This is why the home page was invented, to share stories like these.
Saturday, August 31
Activity on the Fresno State Computer Science mailing list that I created and moderate has picked up. I continue to aggressively advertise it on-campus with a number of cool flyers with "take one" tags.
Bought a copy of Full Throttle from FuncoLand. Used to have a copy, but I gave it to my sister after I beat it. Would like to play it again, and since my girlfriend likes playing these sorts of games, I picked up a new copy. Also got a new (well, used) NES controller, whose buttons aren't nearly in as bad of shape as one of my old ones. Stacey was complaining about my old Nintendo controllers, so this should please her.
My best friend, Derek, came over this evening to barbeque steaks and play games. We should've left the meat out to thaw earlier, as we ended up eating late. But oh well, lesson learned. Enjoyed a game of NFL2K3 (he gave me a little competition) and some RalliSport Challenge (I gave him a little more competition than he did me in NFL). Also broke out the ol' Super NES and played through a bit of Super Mario World... this one'll continue later. Pretty fun. It's definitely nice to have him around again. Can't wait for Xbox Live to launch, as NFL2K3 action will be fast and furious.
Bought a copy of Full Throttle from FuncoLand. Used to have a copy, but I gave it to my sister after I beat it. Would like to play it again, and since my girlfriend likes playing these sorts of games, I picked up a new copy. Also got a new (well, used) NES controller, whose buttons aren't nearly in as bad of shape as one of my old ones. Stacey was complaining about my old Nintendo controllers, so this should please her.
My best friend, Derek, came over this evening to barbeque steaks and play games. We should've left the meat out to thaw earlier, as we ended up eating late. But oh well, lesson learned. Enjoyed a game of NFL2K3 (he gave me a little competition) and some RalliSport Challenge (I gave him a little more competition than he did me in NFL). Also broke out the ol' Super NES and played through a bit of Super Mario World... this one'll continue later. Pretty fun. It's definitely nice to have him around again. Can't wait for Xbox Live to launch, as NFL2K3 action will be fast and furious.
I pulled out my sister's old work computer (a classic Pentium 133MHz), and am pulling out something even older - my old DOS 5.0 and 6.22 disks. I want to be able to play old DOS games, and the best way to do that is with true-blue DOS support.
Meanwhile, I am formatting my P3-550 and will be installing a very clean Win98 onto it, as well as dual-booting with a Linux (probably Red Hat 7.3). I want to make the machine be able to play somewhat recent games, as well as give me a machine to fool around with Linux desktop stuff.
The P3 will be on my wireless network (coming soon), but I won't be spending money to put the DOS box on there.
Trying to track down some copies of old LucasArts adventure games. Some of these things are still expensive on eBay (grr).
Meanwhile, I am formatting my P3-550 and will be installing a very clean Win98 onto it, as well as dual-booting with a Linux (probably Red Hat 7.3). I want to make the machine be able to play somewhat recent games, as well as give me a machine to fool around with Linux desktop stuff.
The P3 will be on my wireless network (coming soon), but I won't be spending money to put the DOS box on there.
Trying to track down some copies of old LucasArts adventure games. Some of these things are still expensive on eBay (grr).
Friday, August 30
Both my C SCI 1 and C SCI 60 classes are covering Boolean logic. It's more boring than baseball. What's the truth table of the statement: "I have a beer but no beer nuts"? "[have] beer" is the "A" statement and "[have] beer nuts" is the "B" statement, sooo, if "A" is true and not("B") is true (i.e. "B" is false), then the statement is true. YAWN.
Ahh, Thursday. My one "off" day during the week. (I almost have Tuesdays off, but I have my C SCI 112 lab in the morning). Spent the morning at my girlfriend's house, while she worked on a puppet for her puppetry class (an elementary school teacher thing... definitely a stark contrast with my studies).
Went to the Fresno State football game tonight. Watched Fresno eek out a 16-14 victory over the not-very-impressive San Diego State Aztecs. Granted, Fresno played without their #1 QB and without their star #1 WR (who projects to be a 1st round pick in the NFL draft, if he maintains his level of play from last season). Still, it's San Diego State.
My little brother was trumpeting his NFL2K3 skills, as he's been practicing on his GameCube version of the game. Took him on after the game. I'll be damned if the little bugger didn't pull out some good defense on me. I didn't pass deep very effectively - got picked off twice in the 1st half. His offense didn't match the D, though. His passing game was OK - moderately effective but also caught a couple of lucky breaks against my dumb DBs (Fernando Bryant made the biggest bonehead move in man coverage that led directly to a Terry Glenn TD). Running game was non-existant... tried to get a few carries in but was stuffed for a loss each time. He put up 14 points in the first half, leading 14-10 at the break, but didn't score again for the rest of the game, while I drove to a 30-14 win. When he committed to stopping the pass, I ran with Fred Taylor. When he committed to stopping the run, I lobbed the ball over his D. Much different from the 1st half, where I tried to get into my old Mark Brunell run-and-gun groove. I would pick up big chunks of yardage, but would get intercepted. I went ball-control, and ended up with over 13:00 T.O.P., out of a 20:00 game.
Even still, a lesson learned: his DBs will clamp down on out routes. His DBs are rated a lot higher than mine, and it shows in this game. No excuses allowed, though, as I picked the Jags on my own free will.
Went to the Fresno State football game tonight. Watched Fresno eek out a 16-14 victory over the not-very-impressive San Diego State Aztecs. Granted, Fresno played without their #1 QB and without their star #1 WR (who projects to be a 1st round pick in the NFL draft, if he maintains his level of play from last season). Still, it's San Diego State.
My little brother was trumpeting his NFL2K3 skills, as he's been practicing on his GameCube version of the game. Took him on after the game. I'll be damned if the little bugger didn't pull out some good defense on me. I didn't pass deep very effectively - got picked off twice in the 1st half. His offense didn't match the D, though. His passing game was OK - moderately effective but also caught a couple of lucky breaks against my dumb DBs (Fernando Bryant made the biggest bonehead move in man coverage that led directly to a Terry Glenn TD). Running game was non-existant... tried to get a few carries in but was stuffed for a loss each time. He put up 14 points in the first half, leading 14-10 at the break, but didn't score again for the rest of the game, while I drove to a 30-14 win. When he committed to stopping the pass, I ran with Fred Taylor. When he committed to stopping the run, I lobbed the ball over his D. Much different from the 1st half, where I tried to get into my old Mark Brunell run-and-gun groove. I would pick up big chunks of yardage, but would get intercepted. I went ball-control, and ended up with over 13:00 T.O.P., out of a 20:00 game.
Even still, a lesson learned: his DBs will clamp down on out routes. His DBs are rated a lot higher than mine, and it shows in this game. No excuses allowed, though, as I picked the Jags on my own free will.
Wednesday, August 28
Tuesday, August 27
Had my first C SCI 112 lab today, and breezed right through it. It was encouraging to do so well while other students were clearly struggling. I'm glad that the relentless struggle that was C SCI 41 was not for naught.
Listened to John Coltrane's A Love Supreme all day today, except for when I worked out, which was accompanied by Mahavishnu Orchestra's Inner Mounting Flame. Due to my History of Rock and Jazz class, I have reason to listen to all of those jazz CDs that I've bought and have neglected. I'm still struggling to get a distinct "feel" for A Love Supreme... trying to find what separates it from my generic general concept of "jazz". Just as every good rock band is distinct from the generic "rock band" model in some way, good jazz artists must have a similar distinction (at least, that's the logic I'm operating under). It's my job to find it.
Listened to John Coltrane's A Love Supreme all day today, except for when I worked out, which was accompanied by Mahavishnu Orchestra's Inner Mounting Flame. Due to my History of Rock and Jazz class, I have reason to listen to all of those jazz CDs that I've bought and have neglected. I'm still struggling to get a distinct "feel" for A Love Supreme... trying to find what separates it from my generic general concept of "jazz". Just as every good rock band is distinct from the generic "rock band" model in some way, good jazz artists must have a similar distinction (at least, that's the logic I'm operating under). It's my job to find it.
Monday, August 26
Oh yeah, got my Bally Fitness membership. Took advantage of a college student deal listed on their website. It allows me to cancel anytime after four months, which is great, because their other memberships lock you into a 36-month contract. I don't plan on quitting, but I may not live convienently next to a Bally club for 36 months.
Listening to disc 1 of Can's Can Box (Live 1971-1977). This is flat-out amazing. Can's collective hypnotic experimentalism is better on this and on The Peel Sessions than it is on any studio album of theirs that I've heard. Ironic that the best Can music (in my opinion) is archival stuff being released 20+ years after that classic period. The audio quality is good for music that's mostly sourced from audience recordings of concerts.
One of my Xbox controllers seems to be dying. It's one that I bought cheap from Half.com. It has acted up before, so it's not surprising. I'll stick to buying new, boxed controllers from here on out.
First day of class was OK. I'm looking forward to getting past that awkward "just getting started into something" phase and into the "in the swing of things" phase. Especially when it comes to programming.
In my music class, I will need to write a term paper, comparing and contrasting two artists within the broad scope of rock and jazz. I'm leaning towards comparing an influencer with a more modern band that was influenced. One possible combination that came to mind was Neu! and Tortoise. Maybe King Crimson and TOOL... that'd be a fun one to explore. Perhaps Gong and some electronica band. Then there's Coltrane and Magma, which would be a blast simply because of the two individual entities. So many possibilities. I"m a little sketchy on the link between Coltrane and Magma (Vander admits a very strong Coltrane influence, but I'm not as of yet hearing it), so that'd be one to investigate.
One of my Xbox controllers seems to be dying. It's one that I bought cheap from Half.com. It has acted up before, so it's not surprising. I'll stick to buying new, boxed controllers from here on out.
First day of class was OK. I'm looking forward to getting past that awkward "just getting started into something" phase and into the "in the swing of things" phase. Especially when it comes to programming.
In my music class, I will need to write a term paper, comparing and contrasting two artists within the broad scope of rock and jazz. I'm leaning towards comparing an influencer with a more modern band that was influenced. One possible combination that came to mind was Neu! and Tortoise. Maybe King Crimson and TOOL... that'd be a fun one to explore. Perhaps Gong and some electronica band. Then there's Coltrane and Magma, which would be a blast simply because of the two individual entities. So many possibilities. I"m a little sketchy on the link between Coltrane and Magma (Vander admits a very strong Coltrane influence, but I'm not as of yet hearing it), so that'd be one to investigate.
Sunday, August 25
My girlfriend's mom gave me a toaster oven, with the stipulation that I bring it to her if she needs it for class (which is rare, but is the reason she has it). As I am now making all of my sub sandwitches at home (tired of paying Subway $5 for a $2 sandwitch), I tried toasting my bread, Quizno's style. Well, it turned out to taste way better than when I warm the bread in the microwave. Ten times better, at least.
Going to Bally Fitness tomorrow to get a membership. Time to beef up and get into hockey playing shape.
Going to Bally Fitness tomorrow to get a membership. Time to beef up and get into hockey playing shape.
Last day of summer vacation. Not that I actually had one, but it's time for the semester to start. Given that I had more work on hand during the summer than I did in the regular semester, I'm not exactly experiencing anxiety over it. During my summer class, I was actually looking forward to this point. Of course, I had the last week off, which changed that perspective a bit. Even still, I'm ready to go. Even after I finished my class, I kept reading up on Data Structures, as well as trying to get a better understanding of C++ classes & templates. So much stuff to learn.
My girlfriend, Stacey, came over for a little while today. We finished playing through Maniac Mansion, which was a lot of fun. I'm under orders to find a copy of Day of the Tentacle (Maniac Mansion 2) for us to play. Works for me. There aren't nearly as many copies on eBay as I would expect. Lots of Mac copies floating around, which gets in the way too. I easily managed to land a copy of Return to Zork for $1 + shipping a week or so ago, but it appears Day of the Tentacle will take a little more work and a few more bucks.
Been listening to the soundtrack to everyone's favorite Sundance Fim Festival darling, Pi. The soundtrack is full of electronic artists, including some "big" names like Orbital, Autechre, and Aphex Twin. It's a nice continuous listen, with small clips of voice-over from the film spliced in to segue between some tracks. Haven't actually seen the film, but I'm tempted. Meanwhile, my girlfriend hated it as soon as she walked in the door. Interesting, because she enjoyed the Squarepusher album we listened to in the car yesterday. Electronica seems very hit-and-miss with her (which, I guess, is better than metal, which is pretty much all miss).
My girlfriend, Stacey, came over for a little while today. We finished playing through Maniac Mansion, which was a lot of fun. I'm under orders to find a copy of Day of the Tentacle (Maniac Mansion 2) for us to play. Works for me. There aren't nearly as many copies on eBay as I would expect. Lots of Mac copies floating around, which gets in the way too. I easily managed to land a copy of Return to Zork for $1 + shipping a week or so ago, but it appears Day of the Tentacle will take a little more work and a few more bucks.
Been listening to the soundtrack to everyone's favorite Sundance Fim Festival darling, Pi. The soundtrack is full of electronic artists, including some "big" names like Orbital, Autechre, and Aphex Twin. It's a nice continuous listen, with small clips of voice-over from the film spliced in to segue between some tracks. Haven't actually seen the film, but I'm tempted. Meanwhile, my girlfriend hated it as soon as she walked in the door. Interesting, because she enjoyed the Squarepusher album we listened to in the car yesterday. Electronica seems very hit-and-miss with her (which, I guess, is better than metal, which is pretty much all miss).
I have enjoyed my one week of freedom, wedged in-between the end of summer school and the start of the fall semester. Managed to ace my summer school class, which was a shocker and a half.
Spent most of the week with my girlfriend. Lounged around, watched TV, went to a festival, and rediscovered the joys (and occasional frustrations) of the NES via Maniac Mansion. Gotta love a girl that appreciates old LucasArts graphical adventures. Playing on a console is nice in that we can easily sit on the couch or floor and share the TV, but the controller is a poor substitute for a mouse. Trade-offs, trade-offs.
Got a ton of things to mail out to people. Need to do that Monday.
Spent most of the week with my girlfriend. Lounged around, watched TV, went to a festival, and rediscovered the joys (and occasional frustrations) of the NES via Maniac Mansion. Gotta love a girl that appreciates old LucasArts graphical adventures. Playing on a console is nice in that we can easily sit on the couch or floor and share the TV, but the controller is a poor substitute for a mouse. Trade-offs, trade-offs.
Got a ton of things to mail out to people. Need to do that Monday.
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