Saturday, August 30, 2008

PAX 2008

PAX, short for Penny Arcade Expo, is this weekend in Seattle's convention center. Since it's the largest video game convention in the country (possibly the world?), I figured I ought to go, at least for a day.

There were many many systems set up for demo play. All the big dealers (EA, Blizzard, Bungie etc...) had either consoles or PC's with high def monitors littered around, loaded with the newest upcoming games.

These spots were awfully crowded, so I generally stayed away. I did play some of the Penny Arcade game. I tried to load the demo online when it was first released, but my computer won't handle it. The game itself was pretty sweet, but I was most impressed by the monitor. I had suspicions that a high quality, high definition screen would be the first big purchase, post debt pay-off, and this confirmed it. New games are designed to be played on quality screens, so there's not much point in upgrading systems without a proper screen to play on.

The other high point was getting to demo the Battlestar Galactica board game. Apparently it was released at Gen-Con, where they brought 200 copies. Someone had the foresight to save 30 of those for PAX, and it will be released to mass markets in mid October. The BSG boardgame plays a little like Munchkin: the players are divided up into factions as the game plays out, and those factions can shift. Like Munchkin, there are waves of conflict between the factions, where one faction succeeds by spending all its resources. The next faction then might have an advantage for the next turn. Unlike Munchkin, the tone is very Battlestar. In our game, I played Chief Tyrol, who had been outed as a Cylon and thrown in the brig. Now, I happened to be a human sympathizer, but I still was stuck in the brig. Meanwhile, two groups of heavy raiders landed aboard the Galactica and cylon centurian boarding parties ran amock. The FTL drive was damaged, as was the viper bay and admiral's quarters. Who could fix that damage? The chief, who was stuck in the brig. Oh, and two basestars and a small fleet of raiders were in stricking distance. It was awesome. As we ran out of time (it was a demo, so we didn't get a complete game), I was finally released and made my way to fix the FTL drive. As far as I could tell, no individual can win the game. If the fleet runs out of food, fuel, morale, population (eek!), or if the Galactica is destroyed, the Cylons win. If the fleet jumps far enough away, they escape and the humans win.

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Ron Sims Has a Plan

King Co. Metro bus fares could go up 50 cents by 2010

It's a good start toward addressing the challenges faced by the increased bus ridership matched with increased diesel prices.

It isn't a long term funding plan, but it does mitigate fare increases and addresses the urgent needs of the now.

Sunday, August 24, 2008

New Personal Distance Record

I just ran 14 miles.

My pace was a little slow, but that's a-okay.

I don't enjoy my encounters with dog walkers and people with small children. Stay out of my fucking side of the path. It's annoying.

On the other hand, I give runners who are with their dogs or pushing their children the full nod and wave of respect that I have for all runners / joggers.

I was passed today, for the first time this year. While I want to chalk it up to the fact that I was working on my 14th mile, this guy was grooving along pretty quickly, and looked in exceptionally good shape. He also had a mohawk, which still annoys me.

Saturday, August 23, 2008

The Great iPod Battery Swap of 2008

My iPod was a hand-me down Mini whose battery was pretty crappy when I received it a year and a half ago. I've grown accustomed to carrying the charger with me, and I expect only a couple hours of charge at a time.

Now that I'm training for the Seattle Marathon in November, this is a concern. I don't want my power to crap out when I'm trying to play "Flying High" at mile 25.

I'm still working on the last of my credit card debt, and expect to have it paid off around February of next year. To keep on that schedule, I don't have a whole lot of flex in my budget. Besides, aside from the battery issue, the iPod suites my needs.

I did a little research and found an "iPod mini Battery Replacement Kit"at Amazon for less than ten dollars, including shipping. I decided that it was worth the risk.

The kit came quickly, and had all the equipment I needed for the project. However, the instructions were not for the iPod mini, and were no help whatsoever. I was prepared for this, however. Some of the product reviews complained about the instructions, and recommended those found at cnet.com. Sure enough, not only does cnet have instructions, they have a series of videos that show you what to do.

Really, it isn't that complicated. It does require some apptitude for fiddling with small things. Anyone who has added a card to his computer, built a model, worked with beads or done anything similar can handle this job.

At the end of it all, I had no extra parts laying around, and the iPod lit up, just like before. Before I can declare complete success, I'll have to see how well the battery holds its charge. I'm going to need four good hours to get through those 26.2 miles in November.

Thursday, August 21, 2008

Dungeons and Dragons, 4th Edition

Over the last month I've joined two Dungeons and Dragons groups. The first is highly motivated, almost (but not quite!) too motivated. Many would play until 11 p.m. on weeknights, and they're all too happy to play ten hours on one weekend a month. They are also happy to stop playing at 10 p.m., and so far, no one seems to mind if you miss a session.

I think the sweet spot for RPG's is around five total players, including DM. As you get larger than that, it's hard to focus on the individuals, and you have to wait longer for your turn. A group of seven seems manageable - that's how large this group is - but it's a bit much.

The second group hasn't quite hit lift off yet, but it's promising. These folks seem to have more going on and want to play in smaller chunks.

To be honest, I was only looking for one regular game. I am training for a marathon, after all. So far, I really like these guys though, so we'll see how it goes. It's also a little easier to take my motorcycle around town in the summer, making the commute fairly easy. If it all becomes too much, I'll have to drop something.

In the meantime, my first group is still chugging along, about once per month. That's my main RPG creative outlet, and I find myself trying to infuse the role playing character focus from that group into D&D. Happily, both D&D groups seem open to that sort of thing.

Monday, August 11, 2008

NFL Preseason

Friday night’s Seahawks / Vikings preseason game was everything a Seahawks fan could hope for. The starters and known back-ups played well, there were no significant injuries, and we got a good look at the newbies playing for roster spots.

The post Alexander era running game made its debut: Julius Jones and former back-up Maurice Morris performed solidly; there really seems to be something to the revamped running game designed for ‘hit the hole’ guys like Morris and Jones.

One interesting ripple was that rookie Justin Forsett had a notably better game than veteran T.J. Duckett. I don’t know the details of Duckett’s contract, but I do know that he isn’t some A-list superstar who’s guaranteed a spot on the team. I wouldn’t be surprised if Forsett beats him out of that roster spot. I suppose they could put Forsett on the practice squad, but that’s risky: practice squad guys can be signed to another team at any time.

I’m in an odd position with the Washington Redskins this year. I’m a Jim Zorn fan. I want him to succeed. However, the team name is one of the few genuinely offensive team brands in professional or college sports. In general, I have no objection with American Indian based mascots, such as ‘Chiefs,’ ‘Warriors,’ or ‘Braves,’ just as I don’t mind North or Central European mascots such as the ‘Vikings’ or ‘Saints.’ ‘Redskins’ however is something else entirely. ‘Redskin’ is a derogatory term. While it may not have the kick it used to have, it hasn’t been entirely reclaimed either. I put it squarely in the same category as the Cleveland Indians’ Chief Wahoo logo. Both should be banished.

You won’t hear me leading a ‘Go Redskins’ cheer, but I probably will quietly follow the team for the next few years, and quietly pull for their success.

Tuesday, August 05, 2008

Drinking out of Cups

Unexpected and brilliant.

Sunday, August 03, 2008

Fred Alexander, RIP

Fred Alexander worked at Children's for 11 years. I came to know him around four years ago, when I was working as the Ambulatory Facilities and Equipment coordinator. I found broken things, I called B&E, and often Fred was sent to fix the problem.

He was a very good natured and professional man; for the last couple years, whenever he saw me in the hall, he'd say, "Uh, oh, there's trouble..." and we'd both laugh.

He died last week, of natural causes. There was a memorial today at the hospital. It's amazing what a person doesn't know about another person's life. I think at work, we connect with people generally on a couple levels, and that's often the end of it. For example, Fred was in the Marines, and was a huge sports fan. I was in the Army and am a huge NFL fan, and a moderate Mariners fan. We never discussed those things.

Anyway, Fred, this one's for you. I miss you already. [Christ, I'm here balling as I write this. I've become such a baby about stuff like this. I hope I never have to speak at someone's funeral, 'cause I'd probably cry through the whole thing. I probably will have to someday though; normally I'm a good pubic speaker]

Saturday, August 02, 2008

Break the Stereotype

So, I played Dungeons and Dragons, 4th editon for the first time today, DM'd by a 14 year old girl, with three other thirty something players and another teenager player. We had great fun.

I will admit, I would have enjoyed a bit more in-character role-playing. I don't like it when DM's read background information from their documents; I'd rather play it out.

I played a pre-generated female dwarven fighter. I never play dwarves, and I never play females. It was a good change for me.

One offs are a great opportunity to experiment with different types of characters.

I also met a couple guys who are starting a campaign in Greenlake soon. The thing is, I have someone in Ballard who I've been emailing, who will also be starting a campaign. I'll probably play with both at first. When two games gets to be too much, I'll pick my favorite (or most convenient).