Archive for the ‘Tech’ Category

8 Bit Fortress

Thursday, December 8th, 2011

While I sit here waiting for others to get their damn work done in time so I can do my own (grumble, grumble)… why don’t I show off my new home?

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There it is. Click on it for a mega-sized version. I haven’t named it but I will right now: Cloudgate!

This is, of course, my creation in the fantastic iOS ‘game’ Junk Jack. I built the whole thing out of blocks and parts collected and fashioned myself. It started off as the (now) dungeon, before becoming the castle/house thing aboveground. Note the finer touches, like grass on the roof and glass walls on both sides of the second floor.

My plans are grand! In time I will remove all earth below the house, and have it floating like one of those castles in Dragonlance (or rocks in Avatar…). I will then build a bridge between the castle and the remaining land out of pure gemstone. I shall call it Bifrost, and it shall shimmer like a rainbow. The cavern below the house will be flooded, and nearby I will have a pen of livestock that I will harvest for food to fuel my spelunking into other worlds to obtain more raw materials.

On the very top of the castle I shall build a tower up to the heavens. It will be crested with pyramids and guarded by gigantic, ancient statues. On the very top I will place a gigantic unblinking lens forged from a single massive diamond. It will forever look out amongst the clouds.

Most of the above is currently possible in Junk Jack. Some will come with updates. It’s a clever, clever ‘game’, highly recommended if you like exploring and building.

Not So Bad After All

Wednesday, December 7th, 2011

I’m feeling a little Halepule today, so this entry must be brief to give me a period in which to convalesce.

What’s this photo?

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Yep, it’s Mario facing down a Dalek. This was taken with my 3DS, using an ‘AR card’ which makes Mario appear in the image on top of his card. You can actually move him around and even animate him, but I kept him on the card so you could see the effect. It’s a bit nifty as you can see, and several different cards are supported by the OS.

Here’s another little feature of the 3DS OS I like:

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I’m still disappointed Nintendo hasn’t yet embraced a robust online identity with all the trappings (such as achievements), but I suppose extensive stat-tracking on a device is the nearest and next-best thing. You can see in these shots how the OS ranks your use and even keeps track of it on an hourly basis. This should be fun to look at years down the line…

I’ve now got a few games for the 3DS, including the two ‘big’ ones (Super Mario 3D Land and Zelda Ocarina Of Time). I haven’t yet played either though – I’m saving them! But I have been playing Samurai Warriors and Pokemon Rumble Blast and they are both pretty good. The 3D effect, although I rarely turn it on, is effective and occasionally very impressive. Even if the system did not have 3D though it would be quite a beast. Obviously much more powerful and much higher resolution than the PSP, this feels like a next step in handhelds and I think it may have a long and successful life ahead of it after all.

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That’s a screenshot of Monster Hunter Tri G, which comes out next week in Japan. I’m still hoping the game sees a US launch, but I’m starting to think that even if it doesn’t the 3DS may be worth buying after all.

There was an OS update today, which added the ability to record 3D video. I tried it out. My reaction…? Well it was a bit like this:

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I’ll have the 3DS with me in Australia. So some of you can eventually see for yourselves ๐Ÿ™‚

Walking Battler

Saturday, December 3rd, 2011

Let’s continue with the topic of graduation gifts. Here’s another I received, a Striiv:

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This nifty little device is a pedometer with all sorts of additional features. In addition to keeping track of steps, stairs, calories and ‘energy’ the Striiv incentivizes the user with Trophies!

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So for trophy junkies like me, that’s a win right there. The system has extensive stat tracking as well (which I love) and can challenge the user to do more exercise than they usually would:

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The currency earned is used in a little fantasy simulation game called Myland. It’s purely a distraction, but not bad for a pedometer.

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Many of you know how much I loved the DS pedometer software i used to use. This guy is all that and much more, plus it’s all there in my pocket. I’m loving it so far ๐Ÿ™‚

25 Days Of Christmas!

Thursday, December 1st, 2011

Starting today, and for the next 25 days, you lucky buggers can expect a new Robot Claw blog entry every day! “What will they be about“, you ask? Well I don’t really know, but there’s been a lot of things I’ve been planning to blog about that I didn’t get to because of how busy I was so you can expect I’ll get to that in these next few weeks. In other words, the usual stuff ๐Ÿ™‚

To get into the spirit of things, I’ve even designed a festive logo. Here it is:

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Took me hours that did. I hope you like it ๐Ÿ˜‰

So, so, so… what better way to start this special limited series than… an advent calendar! Today I cracked open this:

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Here’s what it looks like open:

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And here (spoiler alert!) is what was behind box 1:

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Um, what is it? You’re guess is as good as mine since no (mini) instructions were included. Could it be a few bits and pieces of something bigger? Perhaps I shall find out tomorrow!

Double-Bladed

Friday, November 11th, 2011

I upgraded ๐Ÿ™‚

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