Julie opened a container of fruit-on-the-bottom yogurt at work today to find it was filled to the top with the fruit mixture and totally devoid of yogurt. She said she tried it, but it was too sweet, “like eating pie filling, straight.”
She brought it home to show me and because we have a big tub of plain yogurt we can mix it with. Perhaps I’ll write or call the company if the have a consumer hotline.
On Friday night, my nephew Ethan, sister Emilie, wife and I went out for dinner at a newly discovered Indian restaurant in Bloomington, Ill. Emilie and I both have August birthdays, and surprised each other with gifts while we were waiting on our food to arrive. She is heading to Colorado for a semester in a few weeks, so I bought her a copy of "Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Echoes of Time" for her DS knowing that it supports Wi-Fi play over the Internet. She was thinking the same thing and that's what she got me for my birthday as well!
Saw these bands (below) last night in Edinburgh at a show called “Playing with the Past.” Here’s some info about the three bands:
eagleowl — eagleowl believe in doing things right, rather than doing things fast. A ragbag of instruments (violin, ukulele, double bass, electric guitar, harmonium, glockenspiel, mandolin…) and influences – blending the traditional with the experimental to create a lush, emotional soundscape.
FOUND — A local experimental pop band. Their music moves between many different styles, giving nods to the past while looking forward. Live, they often fuse acoustic instrumentation with electronic manipulation. They have been known to craft their own weird and sometimes wonderful instruments in the pursuit of the new sound.
Meursault — Meursault combine scratchy electronics with traditional instrumentation and introspective lyricism. The music has a rhythm that drives it on through everything as if, even in heartbreak, it has somewhere very urgent to go.
My fairly junky mountain bike was stolen Aug. 3 or 4 when we were visiting the folks in Lincoln. I know I shouldn’t have left it sitting on the front porch. I sort of thought it was crappy enough of a bike that nobody would take it. I need to dig the backup bike out of the basement and see if it is roadworthy. I have yet to file a police report, too. I probably should.
Approximately what the stolen bike looks like.
I like the idea of "Games on Demand" from XBOX Live, however the prices don't make sense. Bioshock and Oblivion are $30 EACH for a digital download, while I can go to a store and get the Bioshock + Oblivion 2-pack for $40.
$20 cheaper for physical media? That's insane.
I've still been playing Sins of a Solar Empire on a regular basis. My brother and sister-n-law continue to trounce my Nephew and I. We have had them on the ropes a few times, though we were unable to keep up the pressure and they've always made a come-back to keep their winning streak.
Fat Princess is my default game to play on consoles right now. When you get hooked up with a good team its outstanding. My favorite classes are the worker and the ice mage. If you have a PS3, it is well worth the $15 now that the server connectivity issues appear to be corrected. I only like the capture the princess mode though, I wish they had more server selection options prior to dropping you in a game. The other modes (control points and deathmatch) are no fun at all!
Several nights a week my nephew, brother, sister-in-law and I have been playing Sins of a Solar Empire. We've had some epic battles, though one team is stuck in a min-max rut (likely an after-effect of too much WoW) while the other enjoys a more rich, full-bodied experience exploring the deep variety offered by Ironclad.
The min-max pattern: Simply stamping out the same steps, game after game, executing the same rote efficiencies to have a statistical advantage in the game.
A lot of people play games this way, I just don't find it enjoyable.
The fun pattern (the un-pattern!): Utilizing all of the options a developer provides in ever-changing variety from game to game. Exploring every nook of a tech tree in a multitude of combination and order.
This is what draws me to the German board games. I always feel like there is another strategy to learn, another set of counters to explore, even when playing with the same group of people. There is enough variety in either the board setup, starting positions, available resources or bonus multipliers, that someone can create a completely unique strategy and win the game least expectantly.
Is there more to a game than being the most efficient player? I certainly hope so. Unfortunately, it appears that a critical mass of games have been developed with a narrowly defined path to victory. This practice breeds behaviors driven by math rather than creativity. People are choosing the ugly armor because it has better numerical stats underneath rather than expressing their individuality, exploring, or trying something no one else ever thought of.
What video games are good at providing players creativity without competitive penalty?
Guido’s sharing: Troy listened to: Guido listened to: