Biggs' Zone

A Geek's Cogitations, Conjectures and other Cortical Experiences

Gaming: Where Have The Times Gone??

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On February 23, 2016

In Gaming, MMORPG

Gaming: Where Have The Times Gone?

[dropcap]I[/dropcap] haven’t posted anything related to gaming in a couple of weeks. It hasn’t been a lack of interest, I still log in to my World of Warcraft account daily, its been a lack of interesting news articles. Perhaps the first quarter all the game makers are busy working on their respective products and don’t really have a lot they can share with the community right now. At least I certainly hope that is the reason for such a long silence. The only real tidbit of news that seemed remotely interesting was the return of the Overwatch beta, which started back on February 9th. I have said a few times, I won’t create an “MMO Times” just for the sake of creating an MMO Times post if there isn’t anything that is worth reading. I won’t waste your time like that.

I’ve also been quite busy with my recent “Biggs Lab” projects, which I will provide an update on that soon. In the meantime I will keep watching the gaming news and hopefully we will have something interesting to talk about soon. In the spirit of the WRUP (What R U Playing) articles often found on Blizzard Watch, what have you been doing to pass the time lately (in the gaming world)? Depending on what part of the world you live in, I know the weather hasn’t been conducive to much exterior entertainment. Obviously Star Wars The Force Awakens was the best form of entertainment in the recent months but that can get expensive (even for a die hard fan like myself). Are you hitting other MMOs? Are you playing some new console titles; perhaps ones you may have received for Christmas? Sadly all of my consoles are out of commission until I complete my work networking the house so I haven’t been able to play the XBox or Wii lately.

/cheers

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

Still Enjoy The Smell Of A Book

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On February 19, 2016

In General Cogitation, Technology

Still Enjoy The Smell Of A BookAs technology evolves, new gadgets come out that change the way we evolve and as a geek I love to embrace that new technology. Also, as a geek, I love to read and I’ve been reading physical books long before there were e-readers. I do own an e-reader and I do use it but I still enjoy the smell of a book. There is also something elegant and nostalgic about the tactile properties of holding a book and turning the pages. Often times I am in the middle of two books at the same time. One on an e-reader and one in print and I have literally sat by the fireplace, in my recliner, reading a book.

Do I prefer one over the other? Not really. I probably use both pretty equally. I have plenty of books in print that I haven’t read yet and I intend to still read them, in their physical form. I don’t see the point in purchasing the digital versions of the books because, in my mind, that would be like buying a second copy. Granted, digital books definitely save on shelf space but with printed books you don’t have to worry about dead batteries or a crashed device. On the other hand, when I travel for vacation, I usually read a lot and I never know how quickly I might finish a book so the e-reader comes in quite handy. It’s a lot easier to have a library at your fingertips than to try to pack a library in your suitcase.

I’m not going to advocate for one format or the other. People should choose which they prefer for themselves and refrain from putting the other down. I do often worry that we will lose brick and mortar bookstores and libraries because there is nothing better than the look and smell of a bookstore or library. I could spend hours in a bookstore wishing I had the cash to buy every book that looked interesting; but I digress.

Whether you prefer physical books, ebooks or both I think its great that you read enough to have a preference. I hope, with all the technology today, kids still take the time to read a book (before seeing the movie). Reading will not only improve your vocabulary (which can make the difference between having a job and unemployment) but will also improve your creativity and critical thinking skills. Indulging in a good book is also a great way to relieve stress, for kids and adults alike.

/cheers

minion_keboard_smI could get so much more accomplished if I only had minions!
Empire (In Her Name: Redemption)

Book Review: Armada by Ernest Cline

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On February 9, 2016

In Book Review, Fantasy, Science Fiction

Armada by Ernest ClineArmada by Ernest Cline
My rating: [rating=5]
(Click here to see this review on Goodreads.)

Another great, nerd-filled classic by the Ohio native. As most fans of Ready Player One, I was very excited when I heard about Armada. He does succeed, again, in stirring those nostalgic nerdy memories from my childhood with various references to games and movies I played/watched growing up. I will admit, however, perhaps the references were a little too prolific, especially at the beginning of the book, but I could tell Ernest Cline was writing a book that was fulfilling a childhood fantasy. The same childhood fantasy all of us had playing video games in the 90s and watching Star Wars and The Last Starfighter.

Despite the abundant movie references, and the teasing at the end which lead me to believe there would be a sequel, I still gave this book 5 Stars. Ender’s Game is one of my all time favorite books and Armada felt like a combination of Ender’s Game and The Last Starfighter and turned out to be an excellent juxtaposition.

When Zack learns what he is destined to do, the book becomes impossible to put down. I found myself sneaking in a page or two when the toddler and the wife were distracted; or I went an extra minute on the stationary bike just to keep reading. In fact there were a couple of nights where I was reading until 1 in the morning, allotting me only 4 hours of sleep for the night. There are, literally, only a handful of books where that has happened to me in the past.

Thank you, Ernest Cline, for another epic nerd-themed book. Thank you for taking me back, once again, to my childhood days and the games and movies of the 80’s and 90’s, and I’m looking forward to the next great novel!

View all my reviews

The Force. It calls to you. Just let it in.

The Lenten Experiment

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On February 8, 2016

In Fitness

The Lenten ExperimentThis Wednesday is Ash Wednesday and that means Lent is here (already!). The past two years I have been a little lenient on my Lenten sacrifice but I’m going back to giving up soda as part of my Lenten experiment. It’s been a while since I have gone 40 days without a pop so I’m expecting this Lent to be a little more challenging. I know of several people who have given up pop, for various reasons, and it has been a significant contribution to their weight loss. I think my weight loss has plateaued recently so I am going to take the opportunity this Lent to push myself a little harder. Perhaps the combination of the extra effort and no pop will help push me over that plateau.

I’m sure I’m going to have many moments where I will slip; in fact I am going to allow it. One of the most important things to remember when working out is to listen to your body. If it hurts enough that you have to take pain medication, then you are a) doing something wrong or b) you need to take a break and let your body repair. The point of the experiment isn’t to see how close I can get to incapacitating myself but to observe the effects of a more intense workout coupled with the reduced consumption of soda. I think what intimidates me the most is that I may try to start getting up early on the weekends to use the treadmill for a half hour. I may also try to increase my daily step average which means I will have to find a way to get additional steps each day as most days I am barely hitting my 11k.

Wish me luck because this will be a difficult challenge but I can’t think of a better time for self-improvement, self-reflection and renewal than Lent.

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

Introducing Biggs Lab

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On February 5, 2016

In Biggs' Labs, Technology

Biggs' LabsI have been adding more projects lately, other than my online projects (i.e. vleaminck.com is technically my sandbox for new web technology). I have been branching out into more hardware based projects. I have talked to a few folks about what I’m working on and I’ve posted a few comments and pictures about it on Twitter and Facebook. In every conversation I’ve had people have asked me to keep them in the loop as to how the project is going and how it turns out. I decided I would create a new category of blog posts because as I complete each project I will write a blog post about how it went and any tips that I have for anyone that wants to try it out. I often refer to my projects in the context of “my lab” and thus the new category is “Biggs Lab”.

Here are a few projects I have going on and what is on deck:

In Home Network (almost complete)

MythTV – Plex – FreeNAS DVR and Media system (started)

Home Automation (up next)

Home Automation – Raspberry Pi integration (on deck)

These are just the projects I know I will be getting to in the near future. Depending on the success or failure of these projects could inspire new projects. I’m also always looking for ideas. If you have worked with any of the technologies or architecture that I’m using, I’d like to know what you did and/or some of the resources you used to help you succeed. I particularly interested in any Raspberry Pi projects. So check back to see what I have cooking up in my lab next.

The Force. It calls to you. Just let it in.

And the Geeks Have Inherited the Earth!

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On January 26, 2016

In General Cogitation, Technology

the geeks have inherited the EarthRemember us; from 20 years ago? I know you do. We were the daily mugging. It was never about the lunch money or the dress shirts. We were bullied because we were smarter than you, because we could thrive without trying, because you felt threatened by us. We warned you to be kind to us because you should feel threatened. We had many mantras.

“Be nice to geeks, you’ll probably end up working for one”

“Geeks, will one day, inherit the Earth.”

“Geeks rule the World”

Well now the geeks have inherited the Earth, and we remember! Our minds are steel traps. We haven’t forgotten who bullied and tortured us. Your misplaced machismo may have brought us down on the outside, but it steeled our willpower and drove our ambitions. Now we are the timid tormentors. We are the kings of passive retribution. There are now more of us than there are of you. We may hide behind our monitors and tablets, but that is to disguise our numbers. We may dress like Jedi, Nintendo princesses, hobbits and wizards but that doesn’t mean our resolve has been weakened. We dress as creatures of power because we are creatures of power!

Now we pray on your insecurities and inadequacies. While you sleep, we are building empires but now as CEO, CTO, CIO and even as actors and actresses. Now we control your fate as yours employer and your superiors. Most of us do it as presidents and board members; or we enter your homes through your televisions and Blu-ray players; but there are those of us that do it … “anonymously”, from afar. We know your secrets because we have silently infiltrated your life. Our manifesto from the ’80’s still applies today. You live in our world now! You cannot hide from us; we are smarter than you, remember?

We are abundant.

We are everywhere.

We are watching you.

And we tried to warn you – now go empty the trash!

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