Comments for The Blogg http://chadhogg.name/~chad/wordpress A delicious concoction of commentary, essays, reviews, memoires, etc. Sat, 19 May 2012 13:37:15 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 Comment on Game Review: Fallout 3 by chadhogg http://chadhogg.name/~chad/wordpress/?p=1017&cpage=1#comment-33299 chadhogg Sat, 19 May 2012 13:37:15 +0000 http://chadhogg.name/~chad/wordpress/?p=1017#comment-33299 I forgot a feature I had wanted to complain about. The lockpicking minigame is not difficult, but neither is it at all intuitive or well-explained. I probably broke a dozen bobby pins in my first lock before finally figuring out what I was supposed to be doing. The hacking minigame, while naturally unrealistic, appealed to the Mastermind player in me. I forgot a feature I had wanted to complain about. The lockpicking minigame is not difficult, but neither is it at all intuitive or well-explained. I probably broke a dozen bobby pins in my first lock before finally figuring out what I was supposed to be doing. The hacking minigame, while naturally unrealistic, appealed to the Mastermind player in me.

]]> Comment on Game Review: Fallout 3 by Chris http://chadhogg.name/~chad/wordpress/?p=1017&cpage=1#comment-33298 Chris Fri, 18 May 2012 20:21:06 +0000 http://chadhogg.name/~chad/wordpress/?p=1017#comment-33298 Hmm, that's quite a backlog of awesome games you've got there. Bioshock and Portal 2 are both fantastic. You'll spend less time on them than you have on Fallout 3, since neither of them have nearly so much open-world to explore. I never got around to Fallout: New Vegas, though Keith has been playing it on PS3 and he seems to like it a lot. I'm near the end of Mass Effect 3 right now, and looking forward to seeing how they're going to wrap up all this story in just a few more missions. Hmm, that’s quite a backlog of awesome games you’ve got there. Bioshock and Portal 2 are both fantastic. You’ll spend less time on them than you have on Fallout 3, since neither of them have nearly so much open-world to explore. I never got around to Fallout: New Vegas, though Keith has been playing it on PS3 and he seems to like it a lot. I’m near the end of Mass Effect 3 right now, and looking forward to seeing how they’re going to wrap up all this story in just a few more missions.

]]> Comment on Game Review: Fallout 3 by chadhogg http://chadhogg.name/~chad/wordpress/?p=1017&cpage=1#comment-33297 chadhogg Fri, 18 May 2012 13:22:55 +0000 http://chadhogg.name/~chad/wordpress/?p=1017#comment-33297 Chances that I play Morrowind, Oblivion, or Skyrim are all pretty low. I have no doubt that they are great games, but I currently intend to spend much of my leisure time with Diablo III, and if/when I get bored with that Bioshock, Portal 2, Fallout: New Vegas, and Mass Effect 3 are waiting. That should keep me busy for at least another year, and in the meantime new things I would like to play will be released. Chances that I play Morrowind, Oblivion, or Skyrim are all pretty low. I have no doubt that they are great games, but I currently intend to spend much of my leisure time with Diablo III, and if/when I get bored with that Bioshock, Portal 2, Fallout: New Vegas, and Mass Effect 3 are waiting. That should keep me busy for at least another year, and in the meantime new things I would like to play will be released.

]]> Comment on Game Review: Fallout 3 by Michaluk http://chadhogg.name/~chad/wordpress/?p=1017&cpage=1#comment-33296 Michaluk Thu, 17 May 2012 19:07:32 +0000 http://chadhogg.name/~chad/wordpress/?p=1017#comment-33296 Inventory management on all Bethesda games is atrocious. Why can't I search for items by damage, durability, weight, name, or anything else I want? Implementing a database type system with simple search and sort abilities would be trivial and absurdly useful, yet this is ignored. A major annoyance in Fallout 3 is that items of different durabilities (say, 2 identical revolvers, one with 60 health and another with 59) can't be stacked, so your inventory consists of long lists if identical items. Fixing this would also be trivial, simply implement a nested system for the inventory ... click on .44 Magnum and it brings up a list of all your .44 Magnums. I did enjoy the fact that items had durability however (existed in Morrowwind and Oblivion, got rid of it in Skyrim). If you're considering playing Skyrim (its awesome) and have some time, do yourself a favor and go back and start with Morrowind (one of my favorite games of all time). There is (was?) a large modding community for it, so there are graphics updates and such as well as original content. People were also working on remaking Morrowind in the Oblivion engine, and I think people are making Morrowind AND Oblivion in the Skyrim engine. Inventory management on all Bethesda games is atrocious. Why can’t I search for items by damage, durability, weight, name, or anything else I want? Implementing a database type system with simple search and sort abilities would be trivial and absurdly useful, yet this is ignored. A major annoyance in Fallout 3 is that items of different durabilities (say, 2 identical revolvers, one with 60 health and another with 59) can’t be stacked, so your inventory consists of long lists if identical items. Fixing this would also be trivial, simply implement a nested system for the inventory … click on .44 Magnum and it brings up a list of all your .44 Magnums. I did enjoy the fact that items had durability however (existed in Morrowwind and Oblivion, got rid of it in Skyrim).

If you’re considering playing Skyrim (its awesome) and have some time, do yourself a favor and go back and start with Morrowind (one of my favorite games of all time). There is (was?) a large modding community for it, so there are graphics updates and such as well as original content. People were also working on remaking Morrowind in the Oblivion engine, and I think people are making Morrowind AND Oblivion in the Skyrim engine.

]]> Comment on Game Review: Fallout 3 by Chris http://chadhogg.name/~chad/wordpress/?p=1017&cpage=1#comment-33295 Chris Thu, 17 May 2012 14:46:12 +0000 http://chadhogg.name/~chad/wordpress/?p=1017#comment-33295 I enjoyed Fallout 3 thoroughly, though I didn't play it as exhaustively as you did. My only complaint with Fallout 3 (other than occasional bugginess) was that I eventually found the post-apocalyptic nuclear waste setting depressing. It's not the horrible monsters -- those I'm accustomed to in any video game. It's the scenery. I can only look at so many barren, desolate landscapes before it starts to get to me. If you're paralyzed with choice by Fallout 3, wait until you get around to Skyrim. It's a fantastic game, though occasionally almost as buggy as Fallout 3. I'll try to keep my recent impressions of Skyrim in mind so I can discuss them when you get around to writing about it in 2015. I kid, I kid. But seriously you should play Skyrim. It's great. Better than Oblivion in all respects, I think. I enjoyed Fallout 3 thoroughly, though I didn’t play it as exhaustively as you did. My only complaint with Fallout 3 (other than occasional bugginess) was that I eventually found the post-apocalyptic nuclear waste setting depressing. It’s not the horrible monsters — those I’m accustomed to in any video game. It’s the scenery. I can only look at so many barren, desolate landscapes before it starts to get to me.

If you’re paralyzed with choice by Fallout 3, wait until you get around to Skyrim. It’s a fantastic game, though occasionally almost as buggy as Fallout 3. I’ll try to keep my recent impressions of Skyrim in mind so I can discuss them when you get around to writing about it in 2015. I kid, I kid. But seriously you should play Skyrim. It’s great. Better than Oblivion in all respects, I think.

]]> Comment on My Vocal Range by d.k. http://chadhogg.name/~chad/wordpress/?p=482&cpage=1#comment-33292 d.k. Tue, 08 May 2012 10:34:34 +0000 http://chadhogg.name/~chad/wordpress/?p=482#comment-33292 i also have a low vocal range. the highest note i can hit in chest voice is F#4. but i need to scream and it's kind of hard to hold. my comfortable zone is only up to D4. the lowest note i can hit is C#2. but again, that cannot be used for singing. my confortable lowest note is E2. my hihgest note ever produced is Bb5. that's like when im choked to death. my comfortable falsetto/head voice is actually only F5. yawn.. and it costs me to not be able to sing male songs well. btw, how to increase vocal range? it's said we can extend it through humming (or what? i dont know the name). but i ever tried it and i thought it's useless. i also have a low vocal range. the highest note i can hit in chest voice is F#4. but i need to scream and it’s kind of hard to hold. my comfortable zone is only up to D4. the lowest note i can hit is C#2. but again, that cannot be used for singing. my confortable lowest note is E2. my hihgest note ever produced is Bb5. that’s like when im choked to death. my comfortable falsetto/head voice is actually only F5.

yawn.. and it costs me to not be able to sing male songs well.

btw, how to increase vocal range? it’s said we can extend it through humming (or what? i dont know the name). but i ever tried it and i thought it’s useless.

]]> Comment on When The Poker Gods Smiled On Me by Michaluk http://chadhogg.name/~chad/wordpress/?p=1065&cpage=1#comment-33268 Michaluk Sun, 01 Apr 2012 13:35:54 +0000 http://chadhogg.name/~chad/wordpress/?p=1065#comment-33268 Glad to hear you're 'back in the saddle'. My own 'best hand ever' story. You've probably already heard this a dozen times. AC, $3/$6 limit hold'em (raises are fixed $3 before the turn, $6 after). Two callers in front of me, and I have a pair of jacks. I raise to trim the field, and someone behind reraises. The two callers call this (!), and I reraise, and the reraiser reraises again, capping the raises at 4 (its capped if there are more than 2 people in the hand). Amazingly, the 2 jokers call this as well. The flop comes J, garbage, garbage. Me and the reraiser go back and forth, capping the raises, and the other two guys still call all raises. The turn is more garbage, and once again we cap the raises and the other two call them all. The river is a K, so I'm a little worried about the pocket kings from the reraiser, so we only go 2 raises. Miraculously, the other 2 guys still call even though they can't have hit anything. I flip over my trip Jacks, the reraiser has pocket aces as expected, and the other two guys have busted draws. I won about $200 (including my own money). Also, I forgot about your blogg, I'll have to start checking it out again. -Ryan Glad to hear you’re ‘back in the saddle’.

My own ‘best hand ever’ story. You’ve probably already heard this a dozen times.

AC, $3/$6 limit hold’em (raises are fixed $3 before the turn, $6 after). Two callers in front of me, and I have a pair of jacks. I raise to trim the field, and someone behind reraises. The two callers call this (!), and I reraise, and the reraiser reraises again, capping the raises at 4 (its capped if there are more than 2 people in the hand). Amazingly, the 2 jokers call this as well. The flop comes J, garbage, garbage. Me and the reraiser go back and forth, capping the raises, and the other two guys still call all raises. The turn is more garbage, and once again we cap the raises and the other two call them all. The river is a K, so I’m a little worried about the pocket kings from the reraiser, so we only go 2 raises. Miraculously, the other 2 guys still call even though they can’t have hit anything. I flip over my trip Jacks, the reraiser has pocket aces as expected, and the other two guys have busted draws. I won about $200 (including my own money).

Also, I forgot about your blogg, I’ll have to start checking it out again.

-Ryan

]]> Comment on Concert Review: Judas Priest / Black Label Society / Thin Lizzy by Concert Review: Van Halen / Kool & The Gang « The Blogg http://chadhogg.name/~chad/wordpress/?p=1010&cpage=1#comment-33264 Concert Review: Van Halen / Kool & The Gang « The Blogg Wed, 28 Mar 2012 03:00:17 +0000 http://chadhogg.name/~chad/wordpress/?p=1010#comment-33264 [...] missing the beginning of the last show I attended at the Sovereign Center, I decided to arrive 40 minutes early. Getting in was much easier this time — possibly [...] [...] missing the beginning of the last show I attended at the Sovereign Center, I decided to arrive 40 minutes early. Getting in was much easier this time — possibly [...]

]]> Comment on Seeking Approximate Solutions To The Two-Body Problem by A Half Solution « The Blogg http://chadhogg.name/~chad/wordpress/?p=1047&cpage=1#comment-33241 A Half Solution « The Blogg Mon, 12 Mar 2012 01:35:37 +0000 http://chadhogg.name/~chad/wordpress/?p=1047#comment-33241 [...] the decision I wrote about last week, we have committed to one of options 1, 2, or 3. That is, I have accepted an offer to join the [...] [...] the decision I wrote about last week, we have committed to one of options 1, 2, or 3. That is, I have accepted an offer to join the [...]

]]> Comment on Seeking Approximate Solutions To The Two-Body Problem by chadhogg http://chadhogg.name/~chad/wordpress/?p=1047&cpage=1#comment-33231 chadhogg Tue, 06 Mar 2012 16:57:55 +0000 http://chadhogg.name/~chad/wordpress/?p=1047#comment-33231 Actually, I did correspond with my potential new colleague with just this in mind, and she indicated that it would be likely that I would be able to work out of 4-day schedule most semesters. But further complicating matters, an option #4 opportunity appears to be opening up. Just this week Lock Haven University (which is only 30 minutes from Williamsport, I am not sure why I was not thinking of it earlier) advertised a temporary, full-time position, and the faculty there is hoping / expecting to run a tenure-track search next year. Unfortunately, (a) there is no guarantee that I would be offered the temporary job, (b) there is no guarantee that the tenure-track job would actually materialize, (c) there is no guarantee that I would be offered the tenure-track job if it did exist next year, and (d) the position is explicitly in Applied Computer Science, and I am at least as interested in theoretical computer science as I am in that. Actually, I did correspond with my potential new colleague with just this in mind, and she indicated that it would be likely that I would be able to work out of 4-day schedule most semesters.

But further complicating matters, an option #4 opportunity appears to be opening up. Just this week Lock Haven University (which is only 30 minutes from Williamsport, I am not sure why I was not thinking of it earlier) advertised a temporary, full-time position, and the faculty there is hoping / expecting to run a tenure-track search next year. Unfortunately, (a) there is no guarantee that I would be offered the temporary job, (b) there is no guarantee that the tenure-track job would actually materialize, (c) there is no guarantee that I would be offered the tenure-track job if it did exist next year, and (d) the position is explicitly in Applied Computer Science, and I am at least as interested in theoretical computer science as I am in that.

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