Author Archives: Steve - Page 13

The Niantic Project

Posted by on November 28, 2012 No comments

As much as I am on the Internet and paying attention to trends and games, this one blew right past me. I only learned about Ingress while on one of these work trips and a work buddy started talking about his Android friends (the phone users, not actual androids) who were playing. I thought, “Hey, I am an Android user! I should be playing this!” So I set out to learn about The Niantic Project.

A few months ago Google came out with a fun app called Field Trip. This app runs in the background of your phone and alerts you when you are near something historical or interesting. I get a kick out of it sometimes when I am driving around and find out I am near the largest ball of twine, or the location where George Washington’s third horse is buried. Little did I know that it would lead to their new Augmented Reality game called Ingress.

Augmented reality apps have been around for a while now, but none of them actually held any value past a good “Yup, that’s a thing!” You use your phones camera or GPS to tell where you are and your phone displays something virtually where you are physically. For the most part it was only for just that, to view something. Google stepped it up a notch with Ingress. You aren’t just viewing things anymore, you are
interacting with them and everyone else around you. Under the guise of “The Niantic Project” which is the secret organization behind Ingress.

Two warring factions are fighting for the well being of mankind. A crack in the universe has caused something called Exotic Matter (XM) to leak into our plane of existence.  Much of it was concentrated around Portals. These portals can be hacked and linked up to other portals to create a field. This field is a protective barrier that covers those who live under it. Got all that? So using the software on my phone, I can go to a portal location, which is only visible on the software, and hack that portal for my given side. By
hacking it, I have the chance to gain some equipment:

  • Resonators – Attached to portals to extend their range and link to other portals.
  • Bursters – Weapons used to attack other resonators.
  • Shields – Protective devices that can attach to portals to prevent damage from attacking factions.
  • Portal Keys – A virtual link to a specific portal
  • Media – Documents and pictures pertaining to the origins of the portals and XM

Resonators come in various levels (1-8) and can only be used at the level you have reached. (if you are level 4, you can use any item L1 to L4). Each portal can hold 8 total resonators, and their combined level averaged is the level of the portal. An unclaimed portal has no level, while one with all level 5 resonators is a level 5. Depending on the total of the level of resonators, that portal may be able to link to another portal. There are plenty of charts out there to show the distances.  Resonators degrade 10% of their energy each day and need to be recharged if they are to stay active.

Bursters also come in levels and can only be used by their respective level user. It’s a simple 360 degree bomb that takes out enemy resonators. The higher the level, the more damage.

 

 

Shields can be attached to portals, like resonators, and can deflect some of the damage from Bursters. Up to 4 shields can be added to a portal, and as of now, I have only seen 3 types of shields.

 

 

Portal Keys are interesting. They give you a link to the specific portal you have hacked. This link can show you it’s status, allow you to remotely recharge the resonators, and they give you a way to link a portal over a great distance. If you are trying to link to a portal that is out of range of your local map, you need it’s key. From what I have been able to tell, hacking a portal may “Steal” it’s key from its owner, same with destroying all of the resonators.

Media objects are just some documents that lend to the over arching back story. I have managed to collect 4 if them.

 

 

Using these tools, you can add the “Mind Units” of a covered area to your factions totals. The factions are:

  • Enlightened – The group who feel that the portals are part of the greater good and look to use them to influence mankind to their way.
  • Resistance – Those who want to keep free will and mankind away from influence from outside sources.

Now, there is a larger story going on that hasn’t yet been released. The Website NianticProject.com has been leaking out documents and videos that tell us there is something much bigger coming. I guess we will have to wait and see what that is.

I am currently on the side of the resistance. Time will tell how it ends up for us.

I love my new Razr Maxx HD

Posted by on November 27, 2012 No comments

You know what else I love? Living in the future. Right now I am about 30,000 feet above the US hurling through the air in defiance of whatever laws of religion/science you can imagine and doing it sitting comfortably while typing on my touch screen computer. A few more thousand feet up and we are talking Star Trek. But all that aside, I wanted
to do a post about the new phone I picked up and have been delayed due to more work
travels. On the plus side, this has given me the chance to really break in my phone.

A few years ago the 4G market for phones started to take off and I got excited about the
prospect of high speed mobile devices. I got myself the Verizon Thunderbolt and really
liked it. That is, for a few months. The biggest complaint about the TB was the battery
life and it lived up to that. Something about the combination of components just drained
the battery to the point that the power user (that would be me) could only get about 4-
5 hours out of it. I know laptops that have better battery life!! Add on to that the blatant
lack of support after only a few months. The TB stopped seeing any of the newer IS
updates and even the MOD community kind of gave up on it.

Soldiering through, I made it almost two years before I just couldn’t stand it any more. The rag tag ROMs I was able to find weren’t stable, I was getting lots of reboots, and was extremely jealous of my wife’s new Razr Maxx by Motorola. She is not a power user and had managed to go for about 3 days without charging at one point. That and it was a world phone. With my work travels and our potential vacation travels (like that trip
to London) I was going to need something better.

With my ear to the Ethernet I heard rumblings of a new Razr Maxx, the HD version. It was pricey, but the screen was amazing, it had NFC (Near Field Communication), and came standard with the ICS OS version. Best of all, one of my co-workers bought one first so I got to get some hands on with it. (Thou shalt not covet thy co-workers Cell Phone). Once we learned he was able to root it with ease, (OWN IT!) I made the decision to get one.

I am two months in now and I love this thing! It’s on par with size of the iPhone 5 (a
little wider and a tad thicker, but barely). The stock home screen was easy and quick
to adjust to so no need to add a new home launcher. I did keep some of my more
favorite apps, like the Magic Screen Unlocker, for a separate lock screen, and the Full
Screen Caller ID. Which is, of course, one of the reasons I love Android, if I don’t like a
functionality, there really is an app to switch it.

With the travel I have been doing, I have been on my phone a lot. Emails, Tweety pages and Facey spaces, etc. It’s almost weird to look down and see that I am at 40% battery life and not panic thinking I only have about 5 minutes left. Due to the ease of use, lately I have found myself using the phone instead of my iPad to check online. (Crazy, I know!).

I am sure that something will come out that is newer and fast and better than my Razr Maxx HD, but I really have a hard time believing that it won’t last me a good 2-3 years.

Now if you will excuse me, I told myself that if I got through this blog post I would read some more of the new Cold Days by Jim Butcher, while I stare out at the fluffy clouds.

Visiting Boston in the 1770’s

Posted by on November 8, 2012 No comments

You may have guessed by now that I am a huge Assassin’s creed fan.  So needless to say the new Assassin’s Creed III was on my “OMG I HAVE TO OWN THIS” list.  After a little prodding from a friend (ok, it didn’t take much prodding) I ordered the limited edition of the game.  The perks were just too much to pass up!

  • Along with a copy of the game, Assassins Creed III Limited Edition contains the essential items for gamers to ignite the American Revolution:
  • A stunning 9.44-Inch Assassin statue featuring Connor poised to strike with tomahawk and hidden blade
  • An embroidered 28-Inch x 48-Inch Assassins Creed-inspired colonial flag
  • A 3-Inch x 3.25-Inch sturdy metal belt buckle to proudly proclaim your allegiance to the Assassins
  • George Washington’s Notebook, a unique look into Washington’s life that also includes Assassins Creed III concept art

The flag is now hanging on the wall at my desk at work and the statue is right by the TV.  Of course, there was a small delay in getting this to me.  Some sort of storm or something.  UPS apparently has a hard time driving 2 hours when it’s a week after a huge storm.  (I don’t want to rant too much, but UPS sucks sometimes.) Needless to say, I was without the game for a week after release.  To alleviate my woes, I signed up for RedBox and rented the game to get me through the weekend.

All that aside, the game is beautiful.  It’s everything you could want from a colonial AC game.  I love touring around Boston and seeing sights that I have seen in modern day.  The story is great and really has me questioning the motives of the last few games (In a good way).  Sadly there are still quite a few bugs in the game.  Nothing gamebreaking but a few things here and there that really take me out of the experience and potentially have me cussing up a storm.  The usual “Stupid Ezio” moments of jumping to the wrong place or to my death are replaced with “Stupid Connor”.

Most of all I just love the sight seeing!

So if you were wondering where I was, Ill be in Boston, circa 1770’s, for a few more Days/Weeks.

Evochron Mercenary and other Space Sim’s

Posted by on October 30, 2012 No comments

20121030-113314.jpgAs you could probably tell from my earlier post, I have had a recent re-fascination with space sims. Like I mentioned, this had to do with the recent announcement of Star Citizen, the new game by Chris Roberts. (Which got totally funded and it looks amazing, BTW) Since we have at least 12 months before we are able to play anything in Star Citizen, I have been browsing around for a decent space sim to fill the void until then. This led me to quite a few titles like Freespace: The Moddening, Galaxy On Fire 2, and Evochron Mercenary.

Most of my friends told me to look at Freespace since there were a TON of mods for it and it could do all of what I saw looking for. Unfortunately, it doesn’t. I was looking for an up to date modern style space sim. Like if someone updated X-wing vs. Tie Fighter. Freespace looks like someone tried to put a coat of polish on Decent. It almost looks pretty, but it doesn’t quite hit the mark. The only interesting thing about it that looked cool was that you could mod the heck out if it and there are versions for every type of sci-fi genre you could want. There is even a Wing Commander mod that it really good, but not quite there. At least, it’s not what I was looking for.

20121030-113352.jpgFor my mobile needs I found Galaxy on Fire 2. For an iPad game, it’s pretty damn cool. I like the idea that I can take a good space sim with me when I am away from home. The graphics are good and the story is the right balance of campy and fun. It’s not a cockpit view, so that part makes me sad, but I guess that’s what you can do at the mobile level. It’s worth a check out if you have a mobile device. (it’s on iOS and Android). It reminds me a lot of the game Freespace, which I also reinstalled to give a second run.

20121030-113525.jpgWanting to go full blown sim on my PC, I started looking at what was out there and came across Evochron Mercenary. EM is a independent game created by ONE guy, who has been working on the engine for the last 13 years. The bones of the game are amazing. It’s absolutely stunning in how it looks and runs. The physics are spot on for how a ship would work in space. Unfortunately, it lacks polish. The learning curve is VERY steep and can be daunting at times. There are some of the campaign missions that make you re-think how you have to do a space dogfight just due to the realism of the physics. The other downside is the equipment management. I have yet to find anything that tells me that one item is better than another except its level or class. The standard gamer in me tells me that I want the highest class/level equipment. But that’s not always the case. I may not need a class 10 engine while I am running a mining quest.

Overall I am happy with the game. I have kind of reached a stand still on the campaign since its REALLY hard and could use a wingman. The Multiplayer side of the house is a little barren of folks playing so finding someone to help can be tough. Of the few times I have tried though, I did manage to find someone and it makes a HUGE difference.

In the meantime I will continue to wait and yearn for Star Citizen.

Resisting the urge to hibernate

Posted by on October 24, 2012 No comments

FALL!

It’s Fall!  As we inch closer to winter I am feeling that bearish urge to close myself indoors and be super lazy while I eat all the things and put on my winter weight.

MUST RESIST!!!!

 

I am looking for the motivation to get out and take pictures.  Fall is one of the best times of the year to take photos.  The colors are amazing, especially around this area.  There are a few upcoming events that should prove fruitful.

The Passport MINI Halloween contest!  For the past few years the dealership out in Alexandria has hosted a “Dress up your MINI” contest.  This year the POD will be going as……..Yeah, I’ll post pictures after, don’t want to spoil it.  Should be fun though!  After that it’s off to Fredericksburg for the annual Halloween party!

In the meantime, on the gadget front. I gots me a new phone!  The old Thunderbolt was starting to get very old.  Early on I had flashed the ROM and the Radio on it so it could be updated and it would appear all of the updates for it have stopped.  No one seems to be supporting it any more.  It’s sad because for a while it really was a great phone.  The major downside to it was the battery.  I had even bought the extended battery for it, and that might get me through a full day.

With that I upgraded to the brand new [amazon_link id=”B009P5WWPC” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Razr MAXX HD[/amazon_link].  Sarah has been using the original MAXX and it’s amazing!  The battery can last 2-3 days with average use.  The new HD version did not disappoint.  I have been using it for about 4 days now and I need to remind myself that I don’t have to plug it in.  Ok, I am going to stop here because I may try and do a full review of the phone later this week.

In the meantime, here are some apples. (hopefully Apple won’t sue me)

What are you (Wanting) to play?!

Posted by on October 16, 2012 No comments

It’s been awhile since I have done a good “What are you playing” post so I thought it was about time to bring it back.  Now, you may notice the difference in the title, and with good cause.  If you have been listening to the Retro-Nick podcast that we have been doing, you may have a feel for the types of games that I enjoy.  One of those types of games is the Space-Sim.  I have loved the space sim since space sim’s started to get big.  The concept of flying around in open space, exploring, dogfighting, etc. It’s all awesome.

One of the biggest Space Sim’s out there was a series called Wing Commander.  There is something about the story based saga that led me down the career path of Commander Blair that just made me feel like it was my story.  When the Tigers Claw was destroyed, I was devastated. (if you played, you know).

So when I heard that Chris Roberts, the creator of the WC games, was working on a new game, I got excited.  The best part about it is that it’s the game I have always wanted to play!

Wing Commander Cockpit

Let me explain that last bit.  I love space games in general.  the physics, the concept, everything.  I love Star Wars, Star Trek, Firefly, and nearly every other space adventure show/movie. (still struggling with Babylon 5) The idea that a game could allow me to experience that myself, instead of just watch it, is amazing.  A great example of this was in the early beta of a game called Star Wars Galaxies.  The beta was for the space combat portion of the game where you could pilot ships like the X-wing, and YT-1300 (look it up).  My friends and I were in a YT-1300 and I was piloting.  One friend was navigating, one in the Turret, and one running around the ship repairing damage that was happening in the fight we were in.  The experience was outstanding.

Sadly, the actual game didn’t live up to the initial experience.  Those of you who played SWG, know that Sony Online broke all the best parts of the game while emphasizing all the crap.

Chris Roberts is a gamer.  He knows what we want because that’s what HE wants.  I have faith that this will be the Go-To space sim game.  Go check it out!  http://www.robertsspaceindustries.com/

In the meantime, I have been brushing up on my space skills by re-installing Freelancer on the PC, playing Galaxy On Fire on the iPad, and I just picked up Evochron Mercenary, on Steam.  I am waiting for my Saitek X52 Flight Control System to arrive today.

Oh, and a little Borderlands 2 to mix it up.

What are YOU playing?

The Un-intentional Photographer

Posted by on October 11, 2012 No comments

This last weekend was very exciting for us.  Sarah’s step-sister was getting married down in Richmond VA, so she got to spend the whole weekend down there doing very girly bridesmaid type things.  Meanwhile, I got to stay home with the pets and catch up on Fringe (I am in season 4 now, no spoilers!).  That is, until Sunday.  The plan was that Sunday morning, I would drop off the dog at the doggie-sitters house (Thanks Stacy!) and then pick up Sarah’s Grandma and head down for the wedding.  We would sit for the wedding and then go home and enjoy the extra day off on Monday.

Oh plans.

Remember kids, no battle plan survives first contact!  Most of the morning went fine, well, sort of. I had forgot the umbrellas, and to feed the rats, and a few other things, so I had an extra trip back to the house.  Now, I had heard a rumor that someone was expecting me down at the wedding early to snap some photos before the ceremony, but it was all rumor. No one actually said anything to me about it.  There was also a rumor that they were able to hire a photographer at the last minute.

When I arrived at the venue, I headed up to were the wedding party was preparing and noticed a lack of anyone taking pictures.  I had attending various weddings before and knew there there are some pictures that are on “The List”.  You know, those shots that are kind of important.  When I asked where the photographer was, they said she was downstairs.  I rambled my way down and found someone, standing at the doorway, with a “camera” around her neck.  She was just standing there.  Not shooting, not testing light levels, not scoping locations.  Just standing there.

I put “camera” in quotes because she held a Sony cybershot camera.  You know one of those crossover type cameras that aren’t quite a point and shoot, but not a DSLR.  Now I am not in a place to start calling out on equipment.  My Nikon D5100 is not a high end professional level camera.  It’s a crop DSLR meant for the level I use it at.  The weddings I have been to always had a photographer with high end gear.  Usually two people, with two camera’s each and lenses staged everywhere!  But even more important, THEY WERE TAKING PICTURES, not standing around.

Disgusted, I went and grabbed my gear (never leave home without it) and headed back upstairs.  The rest of the wedding, I took pictures.  After the ceremony, I quickly scoped locations in the area, arranged poses, and made sure that “The List” got fulfilled.  During the reception, I relaxed some and tried to let the “hired” photographers do their job. Oh yea, turns out that the girls husband also had a small camera and was shooting as well.  He, at least, made some effort to walk around and take some pictures.  She sat on her butt.

The last few days I spent sorting and processing and, while I am not the best wedding photographer in the world, I think I got some pretty great shots.  I took a total of 941 pictures and sorted out to process 135 of them.

[zenphotopress album=107 sort=random number=5]

https://www.wizzersworld.com/zen/Special%20Events/Emily%27s%20Wedding/

Disclaimer: I really hate to bitch about someone else trying out photography. Normally I would give all kind of kudos to someone branching out and trying something as daunting as wedding photography.  It’s stressful   as all hell, which is why I really try to NOT go about doing it.  BUT, if you are being PAID to take pictures at an event, TAKE PICTURES.

My Rim Job (huh huh huh)

Posted by on October 3, 2012 No comments

I will never have another chance to title a post with that, so I am going to take a moment and soak that in.

Ok, my 12 year old moment is past.

Since I have done quite a few posts lately about Photography, I thought I would give my MINI a little time in the spotlight. There is a modification I have been wanting to do for a while now and only recently got the time to do it.

Rims are expensive. For my car they range from around $150-$200, [amazon_link id=”B002HLTBQ4″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]per wheel[/amazon_link]. Sadly, I don’t have that to spare right now, since the current rims are working just fine. Yeah I know it’s good to have a second set of wheels for summer/winter, but then you are talking the cost of the rims + the tires. That, and I don’t have a good location to store the tires in the off season. All of that leads me to my current solution.

[amazon_link id=”B000LNOOEO” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Plasti-Dip[/amazon_link]

Lots of folks use Plasti-Dip on various parts of their car because of it’s durability and easy of use/clean up. I had seen some other MINI’s with Plasti-Diped rims and loved the look. So I set aside a few hours, jacked up the car, and went to town on “Diping” my rims. A few of the members of the MINI forums I belong to said that I would need around two cans per wheel. I found that this was WAY over the amount I used. Grand total was two full cans for all four wheels. I was being VERY generous in applying as well. The coating was nice and thick and I was able to do about 3 coats per wheel.

Next project will be less crappy rotors and breaks!

Cleaned up the wheels before painting

Masked off the areas I didn’t want dipped

First Coat!

Setting on the car!

The final product

I had two wheels off the MINI at a time and just cycled through the coats. Total time was about 3 hours, and then I let it set (on the car) overnight. Overall I am very happy with the results. The total cost was about $12 for the two cans and the masking tape. I bought lots of extra cans, but I guess I will be using them for other projects. If you are looking for a quick way to add a little flare to your ride, this is a good way to go about it!

Important side note. If you are going to mask off an area that you don’t want “Dipped”, make sure you remove the tape BEFORE the dip is fully dry. this will reduce the amount of tearing as you remove the mask.

The Ladies of Ragnarok!

Posted by on October 2, 2012 No comments

Last Friday Sarah and I got the opportunity to attend a superb crazy excellent super cool concert of awesomeness! The Ladies of Ragnarok tour (a Dammit Liz Production) was sponsored by Thinkgeek.  Sarah and I trekked out to Jammin Java in Vienna VA to take in this amazing spectacle.  (there, I think I used enough adjectives to describe the concert)

The key players in the concert were The Doubleclicks, Molly Lewis, and Marian Call.  I, of course, brought along the camera to further practice my Concert Photography.  Equipped with my[amazon_link id=”B004V4IWKG” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]D5100[/amazon_link], I swapped between my [amazon_link id=”B004Y1AYAC” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]50mm 1.8[/amazon_link] prime and my [amazon_link id=”B004FN1W2I” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]18-270mm[/amazon_link] zoom.  Thanks to some great friends we had seats maybe 30 ft from the stage and dead center.  Due to it being a very crowded venue, I didn’t get the chance to move around a lot so most of these are shot from my seat.  The downside to that being that there’s a lot of microphone eating in the shots.

All my photos are Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs Creative Commons.  Please let me know if you would like to use them.

The Anti-Razzi

Posted by on September 28, 2012 No comments

An interesting conversation sparked up with a friend and I over lunch today.  I was talking about a recent post by the Internet’s Wil Wheaton (I have decided that should really be his title), where he was harassed by a paparazzi while out on vacation with his wife. This guy essentially camped out at a beach to take pictures for HOURS, behaved like a true douchbag (wait, paparazzi), and then was defeated by Wil since Wil posted pictures of himself online.

The interesting conversation was really about how to thwart the paparazzi, and I think Wil nailed it.  Sure, there are tools like the “Anti-paparazzi sunglasses” but the best way is to defeat their purpose in the first place. The whole goal of the paparazzi is to catch a photo of some celebrity doing something embarrassing, or in an incriminating pose.  These photos are then sold off to the various tabloids or “news” sites, usually for a sad amount of money too.

The Anti-Razzi

So here is my proposition, as a photographer, ANY celebrity can hire me, for ANY amount of money (yes, ANY.  Give me a dollar, buy me a Chai Latte, don’t care) and I will follow you around and take pictures of stuff you do.  Be embarrassing, pick your nose, fart in public!  You and I will review the pictures together and decide* which pictures to use, then I will post them online under the Creative Commons licence FOR FREE.  The goal being to beat the paparazzi at their own game.  if there are already pictures of you out there on the internet, they can’t sell theirs.

If enough celebrities start contracting out their own Anti-Razzi, it would kill off the scumbag market!

Oh, it would also help that, if you are a celebrity, don’t do anything stupid, like drugs, or hookers, or hookers on drugs. (But hey, if you want me to take pictures of that, I….umm…maybe not)

Anyways, just saying you should think about it.  My services are available!

*Bound by contract, no leaked pictures.