Cinco De Mayo, 200-Cinco - Hutz!

05.05.2005

So, it's 05/05/05. It should be one of those special days that you remember where you were, just because of some numerical goofiness with the date. Well, the main thing I will remember about today is how uncoordinated I felt during karate. We're learning different methods of taking someone down, and I can force pretty much anyone down, but I'm having a hard time getting my body to cooperate in learning the smooth methods taught in how to elegantly force someone to become one with the ground.

Jerry was my hapless victim as I tried to learn to sweep his foot while he was walking toward me. Oh, I could sweep and he would fall, but it's just because I was being bigger and pretty much shoving him down. The first time I swept at the right time, I ended up sweeping both his feet to send him falling.

And being big, I didn't even notice until he told me.

There are certain things that a 6', 380 lb body can't do. Well, not safely and without hurting the person I'm applying said hold to. There are things that a 6'2", 180lb Jerry can't do that our 5'7", 160lb instructor can. We're getting to the point where we're learning some cool moves in class, but they're also becoming more dangerous if we screw something up, and I'm not confident enough that I'll screw up without making someone's brittle body part going *POP*.

But I'll keep trying. At least until we get a Big & Tall Karate class started.

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Car Wars: The Return

05.04.2005

Back in the 80's, Jer and I formed a long and lasting friendship based on the sharing of a Dragon magazine and mutual destruction through Steve Jackson's Car Wars. Car Wars was a substantial part of our interaction - we killed each other for the better part of 10 years playing that game.

I miss playing Car Wars. Looking around, it seems most of the groups that I knew as players have dwindled away. Most of the rules are no longer in print, or at the very least seem to be undergoing a revamping (I remember a card game version coming out at one point). The only drawback of Car Wars, for me, was the time involved in creating the car. Space, weight, weapons, armor, speed; It was all a grand math problem. Oh, it was fun, but it took 2 to 3 hours to make the perfect car.

Tangent for one of Jerry's favorite stories: We spend a couple of hours creating motorcycles for an off-road duel/race. After we've designed, we start the game. On the first turn, Jerry pulls ahead of me, fires 2 flechettes to my front tire, causing critical damage that causes my motorcycle to magically transform into a fireball. 2 Hours designing. 3 minutes playing. I was pissed. I'm still pissed. A decade later the phrase "2 flechettes to the tire" still causes my blood pressure to rise.

There are different aids to help design the cars, but I've never really liked them. Something always seemed to be missing. I'm not sure what, but I guess they never really felt complete. So, after thinking about it for a while, and even unsuccessfully trying it a couple of times, I'm going to try and make the Car Wars Construction website. Yes, I am going to try to make a tool for a game that pretty much nobody plays anymore, including me. Why? Well, it's just one of those things I've always wanted to do, and I think I finally know enough (programming wise) to do a good job of it.

The first step is setting up a super cool database that can hold everything, yet be smart enough to allow for the different types of weapons and components the game uses. My database powers have grown greatly in the past few years, so I get a little wood when I think about this (much like Jerry and his lists). Once the data is set up, I envision the actual user interface for construction working like a car site. Much like building a car at Ford lets you pick your options and see the results as you go, I think it would be neat ot do the same things for the Car Wars car. But that's later. I've got a database to make.

And I've got to make sure Steve Jackson won't sue me.

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House Via Keyhole

05.02.2005

Last week I downloaded the demo version of a cool little app from Keyhole. The Keyhole satellites are what the government is using to spy on everyone who isn't covered by a roof by using their super high tech satellite imaging to zoom in on everything on the ground. It's so spiffy even Google is using it for their maps. I spent hours putting in addresses and zooming from here to there, it was really more engrossing than I had thought it would be.

The coolest part of the app is to go from a satellit view of the earth, then zoom down to your particular address. It's worth the download and registration just to do that a couple of times.

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Return Of My Favorite Game

04.27.2005

I have a favorite routine in wrestling and I think it's time for it to make a comeback. For this routine to work, there is a 3-way match in which you need 2 wrestlers trying to one up each other, with a 3rd wrestler who primarily serves as the comedic foil. Originally I gained many a hearty thrill as Kurt Angle played the foil, with The Rock, Steve Austin, and Triple H taking turns as the bickering, I'm better than you are wrestlers.

In this routine, all 3 wrestlers find their way outside the ring. Wrestler 1(The Rock in this example), grabs the head of the foil (Angle) and bangs said head into something hard and unforgiving - a ringpost, a table, ring steps, anything will do - while shouting epithets and mocking Wrestler 2 (let's say it's Austin this time).

Wrestler 2 is not amused and believes he can do better, so he grabs the head of the foil and delivers a mighty slam himself, retorting that he too has epithets and mocking phrases. Although our foil begins to become woozy, Wrestler 1 grabs him once again and repeats the head banging from before, doubling his epithets and mocking in the process. Wrestler 1 by this time has to grab the foil up off the ground to show that he too has more epithets and mocking to give, and thus bangs the foils head into whatever they've been using.

This might repeat again, until the foil tries to unsuccessfully flail an arm up in an offensive move, and which point wrestlers 1 and 2 join forces and deliver a double strike (punch, clothesline, both grab the foils head and bang him again, whatever) before concentrating on each other. And then the match continues.

The WWE has found themselves with the perfect setup of this once again. The first player is Shelton Benjamin, Intercontinental Champion. Shelton has good moves, but he lacks the in ring charisma that will take him to the next level. If he's not careful, he's going to be the black version of Lance Storm and Steve Blackman, who's gimmick is "I'm tough, but I lack personality". His title would be the focal point of the 3 coming together.

The second wrestler would be Chris Jericho. He's got the charisma, he's got the history of helping to make titles. He's been feuding with Shelton of late over the title. He's the one that could help bring Shelton up to the next level.

The 3rd wrestler, the comedic foil, would be the perfect fit for Christian. Christian can pull off the comedic bits - he's done it in the past with Edge, and to a similar degree with his current gimmick as kind of a "Rock Lite". I also think that like Angle did, Christian could eventually go on to main event status, he just needs a little.... something. Getting his head bashed in by 2 other guys may be just the thing!

This is just rehashing an old bit - it's not a story line or a gimmick, just one of those little parts of a matches that could use a comeback every once in a while.

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Bitchin' 'Bout Da Week

04.26.2005

I think it's going to turn into one of those weeks, at least at home:

I was supposed to have a guy come look at fixing my leaky ceiling yesterday. After I left work early and got home (at 3:30, so it wasn't tooooo early) I was greeted by a message saying he was having vehicular problems and wouldn't be able to make it.

Then it rained last night. Fortunately, not enough to make the ceiling worse.

On Apr 13, I received my income tax return (the actual return, not a refund) with a note saying "we didn't receive a W-2, resend with a W-2." Yesterday I received from the IRS my W-2, with a note saying "Here's your W-2, we don't have a return to match up with it, mail this back with a return."

Thanks to the above, the IRS is going to get pissed and audit me. I know they are.

The cable went off for a couple of hours on Friday. After it came back the picture seems a little fuzzy, but still watchable. Last night was my first attempt to get online. I managed to find the internet, but it seemed to only want to give me about a bit per second. I tried loading the Google home page, and I slowly watched the Google graphic load - and after 10 minutes I gave up. I guess I have a call to Louisville and the Charter Cable Modem helpdesk in my future.

On my alternate route to work, which saves me 4 potential red lights and is generally a little easier of a drive into work, I managed to reach each of the 4 stops signs at the same time as the other 3 vehicles reaching the intersection, thus causing the uncomfortable "I know I was here first, but are one of you sumbitches going to go instead?"

And it's only Tuesday.

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