I should know better than to try to visit the Mos Eisley Cantina in SWG using a 56k modem and an “under-powered” CPU on launch weekend.
Now I’m stuck there with a 1/4 frame per second (yes you read that right) framerate and I keep going link-dead after about 2 minutes.
I think I’m going to give up for now and wait until chutta gets home. Maybe I can use his machine to get out of town.
Edited on Jul 9th 2003, 21:05 by Hooloovoo
Really, I wasn’t. I had resigned myself to the fact that as much as I wanted to play it, I was not going to sign up for a SWG account right away. Many of my reasons are related to my current (un)employment status:
1) I don’t have the money to purchase the game
2) I don’t have the money to purchase a monthly subscription
3) I don’t have the money to purchase the hardware upgrades I’m likely going to need in order to play.
4) My 56k connection is probably going to suck
5) I didn’t really like EQ, I’m afraid SWG might hold the same lack of appeal
6) It’s going to suck for the first few months anyway (as most MMOG’s tend to do)
Well, Chutta pre-ordered a copy of the game from Amazon. He got impatient with them yesterday and managed to grab one of the last copies at a software store near work. Today, his Amazon shipment arrived. He called to tell me there was a package sitting on his doorstep which I should retrieve, open, and use the contents of for a month or so.
The game’s installed – I’m patching now. (Estimated time remaining 2:45:10!!) The west coast servers aren’t up yet, and I’m still not certain the game is even going to run on my PC. But I have a month to check it out before I need to deactivate my account.
So much for waiting a few months before getting this game.
(Gossip, I think we’ll need a Games / MMOGs / SWG category now, too.)
Edited on Jul 9th 2003, 21:04 by Hooloovoo
It looks like I will be spending 25-30 hours a week getting paid to do something I like doing anyway. The exact numbers haven’t been hammered out yet, contract negotiations are next week.
I also got to go to the SF Zoo and play with my camera, and have dinner with my mom. I’d say today was a pretty good day.
w00t.
(updated to take advantage of the new categories)
Edited on Jun 28th 2003, 21:29 by Hooloovoo
I just found this link on Simon Willison’s web log. (I’m slowly getting caught up on the blogs I follow.) Don’t visit the link unless you’ve seen the movie, there are a few spoilers, and you might not catch all the humor.
(I especially liked the conversation at the end between Keanu Reeves and “The Explainer”. The IRC bit was fun, too.)
I so WANT one of THESE
mmm… apples
While I’m here, trying to get caught up on some of the blogs I used to read on a daily basis, my wife is in the other room reading the new Harry Potter book.
The continuous clicking of the clock above the computer, and my occasional typing followed by silence as I read is currently being supplemented by bursts of laugher coming from the other room. Perhaps I should take some time to get caught up on the series so I can find out what’s so funny.
One reading project at a time, I’m still trying to catch up on my blogs.
I just read a series of articles on the online version of the Independant Weekely, a newspaper out of Durham, NC
The stories (linked below in chronological order) relate the tale of a High School student who was questioned by 2 law enforcement officers about a suspected hacking incident at Chapel Hill High School.
Looks like a couple laws were broken, but not the ones you might think.
“The FBI has been reading my diary” –May 28, 2003
“Silly cops!” –June 4, 2003
Faking It –June 11, 2003
I’m looking forward to reading any followups on the story.
I guess there’s two morals to this story:
An old boss/friend of mine contacted me yesterday about a possible job. It’s not web design, but it does sound intreaguing. It looks like it’ll be part time, but I’ll be able to telecommute. I’ll find out more about it next week.
There’s also an EB Games that just opened down the street from here. It probably wouldn’t pay enough by itself, but depending on what the position mentioned above is like, I may decide to apply for a job there too for the hell of it. (Just so I do actually get out of doors on a regular basis.)
I’m starting to feel like I need a change of pace, and being furloughed was a blessing in disguise. (Of course it would be nice if the company I used to work for would actually pay me what I’m owed. Now that I think about it, it’d also be nice if I got a check from EDD soon, too.)
Okay time to stop rambling. I’m off to make a shopping list.
I’ve been helping simpsone and his parents get stuff moved up to Petaluma the last couple of days while frostedlexicharm has been down in LA deailing with nurses, surgeons, hospitals, and thier sick son. (For more info on that, check lexi’s blog – linked above.)
I tend to dislike dealing with simpsone’s father, but I’ve found that I can at least be civil towards him. (Even if he tends to be an ass towards me – well, towards just about everyone, really.) I’m actually taking a bit of a break from moving stuff right now, (and helping out my mom’s school to boot.) Anyway, we got (most of) the heavy stuff out of the way last night and this morning, but there’s still about 1/2 a garage and 3/4 of a storage area woth of stuff to get moved. (If I understood simpsone correctly.)
I’ve also spent the last couple of days working in the computer lab at my mother’s school, trying to undo some of the damage that’s been done to it throughout the year. I’ve been cleaning off the spyware, uninstalling apps that don’t need to be on the machine, “unifying” the desktop, and installing critical updates.
There’s more that I want to do to these machines, (like getting current virus definitions, tweaking thier network topology, and possibly even wiping all the machines and doing a fresh install of the OS and the basic software the lab needs,) but I don’t have the permission/funds to do that yet. (The scool needs to renew it’s site license to get current virus updates.) Getting the virus protection updated is the main thing I want to do but can’t yet – everything else would just be gravy.
I’ve actually enjoyed doing this stuff. It’s giving me a chance to get off my but and out of the house, and I actually feel useful. My job hunt is not going too well so far, but the last couple of days have kept me occupied – so I’m not spending all my time stressing about that.
I guess it’s about time for me to get back to working on the computers. Looks like I need to kill the spyware on the teacher machine as well. There’s been 5 different pop-up ads in the time it’s taken me to write this. (DEATH TO GATOR!)
I’m helping my mother today. It seems that the “child protection” software the elementary school she works in is not as effective as they thought it would be. Since I don’t really have anything better to do, I’m helping her out by running ad-aware on all these machines, and uninstalling the stuff the kids have added throughout the year.
I’m adding the link below, because “g-blog.net/user/hooloovoo” is easier for me to type (and remember) than http://download.com.com/3001-2144-10186632.html
Also: all the machines should have this as thier hompage: http://www.husd.k12.ca.us/
Edited on Jun 16th 2003, 19:56 by Hooloovoo