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I hopped onto the scale this morning to weigh myself.

The scale said... wait for it...

249.5

It has been a very long time since a scale told me I was less than 250. I am finally making some real progress with my health. Yay for me!
nixguru: (Default)
Capnbuckle (http://capnbuckle.dreamwidth.org/) beat me to it. He has some good words.

Also check out:
http://theoatmeal.com/
http://xkcd.com/
http://www.megatokyo.com/
http://www.wired.com/

All of the above sites have fun and interesting protest materials. Please check them out.

Then once you are done reading, it is time for you to write. Please write your Senators and Congressmen. This is bad legislation and it needs to be stopped.
nixguru: (Default)
I received an awesome Christmas present this year, a Springfield Armory M1911-A1. It is a very pretty piece of hardware.

I picked up some ammunition tonight. Tomorrow I am going to the range to start breaking it in. I am starting with the classic original, 200 rounds of 230 grain FMJ. It should be a hugely fun couple of hours worth of shooting.

I can't wait.
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I am starting on a Sci-Fi kick, and boy do I have a stack of material to work through. I have a bunch of Leigh Brackett's Eric John Stark, Dan Simmons' Hyperion Cantos, Bujold's Vorkosigan Saga, and a few other odds and ends. I decided to start with one of the odd ends.

I have never read any Niven or Pournelle before, but so far I am impressed.

I started the book on Saturday night (12/17/11) and as of 2:00 AM last night I am on page 104 of 560. It is hard to put down. The plot is engaging. The writing is clever. The dialogue is realistic. I like it. It also helps that so far I have only found one thing that dates the book to the 1970s. That would be a single reference to the computer systems using tape for input.

I can see why this is novel is considered a classic. It has me thinking that I need to add "Lucifer's Hammer" and the Ringworld series to my reading list.

So far I have to recommend it. Hopefully it will finish as well as it started.
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The fourth Tuesday of every month is Savage Worlds (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Savage_Worlds) night at my FLGS. Tonight was my first time going.

I had heard about Savage Worlds before. I had even read the rule book. However, I had never played it. I had great fun.

SW is a generic system based off of the "Deadlands" and "Great Rail Wars" games. It focuses on quick resolution of situations and ease of prep by the GM. Tonight's setting was "Savage Star Wars." Which is just what it sounds like, Star Wars using SW for the mechanics.

There were four of us at the table, including the GM. Even though the GM was expecting more players the game ran well with just the three PCs.

I won't rehash the entire plot, except to say that we kicked Imperial butt. :-)

One thing that struck me is how easy it is to pick up the system. I had played "Classic Deadlands" before and leading up to the game I read the rule book. Five minutes into the game I felt like I had a decent grasp of the system. Compare that to PathfinderRPG. I have been playing PFRPG for just over a year now and still feel like I have huge gaps in my understanding of the rules. I feel like I could play PFRPG for another four to six years straight and still not have a complete understanding of the rules. I, like many, have to continually flip through the Pathfinder rules during a game.

So, I have to say that my impression of SW as a game system is very favorable. I am anxious to play it again, and I really want to try some of the cool sounding settings which are available like "Sundered Skies," "Weird Wars," "Interface Zero," "Space 1889: Red Sands," and "Hellfrost."

I should also add that there is a huge fan community surrounding this game. The Star Wars conversion which we were using tonight is a freely downloadable, unlicensed, fan created conversion. There are a couple of sites which are host to scads of fan contributions. It makes for a vibrant game.

I honestly think this one has something for everyone. I know many people don't like generic systems because they had a bad experience with GURPS or HERO or some other generic system. This one is different. The "Deluxe" edition of SW is 159 pages long, including TOC and Index. It is easily grasped and fun to play.

The tagline for the game is "Fast! Furious! Fun!" and I think they succeeded.
nixguru: (Default)
A Ca Phe Sua Da (Vietnamese Iced Coffee with Milk) is probably the best coffee drink I have ever had. Imagine a highly caffeinated, mocha flavored, glass of chocolate milk. It is thick and creamy (due to the sweetened, condensed milk) and it has enough caffeine to keep you going for most of the day hours. Nothing Starbucks has to offer quite compares to the pure yum that is this drink.

Seriously, try one.

https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Vietnamese_iced_coffee

Reading

Jul. 23rd, 2011 12:09 pm
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I am currently reading the Felix Gomez books by Mario Acevedo. Gomez is a Vampire PI. There is lots of action and plenty of sex (it is urban fantasy after all). I also like his take on vampires and their powers. If you like urban fantasy, he is worth the read. Check him out at: http://www.marioacevedo.com/.

mmmmm!!

Jul. 23rd, 2011 11:56 am
nixguru: (Default)
There is just something deeply soul and mouth satisfying about fresh, organic sweet cherries.

Yum!
nixguru: (Default)
Here is some good reading on the new version of OS X. As Rob found out Boot Camp can cause upgrade problems.

Infoworld: The complete guide to installing Mac OS X Lion
http://www.infoworld.com/d/applications/installing-lion-our-complete-guide-576

How to burn a Lion installer DVD
http://www.eggfreckles.net/tech/burning-a-lion-boot-disc/

Ars Technica: Mac OS X 10.7 Lion: the Ars Technica review
http://arstechnica.com/apple/reviews/2011/07/mac-os-x-10-7.ars

The Ars article is 19 pages, but worth the read for in-depth coverage of the new OS.
nixguru: (Default)
... that most people on the Internet are morons. Why do I continue to read Slashdot?
nixguru: (Default)
... there are many like it but this one is mine.

I purchased my first firearm tonight. I have been thinking about making such a purchase for many years. I wish I had done it sooner.

Now I need to spend a few weekends at the rifle range.
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My damn credit card was stolen. They also have my name, address, and phone number.

Assholes.