart home modules. I’m sure I have barely tapped the surface of what I can do. It is important to note though, that the more notifications you send to your watch the more it eats up its battery. On the other hand (no pun intended), I don’t have to use my phone as much for menial tasks like checking the time or a text message which saves the battery on my phone.

The second, and probably most peculiar, everyone thought I would be giving up my Fitbit now that I have an Apple Watch. I have been a loyal Fitbit user for over three years (i.e. I was using Fitbit before Fitbit was cool), a mere watch was not going to tarnish that relationship. Second, its alarming that people automatically associate an Apple Watch with fitness and health. Apple should be concerned about how they are marketing the watch if that’s what people are primarily using it for (which is simply ludicrous).

Also, I don’t really like the Activity app on the watch. I find the Fitbit app on my phone much easier to use for tracking my exercises and, of course, participating in challenges with my friends. My intention was never to replace my Fitbit with the Apple Watch, they serve their own purposes, independently. So, despite my initial concerns, I am more than thrilled with the Apple Watch and I highly recommend it to anyone who has already invested in the Apple family of products.

/cheers

minion_keboard_smI could get so much more accomplished if I only had minions!

Book Review: Magic of Thieves

By

On July 17, 2016

In Book Review, Fantasy

Magic of Thieves (Legends of Dimmingwood, #1)Magic of Thieves by C. Greenwood
My rating: [rating=4]
(Click here to read this review on Goodreads)

I really enjoy reading random fantasy books by authors that are either up and coming or I’m not extremely familiar with. C Greenwood has been writing books for, what appears to be, 4 years. Magic of Thieves was her first book published back in 2012.  I started following C Greenwood on Twitter and I signed up for her newsletter which is how I acquired a copy of her book.

I’ll admit that it took me a couple of chapters to get into the book. I should make an effort to read the brief description of books just so I have an idea of where the story might take me. The more I learned about Ilan as she adapted to her life with The Hand and his band of thieves the more I became intrigued by the destiny that awaits her. I have to admit that I think my favorite flavor of fantasy characters is sorcery.

Once I reached the end of Magic of Thieves I had decided that the Legends of Dimmingwood would be making it into my book budget. If you are interested in a great story, this book is a quick read. As of the time of this review it is available for free as a Kindle ebook on Amazon.

View all my reviews

diablo3-readingThe more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.
– Dr. Seuss

Page 92 of 181

Previous

Next

Powered by WordPress & Theme by Anders Norén