Friday, December 28, 2007

Bug in Chessmaster DS

I got myself a Nintendo DS Lite and a chessmaster program to go along with it. It is a nice piece of chess software, as far as chess program goes. The playing style is natural, unlike the PC version. However, Ubisoft does have bugs in their program. Idea-wise, they're great. Implementation is lacking.In this case, there seems to be an error in their en passant move. It's okay if you preview the game move by move. But hitting rewind/start button will reveal the bug.And for some reason, they have multiplayer chess variant, but not game analysis. I'll have to keep looking. I wonder if Fritz or Hiarcs has a DS version?

Tuesday, December 25, 2007

Musical Dolls

TRAVEL
I saw this on R-place. Ramone. It turns into a TA truckstop on I 80 exit 112. The sign says 25 cents. I ask someone there. She doesn't know whether it still works. "so, nobody ever put a coin in there?" I guess not.

Thursday, December 20, 2007

Nascar Racing

EA Sports Nascar Racing Daytona International Speedway. The game is kind of too easy. Only drafting in a relatively straight course. I guess I'm spoiled with drifting.

Sunday, December 16, 2007

A snowy day

A nice cold day is best met with hot chocolate in a warm bed, and that's just what I did! I'm not feeling particularly energetic this morning although that's changed once I took some showers. I realize that maybe I should put more entries in my blog, but travelling all the time does have its disadvantages. Kept running low on phone batteries for one. I should get me one of those extended battery pack.

Winter driving is a lot riskier than normal. I saw no less than 7 cars all piled up half hour after it starts snowing. 3 big trucks are out as well. Having my truck dancing on ice once it hits 65 mph made me realize the importance of staying out of cruise control. But please don't drive 25 mph on freeway if you can't help it. That's just plain dangerous for everybody. It shows either you're not ready or your car is not ready or both. About the only time I drove 15 mph on freeway is when the snow covers everything so the I can't tell where the road is, except by the grating sound my tires make when it's off the road. Of course I pulled over as soon as possible!

So, enjoy the snow. Relax and be safe!

Friday, December 7, 2007

A New Beginning

ZEN THOUGHT

Sometimes the hardest thing is to start. What if you one day wake up and realize that you hate your job, your life, and your future? What if you dream of a good life out there? I think the hardest thing to do is to start fresh.

Think about it: no matter how bad your job is, at least you have it. At least you have a secure income. At least, even if you are miserable in your current job, you still have it. You still make money and pay the bills.

And yet, you are miserable in your job. My attitude is different. I think life is too short to be spent on a job you don't enjoy. Even if everybody thinks your job is great, if you disagree, then change your job. I had a string of unsatisfactory jobs. However, as soon as I paid off my loans and put some attitude money, I quit those jobs. I also took my time in finding a good job. It took a month, but I think I've found it. My stress level is way down. I think it's worth it to pursue a job you love without regards of monetary rewards. If the job is something you truly love, and it's a good job, then the money will take care of itself.

Sometimes it's hard to start over completely without a safety net. Charles Boorman found out that he wanted to be a motorcycle racer, but found out too late and now he's too old to do it. I say that if he really wants to race, he would have. How old was Steve McQueen when he raced? Jay Leno?

There are many reasons not to act on a dangerous endeavor, but old age is not among them. Helio Gracie still does Jujitsu. Richard Brandon still goes adventuring. Sir Richard Harris does it til the end and so do so many masters. Even if you can't possibly be number one, that no reason to quit or not to start. Do the thing you love, and the money will ttake care of itself.

Yesterday was my birthday. Today is the first day of the rest of my life. Today, I will begin anew, with the wisdom that I have of my past life.

So the big question is: What do I do now?

Since I was safety concious in the past, maybe it's time to start living dangerously. Well, a little teeny tiny little bit more. :) When it comes to danger, always be prudent and minimize risk. But with the new comes the unknown. With the unknown comes the risk. With the risk comes danger. You can't have the new without the danger. So be brave and face the whole new world!

Saturday, December 1, 2007

R2D2

COOL TECH
I was at this Sharper Image store and saw these droids for sale. I was sorely tempted! There are actually several models available. Some actually functions as webcam. Also check out Target as I believe they also have some. How many would agree that 2008 will be the year of R2D2?