Month: January 2013

Four in February

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Mike Suzek of Joystiq started an informal challenge recently: commit to finishing four games in February. When Owen Good of Kotaku asked if they should be games you have never played or games you just never finished, Suzek basically said do what feels right. The subtext of this challenge was to end the shame of never completing certain games. My Four in February are listed below. One of them isn’t out yet, two are moderately shameful and one is kinda ridiculous.

First in February:

Fire Emblem: Awakening comes out on the fourth. I’ve talked enough about this already, so moving on.

Second in February:

I bought the Collectors Edition of AC3 (so much swag!) but haven’t played it because I haven’t even started Revelations. I know that doesn’t matter, but I’ve had Revelations in wrap since it released. Why? That’s a longer story for a different post.

Third in February:

I have almost bought The Orange Box more times than I can count. I’ve carried it hopefully through stores only to find something newer and more exciting. I played Portal 2 and everything. I think I heard so much about the first one, I just didn’t bother.

Fourth in February:

Yeah. I don’t know what to say. This one makes me truly ashamed. I have never finished any Zelda console game. Some of these I have started and not finished, but I think I’ll pick one I’ve never tried.

You can publicly discuss your four by tweeting with the hashtag ‘#4if‘ or on the Four in February Facebook page. If you’re undecided, seeing what others picked and why is a great way to brainstorm. There’s been talk of making this a charitable effort: you could sell the games after you play them, and give the money to charity. It would be nice if a company like Microsoft gave a few cents for every game beaten next month (based on a completion achievement). But, chances are the charity aspect of this will come from individuals.

Indy Home Show 2013

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I went to the 2013 Indianapolis Home Show yesterday with my husband and parents. Once there, it became clear that I was the only one who actually wanted to go, but no matter. As I walked around, I realized something that may have been obvious: this show isn’t really for the DIY-er. There were lots of business that offer home improvement services, but not a lot of tools or products for those that do it themselves. Perhaps this home show is more about professionals and experts in the home construction, remodeling, and maintenance industry…  but that would not explain why there were also booths for products like hot tubs, saunas, bluetooth speakers, mops, jewelry, mattresses, clothing, bed sheets, dog treats, and television services.

These are some of the booths I wish I’d seen at the home show this year:

I mention Rustoleum Transformations often, and despite being a little stuck in my cabinetry project now, that should in no way reflect poorly on the products they make. In addition to Cabinet Transformations, they now have Furniture, Tile, Wood Floor, Countertop, and Wood Refinishing Transformation kits. They are selling something that has always been possible, but by including everything you need in one tidy box, their kits make doing these projects yourself more manageable and more successful.
 
Rockwell makes an exciting line of versatile tools that allow you to get more done with less: less tools, less mess, and less help. The Versacut saw lets you cut all kinds of things using a tiny little hand saw. The BladeRunner is. The Sonicrafter X2 is a right angle oscillating tool that does things like sand, cut, strip, polish, scrape, and more. Additionally, the universal fit system accepts accessories from other brands. The JawHorse is a saw horse that grips any random thing at any random angle. The 3RILL is a high torque impact driver, a dual speed VSR drill and a screwdriver that runs on lithium ion battery and is smaller than you’d expect.
Cordless tools are great, but keeping track of different batteries and chargers can be a hassle. Ryobi has an impressive line of cordless tools and accessories that all use the same battery. Even better, as battery technology improves, you can replace the batteries without replacing the tools. The tools currently in the One+ line include: impact driver, blower, impact wrench, paint sprayer, LED workshop light, trim router, tile saw, hedge trimmer, string trimmer, miter saw, orbital jig saw, angle grinder, flashlight, sanders, buffer, hammer drill, hand vacuum, radio, caulk gun, and more. You can find Ryobi tools at Home Depot.

Legrand 
I was first attracted to Legrand when I saw their adorne collection. The under-cabinet power and lighting solution for kitchens is AMAZING. Their products are what you want the future to look like: sleek, sophisticated, and uncomplicated.

Schluter systems makes many different products for tile and stone installation. Their products protect your renovation investment by providing long lasting foundations and finishes for your project. The shower system is not quite as cheap as I would like, but it gives you a hassle-free way to waterproof and lay your basin with a lot less mess.

@1tmarathon

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I have a twitter account that is for my normal, everyday life (@100tacks) but I started a new one for when I want to incessantly tweet, marathon style. This is to keep from annoying the few twitter followers I have, all of whom know me in real life [edit: there are two strangers following me now… on twitter, that is]

So far I tweeted a bunch on Wednesday while watching a Netflix Mythbusters Marathon in celebration of their ten year anniversary. Next week I think I’ll be tweeting about 30 Rock as I  re-watch a bunch of old episodes (only one new episode left!). Sometimes I tweet quotes, sometimes commentary, and sometimes tangential learning links to related things.

I’ll usually be watching TV or Netflix while tweeting from @1tmarathon, but I’ll also use it while gaming.

GameFly Vs. Blockbuster

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There’s no real comparison here, but I tried them both anyway. I had a pass from my local Blockbuster store that let me rent my one game for as long as I’d like for $15/month. I loved being able to instantly switch games, even though their selection was often lacking. Unsurprisingly, that Blockbuster recently closed. I thought I would try to remain loyal by signing up for their online service. I tried GameFly at the same time, since they both had their first month free.

Despite signing up on the same day, Blockbuster’s game took four days longer to arrive. Perhaps it just takes longer to establish the account, or I’m further from their warehouse. The GameFly game arrived in a cardboard sleeve and a paper sleeve, presumably to keep the disc from cracking. The Blockbuster game arrived in just a paper sleeve, and what do you know, it was cracked. And not just a little cracked.

This is not more of what I want.

It was cracked from the center ring all the way to the edge. I sent an defective report, returned it, and they sent another copy of the same game. That took about a week. By then I had already returned my first game and received my second GameFly game.

GameFly has a fantastic app that lets you manage your queue (which they call “Q”) on the go, browse games, read gaming news, connect with other GameFly users (like Twitter, but less fun), and more. They also offer a client for your computer through which you can play certain unlimited games. This client is basically like an app, allowing you to browse through much of what you find on the website. I didn’t use the blockbuster app because, for whatever reason, it wasn’t available for my phone at the time. I have downloaded it since, but I didn’t see any games available at all, just movies.

In addition to slow delivery, Blockbuster has as low of a selection online as they did in my local store. It seems that they are more content to simply sell the games then rent them, which may be what they want anyways. Blockbuster didn’t have any current gen handheld games to rent, and their console games were mostly outdated or unavailable. I can only assume that their movie selection is better. As I was only interested in games, I didn’t bother checking.

GameFly has PSVita and 3DS games as well as an impressive inventory of console games. They also have a Fast Return system, wherein your local Post Office tells GameFly they have received your game, and GameFly ships the next one from your list. This ingenious system takes two or three days off the return time. In somewhat related news, GameFly also brought legal action against the USPS because they hand sorted Netflix (and Blockbuster) discs but not GameFly discs for no apparent reason (hand sorting discs leads to less damage than machine sorting).

Blockbuster is a lot cheaper than Gamefly, letting you rent three discs for $19.99 whereas GameFly is $22.95 for only two discs. You can select from movies and games with Blockbuster, whereas Gamefly is only games. Each offers a trial period at a discount. GameFly will almost certainly have a faster turn around time than Blockbuster. If you subscribe to either one, then attempt cancel your membership, they will offer you a lower rate for one month. Ethically, it’s not something you should do… and I also don’t know how often that would work.

Because I was only interested in games, GameFly was the best choice. It’s more expensive, but you get what you pay for: better selection, ease of use, and quicker returns. Additionally, if you decide to use GameFly, you can use this link to get a free month (I’ll also get a free month). Sometimes they offer a free month on the site, but as of right now it’s 60% off the first month.

Fire Emblem: Awakening Demo

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This is life. This is death. This is Fire Emblem.
Fire Emblem looks and plays greater than ever in the new demo on the 3DS e-shop. All game elements are neatly incorporated and grounded into the game play experience. You will be able to customize your character in the full version, but in the demo you can only change their name. You also have to be male in the demo. You can set his birthday, asset and flaw. You pick from the qualities of strength, speed, skill, luck, resistance, magic, defense, and health points for your asset and flaw. Of course, once you pick one as an asset, it cannot be selected as a flaw and vice versa. As the game begins you are suffering from (surprise!) amnesia that allows you to be rather clueless as you engage in your first battle. Your party finds you, a stranger, lying unconscious in a field. Somehow you know their leader’s name, but not your own.
You are helping a band of fighters called “Shepards”. You can pick from three difficulty levels at the start of the demo. You are not allowed to pick classic mode, where your units that perish in battle are permanently lost. Feeling overconfident, I tried on lunatic difficulty and died many times. I eventually went to beginner so that I could just see the demo to its end. The basic game play is the same, with the addition of enhanced support roles. Fighting next to other units, or even teaming up with them gives you bonuses as you fight.
 Don’t let the familiarity confuse you: this is an all new game, built for the 3DS. I rarely play my 3DS in 3D, but I was stunned at how gorgeous this game looked when I pushed that slider. Smoke and embers flicker in the foreground. The tilted top down view is accented by the surrounding buildings stretching towards you in perspective. To be clear, the game still looks great in 2d, but the depth in 3d is staggering.
The maps are smoothly integrated into the surrounding environments. The characters aren’t completely isolated as they fight, but instead blended into realistic streets and surroundings. I’m not crazy about the random words and noises the characters make during the cut scenes, especially when they just repeat the same grunts. While I’m listing minor grievances, they also have very tiny feet. This has no bearing on the game whatsoever, but I find it a strange design choice.
After the prologue the first chapter beings, in which your party camps for the evening. Chrom awakes to a strange feeling, and as he explores the surrounding woods with his sister, the earth splits, fire falls from the sky, and a blue orb poops out some enemies. A mysterious stranger appears and saves Chrom’s sister, and the others come to helps fight as your second battle begins. Though the stranger disappears, Sully and Virion come to help. The former is a gruff warrior, the latter is a skeevy archer.
When you are choosing an enemy to attack, you are offered a wonderfully simplified preview of the battle that summarizes the result of the encounter. You can choose the full view instead, which gives classic battle info. As the video of the fight happens, you have a variety of viewing options. You can change the view of the fight from an auto camera to first person as your fighter, or as a fixed battle clash (classic mode). You can fast forward the action or skip it altogether.
After learning that the mysterious character goes by Marth, and that the world is teetering on destruction, the demo concludes. It’s just enough game play to make you annoyed. You get a good feel for the game, and certainly become interested in what will happen next. I would have liked one more level to try. I planned on renting this game, but I think that is foolish. I cant imagine ever wanting to return it.
Fire Emblem is a great game to play on the go. Since the game play is turn based, you can abruptly put it down without even needing to pause or close it. However, I suggest you clear your schedule, plug in your 3DS, sit down at your desk with the 3D slider up as far as you can handle and give this game your full attention. If the demo is an accurate indication, this game will be challenging, engaging, and beautiful.

Fire Emblem

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As a 3DS Ambassador (someone who paid $250 when it came out) I have a lot of old games that I downloaded for free. Though I appreciate having them, I mostly ignore them. A few months ago my ll year old cousin began incessantly beginning conversations about Fire Emblem: Sacred Stones. I understood little of what he said, as this was among the first turn-based RPGs he had ever played. Quite frankly, he didn’t know what he was talking about either. Last month I started playing Fire Emblem just so we could both know what he was talking about.


Turns out, Fire Emblem is addicting and amazing. I’m on my second play through of Sacred Stones and also somewhat playing Shadow Dragon. Of course, in my first play through I clumsily fought my way through the story, often killed people that would have fought for me, endlessly restarted chapters as units fell, and spent not enough time in the tower. In my second play-through, I just let Seth kill everyone (more or less) until I got to the tower. I went with Erika this time instead of Ephraim, but since I’m still in my first battle, I can’t comment on the difference. 

Becoming obsessed with Fire Emblem couldn’t have come at a better time, as Fire Emblem Awakening is due out next month. I’m resisting the urge to buy this beautifully branded 3DS
There will be 40 character classes

You can team up for attacks 
It’s very pretty
And I am excited.

Dryer Vent Disaster

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Our dryer stopped working late last year. It took us about a week to fix it, because every time we thought we fixed it, we found out later that we were wrong. We thought the lint traps were clogged, so we vacuumed them out. Then, we pulled out the dryer and cleaned it out from the back, and pulled out a clog in the wall. Next, we went outside (after quite a snowstorm) to see if the vents were open. They were iced shut. We de-iced them by banging them with a broom handle. We went into the attic space above the garage and saw the vent hose sagging in between the joists. The next day, we prepared ourselves to drain them, only to discover that it was solid ice. We tried to shake the ice down, but the flimsy hose fell apart. The day after that, we went to get a new dryer hose and installed it, finally restoring order to our dryer. We also added 2x4s to keep it from sagging again.

What does icy lint look like? Absolutely disgusting.

Cabinets Part One

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I must admit upfront, this is a story with no ending. I stated refinishing the cabinets, which is something I did in the last house. This time, I picked a light cabinet kit instead of dark. My first dilemma was the brilliantly white base coat. The honey oak cabinets did not take kindly to being covered, as it took four coats to get a nice solid base.

 

Secondly, the grain in these cabinets is a bit deeper, so they look a little different painted than I expected.

Third, I didn’t shake the glaze before opening it, so it was a strange peachy orange when I applied it. The picture below shows how different they are shaken and unshaken.

Fourth, once I did shake it an apply it, it was much darker than I expected and hard to apply evenly, given how unforgiving the white base was to inconsistency. Fifth, I didn’t like the white with glaze as much as I thought I would. It looks pretty normal in this picture, but in person it looks sorta dirty.

After having it all go differently than expected, i felt that my objectivity was highly impaired. It looked horrible to me. So, I just stopped. I stopped while I debated about what to do. That was two weeks ago.

Part two will be coming sometime soon, that is, as soon as I decide what color to paint and how to go about it. I started only in the bathrooms this time, so I will finish those first before moving onto the kitchen. I haven’t completely decided what color to paint the kitchen. I think I might also paint one kitchen cabinet at a time, just to make things a bit easier and work on other stuff in the meantime. This will make the process much longer… which is sad but I think it’s the best idea for quality control.