K sent me the pretty pictures, and it suddenly struck me how crochet-like they appeared! Take a look at these comparisons:
Your basic ol' granny square
Yay for geeky math art...
Sunday, November 29, 2009
3D Mandelbulbs Made Out of Yarn
This past weekend, one of K's coworkers came across these beautiful renders of real 3D Mandelbulbs. Very cutting edge stuff since you couldn't do 3D Mandelbrots for the past 20 something years due to the intense computational requirements it takes when calculating billions upon billions of math operations. Then someone suddenly realized that the average gaming card these days can now do the math. ^_~
K sent me the pretty pictures, and it suddenly struck me how crochet-like they appeared! Take a look at these comparisons:
Various crochet edging techniques
Your basic ol' granny square
Yay for geeky math art...
K sent me the pretty pictures, and it suddenly struck me how crochet-like they appeared! Take a look at these comparisons:
Your basic ol' granny square
Yay for geeky math art...
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Battle of the Cookie Dough
You may not know this, but I was born with a control freak streak, courtesy of my mom. K will be the first to admit that I've come a looong way and am quite adaptable to compromise (due to another strong trait of mine: love of harmony). But every once it a while, this tendency toward micromangement rears its ugly head, especially when it comes to finances.
In October, two major events unfortunately landed in the same month: the PSP Go handheld console was released and K's 4-year-old Xbox 360 finally got the Red Ring of Death for good. That's about $600 on top of our usual gaming budget. Albeit K did keep his promise of raising $500 from eBay sales, but my lips still unconsciously tightened whenever I saw another Game Stop or Best Buy bag in his hands.
Chairman Meow disapproves of your actions*
So we're supposed to have this wonderfully romantic date night on Wednesday, and the first thing I do as he walks in the door is frown at what appears to be yet another game purchase. Already wincing from the imaginary wallet ache, my dismay compounds when I realize we'll have to eat out tonight because I was too headache-y to cook and it's already pretty late. Not to worry, let's get a take-and-bake pizza and save some for leftovers, right? We get in the shop and make our topping selection without any trouble. But then K reaches for a $4 bin of ready-to-bake cookie dough. Once again thinking of our budget, I jokingly protest (ok, half-jokingly) as he's paying but soon give up because, well, he always gets cookie dough. And then he reaches for a second bin! My protests have now become seriously outspoken (curse my voice for carrying so far), as K tries to fend off my attempts to physically snatch the dough while trying not to cause a bigger scene than I already have. Not one of my best moments, I have to say.
On the way back, we have this big argument that consists of untangling a big nest of misunderstandings. I contend that he should have asked me about the extra cookie dough since he knew I didn't want to spend a lot of money. He clarifies that the second bin was on sale for 99¢ and he wanted to get it since we're hosting Bible study next week. I express my overall anxiety concerning finances because of his games. He.. well, let's just say that statement opened up a whole can of worms.
Luckily, the whole evening wasn't ruined because by the time we got home, I had tearfully admited that I sucked for disrespecting him in public and he had vowed not buy every game on its release day. Still, the lesson learned is this: I'll still keep track of our budget on a regular basis, but instead of freaking out if a certain category is too high, I'll ask K to jointly figure out how we can still reach our financial goals for the rest of the month. I had subconsciously viewed K as a "budget corrupter," when in reality, he has become so much more frugal and is very willing to help save money wherever possible. Thank God I have a wonderful husband who patiently forgives me whenever I get all freakazoid. ^_^;;
*Yes, we recently acquired a new dependent. And yes, her name is actually Chairman Meow.
In October, two major events unfortunately landed in the same month: the PSP Go handheld console was released and K's 4-year-old Xbox 360 finally got the Red Ring of Death for good. That's about $600 on top of our usual gaming budget. Albeit K did keep his promise of raising $500 from eBay sales, but my lips still unconsciously tightened whenever I saw another Game Stop or Best Buy bag in his hands.
So we're supposed to have this wonderfully romantic date night on Wednesday, and the first thing I do as he walks in the door is frown at what appears to be yet another game purchase. Already wincing from the imaginary wallet ache, my dismay compounds when I realize we'll have to eat out tonight because I was too headache-y to cook and it's already pretty late. Not to worry, let's get a take-and-bake pizza and save some for leftovers, right? We get in the shop and make our topping selection without any trouble. But then K reaches for a $4 bin of ready-to-bake cookie dough. Once again thinking of our budget, I jokingly protest (ok, half-jokingly) as he's paying but soon give up because, well, he always gets cookie dough. And then he reaches for a second bin! My protests have now become seriously outspoken (curse my voice for carrying so far), as K tries to fend off my attempts to physically snatch the dough while trying not to cause a bigger scene than I already have. Not one of my best moments, I have to say.
On the way back, we have this big argument that consists of untangling a big nest of misunderstandings. I contend that he should have asked me about the extra cookie dough since he knew I didn't want to spend a lot of money. He clarifies that the second bin was on sale for 99¢ and he wanted to get it since we're hosting Bible study next week. I express my overall anxiety concerning finances because of his games. He.. well, let's just say that statement opened up a whole can of worms.
Luckily, the whole evening wasn't ruined because by the time we got home, I had tearfully admited that I sucked for disrespecting him in public and he had vowed not buy every game on its release day. Still, the lesson learned is this: I'll still keep track of our budget on a regular basis, but instead of freaking out if a certain category is too high, I'll ask K to jointly figure out how we can still reach our financial goals for the rest of the month. I had subconsciously viewed K as a "budget corrupter," when in reality, he has become so much more frugal and is very willing to help save money wherever possible. Thank God I have a wonderful husband who patiently forgives me whenever I get all freakazoid. ^_^;;
*Yes, we recently acquired a new dependent. And yes, her name is actually Chairman Meow.
Monday, November 16, 2009
NaNoWriMo 2009 Update
Haha, I said I wasn't going to write any posts during the month of November because of NaNoWriMo, but I've already added two more short blurbs to the collection of pre-written ones. Just wanted to give you a quick update on how I've been doing on the novel so far.
- Yesterday was the halfway mark, which means I should be at 25K words out of 50K but I'm not. ^_^;; Current count as of this morning: 20,150.
- Being a blog writer, I tend to summarize a lot so people won't lose interest. With NaNoWriMo, you have to have a completely different attitude of expand, expand, expand! And throw in a couple of random dream sequences if needed.
- All "winners" who complete at least 50K words by November 30th can have their novel printed as a paperback for free by the awesome sponsor CreateSpace. Sweetness!
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Itchy Wii Noses
Disease: Nintendi-sinus
Symptoms: Itchy nose or other facial feature
Cause: Playing an engrossing video game that does not offer sufficient time for making simple fidgeting movements, such scratching your nose, rubbing your eyes, or playing with your beard
Treatment: When there is a gap of greater than 2 seconds, take the opportunity to quickly relieve the point of stress. Or ask a close friend or family member to gently massage the area, without obstructing your eye sight and hand movements. If personal hygiene is an issue, the assistant may use a tissue or napkin to avoid touching your skin directly.
Figure 1. Competing gamers simultaneously relieve their itchy noses during a brief respite.
Symptoms: Itchy nose or other facial feature
Cause: Playing an engrossing video game that does not offer sufficient time for making simple fidgeting movements, such scratching your nose, rubbing your eyes, or playing with your beard
Treatment: When there is a gap of greater than 2 seconds, take the opportunity to quickly relieve the point of stress. Or ask a close friend or family member to gently massage the area, without obstructing your eye sight and hand movements. If personal hygiene is an issue, the assistant may use a tissue or napkin to avoid touching your skin directly.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Why I Like Demon's Souls
As much as I purport to like watching K playing video games, the reality is that I usually have my head buried into a crochet project or I've fallen asleep in some awkward position that I'll deeply regret upon waking. But K was intrigued to find that I was intently paying attention to his new love, Demon's Souls, by making in-game observations like "Watch out for the flying dra... oops" and dropping hints during boss fights because I'd already peeked in the strategy guide. I'm oftentimes reluctant to give yet another review on popular games that he plays, but here goes...
Aw crap, I died again...
Reasons Why I'm Paying Attention to Demon's Souls
1) Not your typical smash-and-bash experience
Demon's Souls is a very intentional game. You definitely can't go through the level mowing down enemies with your sword because the game will slow you down in your tracks by, well, killing you every few feet. For example, K took the game in to show his co-workers and his boss died 7 times trying to get past the first three enemies. (Hmm, reminds me of his brother Steve...)
All the reviews tote Demon's Souls to be extremely hard, but that's not exactly true. The game isn't too bad, as long as you're on your guard the whole time. The designers did a great job of really amplifying the tense gaming experience by eliminating the ability to pause mid-game or make multiple saves. No more min-maxing or just "trying out" a boss before you're ready; you've got one life and one life only. Not that dying is a big deal. When you die, you play in the game in soul form (less health, but a lot stealthier), and you can regain your body form by defeating a boss (more health, but risk of being invaded by another player - see below).
2) Very intriguing "multiplayer" interactions
Another reason this game really draws me in is the awesome, think-outside-the-box ideas they implemented for the multiplayer experience. Technically there is no traditional multiplayer gameplay, where tons of players gather together and interact/fight in the same environment. Instead, Demon's Souls has this story concept where the world is messed up by some evil chaos that descended on the land and now there are overlapping, parallel universes. You can read warning messages left by other players or see blood stains that show you how they died ("hmm, looks like there's a sudden drop around the corner"). You can also enter other players' games to either help them fight a boss (maximum of 2 helpers per game with no voice chat) or harm them (if you kill the player, you regain your body form).
It's your friendly neighborhood blue phantom to the rescue!
All of this really appeals to me because in most multiplayer games, I'm always the weakest character with the least experience. I like being able to play (aka mess up) by myself with useful hints dropped at my feet, as well as the ability to call on others to help me out with a frustrating boss. What can I say, I'm more about PvE than PvP. ^_^;;
3) Subtle music, concept art, and creatures
I'm a sucker for beautiful art, and Demon's Souls is no exception. It has this muted somberness yet intricate design that really appeals to the quieter side of the soul. The soundtrack is similar, favoring tones of melancholy and apprehension over triumphant brass choruses. Overall the game maintains a delicate balance of solemn beauty without being so dark that there's no spark of hope. Definitely brings together what I consider to be a very deep and immersive piece of work.*
What fabulous armor, dahling! I simply must have your blacksmith's name.
*K tells me that many gamers will simply skip all cut scenes and mute the game to play their own selection of music. Unbelievable! Doing this this to a game like Demon's Souls makes me want to conk their heads together...
Reasons Why I'm Paying Attention to Demon's Souls
1) Not your typical smash-and-bash experience
Demon's Souls is a very intentional game. You definitely can't go through the level mowing down enemies with your sword because the game will slow you down in your tracks by, well, killing you every few feet. For example, K took the game in to show his co-workers and his boss died 7 times trying to get past the first three enemies. (Hmm, reminds me of his brother Steve...)
All the reviews tote Demon's Souls to be extremely hard, but that's not exactly true. The game isn't too bad, as long as you're on your guard the whole time. The designers did a great job of really amplifying the tense gaming experience by eliminating the ability to pause mid-game or make multiple saves. No more min-maxing or just "trying out" a boss before you're ready; you've got one life and one life only. Not that dying is a big deal. When you die, you play in the game in soul form (less health, but a lot stealthier), and you can regain your body form by defeating a boss (more health, but risk of being invaded by another player - see below).
2) Very intriguing "multiplayer" interactions
Another reason this game really draws me in is the awesome, think-outside-the-box ideas they implemented for the multiplayer experience. Technically there is no traditional multiplayer gameplay, where tons of players gather together and interact/fight in the same environment. Instead, Demon's Souls has this story concept where the world is messed up by some evil chaos that descended on the land and now there are overlapping, parallel universes. You can read warning messages left by other players or see blood stains that show you how they died ("hmm, looks like there's a sudden drop around the corner"). You can also enter other players' games to either help them fight a boss (maximum of 2 helpers per game with no voice chat) or harm them (if you kill the player, you regain your body form).
All of this really appeals to me because in most multiplayer games, I'm always the weakest character with the least experience. I like being able to play (aka mess up) by myself with useful hints dropped at my feet, as well as the ability to call on others to help me out with a frustrating boss. What can I say, I'm more about PvE than PvP. ^_^;;
3) Subtle music, concept art, and creatures
I'm a sucker for beautiful art, and Demon's Souls is no exception. It has this muted somberness yet intricate design that really appeals to the quieter side of the soul. The soundtrack is similar, favoring tones of melancholy and apprehension over triumphant brass choruses. Overall the game maintains a delicate balance of solemn beauty without being so dark that there's no spark of hope. Definitely brings together what I consider to be a very deep and immersive piece of work.*
*K tells me that many gamers will simply skip all cut scenes and mute the game to play their own selection of music. Unbelievable! Doing this this to a game like Demon's Souls makes me want to conk their heads together...
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