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Robot Claws

Friday, August 10th, 2012

This is what this blog looks like:

See the black computer, in the lower right of the image? That’s a machine that runs the blog. It lives in Bernard & Lakshmi’s garage, as does a second computer (the silver one behind it) and a vast array of networking equipment. You can see the cabling disappearing into the wall connecting these machines to the rest of the house and the internet in general. This setup generates a lot of heat, and the fans are there to keep it cool. Even with them, it’s a bit like standing next to an oven 🙂

Here’s Bernard’s description of the above photo:

“This setup includes a dual-processor 8-core zeon with 32 GB of RAM and 2 TB of RAID 10 disk space, and the other machine is an i5 with 8 GB of RAM with 10 TB of (unused!) disk space. The internet connection is a gigabit enterprise switch utilizing a 100 mbs fiber connection.”

I am ahead of myself! Let me introduce my hosts. Here’s my sister-in-law, Lakshmi, cosplaying:

She put the mask on in Target, and when Bernard asked her who it was she said ‘Darth Vader’. We had a good chuckle at that one 🙂

And here’s my brother, cosplaying as a banker:

Yesterday we went shopping. This meant we saw a good selection of potential gifts for AW like this:

…and a gaggle of pretty girls like this:

…and I even saw this:

There was a lot of shopping, and a lot of buying. Gifts were bought for everyone! Incredibly, my haul even included 2 (crappy…) gamebooks purchased from a second-hand bookstore! Given I traveled with only a single tiny suitcase, I’ll certainly be mailing stuff back 🙂

Today we’re off to see some museums. I’ve also uncovered some old photos and various other treasures that are going to have to make their way onto this blog in the next few days. So much to do and so little time in which to do it…

Posted in Blog, Family, Tech, Trip | Comments Closed

In The Mountains

Wednesday, August 8th, 2012

Here’s a surprising fact about Albuquerque: it’s about a mile above sea level. Furthermore, it’s surrounded by some impressive mountains, and yesterday we went to this one:

It’s called Sandia Peak, and it’s massive! The photo barely does justice to how tall it is and how monolithic it looks rising above the flat city. Sandia is popular with hikers and skiers and also is home to the worlds longest suspended tram, which we rode yesterday.

That’s from the station at the bottom, right before our car docked. The cables disappeared into the distance as our 15 minute climb began!

This is not a ride for those with fear of heights! Only three towers support the car during the climb, and the distance between the last two towers is enormous as the cables carry the car 1000 feet above the mountainside below.

The weather was beautiful and the views amazing. I was hoping to see the wildlife found on the mountain – elk, mountain lions, bears – but saw only trees and the occasional bird of prey.

Eventually we reached the top, about 4000 feet above the lower station, to a total height of over 10000 feet! That’s the highest mountain I’ve ever been on!

This next photo shows Albuquerque as viewed from the top of Sandia Peak.

A couple more shots taken from the car during the trip back down. The first shows us passing the other car, and the second shows the cables leading down the mountain. You can really, I hope, get a sense of how long this is!

After Sandia we (very!) briefly visited a large Indian Casino and then saw a movie, and then later as we sat on Florence’s porch chatting the rains came in. Check out this sunset rainbow:

And so my brief stay in Albuquerque has come to an end. I’m writing this in the airport waiting for the flights to my next destination, San Jose.

The worst thing about catching up with old friends is saying goodbye again. It’s been great fun sharing laughs with Florence as she showed me the sights of Albuquerque these past few days, and I’m very grateful for her hospitality (and patience!) I wish I wasn’t cursed with friends that all live thousands of miles away!!

Although – if I’m honest – this old man’s already quite tired after only the first half of his trip. Can I keep up my energy in San Jose? Stay tuned!

Posted in Tech, Trip | 1 Comment »

Ten Treasures

Wednesday, August 1st, 2012

A few times on this blog, I’ve referred to my ‘boxes of fun’ (BoF’s). These are plastic storage containers hidden away in cupboards containing stuff I have collected over the years. The name is a misnomer, since these boxes give me no fun at all. In fact they are ‘out of sight, out of mind’ as they say.

Yesterday I emptied one out for the fun of it. This particular box contains Star Wars ‘stuff’, accumulated over about the last 15 years. Here’s a photo of the box immediately after I removed the cover:

Stuffed in there, isn’t it? Most of my boxes contain Star Wars stuff – in fact about half of them contain just action figures. But this one is unique in that it contains a motley collection of toys, licensed merchandise and advertising ephemera. Basically anything remotely Star Wars related went in here, whenever I bought it, and did not see the light of day again until yesterday.

Today on the blog I present ten treasured items I found yesterday in my box of fun 🙂

1. Han Solo & Chewbacca ‘cake topper’

KLS purchased the above many years ago in the clearance bin at our local grocery store. It’s not edible (!), but is designed to be an ornament on a SW themed cake. I also have another pair (Anakin & Watto). As far as SW ‘action figures’ go, this is one of my most unusual. [Approximate Ebay value: $6]

2. Star Wars Bowl

This is one of a set of 4 items (2 bowls, 2 cups), all of which I own. This was part of a General Mill’s mail-in redemption for Episode 2, and as far as melamine SW bowls are concerned is the cream of the crop. And I say this with some expertise, since our cupboards at home contain about 5 SW-themed bowls and plates already. The guy pictured here (and his friends) have never been used though, and will forever live out their lives in the BoF. I particularly like this one, since the image of Padme used on it is uncommon, and I’ve not seen it used on merchandise before. [Ebay value for set of 4: $40]

3. Episode 1 ‘pogs’

Around the time Episode 1 was released, Pepsico restaurants (namely Taco Bell, KFC and Pizza Hut) in the US had a incredible amount of promotions, including toys, ‘cup-toppers’ and these little pogs that came randomly in kids meals. As you can see, in an effort to collect the toys I accumulated a lot of the pogs! These are in perfect condition, stored in a little plastic container. I reckon there is about 50 or so here, and I know I have more elsewhere. In fact it’s even possible the ones shown here are my doubles, and I have a full set tucked away in another BoF. [Approximate Ebay value: $5-20+]

4. McDonalds ‘Clone Wars’ kids meal box

The less said of the above item the better. Yes it’s a mint-condition kids meal box, folded flat for storage. It’s from 2010. I’m lovin’ it! [Approximate Ebay value: $3]

5. R2-D2 Gigapet

Yes, this is an R2-D2 ‘tamagotchi’ type toy. As you can see I have never opened it, so I can’t comment on how it works. I can also confirm that I never will open it, so I will never comment on how it works. But it keeps my heart warm knowing it’s just sitting there in my BoF! [Ebay value: $10]

6. Japanese General Grievous Pepsi bottle cap figure

Over in Japan, they occasionally promote bottles of drink via cap toppers like the one seen here. They are little figurines that sit on top of the cap of the drink. Sometimes you can see them just sitting there in the cooler, sometimes (as in the above) they come in a bag and have to be put on. During our last Japan trip this promotion was ending, and I was only able to find one figure. [Ebay value: $3]

7. Japanese mini Episode 1 action figures

These were from a gatchapon machine. If I recall correctly, they were found at an unlikely place – a machine on a walkway leading from one train station to another near Shibuya in Tokyo. I didn’t have a lot of Y100 coins with me at the time, and could only get two from the machine. My other one is Anakin & Watto (yes, the same pair as my other cake topper!). This is a very cool item, and the figured are surprisingly detailed for their miniature size. [Approximate ebay value: $6]

8. Lenticular Anakin/Darth Vader plate

Another promotional item; this was obtained by mailing in tokens from cereal boxes around the release of Episode 3. The plate is dreadful – weak plastic with a lenticular glued onto the front. I daresay it’s barely washable! But, as with all these treasures, I love it like a child and it’s not ever for sale! It shall rest eternally, happily, in the BoF. Sealed in it’s plastic 😉 [Ebay value: $15]

9. Episode 1 wall stickers

A quick search for this item online revealed that the company released a staggering variety of Episode 1 themed wall adhesives! This podrace collection is a relatively recent aquisition, purchased as it was from the budget bin of a dollar store only a year or so ago. It’s yellowing and aged and cursed to an existence of never ever being stuck on a wall. But I love it because it’s flat and easy to store! I seem to recall I actually purchased two of these, so I deeply apologize to whomever got the other one is probably quite happy with their gift! [Ebay value: $3]

10. Frito-Lay Episode II 3D puzzle pieces

These are real treasures. They are 3D puzzle pieces that were notoriously hard to obtain back when Episode 2 came out. Although a Frito-Lay promotional item, they were only available at retail by purchasing a massive box of snack sized chip packs. Even then the promotional boxes were few and far between, so I was only able to get 2 pieces. Some searching online reveals there were at least 54 (!) different pieces (in 6 colours), and they were sometimes distributed in sets of nine. I wonder how one got a set? Anyway I love them for a specific reason – they are actually lithopanes! Here’s a photo showing the nice effect then they are held up to a light:

Very effective aren’t they? I wish I could have gotten more now. Maybe I’ll try harder next time I’m in 2002. [Ebay value: $10]

Before I end, one last photo. The box contained oodles of stuff (you can see other items in the backgrounds of some of the above photos) but perhaps the most nostalgic were these:

Pictured are my ticket stubs for (one of the many times I saw) Phantom Menace, Attack Of The Clones and the cinematic rerelease of Star Wars back in 1997 ($4.50 for a matinee!!). Note that there are three tickets for Attack Of The Clones on the same day. That’s because I saw the midnight screening myself, and then later in the day went back with KLS 😉

Posted in Family, Miscellaneous, Movies, Otaku, Tech, Time, Toys | 4 Comments »

Sound Interface Devices

Sunday, July 29th, 2012

Before I start, open this in another window and listen to it while reading.

That’s a piece of commodore 64 game music being played by the SID chip, which was the sound processor inside the C64. This particular tune was composed by one of the maestro’s of the SID, Ben Daglish.

Wizball was a another classic Commodore 64 game. In my opinion, maybe the best I ever played. It had great graphics, great gameplay and famous music. Listen to it here, and marvel that Martin Galway managed to coax that tune from a (now) 30 year old 3 channel sound chip! Apparently he based it on the work of Jean-Michel Jarre, but it just sounds like Kraftwerk to me. I was in my early teens when I played these games. I can recall for a long time having the C64 in my bedroom, and I’d often load up games (including Wizball) and leave them in the attract mode while I did other stuff. Cauldron 2 was another example (and another great theme), I’d be plotting my path via a map while listening to the songs. And Sanxion was another. In an interview I recently read with the composer of the Sanxion theme, he said that at the time he looked at his tunes and disposable. Not so Mr Hubbard, you and your ilk created an entire genre of music that persists today!

Game music is a funny thing. Much like songs by our favourite artists, the music of the games we play stick with us as well, and can trigger powerful memories. This post was originally going to be about SID music exclusively, but after starting I found myself thinking about – and then listening to – beloved music from a lifetime of gaming. Such nostalgia!

In 198X I used to wait on Hunter Street, for the bus, in front of an old arcade. This would not have been coincidence – likely the money for the bus was the only cents I had left after spending everything else in that very arcade. I even sometimes skipped food and drink for a few extra games. At the time of this memory, the arcade prominently featured Gauntlet II at the entrance, speaker turned up to 11. To this day, the theme tune evokes powerful memories of my youth.

Many of these games are almost lost to us now. I can’t easily play Wizball or Gauntlet II anymore. But the music lives on, and I suspect will live on longer than the games ever can. Some of the tunes have already become immortal, such as this one or this one. They were both composed by the same person: Koji Kondo. Games containing his work have been played by hundreds of millions of players, and his signature themes have become as important to the series they were created for (Mario and Zelda) that they have survived and evolved through 30 years of sequels.

18 years ago, when I reviewed Final Fantasy VI for SNES in my fanzine, with regards to the sound I said: “This game exceeds in every possible way!”

Even then I may have occasionally exaggerated, but with regards to this comment I can look back and say I was indeed correct. Final Fantasy VI was a masterpiece of game design, with incredible graphics, gameplay and innovative and complex game systems. That it has barely been equalled – much less surpassed – by the 7 games in the series since 1994 is testament to just how great it is. But what is perhaps most remarkable is that the best feature of the game is the story, and specifically the way the story is intertwined with the soundtrack.

Composed by Nobuo Uematsu, the music in Final Fantasy VI was not digitized, and all created by the sound chip in the SNES. Although only about 10 years had passed since the heydays of the SID chip and C64 music, you’d never tell by listening to what Uematsu managed to achieve from the SNES. Take this example, Terra’s Theme, which isprobably my favourite game music of all time (and yes, this is played by a SNES):

The game was loaded with impressive music, and many fans (including myself) would just pause the game to enjoy the music by itself. A pivotal and very emotional scene in the game was played out via an opera scene with modulated simulated voices. This signature scene (shown in full in the video below) is one of the most inventive and successful ‘cutscenes’ in game history – all realized with 16 bit animations and chip music from an SNES. Even watching it now it brings back powerful memories of the entire game. Because of how much I grew to love the music in this game, Final Fantasy VI was the first game soundtrack that I ever bought.

These days virtually all our music comes from computers. Since the technical limitations are gone, there is no longer a distinction between ‘game music’ and ‘real music’. Where once the composers had to create not only beautiful tunes, but also cram them into impossibly small amounts of memory or sound channels, now they can utilize complete orchestras and record as much music as their budget allows. And yet far too often game music is still seems to be an afterthought (especially the worst offending games, which just license charts hits and play them in the background). But the best games are often as good as they are not just because of gameplay or graphics, but because of music as well. I’m sure that 18 years from now the music of the games I remember playing at age 40 will still be strong in my memory.

Posted in Art, Family, Games, Music, Tech, Time | Comments Closed

Backhoe Loader

Saturday, July 14th, 2012

Time for yet another Lego kit! This one was a birthday gift, and I built it over several days this past week.

Here’s the content of the box:

You can tell how big the finished product is from the size of the tire.

The kit contains numerous intricate gear systems connected to several different moving parts. Of particular note are the actuators used to raise and lower both digging arms:

It’s a complex build that took many hours over three days. It was particularly interesting seeing all the gears and systems piecing together in seemingly random order: