A Good Decision, An Epiphany & Renewed Interests

GOOD DECISION - Back in July, I started the enrollment process for ITT. It felt good, I need to get my career off the ground, as it has plateaued. Fast forward to two weeks ago one morning. I'm checking out ITT reviews online and it turns out they are not an accredited college and the faculty must meet quotas, it seems. This puts more emphasis on the almighty dollar than the students and coursework. Students are passed or failed on whims and quotas. The nail in the coffin was the fact that most employers disregard "degrees" from ITT as anything more than a GED, if that. That would have been an expensive mistake that would have not only affected me but my family as well. Needless to say, I began pacing back and forth and had an anxiety attack. That same day I rushed to Schenectady County Community College to speak with an advisor and she confirmed my trepidation. Everything worked out fine, as I'm enrolled in SCCC to finish my associate's degree this Fall semester.

EPIPHANY - I recently started another project that involved organizing and cataloguing my collection of console videogames so that when company is over I don't have to play twenty questions when they ask me what they want to play. I narrowed it down to 7 genres and 7 traits (exploration, customization, loot, etc.) which had their own color coding. While further looking into videogame traits to add to the list, I came across a big list of videogame concepts. Ninety percent of the traits were garbage and irrelevant, but I cherry picked the ones that were and put them in a spreadsheet under 5 distinct categories. While I won't divulge those categories, my epiphany was that every single videogame has at least one trait in these categories, and that genre standardization can be realized for gamers. I've come up with 14 prime genres that can be reused as descriptor genres like Action RPG. RPG would be the prime and Action would be the descriptor. So right now my main project is writing an academic paper complete with abstract, figures, and appendices entitled "The Case for Video Game Genre Standardization and the *** Method". I'm also looking to start my own wiki that will basically just be a list of all the videogames I can fit on there and the act of categorizing them and adding traits while inviting contributors I can give credit to on the dissertation when it's finally written. That would definitely give a boost to the validity of my concepts.

RENEWED INTERESTS - When I heard Gran Turismo 4 was coming out, I didn't care. Hated GT3. Same with GT5 recently, didn't care. However, an article on Kotaku mentioned an RPG side to it that involves managing drivers and AI and holy crap it looks so good. Torchlight 2 is coming out next year and Runic Games admitted they should have put multiplayer in it, so TL2 is getting multiplayer. It's what TL1 needed, as it's kind of a lame version of Fate. And now that I've collected pretty much all the PS1 & PS2 games I want to own, I can turn my attention to new releases.

RetroZone

RetroZone PowerPak NES Cartridge

Dave's Take: Play all your NES roms on your NES console via an SD card embedded in an actual cartridge?!?!?! YES. $135? NO.

DIY Ultimate Note-Taking Notebook [DIY]

DIY Ultimate Note-Taking Notebook [DIY]: "

For those of us who are picky about what we write on, finding a quality notebook that meets your specific needs can be tricky. Here's how to make your own personalized, customized notebook. More »

Dave's Take: I know I promised a drastic reduction of article volume, but this is nice. I can go through steno books aplenty and the only note-taking application that fits my standards for Windows is Melon Pro. I still am waiting to get an Android OS phone, but I've never come across a phone or pda note taking that has the benefits of pen and paper. The Cornell method looks promising in analog organization of notes using just a $2 8.5"x11" notebook. I have no turtlenecks, so I can't get a Moleskine. Not hip enough. Seriously, look at these pretentious Lisa Loeb and Steve Jobs clones.

160GB PlayStation 3 confirmed, on sale at Amazon UPDATE

160GB PlayStation 3 confirmed, on sale at Amazon UPDATE: "

Dave's Take: With my PS2 and PS1 games outnumbering my PS3 games 15 to 1 (300:20) and the fact I don't use half of my 20GB HDD, there's no reason to get a new slim PS3. No backwards compatibility + additional drive space I'll never use = non sale. On top of that, the cheapest slim is $300, which is what I paid for my 20GB. If I could get my hands on a PS1 & PS2 memory card reader/management system, I'd even stop using the PS3 for PS1/2 games, as the Memory Card Utility hurts my very soul to use.

10 high-tech gadgets I can live without

10 high-tech gadgets I can live without: "

Dave's Take: This article has a few good points, and quite honestly I did fine without everything on his list before they came about. Though the author borders on paranoid and crotchety it was nice to take a step back and re-evaluate just how necessary all this tech is. I'd still like to try some of the things he mentioned, though, like an e-reader and a Droid phone.

Hey — Why Aren't There Any Ladders In Fallout? [Fallout]

Hey — Why Aren't There Any Ladders In Fallout? [Fallout]: "

Answer: 'We're game development pussies,' Bethesda's Todd Howard said at a QuakeCon panel on Friday. No really, the engine in Fallout and Elder Scrolls runs into AI problems if ladders are introduced, and the developer just works around them. More »

Dave's Take: Another huge reason Bethesda is one of THE worst developers in gaming history. I yearn for Black Isle.

Gadgets : KeyTool Keyring Multi-tool

Gadgets : KeyTool Keyring Multi-tool: " Tiny tool hides around a key, ready to show off its 8 different tools.A tiny tool that hides 8 different micro tools. It wraps around a key on your keyring and swings out for action. Never be without a bottle opener or mini screwdriver again! $9.99"

Dave's Take: This would be a lot easier to carry around than my Leatherman.

Sharpie Liquid Pencil

Sharpie Liquid Pencil: "

Of all the 'magical' products unveiled this year, the Sharpie Liquid Pencil ($2) might just deserve the praise if it lives up to its claims. The unique new writing tool...

Visit Uncrate for the full post."

Dave's Take: Awesome. I have to get Naomi 30 of these.