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2022 in Music (Last.FM and Spotify Listening Trends)
Another year, another look at my music trends for the year. It was another year of music acquisition (supporting the artists, ftw! – I knew Spotify wasn’t paying artists well, but Corey Doctorow’s book, Chokepoint Capitalism really brought home how much they’re screwing over artists), although I think things may slow down in 2023. Here…
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Review: Attack Surface
Attack Surface by Cory Doctorow My rating: 3 of 5 stars I was a Kickstarter backer on this book/audiobook I think there’s a side novella or short story I haven’t read in the Little Brother series/universe, but as far as I know, this is the first one that isn’t from Marcus Yallow’s perspective. Instead, this…
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Who is in Control? The Fitness Tracker or You?
If there’s one thing I always try and do, it’s to see things from the perspective of others. It doesn’t have to mean that I’ll agree with the person or even think they’re also in the right. But sometimes I come across someone who sees things so differently that I can’t quite comprehend how they…
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Review: Generation Xbox: How Videogames Invaded Hollywood
Generation Xbox: How Videogames Invaded Hollywood by Jamie Russell My rating: 4 of 5 stars Anyone who has followed my book reviews on Good Reads or my blog knows that I have read quite a bit of video game history. Whether it’s a history of video games starting with the miltiary and university campuses, a…
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Podcasts I’m Listening to in 2021
I’ve both added and dropped some podcasts since last time around. Where I’m listing the same podcast as last year I may use the same description as in the past with slight (or no) variation. Public Radio Radiolab – Heard about them because sometimes their stories are used on This American Life. Radiolab is a…
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Programming Jan/Feb 2021
I was pretty busy programming at the start of 2021 across a few different languages. Let’s jump right in! C# I’m nearing the end of the GameDev.tv online RTS course, and it’s been a lot of fun. Since last time we added player colors to the units, a minimap that can be used to move…
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2020 Video Games and 2020 Game of the Year
Because the pandemic left me at home for a couple months, this year I played about double the amount of games from my previous record. You can watch the video below or read the text below that to find out what I thought of the games I played this year and which game I named…
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Review: A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms by George R.R. Martin My rating: 4 of 5 stars I really enjoyed this short story collection about Maester Aemon’s brother when he was a squire for Sir Duncan the Tall. I think, perhaps, because these short stories didn’t have to do the heavy lifting for the main narrative…
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Review: The Jungle Book
The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling My rating: 3 of 5 stars Like, I imagine, most Americans (or at least most Americans 40 and under – ie Millenials and Younger) my only exposure was to Disney’s The Jungle Book. I had no idea the original was a collection of short stories. I’d heard it was…
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Can’t Let The Young Ones have all the D&D Fun
Found this in our local activities guide: Although my brother who plays RPGs remarked $149 was pretty steep compared to looking up a video on Youtube.
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Podcasts I’m Listening to In 2020
I’ve both added and dropped some podcasts since last time around. Where I’m listing the same podcast as last year I may use the same description as in the past with slight (or no) variation. Public Radio Radiolab – Heard about them because sometimes their stories are used on This American Life. Radiolab is a…
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Review: NBA Jam (Boss Fight Books #21)
NBA Jam by Reyan Ali My rating: 4 of 5 stars I love the various titles in the Boss Fight Books series; all the moreso when they involve games that meant a lot to me. NBA Jam (which I had filed in my head as NBA Jams), is one of those games that my brothers…
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Review: A Mind Forever Voyaging: A History of Storytelling in Video Games
A Mind Forever Voyaging: A History of Storytelling in Video Games by Dylan Holmes My rating: 4 of 5 stars It was nice to take a break from fiction to read this analysis of the evolution of video game narratives through time. Chronologically, the game goes from text adventure games through point and click adventure…
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Review: Bowls!: Recipes and Inspirations for Healthful One-Dish Meals (One Bowl Meals, Easy Meals, Rice Bowls)
Bowls!: Recipes and Inspirations for Healthful One-Dish Meals by Molly Watson My rating: 3 of 5 stars BOWLS! They’re both a new phenomenon and one of the oldest ways to eat food. My younger brother recently suggested eating at one of those food-court style places that are really trendy right now and nearly all ten…
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Unity 2D Game 4: Laser Defender
The fourth game we worked on was another game that I spent a lot of my childhood playing. We made a Galaxian/Galaga clone: My mom’s youngest brother had a Nintendo and lots of arcade ports. When I was young he lived in the condo above my grandmother’s condo and whenever we’d go visit her, I’d…