May/110
iPhone Rant
Do you have an iPhone? Do your friends have iPhones? Then you probably have had this happen to you. You hear the tri-tone text message sound, so you check your phone to read the text message only to find that it was your friend's phone that sounded off.
I have owned iPhones since the second gen models and have always been very satisfied with it as a product. For the most part Apple has gotten it right. They created a sleek exterior, a simplified interface, and an abundance of apps. In a further stroke of genius, Apple encouraged friends of iPhone owners to buy iPhones since there are a bunch of apps and features which allow iPhones to interact with eachother: Words with Friends, Facetime, Bump, etc.
The problem is that Apple has simplified the phone so much that they don't offer the ability to change your sound for a text message beyond the default 10 that come with all iPhones. Furthermore 8 of those 10 sounds are really terrible, so pretty much everyone with an iPhone will have either the tri-tone or the the loud "Ding!" sound. Apple allows you to customize your ringtones; why not allow customization of text message tones? Do they think that it will be too confusing for us? In the past I have resorted to Jailbreaking my iPhone in order to customize these tones manually. Wouldn't it be far more simple to offer an option to customize text message tones?
I will end my rant here with a simple plea to Apple that has been echoed by the iPhone community for years: allow us to customize our text message tones! It's as simple as that!
Oct/100
JavaScripting a Creature Creator
I have been working on my first large javascript file. I have dubbed it the "Creature Creator" and it is meant to mimic those old flip books that had 3 sections, the head, the body, and the legs, of various characters. By flipping to different pages you could create different characters with variations in the 3 categories.
The program I am making uses simple Javascript code to offer 3 options for heads on the left, and then on the right there are 3 sections where the Creature is built. Once the user has selected one of the 3 heads on the left, it should appear on the right, and the 3 options on the left should be changed to body choices. This should repeat and then you are given choices for legs.
So far I have accomplished the head selection transfering to the right, and then the body options are given, but I can't figure out how to get the body options the ability to go to the right. If you click the body options you just switch the head to different options. I think i need to use a counting "for" loop or something.
More to come...
Mar/103
Make your own Thai Ice Tea
6 Tablespoons of Vanilla Rooibos loose tea
7 cups of boiling water
1 1/2 inch long cinnamon stick
2 star anise
Sweetener of choice (agave syrup, sugar, honey, etc.)
1 1/2 cups of coconut milk or condensed milk
While the water is being brought to a boil, add the tea, cinnamon and star anise to a heat safe jar, or jug. Add the boiling water, and steep for ten minutes. After ten minutes, take out the cinnamon and star anise and steep for another 5-40 minutes, until it reaches desired flavor (or when you just can’t wait any longer!).
Fill a large cup with ice, add about a tablespoon of sweetener, and 1/4 cup of coconut milk or evaporated milk. Fill the rest of the cup up with the brewed tea and enjoy.
I think it would also be safe to put a cup or two of milk and the sweetener straight into the jug so that you have pre-made Thai Ice Tea. Then just add it to a cup full of ice!
Mar/100
Starcraft 2 Beta impressions
Starcraft 2 Beta
I was recently lucky enough to receive an account key for the Starcraft 2 Beta. Apparently these are in high enough demand that one can sell their account on eBay for around 100-150 USD.
I of course am not selling my account and have been testing the game for the past few days. My immediate impression is that the game is a definite improvement over the original Starcraft. The pacing seems a bit more frenetic, but the over all game play seems balanced and fun.
My favorite race is of course the Zerg. Since Starcraft 1 this has always been my favorite race. Something about the Overmind, and the bug aliens just appeals to me. I think Blizzard has done a really good job of keeping some old units, but adding many new ones, and totally creating a new game that feels like the old game but is in complete 3D (style very similar to Warcraft 3) and looks beautiful. I don't think they are going to really add or delete units at this point, and after some balancing issues (I've heard that Terrans are the weakest race thus far), the game will be a success. I definitely plan to buy this game.
Mar/100
Alice in Wonderland …. In 3D!
Alice in Wonderland (2010)
I just went and saw Alice in Wonderland, and I decided to indulge in this new fad of 3D movies. Speaking of this new fad, I am starting to see that 3D is mostly a gimmick to get people to come back to the theaters. On a side note, if the theaters really want people to start coming back, they would stop charging so much to see movies, stop showing us advertisements at the beggining (remember when it was only previews and then the movie?), and if they wanted to earn extra brownie points, they would make the snacks at the concession stand cheaper.
But anyway, onto my review. I have to say that due to negative reviews from my peers, I walked into this film with low expectations. I much prefer walking into a film with low expectations because I tend to feel more favorably towards the movie. This movie in particular threw me off. How could my peers have not liked it? I really enjoyed this film.
First of all, the visuals are extremely well done. Live action is blended with animation, the sets are amazing, the backgrounds are vibrant, costumes are elaborate and colorful. The movie had a very detailed and polished look to it. You could tell that a lot went into the concept art of this film.
Beyond the visuals, the story had great pacing, the acting was great, and the story didn't feel boring to me at all. Sure it is predictable that Alice will become the hero of the story. I'm not watching Alice in Wonderland for a crazy plot twist. I'm watching it so that I can become immersed into Wonderland and forget about everyday normal life. Alice in Wonderland delivers on all levels, and as long as you aren't expecting some masterpiece, I feel that most people will thoroughly enjoy it.
The characters were the real highlight of the film. The Mad Hatter played of course by Johnny Depp was amazing. I have no idea how they got his eyes to be so big. Helena Bonham Carters character made a great Red Queen. By far the coolest character though was the Cheshire Cat. He blinks in and out of existence, fading into a mist, or partially materializing as he floats about. He had an almost omnipotent quality to him. I would probably be like that too if I could simply disappear out of any situation, or float around wherever I want.
Verdict: 4.5 stars - See it!
p.s. I enjoyed the 3D but definitely felt that you would not be missing out on anything without it.
Feb/103
Snorkeling a Shipwreck
I recently went out free diving at an actual ship wreck. Byron Bay is famous for it's surf spot "The Wreck" because of the bulge it creates on the ocean floor, and the waves that peak up in that spot. But there is a much less known ship wreck in the same area that is completely submerged. It spans a large area of the ocean near the surf spot, but I will keep the exact location undisclosed.
Most of the shipwreck looked like old rocks since the coral and other growth had enveloped it. There was a really interesting part that was composed of two pylons that extended from the ocean floor up about 3 or 4 meters. The depth was about 10-15 meters, which I found myself free diving. Unfortunately I was having difficulty equalizing my ears. It's as if my ear canals are closed off. I find this really irritating. I had this problem earlier in the year when I tried to Scuba dive. Before now, I didn't have this problem.
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