Write on!

I should remember to resume my search for the ideal portable writing hardware solution. I’m sitting at a Starbucks writing this on my notebook, but this notebook is far from portable. It still requires a bag to carry around, it’s heavy, and it’s not exactly something that you can carry around with you wherever you go and pull out when an idea crosses your mind. I do still want something with a keyboard, as close to full-sized as possible. I know that there are folding keyboards that you can hook up to a pocket PC. It’s the pocket PC that I ultimately wasn’t enamored of after an initial love affair with the idea. They were too clunky and unstable to blow a wad of cash on, and they tried to do too many things that I didn’t care about.

If it exists out there, what I’d like is a mobile phone, say a stripped-down smart phone without video and whatever bells and whistles they’ stuck into them. Just a regular phone, with SMS and whatever, with a word processor – plain text is just fine - that you can hook into a folding portable keyboard that you can stick in your pocket. So when inspiration strikes you, you pull your phone out, unfold your keyboard, sit down and type.

I’m almost certain that there is something like this out there, probably a smart phone with some basic Wordpad app in it, that hooks up to a Targus or whatever folding keyboard. Assuming it all works, I wonder how much that’ll set me back.

Time to go Google or browse Engadget. I’m close to having the full amount needed for a 40GB iPod, but I’ll happily blow it on this writing instrument.

Memory

Memory is such a fragile thing. Unless there is something tangible to record events in the past – photographs, documents, books – we rely on memory. The old Chinese saying “the faintest ink is greater than the clearest memory” is right on the money. In a world so concerned with backups, it’s a wonder that people tend to rely on their memory far more than they should. This becomes a problem when an important even occurs, and no record of the proceedings is kept. When something needs to be recalled about that event, various participants in the proceedings have different recollections of the event. The more details you try to gather, the less coherence there tends to be among the participants.

In a world where technology is making it so easy to record information, how long before we each get a permanent record of every minute of our lives? Every conversation, every event, every transaction recorded indelibly and accurately. We’ll no longer have trouble remembering things – we won’t need to. We’ll just consult The Record when we need something recalled.

Of course, it’ll then be impossible to forget anything, even when we want to.

Boardgameblog Update - Review of Bruno Faidutti's Citadels

I don't usually go for Bruno Faidutti's trademark chaos and luck-infused designs. Citadels is the exception not because it has no luck and chaos (it does), but because the game is fast and fun. See my review for details.

Browsing.

I’ve always underestimated the joy of browsing, but now that I think back on it I’ve been an inveterate browser all my life. The earliest thing I can remember enjoying browsing is the supermarket. Aisles and aisles of stuff, mostly food, made my head swim and my mouth water when I was a kid. I was unhappy that my short little legs didn’t get me from place to place fast enough, so I’d break down and cry in the aisle until mom came and got me.

Later in life I took to haunting used book shops and music stores. When I was at university there were a lot of secondhand bookstores nearby. Between classes I’d head on over and spend hours poring over the books. I’d even buy a few once in a while. I don’t think I read half of what I bought, but since mom is a big reader too at least someone made use of some of the volumes that I didn’t get to.

Up to this day I like browsing, even if I don’t have any intention of purchasing anything. Some people get frustrated at that kind of activity, but it appeals to my planning nature. If I see something I like I can plan to purchase it in the future. In the intervening period I’ll do a bit of research to see if whatever it is is any good or if there’s something better out there for the same deal or better. Doesn’t really work for tech gadgets since they become obsolete so quickly. I put off buying a digital camera for so long because I wanted better resolution, more memory, more compact form factor, long battery life… and realized that the improvements would never end and I’d never but one. I finally bought my first camera in 2002.

The Silver Screener Updated - Training Day, Collateral, Closer

Posted three new reviews on The Silver Screener. The two "twisted buddy flicks" I was talking about, Training Day and Collateral come first. The third is the excellent Mike Nichols "love story" Closer.

I should have something on Academy Award nominee Sideways shortly. I'll also be making some Oscar guesses over at Silver Screener before the show on Monday, my time.

A Day Off...

Any day that you’re able to take a break from the rat race and devote a bit of time to your hobbies is a pretty good day. This is why I don’t advocate people being able to take sick or vacation days, blow them off and convert them to cash. People need days like these to breathe and reflect and recharge. Sometimes you underestimate how much a single day off from what you do everyday can improve your spirits and outlook in life.

I’m cooking as I write this. I miss having a lot of time to putter around in the kitchen. Cooking is something that I don’t really mind doing. It’s fun, and it’s useful as long as the output is edible. The cleaning up afterwards is the part I’m not so fond of, but it’s a necessary evil. The trick is to try to use as few pots and plates and utensils as possible, and to do partial cleanups during the “dead spots” when you’re waiting for the pan to heat up or for something to boil or simmer. Sure beats staring at a huge pile of stuff in the sink to tackle afterwards. That kind of sight can intimidate and generate procrastination. It’s never good to defer basic hygiene.

I got to see two films today. Eerily similar in theme: twisted buddy flicks. Training Day was more of the straightforward good cop bad cop show. Collateral had some interesting things to say, and had an interesting way of delivering the message. Cruise looked good in the salt-and-pepper style, and I thought he made a kickass assassin. Both were pretty good. I’ll write up more thoughts on Silver Screener soon.

Enjoying playing some of the discs I haven’t listened to in quite a while as I cook and write here. Mark O’Connor’s Fiddle Concerto is still one of the grandest pieces of music written for that instrument. It’s joyous and kinetic, if a bit mainstream and Baroque-ish. My complete Sibelius works haven’t gotten a lot of ear time since I moved back to Manila. They’re still some of my favorite orchestral pieces.

Boardgameblog Update: Review of Wolfgang Kramer & Michael Kiesling's Java

The latest boardgame to be reviewed on Boardgameblog is Java, by award-winning designers Wolfgang Kramer and Michael Kiesling.

Boardgameblog Update: Review of Reiner Knizia's Royal Turf

Updated BoardGameBlog with a review of Reiner Knizia's horseracing game, Royal Turf.

Superdickery

Back when being politically correct wasn't as insanely demanded and people didn't take offense at every off-color joke or comment, these were the comic book covers that were possible.

Check out some Superdickery!

The 100 Funniest Jokes of All Time (GQ)

The 100 Funniest Jokes of All Time as compiled by GQ magazine. I don't really get some of them, but since there's a lot of Woody Allen and such it's probably cultural.

BoardGameBlog Update - Review of Klaus-Jurgen Wrede's Carcassonne

Another review, this time of Klaus-Jurgen Wrede's smash hit Carcassonne. This game won both the SdJ and DSP awards, the most prestigious in the German game industry, in 2001.

Writing in electrons

It’s been cool in the evenings through the early mornings for the past few months. Even with the days and afternoons starting to become warmer, the evenings are still pleasantly cool. The night breeze here on the balcony is refreshing, and it’s been nice sitting out here and writing for the past few days. I only hope that it can last. This is so far the longest period that I’ve been constantly writing since those months in Jakarta, and it’s good knowing that I can still take my stream of thought and put it to paper. Well, I guess that’s the difference. I used to follow the suggestion of The Artist’s Way and handwrite my Morning Pages, but that no longer seems to be the way to do things. Since these passages are shorter and they will end up on my blog, writing with the Electron Pen is the way to do things now. I’ll forgive the book; the author, Julia Cameron, lived where there were no distractions out in the country and I guess notebook computers weren’t something she grew up with. I belong to Generation X, the first generation to have gone home to Commodores after school, when we were still in short pants. We were the first generation to have personal computers at home when we were in grade school, the first generation to play computer games on our IBM PC-XTs and Apple ][+’s and hand in papers on 5.25” floppy discs. I think the writing tradition will accept that some writers experience a renaissance writing on a word processor and posting the material on the world wide web.

Boardgameblog Update - Review of Reiner Knizia's Amun-Re

I just posted a review of one of my favorite boardgames for five players, Reiner Knizia's Amun-Re, over on BoardGameBlog.

Finding Happiness

My friends and I once had a discussion over soda, barbecue and beer. We discussed the purpose of life. The usual bullshit was put on the table, like how there is no purpose and this is all a random occurrence, to how there is a divine being or beings and there is an overall plan, to the idea that life on earth is a proving ground (I think that was stolen from Pierce Anthony) to how aliens set this all up as an experiment. Never mind all that.

The part I remember best is how we talked about how life is about finding happiness. The counterpoint to that was a question – what is happiness, and is it the same as contentment. When do you know you’re happy? When you have no more wants? Then there’ll be very few truly happy people. Contentment might be a bit better, because contentment is a state that one chooses to accept. You say, yeah, I might not have everything I could want, but what I have right now, and what I know I have coming, that’s pretty sweet and I’m ok with that. Problem there is that, will contentment with life wipe out ambition? In a sense, yeah, but it doesn’t eliminate the ability to continue to explore things. You many choose not to give a lot of weight to wanting stuff, but it doesn’t preclude trying out new things as you get the opportunity to.

Swing all the way that way and you have something like Buddhism and their state of detachment from the physical. That’s a cop out, as if you’re ignoring this existence and choose to sleepwalk through the damn thing. Or it could be that that Piers Anthony story was right and everything is just a temptation.

Interesting to think about these things once in a while, but in the end it’s pointless. Try not to take having and having not to seriously. It’s not good for your heart or your soul.

Whatever a soul really is.

Boardgameblog Update - Review of Ruediger Dorn's Goa

I posted a review of Ruediger Dorn's excellent game Goa.

Boardgameblog Update - Review of Wolfgang Kramer & Michael Kiesling's Tikal

I post a review of the 1999 Spiel des Jahres (German Game of the Year) winner Tikal.

Boardgameblog Update - Review of Milton Bradley's Jenga

I posted a review of the classic Milton Bradley dexterity game Jenga.

Took a quiz, got some results

Nothing unusual. Still INTP/J, as always.

Intrapersonal 100% Verbal/Linguistic 96% Visual/Spatial 75% Logical/Mathematical 68% Interpersonal 64% Bodily/Kinesthetic 54% Musical/Rhythmic 46% The Rogers Indicator of Multiple Intelligences created with QuizFarm.com

Fantasy Hoops - Trade Goes Down

( If you have no interest in the NBA or fantasy sports, you can skip this post. It won't make much sense to you.)

I recently finalized a deal in my Yahoo! Public league sending DEN G Andre Miller and WAS F Antawn Jamison to another team, and receiving SAC F Peja Stojakovic and MEM F Pau Gasol. I just got Jamison in a 3-for-3 deal where I shipped returning UTA F Andrei Kirilenko and two spare parts (Jim Jackson and Juan Dixon, if it matters) to another team for Jamison, POR G Damon Stoudamire, and MIA F Udonis Haslem. That's looking good since AK47 has been ineffective, thought that might change if Carlos Boozer is indeed shipped out.

I didn't like Miller losing shots and time to Boykins over in DEN since George Karl took over. He's been inconsistent since, and it's not looking to get any better. Miller isn't a SG, and I don't believe he'll flourish. Hurts to lose Jamison, who's a 20-10 guy, but that's all he is and Gasol can do that and add some blocks besides. I lose the occasional 3, though. Peja is the key to the trade. I'm betting one of two things happens - he gets traded (hopefully not to the Lakers), or Chris Webber gets traded. If one of those two things happens, I come out ahead. Peja and Pau both need to stay healthy though - they were both inured going into the All Star break.

Diaries and Weblogs

I suddenly remember a journal application that I was using way back in the early 90s. It was sort of a diary-like thing, where you made entries and could print them out. It was a simple little thing, and I’d print journal entries on my old Epson dot matrix printer. I still have some of the printouts back in my old desk. Probably fading though. Interesting that blogs have taken over from traditional diaries, and the intention is reversed. Whereas diaries are intended to be personal and secret, blogs are shared with people. In some cases, with the entire internet-going population of the world. When surfing random blogs, the content varies. Blogs like Slashdot and Engadget are informational, and these kinds of things aren’t in the usual diary vein. Many others ARE in the usual diary vein, and contain personal experiences, rants and raves. Some even contain real names, people and places. Reading those gives a peek into what people used to keep secret and personal. Strange that these things can be posted openly for everyone to see, perhaps even the people that the rants are all about.

Artists and "Artistas"

Last night was the "judgment night" of the local reality "artista" search show called "Starstruck". Over the course of several months, the show took a bunch of no-name, no training, no talent kids, spent a wad of cash on them and put them on television. Thus, they produced "artistas" in local parlance, or essentially media celebrities. These kids won't be known for much. They sing a little, dance a little, act even less. They're expected to show up on the vapid noontime shows and brainless soaps, look good and try not to fudge up their lines while "acting".

From accounts, the whole exercise was (again) successful. I suppose success in this case is "money generating" since people were called on to vote for their favorite Starstuck tool by SMSing. Bet they made a few million on that, from the C/D/E crowd that this sort of worthless programming usually appeals to.

But in the end, when the smoke clears, you're stuck with just that - four "artistas" with no real talent or ability, flashing on local television as long as the networks keep pumping thier media machines to try to make them appear relevant.

No actors, singers, dancers or real artists of any sort result from these shows. Indeed, they'll probably end up as part of something like this, fodder for the churning gossip mills that have inexplicably become the heart and soul of the entertainment industry. The culprit? The same networks that create the "artistas" make money off them yet again by destroying them with rumor and innuendo.

You reap what you sow.

The Silver Screener Update - Review of Antoine Fuqua's King Arthur

I posted a review of the Antoine Fuqua film King Arthur, a retelling (reimagining?) of the Arthurian legend. The film stars Clive Owen and Keira Knightley.

Boardgameblog Update - Review of Reiner Knizia's Taj Mahal

I posted a review of Reiner Knizia's astounding strategy boardgame Taj Mahal here. In Taj Mahal players assume the roles of Maharishis consolidating power in northern India after the collapse of the Grand Moguls.

Boardgameblog Update - Review of Leo Colovini's Clans

I posted a review of Leo Colvini's game Clans, which is about migration of tribes to form villages in the early days of civilization. Check it out here.

Boardgameblog Update - Review of Reiner Knizia's RA

I posted a review of Reiner Knizia's classic auction game RA here.