Monthly Archives: August 2008

Two Pools

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I love swimming pools.  I love the ocean and lakes too, but I’ve done most of my swimming in pools.  Outdoor pools are the best.

The town where I grew up, northeastern US, has the best public swimming pool in the area.  It was wonderful when I was growing up, and it’s still wonderful.  It’s hot here in the summer.  When it’s not raining, it’s great swimming weather!

Hometown Pool - August 2008

Hometown Pool - August 2008

 

 

 

My hometown pool,  summer, 2008.  The hand is that of a family member, doing laps in the lap lane.  I’m the person taking the picture (waterproof camera).  What a great day.

 

 

 

 

 

Pool where I live - SF Bay Area

Pool where I live - SF Bay Area, south of San Francisco

               
              
This is the pool where I live.  It’s a shared pool – everyone in the small complex can use it.  It’s a wonderful pool, though it’s not heated, and the humidity is low around here, and our nights are cool.  This means that my pool swimming is limited to summer and early fall.  It the pool  was heated our pool season could go from spring to fall.
         
Sometimes, when I go for a dip, I’m the only one at the pool.  So then it’s my very own private pool!
             
I love summer.
amarez – mszv

Uru – the MMO

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Uru is an online multiplayer game (MMO), developed by Cyan Worlds, the creators of Myst.  The game is set in present day.  You discover an ancient city, underground in the desert.  Via the concept of linking books (find a book, open it, click on the image) you are transported to other worlds, called ages.  Gameplay consists of exploring the worlds, solving puzzles to advance the story and unlock new worlds, and finding objects to wear or decorate you home.  When possible, you could also attend live “events”, simlar to an interactive play.
                       
History
Ubisoft published the first online version in 2003.  Several months later the online version was cancelled. Uru was converted into a solo player game.  In 2004, the second multiplayer version of Uru was released, called Until Uru.  There was no new content from Cyan, but players could play the multiplayer version via privately run player owned servers.  There was a $15.00 (US dollars) one time charge if you bought the boxed version of the game.   In 2007, the free servers (Until Uru) were shut down and Gametap released a third multiplayer version of Uru (monthly fee) with new content.  In April 2008 version three was shut down. 

   

In July 2008, Cyan announced that they would self publish a multiplayer version, making this the fourth time a multiplayer version of Uru will be released! The initial release by Cyan will have no new Cyan content, but fans will be able to create their own content (with some restrictions).  Cyan will review player created content and add it to the game, for other players to enjoy.

 

Two good links

MMORPG Article

http://mmorpg.com/gamelist.cfm?LOADNEWS=7159&bhcp=1

 

History of Uru – Wikipedia entry

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myst_Online:_Uru_Live

 

Three screenshots

Uru - opening screenshot - the desert

Uru - opening screenshot - the desert

 

My first screenshot from the 2003 beta.  I start Uru.  I am in the desert in New Mexico.  What will I find?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Uru - Relto - my home

Uru - Relto - my home

 

My private age – Relto – my home in Uru .  This is a private age, though I can invite other players as guests.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Uru - Bevin - a neighborhood

Uru - Bevin - a neighborhood

 

 

 

 Bevin, a neighorhood in Uru.  This is a shared age, an age owned by more than one player.  The age can be open to all players, or private, which means that only the owners can access it.

 

 

   

 

Do I like Uru?  Yes – I do.  Would I recommend that you play Uru.   My answer – I don’t know.

 

I’ve been with Uru for…well…forever.  I was one of the first people admitted to the 2003 beta test.  I’m been a player, a supporter, a critic.  I’ve been a volunteer moderator for the official web forum, starting with the first publisher, Ubisoft, in 2003, then with Gametap and Cyan. (I don’t mod anymore – short answer – no time).  I’ve made friends.

    

When I was laid off in 2003 (company merger, layoffs, you know the story, working again, all is good), Uru kept me going during unhappy times.  I’ve never considered myself to be what we call an “avid” fan – though if you look at how long I’ve been in Uru, and my involvement in the community, I’m much more of a fan than I think I am!  Uru has been a constant in my life since 2003.   I know the game world – it’s a part of me.  I’ve lived there.  There were times when I would not logon for weeks, but I would always come back.  I have the solo player version of Uru,; it’s beautiful, but I miss the multiplayer version.  I will play MMO URU when it comes back

         

I’ve also been a critic.  Uru is beautiful and sometimes it’s wonderful, but it’s also flawed.  I won’t go into the flaws here (maybe a later post), but think about it.  There is enough interest to resurrect Uru three times (four if you count Until Uru), but then the game was cancelled, several times.  Something is going on.

        

Will you like it?  I don’t know.  I don’t think those of us who have been with Uru forever are the best judges of whether other people will like it.  We aren’t objective.  Uru is our history, our community, our home.  I recommend that you read up, and perhaps, give it a try.  Uru (called MORE) is going to be very reasonably priced – about $25.00 (US) for a 6 month subscription – payable via Paypal, so it will be available around the world.  Here’s a link to the official site, including the online forum.

 

http://www.mystonline.com

 

Enjoy.

 

 amarez – mszv

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At the Airport – road warrior or pack mule?

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I have always wanted to be one of those plucky, purposeful “road warrior” type travelers.  For those of you who don’t recognize the term, “road warrior” refers to a particular type of business traveler – one who travels a lot, mostly on planes, knows what to carry, and makes the best use of technology.  

I take a lot of technology stuff with me, but I’m not a quick or elegant traveler, one who knows where everything is, someone who can whip out that laptop at the last minute, and then quickly put it away.  

Here is the story from my last airport venture, a couple of days ago.

1. Troll the gates (past security) looking for a working electrical outlet.  We all do this.  Airports are slow to recognize that we’d be a lot happier if we could just plug in.

 2. Find what looks like a working electrical outlet, on the floor, next to a window.  Sit on the floor (ick), pull out laptop from the rolling backpack – only have to dislodge two packets of stuff in my bag. Pull out cord.   Snake the power cord on the floor, and plug into the outlet and the laptop. Fire up laptop, resting it awkwardly on my knees.  Discover that the outlet is not working, and it’s so sunny (back to a window) that I cannot see the screen anyway.  Pack up and move on.

3. Find what looks like another working outlet –  the floor, but close to a row of real seats.  Pull out laptop, power cord, headphones and mouse – 3 cases, counting laptop case.  Rolling backpack tips over but I right it.  Plug in power cord.  Perch laptop on knees.   Rest laptop on seat next to me, plug in headphones (no need to turn off speaker), wireless mouse (not a big fan of the track pad), and power cord.  Fire up laptop.

4.  Little tricky using the mouse.  It works better if I mouse over myself, oddly enough – not enough room on the seat for the mouse and the laptop. Use a combo of touch screen and mouse to access laptop. 

5.  Look for a free working wireless connection.  If I was a real road warrior, my company would pay for airport wireless access.  Find a couple of wireless networks, but you have to pay for all of them – not my thing.

6.  Pull out my Smartphone – Motorola Q – admittedly “last year’s” model (Windows Mobile 5), but I like it a lot.  The pricey data plan I pay for is going to get some use.  I have to find a place to rest my Smartphone, as I have to connect it to a USB port with its cable.  The connection software works well, and I’ve memorized the sequence of what you hook up first – very road warrior of me!  I’m online. I download email, also check out a game web forum.  Not all that “road warrior” of me, but hey, it’s my time.

7.  Cool thing to try – might as well see if Guild Wars, an online multiplayer game, will play on the laptop using my Smartphone data plan.  My network is not 3G, so it’s faster than dialup, but slower than broadband DSL.  Surprise – Guild Wars plays great!  I’m a little too distracted for actual playing, so I move around a bit in Guild Wars, and then close the program.

8.  Shut everything down, pack everything up in their cases, push everything back in rolling backpack (have to rearrange) and move on.

I do feel like a road warrior when I do the data thing on my cell phone. I get great reception at the airport, and my Smartphone has a full, though small keyboard.  Reading email and accessing the web is oddly fun. 

Here’s a picture for you – a plane (one of my flights from a couple of years ago) in the air.  You can see all the lovely blue out the window. A digital camera (better than my Smartphone camera) is another thing I bring with me.

View from a plane

View from a plane

All for now,

amarez – mszv

 

Hi-tech company cafeteria – feels like home

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It’s funny how the oddest things can “feel like home” – something you don’t expect.   

I now work in a building in a corporate office park – the prettiest office park you’ve ever seen.  I’ll post some pictures later.  Down the street from me there is a big hi-tech company.  The company has a corporate cafeteria.  It’s a Bon Appetit cafeteria – really good food, lots of variety, specials every day, local produce and a “green” environment, whenever they can manage it.  The food is tasty and very affordable.  Like most corporate cafeterias, this company must subsidize it, to keep the prices reasonable.

The really sweet thing is that this very nice hi-tech company lets people who don’t work there eat at the cafeteria.  The company isn’t stupid – there is a receptionist inside the entrance to the building, so you can’t wander into the offices, but you are free to go eat at the cafeteria.  Now that my group has moved to our new space in the prettiest office park, I eat there a lot.  

What I didn’t expect – the big hi-tech company cafeteria feels like home.  I walk in, and it’s familiar – how the people look, their ages, ethnicity, style of dress, gender mix, how they talk to each other and how they chat with me.  The food seems familiar – the pizza bar, the salad bar, the soups, the burrito bar, the daily Indian specials, the grill, and the daily Asian or Italian saute. 

The lobby feels like home too.  I pointed out the colorful attractive posters showing how (I’ll make this up) – “Big hi-tech company lets people easily book ski trips to Colorado!”  I made up that example, but you get the idea; all big hi-tech companies have those kinds of posters in their lobbies, showing the swell things that your products let your customers do. 

I don’t work for a big hi-tech company anymore, though I still do Businessy/IT-ish/Data-ish kinds of things.  Where I work now is the right place for me to be, right now.  It may change in the future, but for now, I’m where I need to be.   

I know that – but you know, that cafeteria feels like home.

amarez – mszv

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Guild Wars – characters and popular culture

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I’m playing Guild Wars, an online multiplayer roleplaying game – an MMORPG.  It’s a beautiful game.  The “campaign” (area) I am in, Prophesies, has a medievalist fantasy look to it.   I’m currently in the “presearing” world –  a lovely, bucolic, mostly peaceful world.  I know that bad things are going to happen, and the world will change.  Here is a lovely view of my world.

Guild Wars Prophesies - presearing - lovely view

Guild Wars Prophesies - lovely view

Here is my elementalist character – Amarez.  An elementalist is a magician who can channel the “elements” (fire, air, water, earth), to defeat enemies and help her comrades.  Think Storm in the X-Men movies and you’ll know what I mean.
Guild Wars - Amarez, the elementalist

Guild Wars - Amarez, the elementalist

So, yes, it’s a medievalist fantasy game (like Lord of the Rings, the movie), but look at her hair style.   Doesn’t her hair style have an oddly contemporary look?  It’s quite attractive and not fantasy medievalist at all!
   
That’s because games are part of popular culture, which sometimes makes for an odd combination of things.  The designers have to come up with something that people feel comfortable identifying with.  In this case it’s an attractive short layered haircut, with bangs, in a medievalist fantasy world
   
When you play popular MMORPGs, you also have to get past the popular culture thing, even if it’s not how you would do it.   You can see that my elementalist is, thankfully, mostly covered, but that outfit is way too skimpy for me, and she’s much too busty for my taste!  As the game progresses, I’ll be able to cover her up a little more – I can get her new “armor” in the form of a longer pareo type skirt.  I don’t think I’ll be able to cover up her bustline, but I’m going to check.
  
You know, that top she is wearing has got to be “magic” armor.  How the heck does that top stay on?
amarez – mszv

California – it’s the weather

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If you haven’t lived in coastal California (west of the inland valleys, west of the major mountain ranges), it’s hard to describe how comfortable it is.  Perhaps a bit of data will help –

City-data.com (http://www.city-data.com) has a wonderful collection of metrics on US cities and towns.  Let’s look at Menlo Park, a town in the San Francisco Bay area, near the town where I live.

http://www.city-data.com/city/Menlo-Park-California.html

Average Climate in Menlo Park, California – based on data reported by over 4,000 weather stations

Menlo Park, California - Average Temperatures (F)

Menlo Park, California - Average Temperatures (F)

Menlo Park, California - Average Preciptation (in)

Menlo Park, California - Average Preciptation (in)

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Menlo Park, California - Cloudy and Sunny Days

Menlo Park, California - Cloudy and Sunny Days

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What does this tell us?   Spring, summer and fall have warm (not hot!) days and cool nights.  In winter the weather is mild (doesn’t freeze) and it rains a bit.  It doesn’t rain in spring, summer or most of fall.  There are a sunny days, even in winter.

It’s also not humid, so it’s really, really comfortable.

I’ve tried to think of a few disadvantages to the weather.  When you live in the land of perfect comfort it’s hard to come up with anything.  Let’s see – you have to remember to bring a jacket in summer –  after the sun sets it gets chilly.  And night swimming isn’t great around here –   it’s hard to force yourself to get into a pool when you are wearing a jacket over your swimsuit.

If you enjoy four distinct seasons this isn’t the place – we have seasons, but they are subtle, more wet and dry, a Mediterranean climate.   You have to enjoy looking at a dry land for much of the year  – golden hills in the distance, punctuated by the green of the trees.  When the rains come everything gets green.  And – oh yeah, we do have natural disasters.
      
It doesn’t matter – I live in paradise.
amarez – mszv