Author Archives: TheUser

Birthday Gift to Myself

I bought a birthday gift for myself last week! It was about $40, and it came in today!
First I excitedly opened the box!

 
Then it was time to check out the games. I wasn’t too interested in these, but they came with it.

Next I looked at the controller! I still need to find an analog controller too. The digital one feels nice!

Then it was time to admire the console itself. First I put it on top of RROD’d 360 that I’ve been too lazy to send to Microsoft, but moved it because I didn’t want to scratch the autograph on my 360 and because the AV cable was too short!

I had to tape down a lever so I could do the console damaging swap trick. I should look into getting a mod chip.

And then I reached my goal!

I still need to pick up a new internal battery, but I’m pretty excited. After I get an analog controller I can give NiGHTS a try too!

Albertsons

Apparently I can’t just tell William about what I got at Albertsons. I have to blog about it.
I wanted snacks to eat while doing final projects and studying for finals. I bought brownie bites, Keebler cookies, Saltine crackers, Strawberry Newtons, St. Patrick’s Day cookies, strawberry shortcake ice cream bars, and coconut ice cream bars. Uh, and toilet paper and glue for our project.
Maybe it looked like I was such a fatass that I was going to glue all my snacks together, eat them, and then poop a lot.

Schedule

Assignments Due:

  • Tuesday, 3/3
    • Classics midterm, four hours
  • Thursday, 3/5
    • Signals Project, 10 hours
  • Sunday, 3/8
    • AI Project, 10 hours
  • Tuesday, 3/10
    • AI Quiz, 4 hours studying
    • Classics Project, 8 hours
  • Thursday, 3/12
    • Senior Design Project
      • Hardware, 8 hours = 4 hours * 2 (Rule of thumb: double expected for bugs)
        • Put in LEDs, 1 hour
        • Wiring, 1 hour
        • Put screen together, 1 hour
        • Test, 1 hour
      • Software 28 hours = 7 hours * 2 (This is C++ plus we don’t know what we’re doing) * 2 (rule of thumb)
        • Figure out how touchlib works, 1 hour
        • Learn to draw, 1 hour
        • Create movable interface, 1 hour
        • Print on screen, 1 hour
        • Add grid, half hour
        • Create edit mode, half hour
        • Create calculator, 1 hour
        • Display calculator and make movable, one hour
      • Finalization, 6 hours

 

 

  • Monday, 3/2
    • 11:30-3:30 – Work
    • 3:30 – 4:30 – Go home
    • 4:30 – 5:30 – Dinner
    • 5:30 – 8:00 – Read
    • 8:00 – 12:00 – Classics midterm
  • Tuesday, 3/3
    • 12:00 – 2:00 – gem’s touchlib
    • 2:00 – 9:15 – Sleep
    • 9:15 – 10:30 – Get ready to go
    • 10:30 – 11:00 – Go to class, print midterm
    • 11:00 – 12:30 – Classics
    • 12:30 – 2:00 – Signals
    • 2:00 – 3:30 – AI
    • 3:30 – 5:00 – Go home, eat
    • 5:00 – 10:00 – Signals project
    • 10:00 – 12:00 – Work on touchlib
  • Wednesday, 3/4
    • 12:00 – 1:00 – touchlib
    • 1:00 – 2:00 – finalize Classics terms for project
    • 2:00 – 10:00 – sleep
    • 10:00 – 11:00 – Get ready to go
    • 11:00 – 12:00 – eat
    • 12:00 – 2:30 – Signals project
    • 2:30 – 3:00 – Go to class
    • 3:00 – 4:00 – Signals discussion
    • 4:00 – 5:00 – Go home, eat
    • 5:00 – 8:00 – Signals project
    • 8:00 – 12:00 – Classics project
  • Thursday, 3/5
    • 12:00 – 2:00 – AI project
    • 2:00 – 9:30 – Sleep
    • 9:30 – 10:30 – Get ready
    • 10:30 – 11:00 – Go
    • 11:00 – 12:30 – Classics
    • 12:30 – 2:00 – Signals
    • 2:00 – 3:30 – AI
    • 3:30 – 5:00 – Go home, eat
    • 5:00 – 8:00 – Classics project
    • 8:00 – 12:00 – AI project
  • Friday, 3/6
    • 12:00 – 2:00 – AI project
    • 2:00 – 10:00 – Sleep
    • 10:00 – 11:00 – Get ready
    • 11:00 – 12:00 – Eat
    • 12:00 – 12:30 – Set up SVN
    • 12:30 – 1:00 – Go
    • 1:00 – 1:30 – Meeting with Ihler
    • 1:30 – 2:00 – Meeting with group members
    • 2:00 – 2:30 – Go to work
    • 2:30 – 6:30 – Work
    • 6:30 – 8:00 – Eat
    • 8:00 – 10:00 – Set up SVN
    • 10:00 – 12:00 – Live Nude People
  • Saturday, 3/7
    • 12:00 – 1:30 – Live Nude People
    • 1:30 – 3:00 – Eat
    • 3:00 – 11:00 – Sleep
    • 11:00 – 12:00 – Get ready
    • 12:00 – 1:30 – eat
    • 1:30 – 5:30 – AI project
    • 5:30 – 6:30 – Eat
    • 6:30 – 10:30 – Senior design hardware
    • 10:30 – 11:00 – Go home
    • 11:00 – 12:00 – Eat
  • Sunday, 3/8
    • 12:00 – 2:00 – Senior design software
    • 2:00 – 10:00 – Sleep
    • 10:00 – 11:00 – Get ready
    • 11:00 – 12:00 – Eat
    • 12:00 – 4:00 – Senior design hardware
    • 4:00 – 4:30 – Go home
    • 4:30 – 6:30 – Senior design software
    • 6:30 – 7:30 – Eat
    • 7:30 – 12:00 – Senior design software
  • Monday, 3/9
    • 12:00 – 8:00 – Sleep
    • 8:00 – 9:00 – Get ready
    • 9:00 – 11:00 – Senior design software
    • 11:00 – 12:00 – Eat
    • 12:00 – 6:00 – Senior design software
    • 6:00 – 7:00 – Eat
    • 7:00 – 12:00 – Senior design software
  • Tuesday, 3/10
    • 12:00 – 2:00 – Senior design software
    • 2:00 – 9:30 – Sleep
    • 9:30 – 10:30 – Get ready
    • 10:30 – 11:00 – Go to class
    • 11:00 – 12:30 – Classics
    • 12:30 – 2:00 – Signals
    • 2:00 – 3:30 – AI
    • 3:30 – 4:30 – Eat
    • 4:30 – 9:00 – Senior design software
    • 9:00 – 10:00 – Actually, Scurbs! (If we’re on schedule, which we won’t be)
    • 10:00 – 12:00 – EMPTY?!?!?!
  • Wednesday, 3/11
    • 12:00 – 7:00 – Sleep
    • 7:00 – 8:00 – Get ready
    • 8:00 – 8:20 – Go
    • 8:20 – 9:45 – Dentist
    • 9:45 – 12:30 – Finalize senior design
    • 12:30 – 2:30 – Eat long lunch
    • 2:30 – 3:00 – Go
    • 3:00 – 4:00 – Signals discussion
    • 4:00 – 9:00 – Finalize senior design
    • 9:00 – 10:00 – Eat
    • 10:00 – 12:00 – Finalize senior design
  • Thursday, 3/12
    • 12:00 – 4:00 – Finalize senior design
    • 4:00 – 7:30 – Sleep
    • 7:30 – 8:30 – Get ready
    • 8:30 – 10:00 – Transport project, set up
    • 10:00 – 12:00 – Senior design expo
    • 12:00 – 12:30 – Eat
    • 12:30 – 2:00 – Signals
    • 2:00 – 3:30 – AI
  • Then cry.
  • THEN GO DRINKING

And then all I’ll have to worry about are my actual finals!

Hi William

Today while working on Senior Design, we found that four or so wires broke the leads off their LEDs. We have more LEDs on the way, but it means we’ll have to take apart our screen to fix it >_>
We had Outback for dinner tonight. The bread was super tasty, and I asked for at least four or five loaves. I had seared ahi tuna to start, a 20 oz. rare steak, a sweet potato with butter and brown sugar, and a baked potato with sour cream, chives, bacon, and cheese. It was delicious!

William Likes to Read About Friends

I haven’t really posted anything personal in a while. I don’t feel like the specifics of my everyday life is of any value to read.
Yesterday was my birthday. My mom stopped by earlier this week to wish me a happy birthday. She put $100 in my account for me. gem gave me the record tokidoki watch that I’ve been wanting. It’s really awesome! In the morning we stopped by Disneyland so I could buy an annual pass. Disney gives free passes on your birthday, and I used that free pass to upgrade to the annual pass. Then we rushed to our meeting with professor Ihler before going to lunch at McDonald’s. Almost everybody in the restaurant was eating the fish fillet sandwiches. The beefy Double Cheeseburgers hit the spot for me! Catholics! Crazy! I even had a fudge sundae! It was good but not as good as the sundae I had at Downtown Disney earlier this week!

 
After lunch I headed off to work. I did some general overhead crap and turned in some old cases. Then I got to work on my project for David. He asked me to write a console application for him. He’ll use the tool to help him in his work. I tried to finish it before the SDE (Software Development Engineer) status meeting but didn’t make it. After the meeting David went home early, and I finished the project. Right now it only compares lists of strings though. I need to update it to be generic. I had some trouble with one part though. I got it to work, but I’m not sure I understand. It had to do with passing a function to another function and delegate functions.
After work I went out to dinner with gem, Antonio, Duncan, Collin, Andy, Jon, and Gabby at Gina’s Pizza. It was fun, but service was kind of bad.
At different points throughout the day I talked to Mom, Pete, and James on the phone and Dad on the Internet.
Back at the house we had some cake, and then we played some Street Fighter IV. It was fun, but I’m pretty shitty!
Later gem beat World of Goo! Impressive!
All in all, it was a really good day!
There’s a lot of stuff coming up in school. I have AI homework due Monday, a Classics take home midterm due Tuesday, an AI quiz on Tuesday, a signals project due Thursday, AI homework due the next Monday, a Classics project due that Tuesday, a signals project due that Thursday, my senior design project due that Thursday, and finals the week after. I’m pretty worried about all of it.
Lastly, I’m looking forward to writing a post on box/manual/cartridge art in the near future.
That is all!

Handwriting

We were just discussing handwriting in my tragedy class. The students, at least those who spoke, agreed with the professor that handwriting was declining in general. The professor wasn’t angry; He said his handwriting was very bad as well. They said that handwriting wasn’t needed anymore because of computers and that nobody uses cursive anymore. I disagreed but didn’t say anything. Then the professor surprised me by mentioning that I have really great handwriting that looks like a school teacher’s. Three or four people around me looked at my notebook and were surprised and impressed.
It was weird! I didn’t realize having good handwriting or using cursive was that out of the ordinary.

LBP: Dinosaur Island

Dinosaur Island, Dinosaur Island 2, and Dinosaur Island 3 are very fun LittleBigPlanet levels designed by feistyfrog with every boy’s childhood dream in mind, the dream of playing with dinosaurs! The jungle look is very nice. There are large dinosaurs you run across, huge dinosaurs that chase you, and smaller dinosaurs that act like normal enemies. There are pterodactyls that you use to get across chasms, and there are an assortment of dinosaurs that you ride as vehicles. In Dinosaur Island 2 and 3, you can use the paintball gun to fight big dinosaurs. Also, Dinosaur Island 3 features eight blue mushrooms that you “eat” by pressing R1. For each blue mushroom that you eat, you get a bonus at the end. I highly recommend these levels!

Monster Madness: Grave Danger (PS3)

Monster Madness: Grave Danger almost instantly reminded me of Zombies Ate My Neighbors. This is a very good thing. However, it falls pretty short of it (at least in the first fifteen minutes). The sound effects are really nice so far, giving the game a definite B-movie horror flick feel. The voice acting is just horrible though, and the graphics look like a PS2 game. While not great, it didn’t really hurt the game too much, but there were times that things looked disappointing. I’ve only played one stage so far, but so far it’s been more of a button mashing monster-fest than Zombies Ate My Neighbors. Zombies just kept running at me, and I could just stand in one room swinging my weapon at them. There wasn’t a lot of strategy to it. Maybe subsequent levels will get better. Unless the game gets significantly better, I could see playing now and then when bored, but I doubt I’ll play it too much. It does have co-op though, so I’d like to take a look at that. For thirteen dollars I feel like it wasn’t too bad, but I’m definitely glad I didn’t spend anymore.