Pharra

Monday, June 05, 2006

Updates on David

Well, I still need to convert to LiveJournal. I've gotta find a way to get Segmagic or one of its downloadable editors to work kind of like RTF (Rich Text Format). I don't want to hand-code my boldings or hyperlinks.

TRIP TO THAT PLACE THAT'S NOT TAMPA
Don't eat the rocks. I think we ended up in Largo? I rhymed with Fargo, which is why I didn't believe we were actually in Largo, or that there was a Largo, until we were leaving it and I saw a sign that said "Entering Tampa," which got me all confused. But that's easy to do.

Thursday and Friday I had training on Voter Registration software, but Friday was the best, as we got to see the EViD, Electronic Voter Identification system. It's basically a Point of Sale system that's been retooled to run as the Registrar of Voters. You know, when you vote, you see this long line of people who get their names checked and get issued a correct ballot style?

Well the EViD makes this whole process a LOT faster than old ladies looking through large books listing voters. You just give them your Drivers License, they swipe it, see what they have to give you, and hand you a ballot. Though, mind you, individual Clerks will handle that probably with several people rather than one, but it's still a lot faster and other Election Offices say their Clerks and Poll Workers love it.

My coworkers loaned me cash for Red Lobster! That was yummy, and $15 off thanks to the County. 2 pounds of Snow & King Crab for $5? Who could resist?

I got an air-hockey table for my kids, which they love. I believe everyone had fun on the trip.

I drove both ways though :P My friend, Dove, who writes for Gamers Gone Bad, kept me awake and focused on the way back extolling some really cool properties of light and ... I can describe every bit of what he said, but not name it - argh.

DIABLO 2
Maria de Guadalupe and I have been having a lot of fun with Diablo 2 and its expansion. I never tried it before now - no real excuse other than being a father. She's playing a Sorceress and I was playing a Necromancer, which is a lot of fun because I have this BIG ARMY. Sadly, the 1.11 (last patch) update severely hampers the number of undead I can summon.

Yesterday I switched to playing a Druid. It took me 30 minutes to figure out how to get the Druid to be able to hang with Maria's Sorceress (cleverly named Maria). Just grabbing the waypoints won't do, as I couldn't gain any XP from the higher-level creatures. Setting the level does nothing other than change the number and amount of XP to next level. However, against the recommendations of the hero editor, setting the XP, but not the level, and wandering out of town and killing one monster does the trick.

It's been much more fun with my druid because everything I pick up is better than what I have, and because druids cast more offensive fire spells. I do love fire. Necromancers are better army-makers, near as I can tell. None of my dire wolves, carrion vines or ravens have long-range attacks, as the Skeletal Mages do.

One thing I do not recommend is pairing a Druid and a Necromancer, because the Druid's pets automatically eat dead bodies to heal either themselves or the druid, and the Necromancer needs dead bodies to make more skeletons of any kind. My cousin, Paul, played a druid with us on Saturday. Much fun was had when he wasn't busy forgetting he was, in fact, playing with other people who don't magically know where he is, where he is going, or what he is doing. Paul thinks that's leadership to say "I just go and do what I gotta do, and either people follow or they don't."

That's just a pitiful perception of leadership. That'd work in a street gang, but it's not leadership ;)

GP2X
Amazing news! Michael / EvilDragon found a GP2X that overclocks reliably to not 260MHz, not even the coveted 280MHz, but an amazing 300MHz! I know of one guy on the forums who has a GP2X that can do this (and posts about it). Most folks are happy if their GP2Xs make 260MHz, and a lucky few brag openly about their 280MHz (as long as Epicenter isn't there to rain on their parade with his speed demon). I am SO HAPPY.

Since Michael found a good GP2X, naturally he shipped it (on Monday, May 29th), however, it has to pass through US customs first. I predict the NSA will interrogate my GP2X.

NSA: "Are you a part of a guided missile system?"
GP2X: "Uh, no."
NSA: "Are you part of a bomb?"
GP2X: "Heh, no."
NSA: "Are you from North Korea?"
GP2X: "God, no. I was designed in South Korea."
NSA: "Do you pledge allegiance to President Bush, his administration, and Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales?"
GP2X: *ponders this* "Uh, you do know I run an Open-Source Operating System?"
NSA: "Process her."
GP2X: "Aiiieeee!"