I've upgraded from using desk lamps to an external flash with wireless transmitters. Much better.
For funsies.
Here, have a random lightbox pic:
I've upgraded from using desk lamps to an external flash with wireless transmitters. Much better.
I've upgraded from using desk lamps to an external flash with wireless transmitters. Much better.
Hand-me-downs
Since I have an older brother, a lot of the stuff I had was handed down and I never really liked that. Recently I got another hand-me-down (it wasn't exactly a shirt):
Yes I do have a license. Those of you that know me probably thought I'd never get one. Anyhow, it's a 2000 Mitsubishi Eclipse GS. Not exactly a car I would go and buy, but a great first car donated to me by my cousin. I first thought it was pretty ugly, but it's starting to grow on me. I don't have the title yet, unfortunately, so I can't drive it anywhere. It also needs a few things fixed and maybe a set of new tires. I'd like to put some new (conservative, not bling bling) rims on it when I replace the tires, but I guess we'll see how much money I've got to budget into the car.
Speaking of money, I've also been offered a full time job where I work as an Associate Product Manager. It's an exciting opportunity and I'll most likely be accepting it tomorrow.
That's all for now.
Yes I do have a license. Those of you that know me probably thought I'd never get one. Anyhow, it's a 2000 Mitsubishi Eclipse GS. Not exactly a car I would go and buy, but a great first car donated to me by my cousin. I first thought it was pretty ugly, but it's starting to grow on me. I don't have the title yet, unfortunately, so I can't drive it anywhere. It also needs a few things fixed and maybe a set of new tires. I'd like to put some new (conservative, not bling bling) rims on it when I replace the tires, but I guess we'll see how much money I've got to budget into the car.
Speaking of money, I've also been offered a full time job where I work as an Associate Product Manager. It's an exciting opportunity and I'll most likely be accepting it tomorrow.
That's all for now.
The Fall of an Empire
Mario Kart Wii ruined what was so good for 16 years. The series they've built from Super Mario Kart all the way to Mario Kart DS has crumbled with their latest iteration on the Wii.
In their fervor to capture the hearts of casual gamers everywhere, Nintendo has destroyed what was once a fun game with competitive spirit. I hear, "well they got rid of snaking" all over the place, and I agree that it gave players a huge advantage. Being a competitive person, I went and learned how to snake, so I don't really mind. However, N64 required some skill to powerslide, and there was no snaking there, so there was no reason to kill the technique involved completely. Powersliding in MK Wii just requires you to press a button and hold it for a couple seconds; no skill involved. While you're at it, Nintendo, remove the ranks 'cuz everyone should be a winner. I won't get into the items, because there are enough complaints about that on the interweb. I don't really have much else to say about the game. It's a disappointment. Great for the casual players, but sure to turn off the competitive ones like myself.
Back to GTA4 (which is the best of the GTAs in my opinion).
In their fervor to capture the hearts of casual gamers everywhere, Nintendo has destroyed what was once a fun game with competitive spirit. I hear, "well they got rid of snaking" all over the place, and I agree that it gave players a huge advantage. Being a competitive person, I went and learned how to snake, so I don't really mind. However, N64 required some skill to powerslide, and there was no snaking there, so there was no reason to kill the technique involved completely. Powersliding in MK Wii just requires you to press a button and hold it for a couple seconds; no skill involved. While you're at it, Nintendo, remove the ranks 'cuz everyone should be a winner. I won't get into the items, because there are enough complaints about that on the interweb. I don't really have much else to say about the game. It's a disappointment. Great for the casual players, but sure to turn off the competitive ones like myself.
Back to GTA4 (which is the best of the GTAs in my opinion).
Finalwii!
Finally found a Wii, and at a Kmart of all places. No luck finding Mariokart at any stores, which is strange considering it's been out for a month.
Also, have some pics:
Wii is much prettier than PS3
Incredible crabby sippy cuppy found at Target
In case you were curious about the lightbox setup
Large cardboard box, white garbage bag, white poster paper, two lamps with similar output, and you're good to go. I could use some stronger lamps, and maybe a 3rd for the top.
Also, have some pics:
Wii is much prettier than PS3
Incredible crabby sippy cuppy found at Target
In case you were curious about the lightbox setup
Large cardboard box, white garbage bag, white poster paper, two lamps with similar output, and you're good to go. I could use some stronger lamps, and maybe a 3rd for the top.DIY Lightbox
Finally got around to finishing up my homemade lightbox/softbox, whatever you want to call it.
Here's a quick picture with minimal post processing out of my old Canon SD300 point & shoot:
Not bad for an ultra-compact camera if you ask me.
Here's a quick picture with minimal post processing out of my old Canon SD300 point & shoot:
Not bad for an ultra-compact camera if you ask me.I live in an office
I don't think there has been a single day in the past 3 weeks that I've gotten home from work earlier than 8pm, and to that I say WTF?
Gran Turismo 5: Prologue -- Good, Bad, and the Ugly
Okay there is no "ugly," because Gran Turismo 5: Prologue is an absolutely beautiful game in standard definition. I can only dream of what it's like in 1080p.
GT TV seems cool, though there's very little content there so far. The interface is better designed and simple to use. The physics feels a little improved from GT4, and gameplay in general is great.
One cool enhancement is light adjustment. When entering a dark tunnel, the screen will gradually brighten up as if our eyes are adjusting. Vice versa when exiting a dark tunnel.
Online play is pretty funny and it's hard to describe why. You'd have to see it in person. This feature is great though, and requires little explanation.
The game isn't without flaws, though. Some have called it a glorified demo, other's say it's worthy of being a full game. I'd agree with the "glorified demo" camp. There is a good selection of cars, but you can't buy parts and there are very few tuning options. For $40 I'm a little unimpressed.
The interface is a little choppy and sluggish, which is really strange considering the smoothness of everything else. No big deal, it just looks unpolished. Hopefully the full Gran Turismo 5 game will be better here.
I'm not sure if this is a bug, but sometimes there will be music when I'm racing, and sometimes there won't be.
Finally, my biggest annoyance about this new iteration is the controls. It's obvious Polyphony wants you to go out and buy yourself one of Logitech's Driving Force wheels, because the controls are vastly inferior compared to GT4 and the PS2 controller. Specifically, braking, gassing, and turning are all incredibly sensitive and hard to transition smoothly. I have had a rather difficult time with the controls, considering I've played every GT game to date and loved the accurate controls in GT4. I don't know if this is a change in the PS3 controller's pressure sensitivity or a change in GT5:P itself, but it definitely makes me want to get a wheel, which I will be getting regardless.
Eh, Prologue leaves me a little unimpressed for a $40 demo.
Also got a new Dualshock 3 controller today and it's nice. Ugh, controllers are so expensive these days.
GT TV seems cool, though there's very little content there so far. The interface is better designed and simple to use. The physics feels a little improved from GT4, and gameplay in general is great.
One cool enhancement is light adjustment. When entering a dark tunnel, the screen will gradually brighten up as if our eyes are adjusting. Vice versa when exiting a dark tunnel.
Online play is pretty funny and it's hard to describe why. You'd have to see it in person. This feature is great though, and requires little explanation.
The game isn't without flaws, though. Some have called it a glorified demo, other's say it's worthy of being a full game. I'd agree with the "glorified demo" camp. There is a good selection of cars, but you can't buy parts and there are very few tuning options. For $40 I'm a little unimpressed.
The interface is a little choppy and sluggish, which is really strange considering the smoothness of everything else. No big deal, it just looks unpolished. Hopefully the full Gran Turismo 5 game will be better here.
I'm not sure if this is a bug, but sometimes there will be music when I'm racing, and sometimes there won't be.
Finally, my biggest annoyance about this new iteration is the controls. It's obvious Polyphony wants you to go out and buy yourself one of Logitech's Driving Force wheels, because the controls are vastly inferior compared to GT4 and the PS2 controller. Specifically, braking, gassing, and turning are all incredibly sensitive and hard to transition smoothly. I have had a rather difficult time with the controls, considering I've played every GT game to date and loved the accurate controls in GT4. I don't know if this is a change in the PS3 controller's pressure sensitivity or a change in GT5:P itself, but it definitely makes me want to get a wheel, which I will be getting regardless.
Eh, Prologue leaves me a little unimpressed for a $40 demo.
Also got a new Dualshock 3 controller today and it's nice. Ugh, controllers are so expensive these days.
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