What I’ve been doing lately…
All of these were shot using my UX180P which has taken to Vista remarkably well, all things considered. There are still issues with the WAN connectivity, but it’s mostly the software (called SmartWi, even though it’s anything but) that switches the GPRS modem on, not the hardware or the OS. One thing Vista does not do well is power management: even with all the extras turned off, it’s a hog. But it’s remarkably better at things like handwriting recognition and stability, so I’ll take the trade offs. I’ve actually got it installed on all three machines now, and the primary laptop and desktop upgraded pretty smoothly.
My Syncmaster 910MP died on me earlier in the month, and I finally got a replacement from Samsung after much wrangling. They were very nice about agreeing that they should send a replacement, but the problem was that it kept NOT SHOWING UP. So after two weeks of waiting, they told us they didn’t have one in the warehouse, and that we’d need to agree to take a different monitor in exchange. Fine. So we agreed to a different monitor and asked for a tracking number. They told us we could check it on the website. So we kept checking the website and nothing happened – no updates, no tracking numbers, etc. Finally the UPS Store called us today and my wife picked up – yup, you guessed it – the same model of monitor I had before. So I’m happy that I got the same model, but I have to wonder what they were doing for 2 weeks that they couldn’t have just sent it then. Communication is pretty vital in these matters, so I’m giving Samsung a 7/10 for giving me the same monitor but making me wait 2 weeks for no apparent reason.
Reading and gaming updates
One more day to go in the five day exhaustion avoidance event. Ready to get some real rest at some point in the future and maybe play some flOw. Just finished Time Out of Joint by PKD. I liked the reality-dissolving visions that Ragle and Vic had. Both were excellent descriptions of difficult-to-describe phenomena. What to read next… hmmm….
Glass Beads
I’ve been playing a lot of Go! Sudoku lately. It’s really a very relaxing thing for me, as it’s an exercise in very fast deduction. My times vary from 4 minutes to 7 minutes in solving each puzzle, but usually it’s just over the target time (Go! Sudoku expects you to be pretty fast). I’m really enjoying this particular little gem called flOw. It’s a very simple concept. You eat food, and get larger, then eat other creatures and continue to get larger, and repeat the process as you evolve. It’s pretty fun, and the creator (Jenova Chen) has suggested it be classified as a Zen game, rather than any of the standard types. He also created another game based on the sensation of flying in dreams, called Cloud. Chen’s thesis is about the Flow theory of Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, as described here, as it applies to game mechanics. This is exciting work, in my opinion, because it offers people a method of becoming familiar with an altered state of consciousness that can enhance their ability to process and think about the world around them in different ways. Many games offer access to what Chen describes as “the Zone” but they do so by reference to primal instincts such as the urge to hunt or kill (shooters, etc.). This isn’t bad in and of itself (I don’t think violent games cause violent behavior), but it is a missed opportunity, and in time a person may develop tolerance to that specific method and yet retain the habit due to its instinctual draw. Sudoku puts me in “the Zone” because each of the numbers can be overlayed with meaning, and with their placements, I can gain insight into the world around me. This layering technique is a bit of a cheat, as its imposed from outside the game itself. However, flOw requires no such external layer of meaning. It simply is, and yet retains it’s ability to put a person in “the Zone”.
That, in my opinion, should be the future of gaming.
I’ve had a bit of sing-song stuck in my head lately. It’s a bit like Twain’s “Punch, brothers…” ditty, but less viral and irritating. Nonetheless, I think one purpose of a blog is to let beasties such as this out to play in the wider world.
“Release, Reuse, Recycle
The writing’s on the wall.”
No easy way to convey the tune (and yes, I realize that the initial R is technically incorrect), so there you go.
29
Another birthday come and gone. The best thing about the entire day was the happiness I felt at the well-wishes of my dear family members. Thank you for your kindness.
The job is over in about a month. It’s been fun. Between that and other things going on, I’m pretty depressed at the moment. The barometric pressure has been just perfect to trigger migraines at every turn, and with Kris working, there’s not a lot I can do besides just deal with it and continue to work and watch the kids. Leaves me pretty tired, which is most likely why I’m feeling low. The prospect of job searching again is pretty daunting to me, and I really just want to hide under a rock. It’d have to be a pretty big rock though.
Off to go read the Penultimate Truth.
Moments to be Grateful
Gratitude. It is quiet in the house. Most of the family is taking advantage and sleeping in. Lily is mellow and happy watching Curious George. It is peaceful here at the moment and I am so grateful. Stacy turned 10, Lily turned 2, our wedding anniversary fell in between, and it has been amazing. It all changes so fast. They are beautiful all of them. They have been very supportive of me going back to work, and fairly good about dealing with the crazy hours. There are days when I only see the older two for a few minutes before they are off to school and a tired few when I get home from work. Everyone has really pulled together to make life work and I am grateful.
Thank you guys, I know it’s rough! You are great!
Extropy
http://www.kk.org/thetechnium/archives/2004/11/my_search_for_t.php
The Technium seems (so far) to be an interesting logging of one man’s search for the meaning of technology as it relates to humanity. It’s part philosophy and part anthropology with some anecdotes and dialogue in the comments section. Good reading. Just in case my little review doesn’t tempt you into pressing the button while hovering over the chaotic text above (sounds practically Biblical doesn’t it?), here’s a brief excerpt.
“Technology is the visible extension of an archaic force which runs up in time while the universe runs down.
Technology is the latest chapter in a continuous story that builds up order, structure, freedom, possibilities and good against the inescapable black drain of entropy. While the universe cools and dies, the spreading differential of life (and technology) warms up a greater portion of cosmic coldness.
This rising flow, called extropy, enlivens our current technology on earth but was first birthed in the unlikely genesis of the universe 12 billion years ago. In that way all machines trace their origins to the big bang; Technology is a cosmic force.” – (link)
Above and Below…
Everyone asks, “What is above? What is below? And what came before?”
I wonder, “What firmament separates them? Where is the hidden smile that divides head from whole, heart from hand?”
Who looks to the chymical horizon, that Petach Eineyim that we ever hunger after?
