After many long years Final Fantasy XIII has finally descended down from the Square Enix heavens. I did get to pick it up at midnight release day so that was pretty awesome. What sucks is that I have so much school stuff to do that I won’t be able to really play it until break. I am really glad that this game came out so close to break so I’ll have a good opportunity to really sink my teeth into it. I have only played about an hour of it so far, but it is gorgeous and the story is engaging. I will let you know how it is as I progress, but I have a feeling it’s going to be a good one.

I need to get this out before it’s too late! I have been meaning to write this all week and I am finally sitting down to do this. (SUNDAY IS STILL THE WEEKEND!!) This week in my life I have been pretty super busy, but have been doing something I haven’t done in a long while, reading comic books. There is so much out there that I haven’t read! This week I got sucked into Scott Pilgrim and the Marvel Zombies series. Both of them are GREAT and I can’t recommend them enough. I’ll give a one sentence summary of both and implore you to read them.

The Marvel Universe is infected by zombies!

Scott Pilgrim is dating Romona, who has Evil Exes, who he has to fight, video games.

In none, comic news, I have been doing a really good job going to the gym. I have been doing all sorts of stuff and I need to come up with a plan to do it regularly, but I have swam laps, played racquetball, ran, and lifted. Go super active me! Here is the epilogue to the lifting session. I threw out my back. It hurts like crazy because I did some exercises on it and it told me to go fly a kite. I hope once this heals it was a one time thing and I can go back to lifting because right now I feel like an old man who needs to take a nap before the grandkids come over.  I hope to have another music post up soon and a more detailed and purposeful post this coming week, but for now. GO READ COMIC BOOKS!

So, I pose a question. If given identical Planet Earths and starting with identical male and female humans, would humanity develop in identical ways? In a world of infinite possibilities could two seemingly identical situations produce similar results?

I know the question is quite heavy handed. I don’t expect a succinct answer it was just something I was thinking about the other day. We have so many actions that are ingrained in us that require no thought whatsoever. If we are given a hammer we know that we hold it by the handle and hit a nail. These behaviors are learned though. What’s even more of a conundrum is that actually thinking of the hammer is also learned. There was not always hammers and we dug them up and used them. That’s really the meat of my question. Would the two humanities develop different tools? Would one develop faster than the other? Who would be the first to space?

I think the results would be even more interesting. Say the societies developed pretty much the same way. What does that tell us about out makeup? Are all these tasks ingrained in us? Are we truly not an anomaly? How about if they developed radically different. Are we special? Did we have some spark of evolutionary serendipity to get us to where we are today?

I am really curious to hear what you guys think. What do you think would happen in this hypothetical situation?

The short and sweet is that I think the two humanities would develop differently. I think that due to the incredible randomness of the universe that they would end up in very different situations given the same amount of time. That’s just my feeling. Again, I want to know what you think! Please, leave me a comment!

I have a pretty big catalog of music, or at least I think I do. I know it pales in comparison to some real music fans who have devoted much more time than I have to their collections. I have been thinking about when I actually started really getting into music. That brings me to 8th grade. That’s as far back as I can remember when I started seriously listening, examining, and enjoying music.  I decided to extract my top 5 albums that stand the test of time. These were awesome back then and are still amazing even now. I must clear up that these albums may have not been released when I was in 8th grade, these are simply when I discovered them. Also, they have no place value.

Weezer – Blue Album

Weezer – Green Album

The Ataris – Blue Skies, Broken Hearts…Next 12 Exits

The Strokes – Is This It

Coldplay – Parachutes

If you have never listened to these I highly recommend them. I plan on doing more of these. It’s really a chance to connect with a younger me and make awesome musical suggestions. Well, I did it. 2 posts in one week. Hopefully this makes up for my lack of post the week before.

Well kids, I already failed. I was aware of it the whole time too. I don’t know why I find it so hard to just sit down and write something. It really isn’t bad. Instead of giving up I am going to try to write two blog posts this week. I hope that will make amends! I don’t have any real place for these pictures so I am just going to spread them throughout this article with no rhyme or reason. They are just Purdue after a snow. It’s not record breaking snow and nothing really noteworthy about them save the snow.

So, I thought I would use this article to explain my blog process, since I can’t seem to settle on anything this week. Basically I have like a million things per day I would love to write about. For whatever reason I feel the need to flesh everything out and make it into a novel. It really doesn’t need to be and there probably would be a lot more content on here if I just wrote little mini posts more often. That’s kind what this resolution is about though, figuring out a more effective and efficient process.

Basically, my current procedure involves this:

1. Think of an idea.
2. Explore that idea.
3. Get really excited about it.
4. Record it in a place to be remembered later.
5. Don’t look at it for weeks.
6. Try to write the post.
7. Write the opening sentence.
8. Never write sentence two.
9. Repeat.

The really long blogs, the ones I actually like, are basically thought of and written within a very short time. I really need to cut down on the latency between thought and writing, it keeps things fresh. Well this was boring, but I will have a MUCH better blog hopefully tonight or tomorrow morning. It’s a music one!

This is another attempt at writing this post. It never seems to have the legs to go the distance. It’s not a matter of knowing what I want to say, it’s a matter of organizing it into a cohesive post without it going every which where. The basic premise is my definition of art.

Art is many things to many people. You could make the argument that just about anything is art, and you wouldn’t be wrong. It’s really a matter of interpretation. For me art is derived from the human experience. It’s the manifestation of placing a cage around a large, nebulous matter. Art for me needs to be the conveyance of some emotion, even if the emotion is not a deep one. That’s about as much of a dotted line I can draw around what art is. I don’t think art is confined to a specific set of items, such as paintings, poems, and sculptures. Art can find it’s way into just about anything you can think of.

That brings me to my subtopic of this, and that is the declarations that only certain things can be art. I think that’s extremely short sighted. I don’t mean to beat the video game horse to death, but this has been hotly disputed for a while now. To me I don’t see how you can’t consider (some) video games art. Just as poems, books, and paintings draw the viewer into their world and inspire thoughts, feelings, and emotions so too do video games. One doesn’t even have to look that far to find examples. Take Final Fantasy VII, you will be hard pressed to find a hardcore gamer who doesn’t have fond memories of this. When Aeris dies there is at least some part of you that is moved. Some people were affected so much that there is hacks to bring her back into the game. My point is that defining art to such a narrow view will really keep you from seeing so many beautiful things around you.

Well, that in a nutshell is my definition of art. How does yours differ? I’d love to hear what you think art is defined as. Drop me a comment below!

It’s a little late to be writing a New Year’s post, but why do I have to answer to you? HUH!?! All unfounded anger aside I figured it’s a “better late than never” scenario. Although my resolutions are really all my own personal business I figured because one of them has implications directly affecting this here website I would list and/or describe them. Also, because this blog is not just a connection to you the reader, but a cataloging and journaling of my life it would be good for pure archival reference. I notice that in most of my blog I have to justify my reason for the post, like for whatever reason I am presenting this to the board of trustees and hoping for approval. That is just not the case, so I am going to work on that.*

2009 was pretty rad, but this post is not a reflection on the past, but a look forward into the future! (this would be the point you imagine hover cars and personal, hug-powered jet packs)

Resolutions for the year MMX (2010):

1. Write a Blog Post at Least Once a Week

The irony that that this is a late resolutions post and thus far I have failed miserably is not lost on me. The only excuse I can offer is that I have been in transition recently what with moving back down to school and having late registration of classes. Although, I am not much for the self-justifications, it has been fairly hectic. So, this resolution is in effect as of today, and for anybody that actually reads this, please get on me if I slack.

The reason behind this resolution is that I don’t take full advantage of this website. Beyond the monetary contribution I make every month to my web host there is numerous benefits to keeping a regular journal. A journal is a great way to look back to see what has transpired as we make our way through life. Not to mention to see how much of an idiot you were years prior (see any blogs of mine circa 2003).  Aside from cataloging this also improves my writing ability, something I believe is paramount if you ever get into a position where you need to interact with people via the written word. Even beyond the honing of skills, it is a great outlet. I often find that various points throughout life require a bit of organization to step through the events that have come about. Writing is fantastic for examining life and all it’s intricacies. One last reason why this is my number one resolution; it is a great connection to people you know such as family as well as people you have yet to know (or people you may never know). It is a window to yourself into which people are allowed to peer and gain a greater perspective on you. Due to the nature of blogs many opinions are discussed and a reader might widen their view on something do to the discussion that takes place within a post. Again, a window into the complexities of being human.

Remember, please, If I slack, get on me. I do not want to let this one slip.

2. Train for and Subsequently Run a Marathon

This is actually a failed resolution for 2009. I have no really good excuse for this. It was just a matter of other things taking priority. This cannot and will not happen in the new year. This goal represents more than just a conquering of the physical. I have not been a very physical person in life. Not that I have been super huge or lazy, but stagnation was the name of the game for most of high school. I turned over a new leaf right about the end of High School. This is kind of the culmination of all the years of change. By completing a marathon it’s kind of saying that, “Yes, I have changed and I have proof.” Even with that it is a mastery of the mental because for many years I have been one of those, “How can anyone run a marathon? It’s not for me.” Those are roadblocks I need to get past. I have adopted the can-do-anything mentality to life and I really am kind of peeved when I hear people spout excused because they are just that, excuses. Beyond mental and physical impossibilities, such as a missing limb or brain-damage, I truly believe one can do anything you put your mind to. This will be evidence to support my thesis.

3. Organize and Conqure (A tale of School and the Beyond)

Motivation has been a killer for me, but it’s not full out laziness, but more a scattering of unmotivated events. I am convinced that is less to do with my personality and almost everything due to my lack of organization and time management. My hypothesis is that if I manage my time properly and account for all my “stuff” going on I will eviscerate my motivational conundrum. So far I have attended a day class in time management and effective use of a planning system. I have seen a real change in how and when I get things done that I have not witnessed in the past. The main reason behind this push for regime is that I end up doing poorly or just ok at the close of each school semester. I am so starry-eyed at the beginning and by the end I am looking back and scratching my head as to what has happened. Upon closer inspection I think I keep too much stuff in memory. The problem is human memory is terrible. You will always be reminded at inopportune times, be it too early or too late. This is why I am trying to keep everything centrally located in a planner. If it’s out of my head and on paper it is no longer my responsibility to remember when things are due and I can keep my head focused on the now. As you can see a lot of this is school-centric and you’d be right. I hope these skills will carry over to other parts of my life (I can see they already have), but that leads me to my sub resolution

3a. All A’s for the Year

I have not received all A’s since I was probably in 5th grade. I know it is not intelligence based because I know that I am capable of achieving this it’s a matter purely on how much I apply myself. The satisfaction that would come from this would be almost unmeasurable. It would be a testament to the new organization system as well as quantitative proof of personal and professional growth. I have kind of been at odds with myself for a while because I believe that if one is going to put forth an effort it should be their best effort, and I just have not been doing that.

This one is kind of multifaceted, but perhaps the most important on the list. It is one that I plan to focus most of my attention on and hopefully will lead to the success of the others as well.

4. Be Comfortable With the Skin I’m In

This one is very open-ended and doesn’t really have a measurable end point. I just would like to be less self conscious and more self confident in everything I do. I think that when you focus on your faults and always worry about what the person next to you is thinking you end up enjoying yourself quite a bit less. Changing yourself to fit an undesired mold to please another is inevitably going to lead to problems and a lack of happiness. The best thing you can do is be honest withyourself and have fun! Who cares about the other person. Life is finite, that is an unchanging truth. Have a good time while you are here. Life’s a journey, start blazing your own path.

Those are the resolutions that I have come up with for the start of the new decade. Some are a little cliched and tired, but I hope that when 2011 comes rolling in that I will have grown and really come out the end regret-free. What are your resolutions? I would love to hear what you guys are doing to put your best self forward in 2010. Drop me a comment below!

*That was just and aside. I make no promises to improve upon this or anything else not cited in my resolutions.

I’ve been getting into podcasts hard these past 6 months. I have been doing quite a bit of long distance driving recently and podcasts have been a savior during the boredom of I-65. One of the shows that brought me to this post was called “A Life Well Wasted.” It’s about video games, but almost tangentially. If any of you out there are NPR or This American Life fans it’s done in a style closely resembling that. It is more about stories people have about games or related to games and less about the games themselves. As the shows tagline says, “An Internet radio show about video games and the people who love them.” More an emphasis on the people.

The topic of one of the shows was “Why do you game?”. It seems like a harmless and easy enough question, but it’s really quite loaded. It’s hard to actually put into words why you like something. Example: “Why do you like Chocolate?” (provided you do). Aside from “‘Cuz it tastes good!” you really have to put some thought into it.

I was actually surprised at some of the answers. I guess I just never thought to step back and examine why other people indulge in this activity. To my dismay probably 3/4 of the answers given were about escaping reality and how it helps people forget about there own lives. That is not exactly the answer I was expecting. While this post is mostly about my own views on the topic I just thought that it was pretty alarming to hear that my fellow gaming brethren(and sistren) are enjoying one of my favorite pastimes purely as an alternative to alcohol.

Unless you game yourself the appeal is kind of hard to see. To me the closest cousin to games is books. While video games are primarily a visual medium (hell, video is right in it’s name) they have the ability to tell complex stories with morals and deep characterization. Also, like books, video games can be poor, audience-pleasing releases. I don’t want to debate it in this specific post, but I do consider video games, like books to be a form of art.

I have spent a good portion of my life playing them so I better have a pretty good reason for playing them! With that statement I begin my explanation of why I game. Gaming is myriad things to me. It’s been a starter and bonder of friendships, an exploration into human motions, a stress reliever, and a friend to lean on when you are having just the worst kind of day. While I don’t play video games as a form of escapism, I do enjoy the worlds they take you off to. Just like reading a fantastic novel, you often get whisked away to impossible places with a cast of characters you soon won’t forget. RPG’s are really fantastic about bringing emotion to the forefront of the game. People of my generation seem to be deeply impacted by Final Fantasy VII not because the gameplay was stellar (it wasn’t in hindsight), but by the story and characters. Who didn’t feel it when Aeris died? Video games have a way of making you feel apart of story like no other medium has done for me. You directly influence how the story plays out (to an extent).

Story is not the only driving factor to why I game though, as stated above. The social aspect of gaming has been around longer than the advent of large single player adventures. Competing whether on a team of by yourself is so gratifying. That one kill to win the match. The power up that jettisons you to victory. The overall feeling of dominating your opponent is fantastic. I could go on and on about multiplayer gaming, but instead of recounting memories to you I will simply say that it is one of the better ways to spend a night.

I know it might sound kind of pathetic, but gaming has been there like very few things have. Whenever I am stressed or just have a “case of the Mondays” I know that I can pop in Halo, Mario, Street Fighter, or Zelda and have a smile on my face. Some people have books, movies, or music, but If I had to pick one thing that has impacted my life in a significant way it would be gaming.

While I could talk about this topic for far longer than anyone cares to hear, that is why I game. If there is any gamers out there who are reading this, why do you game? I’d love to hear why. Just drop a comment.

For whatever reason when I was playing Panzer Dragoon Saga I just wondered if the Sega Saturn could produce anything crisper than S-Video. Little did I know I was opening up a can of worms I would not soon be closing. Upon researching I discovered that there was an output called RGB. It was never really brought to the states beyond old computers. The concept is that the Red, Green, and Blue. By separating all the different color channels the resultant picture is much crisper and vibrant. Well not only could I achieve this on the Sega Saturn, but many, many consoles before it. Almost all of them.

XRGB-3

The first step was locating the necessary equipment to be able to display this on a US monitor or TV. Like I said, for whatever reason the US didn’t really get this technology. After about a week of straight research trying to find a cheap and relatively easy way to go about doing this I landed on an up-scan converter called the XRGB. It was a Japanese product which allowed RGB input and outputted to VGA. PERFECT. The problem was they were not exactly easy to come by because they were quite the niche product. The only one I could find was the third iteration of the product called the XRGB-3. Being newer and beefier it was somewhere in the vicinity of $400!! Luckily I did locate on eBay for a significantly reduced price. Thank goodness!

SCART

The next step was to buy all the RGB cables to go along with the systems. I am in that process currently and it is proving again to be a difficult one. Most cables you can buy today are RGB SCART. SCART is a European standard which differs from the Japanese 21-pin RGB. Physically they are identical, but the pin configurations are different. If you accidentally confuse them you might be in for a pretty big surprise as you will probably break your adapter or monitor. So I needed to locate an SCART to JPN 21-pin then the SCART RGB cables. Such a chore!

NES Mockup

The really cool project in all this I am working on is the RGB NES. The NES cannot output RGB by default. There is two ways to get an RGB NES. One is to buy an NES Titler which was made by Sharp in 1989. They run quite high as they are pretty rare. The next is to acquire the PPU (Picture Processing Unit, kind of like an ancient graphics card) from the Playchoice-10. The Playchoice-10 was the NES Arcade unit. If you swap the Playchoice-10 PPU with the NES one and do a little solder and wiring magic you can get RGB out of the NES. Currently, I am in possession of the PPU and am planning out how I want to get the video out and everything. I am really close and should have it up and running in under a month I hope. On top of the RGB output I also want to do the “stereo” mod on the NES coupled with the extra chip input from Japanese cartridges which I have already done. It will be the ULTIMATE NES! I am excited. This whole RGB project is turning out to be a lot of fun. Stay tuned for more updates!

I came to an impasse. It’s something we all encounter almost everyday in our workaday lives. How am I going to use my keyboard in the dark and not turn on a lamp? I felt you pain and decided that I needed to do something about it. I really wanted to make it as compact as possible so a reduction of wires was key. Since I had a keyboard with an extra USB port on one side I decided that that was the easiest and most accessible power source.

I did a little research and found that USB outputs 5V @ 100 mA. That seemed like more than I needed to make this project work.

Here is a little circuit and math work. It’s actually a lot easier than it looks.

This is the circuit working on a protoboard being powered by the keyboard.

There is the finished circuit on a cheap Radio Shack circuit board.

I just used some sticky putty to adhere it to the underside of my keyboard trade. You can’t see it without being under the desk so outer housing was not essential.

Here is the finished product! Does its job very well.

Total cost of the projects ran about $20 with LEDs, resistors, and PC board. The USB cable was just one I had lying around in my basement. I have since added a switch as well so I could always leave it plugged in. I don’t know why that didn’t cross my mind until after I built it. Fun little project and very useful.