As promised, here is the gallery for the unboxing of my first MacBook Pro.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/40730358@N03/sets/72157629347356938/

I received my very first Apple computer today: a MacBook Pro. It’s everything I expected and so much more. And, since it seemed like the right thing to do, the very first “productive” thing I’m doing on it is making a post here.

I realize MacBooks have been around for quite some time but this is especially special to me since it’s my first. I’ve been wanting one of these for a very long time and I couldn’t help but take many pictures of the un-boxing. Believe me, I realize MacBook un-boxing videos and pictures are very common and, at this point, are old news. But the whole purpose for this blog is to talk about things that interest us. And this definitely interests me. Stay tuned for my un-boxing pics.

I’ve come to the conclusion that, aside from drastic and life-changing events, when you believe something blindly but wholeheartedly, the only way you’ll be shaken from it is by deliberately arguing with yourself against it. Reason is the filter through which we obtain truth. Unfortunately, sometimes none or very little drips through. It’s not until you realize you will continue to convince yourself of what you think you believe that you will be free to accept that it just might not be what you thought it was in the first place. Only once you accept  that you make excuses for conflicts, dismiss contrary evidence, and abandon logic and education for haphazard magical thinking can reason enter in.

End rant,

John

The clock on the microwave says 8:41. Marconi Union’s “Weightless” slowly thumping along in my ears (I suggest you listen while you read). One could safely assess that I am beginning to consciously experience the psychological affects of prolonged exposure to away-from-home. I’ve spent a mere six days at home over the last five weeks and I’m missing it intensely. I assume that it would be quite different if I were traveling for pleasure but this is all on business. Generally I don’t mind business-travel but this has been entirely too much too fast.

While I do miss my home, there’s something welcoming about this hotel room. Ten paces is guaranteed to get you from any point A to any point B, the refrigerator’s hum is somehow hypnotic, and the florescent bulbs in all of the lamps cast the walls and floor in a dull albino light that is surprisingly inviting albeit cold. The walls show evidence that they once had moldings for floorboards and doorways which were relegated to crudely fastened cheap rubber bumpers by many years of scuffs and bruises. I’m tempted to hide a note here, somewhere, with the date and a hello for some future guest to find. But what does one say today to someone in the future?

The bed is awkward and much too firm. The sheets are soft and clean, the pillows are pleasant but too few. The television is old – an old CRT style – with a speaker crackling the last crackles of its last days. There is a recliner (where I’m sitting now) in the far corner facing into the rest of the room. From here I can see every wall.

The clock on the microwave says 8:59. Tomorrow morning I fly to my home – my fourteen-hundred square feet of undecorated, yet furnished, home. There aren’t words adequate enough to help you understand how much anticipation I have for that. I can’t wait to be there. To be honest, I’m not sure what the purpose of this post is. I’m heavily contemplative tonight – a state which has been brewing steadily for the last month – and I guess I feel the need share a little of what’s on my mind.

The clock on the microwave says 9:21. I’ve written quite a bit here that I keep deleting. That’s what happens when you don’t know what you’re here to say but you’re saying anyway. I’ll be on my way now. To pack my things for tomorrow’s flight, enjoy some television, and sleep.

The clock on the microwave says 9:51.

- John

This is going to be  a short post. I’m curious what other people’s thoughts are on the topic of quick-saves in games (on any platform). I remember the days of playing Soldier of Fortune back in 2000. I was a lot younger back then (I guess, technically, we all were… ha) and, whether it was because of my maturity or impatience, I didn’t have a good appreciation for difficult video games. With the exception of one shooter in particular (Quake 3 Arena) I always played on Easy and I used quick-saves like a professional cheater: peak around a corner, decide the next room is hard, quick-save, enter the room, kill a few baddies, check my health and find cover if still high, then quick-save. If you die, you always spawn again in a good safe place with plenty of health. It was a great strategy.

I don’t claim to be a good gamer (with the exception of two game in particular in which I’m very proud of my skill). I am the kind of person that plays most games to be part of a cool story and experience the latest and greatest advances in graphic and audio technology. I also love to see the creativity in weapon, level, and creature design. Let’s face it, Soldier of Fortune’s GHOUL technology making it possible to blow off different parts of an enemy’s body is a prime example of this kind of thing and it makes perfect sense why I was drawn to the game (you know, for the technology). I digress.

This morning when I arrived at the office, as per the usual, I start skimming my RSS feed headlines. Today I find the article Hard Reset developer talks quick-saves, royalty rates, and DRM. The whole article is interesting but, obviously, the only part I’m specifically discussing is about quick-saves. This is what Zych had to say:

The save system has a huge impact on gameplay, it changes the way people play the game. For example, if a game doesn’t have checkpoints—this can be very frustrating when you forget to save often enough,” Zych explained. “Quick saves on the other hand can ruin a game’s difficulty and balance. – From the article linked above.

 

So, I was curious if other people felt the same as Zych. I know that my view of game difficulty has changed quite a bit since the Soldier of Fortune days (even though I do tend to still play shooters on “normal” or something easier at least until I determine if I want to really focus on being “good”). If a game has quick-save functionality, I’m going to use it. My view is that if a game gives you a tool you can use to win, then you can use it. It’s not cheating the system at all. But I’m not against the exclusion of a quick-save system nor do I advocate it. It’s just another thing in the game much like a shotgun, BFG, or health pack.

What are your thoughts?

- John