One of the gaming activites available to our usual Sunday evening group is that of “create very large battlemechs and blow things up with them.” We do this virtually, of course (darn it all). Our “MechWarrior” of choice is MechWarrior 4: Mercenaries with the MekTek Pack installed for added blowing-things-up goodness.

MekPak version 3 came out recently, so this weekend we gave it a whirl. Among the usual improvements (more mechs, for instance) we got a really big new toy to play with: The railgun. Only two mechs can even mount it, it’s so big. So of course we all had to try it out. (“Seven slots? Good grief! 56 points of damage? I want one!”)

After a few normal rounds of play, we noticed that one of the maps is a target range. Ooooh, nothing but flatness! It’s perfect for those of us (like myself) who like the long-range game. We did moderately terrible things to the AI mechs and generally had a… dare I say, blast? Of course I dare.

Why yes, my stress has been relieved. Thanks for asking!

The kids and I, along with the kids’ Uncle Evan, poked around in Soul Caliber III this afternoon. We discovered that the character generation system is decent but not fantastic (we’re possibly spoiled by such fare as City of Heroes in that respect), and the RTS game mode is far better than I originally feared. Evan was given cause to consider that maybe leaving his Gamecube at the kids’ place for months on end, thus giving Alex ample opportunity for practice at Soul Caliber II, may not have been the best idea he’s ever had. (Let’s not even get into how badly I got thrashed by the boy. Le sigh.)

I’ll be leaving the game system over there for a couple of weeks so they can play around with that game. This also gives my daughter a chance to finish up the first Fullmetal Alchemist game. What a good dad I am, eh?

Ever since Entercom Portland moved into its current facility, lo the many moons ago, I’ve tried to run a sort of “news blog” webpage to help catch people up on what’s happening, geek-wise. It lived on the server named “Mihoshi” for a few years, and then transitioned to “Washuu” a few years back, which is when the site took on the name, “The Lab.” No matter where it lived or what software I used, however, it never really took off. Forget about issues of demand, the supply just wasn’t there. What can I find to write about in a news-snippet format that would be useful, let alone interesting, on a regular basis?

A few months ago I started a little side project. I built a wiki, and experimented with migrating things like the FAQ data from another subsite, soliciting content from one of the building’s department heads, and so on. Instead of trying to be flashy and new all of the time, the focus was on providing mostly-static, useful information in an easily-updated format.

This afternoon I flipped the switch and turned the “Lab Wiki” into “The Lab” proper. I’ve work yet to do, tidying up and rewording some things and so forth, but so far… I’m quite happy with it.

Give it a look-see, won’t you?

The Lab (Wiki)

That hand-me-down laptop I got my hands on? I installed Kubuntu on it this evening. For the most part it went well, but for the fact that I cannot get either of the Orinoco wireless cards working that I’ve tried in it. I’ve Googled, I’ve dug through the Ubuntu forums… nothing. The damned laptop sees the card, loads drivers, and… promptly turns off the lights on the card and gives up.

I just spent well over an hour fighting with the damned thing, and now I’m through. I’m supposed to be relaxing, dammit, not feeling like I’m at work…

One of the joys of my job is the occasional new music CD thrown my way.

Depeche Mode’s “Playing The Angel” sounds like a throwback to “Violator,” but with the latest (of course) production tricks as well as a bit of a Nine Inch Nails sensibility… I mean, even more than Violator had. I won’t say the whole album’s great, but parts of it are pretty darned good. Pick it up on sale if you’re at all into the ‘cheMode thing.

Franz Ferdinand’s “You Could Have It So Much Better” is, well, accurately titled. There’s nothing on the album that sounds any different from, let alone any better than, what you heard on the first album. The best moments on the new record, in fact, are those moments that remind you directly of bits from before. It’s pretty bad when a band has to ride the nostalgia wave on only their second album, eh? Do yourself a favor and steer clear of this one, folks.

Why was I too lazy to actually write up proper media reviews in the proper media categories? Easy: My body’s been giving me hell most of the day, especially my wrists and elbows. The less typing, the better. Besides which, neither of these albums really deserve that kind of effort…