Taniith's Relto

Comments

Kiirel — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 23:56:34 +0000

So, I keep getting comment spam at a significantly higher rate than I used to. So, I turned on some features that block comments unless they are from a user who has already had an approved comment. So if you have an account then at most 1 of your comments wont appear till I approve it, but I don’t think that will work for people without accounts (all the more reason to make an account! :D)

Also, yay GDC!

MO:ULagain

Kiirel — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 04:49:58 +0000

Last week, we had the 2 (and 6) year anniversaries of when URU was canceled. On that day, one of the NPCs from the game posted on their in-character forum. Thus began the lead up to today. For a while now, they’ve been promising us the source code for the game. As of today, they have taken the first steps toward that by opening a game shard. Myst Online is now available for free to the masses; anyone who wants to can download the client and play.

I’m still waiting to get the source (well, I really just want the source for the tools so I can try porting them to Maya), but this is a great step.

I would ramble, but I have stuff to do. So, I leave you with that.

-K

Reputation

Kiirel — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 07:50:40 +0000

Apparently, word of my skillset is getting around. Britt (one of the new professors; the one I had that little tiff with in A-term) runs a figure-drawing workshop every week. I don’t go, but I know several people that do. I’m told that at the one this week, someone idly mention to a friend that they were having trouble with something Maya related. Someone else then said something to the effect of “have you asked Elliot?”.

I guess I must do a good job when I TA (I’m not this term), because random people are passing around that I’m the go-to guy for help in Maya. As nice as it is to be appreciated, I really hope this doesn’t get out of hand, heh.

-K

Pig Shot

Kiirel — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 01:28:47 +0000

WPI had an H1N1 shot clinic yesterday; it was even free! I went and got my shot, which was obviously nothing compared to the horror I had built up in my mind while walking up the hill (and waiting for them to get back from lunch, leaving me more time to mull over how agonizingly painful it would be). As you might expect, several hours later my arm started to ache. That’s no big deal though, cause that’s just what happens… but then my other arm started to hurt in the same spot! This I don’t understand at all. I have the same ache in both arms. It’s like the other arm feels left out and decided to take matters into its own hands (well, I guess that expression doesn’t work on something that has a hand, but you know).

Its somewhat amusing, if a tad annoying.

-K

Edit: Comments closed due to spam.

Someone Screwed Up

Kiirel — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 07:23:12 +0000

Some months ago, the sales tax rate in Massachusetts was increased to 6.25%. Now, me not being much of one to keep tabs on the news, I managed to miss this fact. When the day came for the change, I was on the grand Adventure (probably on a train or something). After I got back, I had lunch with my old teacher Andrew, after which we meandered into that ice cream store on Moody street. They had a sign on the counter saying how they had tweaked their prices to come out to nice even amounts with the new tax rate. Having no idea about this so called tax increase, I figured they must be playing some scam! Nonetheless, I bought my sorbet (or something) and went on my way. Once I got home, I discovered that it was all true and came to the conclusion that the sand around my head was deeper than I had first supposed.

Now jump to just now. Whenever I head back to Worcester from Newton around dinner time, I stop by the Framingham rest stop and get chicken from Boston Market. Say what you will, it’s pretty good food all things considered. I then continue on to Worcester, where I eat my food, after which the container tends to sit around until the next trash day. Which would be tomorrow. Collecting stuff to dispose of, I saw a receipt that happened to be from last week’s meal. Just as I was about to throw it away, I happened to glance down and do you know what I saw? “7.00% Tax”. Apparently, someone went ahead and raised the sales tax again! That’s twice they haven’t told me…. except this time it seems that didn’t tell anyone else either, besides this Boston Market. Sure, its a couple of cents, but its not right to charge the wrong tax. Unless they really did raise the tax, and neither I nor Wikipedia were told O_o

I know its not much of a blog post, but its something, eh?

-K

End of Time (pt1)

Kiirel — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 01:29:34 +0000

Just a quick bit of commentary on the episode… you probably shouldn’t look if you haven’t seen it yet.

I just watched The End of Time part 1, the first half of David Tennant’s last Doctor Who episode. Holy crap! I knew one person that was coming back, both from prophecy a few episodes back (”he will knock 4 times, and then you will die”, or something like that), and also from the small number of spoilers I’ve accidentally stumbled on. But even then, it was great.

But the thing that really hit me was the end. When the Narrator guy first appeared on screen, I said to myself “those clothes he’s wearing…. he can’t be a *what he is goes here*”. And then it was in the back of my mind the rest of the episode. So then, I had to try and identify the woman that keeps talking to Wilf. It may be a shot in the dark, but I think it’s Romana. According to RTD back in series 1, she was Lord President of Gallifrey back when the last great Time War occurred. She was the one who offered the Master to the Daleks in the 1996 movie, and then she was the leader in the war. That’s probably how the Doctor got involved; Romana asked for his help I bet. And given what happens at the end of this episode, I can see how she might show up and try to protect the Doctor, but why he can’t know she’s there.

Anyway, I was joking with my friend Adam after I watched Waters of Mars. I commented on how it made sense that the Doctor regenerate into a younger body, because he has too much baggage and needs a fresh start. He needs to grow up again, without the Time Wars and the Daleks and the Master and all that. And then, I suggested, what if the Time Lords came back. What if Gallifrey was restored and the Doctor was at once praised for his service and punished for destroying the Time Lords to stop the Daleks. And so they force him to regenerate into a kid. Maybe they refill his regeneration count or something. I think this could all work!

But then I saw End of Time pt1. They get to the part where the Master’s plan is about to take place and I thought to myself, “oh, it works based on a template… he’s going to turn everyone into Time Lords and turn Earth into Gallifrey!”. But then, he didn’t. And then they zoomed out to that narrator again, and I saw his clothes again, and they still looked like what I was theorizing. And then they zoomed out a little, and we could see the guy behind him with the full outfit and head-dress…. and there it was. It sounds like I wasn’t entirely right about the motives, but I can’t believe he did that. I can’t believe it.

And yet I can. And I just can’t wait to see what happens next week! She remembers, he’s a thousand clones, they are insane, and the Doctor will die.

Epic.

-K

Steampunk Heek

Kiirel — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 08:54:29 +0000

In the past couple days, I’ve discovered a few interesting things. First is Ponoko. They have a whole host of materials that they will laser cut (from felt to plastic to wood). I got a few small bits laser cut for Heek, but that was just in plastic. I’m now starting to think about my plan for Heek, and I think I might take advantage of Ponoko for some of it. I’m thinking something like interlocking MDF for structure (either laser cut or I’ll do it myself with a bandsaw somewhere). Maybe with decorative top parts, especially on the master box; I can actually get it cut and engraved in cherry or walnut to look like a real Heek table!

Ok, so that covers the box structure, but MDF is kinda boring. After some thought, I think I’ll go with a Steampunk theme. I’m going to get some sort of aged leather to put on the sides (while I can get engraved leather from Ponoko, I don’t think it’s worth it). Then, I’ll get aged, thin copper or brass to wrap the edges and corners. I’ll top it off with some tacks/rivets all around the metal. And it will be epic; far more interesting than just simple boxes like I was first thinking of. I already found some interesting thin (36 gauge) copper and brass foil, including some reclaimed rolls of the copper, so I ordered a sample pack to test the look and formability.

Also, another pair of sites I found were the MakerBot and the RepRap. Both are personal 3D printers that you (partially) build yourself. They are both pretty rough right now, but the development plans look pretty cool. The MakerBot is sort of an offshoot of the RepRap; Its more interested in usability while the RepRap is about building a fabricator that can replicate its own parts. RepRap is working on things like 3D printing circuit boards (and the actual transistors that are solder on as a pipe dream), so you can use it to replicate more of itself. MakerBot, on the other hand, is working on ideas like adding additional nozzles to use support material like the professional printers. That way, anything can be printed without the worry that overhangs will break before they have structure build up, or before they totally cool off/dry.

Its all very interesting, and I look forward to seeing where it goes. Now there are good way to get 2D stuff, laser cut pieces, and 3D stuff, and the possibility to build or buy all of those fabricators in some way. Dave has this idea he’s been saying for a bit that 3D printers will be so affordable by the time that I graduate that everyone will be able to pool together and get one as a gift. Who knows, maybe he’ll be right…. but then again, maybe I’ll have built my own by then ;p.

-K

A Slow Death?

Kiirel — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 07:38:04 +0000

Traffic has slowed to a halt. The past month or two, the only traffic has been people being directed here for the posts about that scam, and the occasional Google search. Now, there’s even less than that. And I get the feeling that part of the reason for less reading is my lack of posting, which is spurred on by the lack of reading, etc.

Oh well. I never was very good at keeping a journal or an audiance, why should this be any different.

A Little Late

Kiirel — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 09:13:35 +0000

The other day I was talking to my Dad about going to the GDC conference in the spring (its actually during spring break for once, so I can go!). I made a reference to my Adventure, and how the less expensive Chicago hotel I stayed at first was so much better than the Hard Rock Hotel. He proceeded to point out that the Hard Rock Hotel is just a big gimmick and scam (not his words, but same idea). Well gee, he couldn’t have pointed that out *before* I spent good money on it?

Honestly, I still can’t believe how much I paid for that crappy room.

Really Amazing

Kiirel — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 07:10:40 +0000

I just watched this TED talk… I knew some perception stuff, but the way he puts it really opens your eyes (no pun intended). I also suddenly got several interesting game ideas, including one for my current MQP (not that things can be changed at this point, but still…)