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January 30, 2008
Endless Ocean
This game is so cool.
Posted by binhqx at 11:34 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
A real down day
I have up days and down days. Today is a real down day. Days like this can only be caused by relationships with women....
I'm going to sleep and DDR this one off.
Posted by binhqx at 4:14 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 29, 2008
Starting to understand the XML hype
When I first encountered XML years and years ago, I did not understand what all the hype was about. It looked like just another text markup language too me.
However, recently I have been implementing some XML in Meda's game engine and it is starting to dawn on me what XML is meant to do.
XML allows computers to talk to other computers and people to talk to computers as an agreed upon lingua franca. Data can be exchanged between systems that know nothing of each other. Because XML is structured it can maintain the structure of the data it contains.
When you write a program that talks in XML, it can talk to the world. Cool Stuff.
Posted by binhqx at 11:42 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 28, 2008
Cisco auto-negotiate does not work very well.
We has been having problems down at our NOC with occasional, short network outages. These last just a second or two but voice streams do not handle outages like that vary well.
It looked like the cause of the problem was some kind of protocol mismatch between our routers and switches. All of our network hardware is Cisco and you would a assume that by default Cisco would work with Cisco.
However we diagnosed the problem too be the auto-negotiate between the routers and switches. Once I set all the interfaces to 100BASE-TX full duplex the problems just stopped.
The lesson here is to manually set your port speed when you know know what they should be. This prevents the hardware from making a "best-guess."
Posted by binhqx at 3:23 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 24, 2008
Helvetica
Helvetica is a film about its namesake. It is a film about a font (or typeface) called Helvetica. It explores the origin of this ubiquitous font and how it has influenced graphic design till the present day.
I would highly recommend this film for anyone who has ever been interested in typography or how it relates to graphic design. I found leaning about the path graphic design has taken in the last 40 incredibly inspiring.
There is a copy of the film on google video. It will probably be taken down eventually so catch it while you can.
Posted by binhqx at 11:55 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 23, 2008
Can't sleep tonight
I must have worked for 13 hours today. 13 hours of writing software. I feel so burnt out right now and on top of that I have insomnia.
I'm a little pissed at Jesse right now because after all that work all I wanted to do is play DDR and listen to my latest audiobook. But all I could do is listen to Jesse did was talk about upcoming projects. Yes, I get done with work to go home and talk about more work. Uhg!
At least if I am not sleeping I have some time to fill in this blog!
Posted by binhqx at 11:37 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
January 22, 2008
I little match making...
There is always that little twinge of devilishness that one feels when trying to set two people up. It is like a little challenge to see how good you are at adjusting the course of other peoples lives to facilitate a new relationship.
In this case it is not manipulation that is necessary. It is more about seeing potential roadblocks and pitfalls and getting them out of the way. Everything else will take care of its self.
Cryptic? yes, but I do not want to gloat over handy work that is not done yet.
Posted by binhqx at 4:49 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 21, 2008
Google Flight sim
There is a hidden feature in Google Earth that makes the program into a simple flight simulator.
It only has two types of aircraft. However, it is enough to get a better feeling of just how big the earth is. When manipulating Google earth, the program alows the user to traverse the planet at impossible speeds. So the earth feels more like the size of a basketball not a planet sized hunk of rock. In flight sim mode, the surface of the planet moves under the user at an accurately simulated speed. This gives the user a much better fell of the scale of everything.
Here is a screen shot of me flying over my parents house in Maine. In just a few minutes time from there I entered into the low mountains that occupy most of Mount Desert Island. I was surprised how many I could identify just by flying around.
Posted by binhqx at 5:20 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 20, 2008
I want: Theater Lights
It is very rare that I see something expensive and just think to myself "I want that!" However I had one such episode recently.
I was talking with Laurie about how much I like photography and how I put special emphasis on lighting the scene. However I do not own any lights that would allow me to take good indoor photos. So I checked out how much it costs to buy lighting equipment for photography. I found any kind of studio lamps come in super cheap or overly expensive and all they do is produce a pure white light to capturing accurate color.
I thought about it for a while and decided that is not what I want to do. I want to play with color, intensity from multiple sources at different angles. What I want is a set of theater lights.
I looked around the internet and found this. All kinds of packages of lamps and stands with everything I need included.
Oh the fun I could have with these. I want some of these lights so bad right now.
Posted by binhqx at 4:00 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 19, 2008
WALL•E
I always get so excited about new Pixar films.
Their new film WALL•E looks like it will continue Pixar's legacy of making fun and exciting movies for all ages.
Besides WALL•E is so cute.
Posted by binhqx at 1:19 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 18, 2008
Cloverfield: NOT a monster movie
I went to see Cloverfield with Cap tonight. I am not going to give away any spoilers, however I will give my reaction.
I was disappointed by the film. I expected the movie was about a monster. It is in fact about a few boring characters who happen to be in the same place as a monster attack. That is probably my biggest grip about the movie, it never explores what the monster is.
During the whole thing the audience never gets out of the state of panic and confusion that the characters are experiencing. So I am not sure what to take from this film. I probable will not watch it again because panic and confusion are not things I like to watch people experience.
Posted by binhqx at 11:59 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
January 17, 2008
MonkeyBar at Mojito's
Every Thursday night, after programming at Medaverse Studios, I like to unwind with friends and cute girls at Mojito's. On these nights, Mojito's hosts live music provided by MonkeyBar.
MonkeyBar is a great cover band that plays quite a few of my favorite rocks songs. I need to see if I can find a full list of their song sets.
Posted by binhqx at 11:07 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 16, 2008
Mitosis, let me show you it
I love this one because it a cellular biology joke.
This one is the same joke, but about toes!
Posted by binhqx at 3:59 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 15, 2008
Impromptu slumber party
After hanging out at Mojitos tonight I invited Laurie and Stacy back to my place to chill out. I mostly just wanted to show DDR to Stacy. After doing that for a bit we when to my room for a cozy spot to talk.
I did not have any plans for the next day so when Stacy fell asleep in my bed I figured that this just became an impromptu slumber party. Though I did not do much sleeping. I was up talking to Laurie till 6 am. After that Stacy woke up and drove Laurie home.
That was long but fun day.
Posted by binhqx at 11:05 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 14, 2008
January thaw is over
After a week of great weather, winter has come back with vengeance. There are 7 inches of snow out there and perhaps more on the way. So I worked from home today.
I for one enjoyed our short reprieve from the weather.
Posted by binhqx at 5:57 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 13, 2008
Rock Band (continued...)
We had to limit the time we played Rock Band yesterday because it got late and we had to quiet down. Today we loaded the game up around noon so we would have lots of time to play.
Cap and I made in-game characters. He plays guitar and i am on the drums. Neither of us have much interest in exploring out vocal skills though. We played through quite a few of the easy career gigs and are stating to become proficient with our instruments (virtual instruments).
Later SB and Nicole came down and they made some characters of their own. The four of us formed one rock band and we played for the rest of the day. We did not stop playing till we reached some kind of musical exhaustion.
This game is good to play alone, great to play with a friend, and the best to play with three friends.
Posted by binhqx at 3:10 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 12, 2008
Rock Band!
Today, Cap bought a videopgame called Rock_Band. The games premise is very simple: you pretend that you are in a rock band.
Here is that the wikipedia had to say about it:
Rock Band allows players to perform in virtual "bands" by providing up to four players with the ability to play three different peripherals modeled after music instruments (a guitar peripheral for lead guitar and bass guitar gameplay, a drum peripheral, and a microphone). These peripherals are used to simulate the playing of rock music by hitting scrolling notes on-screen.
My opinion is this game rules. It is fun and musical. We just can not play it late at night or we would be waking up the enter neighborhood (just like a real rock band).
Posted by binhqx at 9:23 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 11, 2008
Another Friday
Today was just another Friday. Worked, came home, went out and sampled some nightlife. The usual stuff.
Wow, I remember when I thought TV was the high point of weekend activities. Now I do not even have a TV hooked up to receive any kind of broadcast. I am so much better off without it.
Posted by binhqx at 11:19 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 10, 2008
The mood pendulum
It is strange how one's mood can swing quickly from one extreme to another.
Some little bit of bad news or a slight disappointment and I can be thrown into a well of despair. In these times the world is bleak place where everything is in decay. Every second is just more time wasted on the long road to my impending mortality.
However, next day I could wake up feeling incredible. The world is my oyster and I can accomplish anything I set out to do. In these time I am so confident that I cannot do anything wrong. Meaning that if I make mistakes, I do the mistake correctly. Weird right?
Posted by binhqx at 5:08 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
January 9, 2008
Coding Burnout/specialization
I find after 8 to 10 hours of coding my brain does not want to stop coding. Instead it wants to do nothing but coding. I become so focused on classes and member methods that I do not want to think about anything else.
This may be good for programing but it is bad for anything else. I loose the ability to socialize properly, and just enjoy the entertainment of a book or movie. I am stuck in the coding process and can not get out.
A few hours later it will wear off and I will get back to normal. However in that code groove time I am useless for anything else.
Posted by binhqx at 11:18 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 8, 2008
Voting day!
So now the time has come to take part in democracy and vote in the preliminary election.
It is convenient that the voting location for my ward in Dover is just two blocks away. I was torn as to who to vote for until I registered for my party at the polling center. I had boiled my choices down to two options. I was either going to vote for Ron Paul because he is the only non Neocon on the Republican ballot or John Edwards because he is the only candidate that has a clue about the video game industry. If a keep with this game development gig, law that effect it will become of great importance in my livelihood. I would rather have a president that knows what is going on and does not pass knee-jerk laws that would effect it.
In the end I went with Edwards. I kinda regret it now because afterward I discovered that he is considered out of the race after the Iowa caucuses. Oh well. I still voted for the one that I thought is best for me. That is all that matters in the democratic process.
Posted by binhqx at 11:58 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
January 7, 2008
Einstein creature
Posted by binhqx at 4:33 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 6, 2008
January thaw
I spent most of the morning listening to the ice falling off the roof.
All last week it has been snapping cold out side. The kind of cold that makes snow sound like parched Styrofoam and black-ice so transparent parent it is still invisible after you fall on it.
However last night it warmed up. This is a New Hampshire January, so warm mean 40°F. IT is so nice to see the grown growing up through the white and brown snow. It keeps me reminded that there is a planet made of rock under this frozen exterior.
Posted by binhqx at 5:09 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 5, 2008
Sneaky Pete at the DBH!
I met Rachel this summer at one of Boring Kind Of Guy's parties. It was then that I promised her that I would go to one of her band's show.
Posted by binhqx at 5:33 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 4, 2008
Hollister white bread
I stopped into Central Wave to chat with Les tonight. The Wave is one of Dover's fine nightlife centers that has a bright sports bar feel to it. However tonight I was a little freaked out by the atmosphere there. It had nothing to do with the establishment, I was troubled by the customers. Every last person in the Wave was wearing Hollister or Abercrombie & Fitch clothes. I could tell this not because I have a eye for over priced brand merchandise. I could tell where everyone had purchased their garments because Hollister and Abercrombie plaster their names in large print all over their clothing.
As I looked around the room, the effect was like being at a cheerleader competition where instead of schools, each person overtly represented some over priced boutique.
This would not have been so bad if I did not know anyone there. However, I ran into a few old acquaintance who apparently been recruited to team Hollister. I thought the need to look identical and conform to some standard died out after high school. Apparently the need to look like a a member of some preppy-yuppie army has come into style.
I alway thought that intention of dress for night life socializing was to standout and draw attention. Not be another faceless member of a paint-by-numbers fashion herd.
Posted by binhqx at 3:46 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 3, 2008
Growing some facial hair
Yesterday I want out and bought some bad-ass new cloths. Now I need a bad-ass new look to go with them. I looked around the internet for just the type of bad-ass I want to be and fond one the the greatest bad-asses of all time:
Evil Spock!
What makes evil Spock so bad-ass? That oh so menacing looking goatee on his Vulcan chin. So I am going to grow me one of those.
ha hah ha... Evil is just a few weeks of careful shaving away!
Posted by binhqx at 5:27 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 2, 2008
Out shoping with Cap
I do not usually go to the mall. Everything there is over priced. However, I just happened to see then ultra cool jacket at Macy's on Monday. I did not buy it then because I did not want an impulse item. So I thought about it for a few days.
Today I needed to take Cap to Portsmouth for a few errands. It would take me near the mall and I still wanted the jacket. So I decided to stop in and buy it and a few other items I had been thinking about getting.
In the past I had been dissing Hot Topic for being so fake. I walked past there again to find that along with preprocessed angst filled merchandise, they had a ton of Nintendo swag. Cap got a cool Zelda wallet. I found a few more things I would think about buying for a while.
You win this one Hot Topic.
Posted by binhqx at 3:38 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 1, 2008
New Year's day!
Wow what a night. Crazy parties, dancing, drinking, the whole nine yards.
Cap and I went to the first party at Darrel's house. There where tons of people there. We had games of Ping balls and cards that involves drinking as a punishment for losing. However, I had to exclude myself from those activities because I needed to drive to the next party at Mojito's. I actually convinced Jess and Nicole to come out and partake in the festivities for a little while. it was at Mojito's that we took part in the traditional countdown and proceeding jubilee rioting.
The next morning we met up with Darrel's party again at a restaurant for breakfast. Quite a few of us where nursing hangovers with coffee and pancakes.
Posted by binhqx at 11:59 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack