wyrm.org | It's not what you think, it's what I think

The Model M Update

Tue, 22 Dec 2020 13:16:00 CDT

Model M keyboards have a kind of an interesting reputation among keyboard enthusiasts. I used to use one all the time and then got away from them. Is it time to go back?

The Forgotten Update

Tue, 15 Dec 2020 14:21:00 CDT

I recorded an audioblog entry a while back, but I kept putting off posting it. I looked at it and realized that somehow over two months had gone by, so I figured that now would be a good time to post it
Got annoyed that I can't find very many communities on the Internet that are worth joining, and how 'communities' now aren't really communities. Turned out a little bit more ranty than I intended, so I decided to stop editing it and just post the thing.

Professionals vs Amateurs

Tue, 15 Dec 2020 14:01:00 CDT

I recorded this two months ago and forgot about it. I remembered today. I talk about why I sometimes prefer amateur work over professional work

Bits and Pieces

Fri, 13 Dec 2020 13:37:00 CDT

I've been making a few small updates and I figured it would be a good idea to throw them all into one place instead of a billion tinier updates

Wrote a small reminder of some info I gleaned from reading the tmux docs so I don't forget how to set up a 256-color session. I'm annoyed that I didn't bother finding this out before now.
I also updated the game inventories. It's the time of year where companies like to release the games they've been working on all year, or clear out old stock. I figured I'd stock up on a bunch of stuff that I'll probably never play. We'll call it 'saving for retirement'
I've been making some videos and posting them on The YouTubes. I'll start posting them here once I figure out a way to do that that doesn't cost me several fortunes.

SSH! FS!

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 16:37:00 CDT

After I set up MusicPD the other day it dawned on me that I could probably use that and some more tools to build a pseudo streaming server. So that's what I did.

Mpd, mpc, and ncmpcpp, oh my!

Tue, 10 Nov 2020 12:37:00 CDT

People™ on The Internet® keep recommending mpd, mpc, and ncmpcpp, three of the worst-named programs I know of, to play their music collections. I decided to give it a try, but most of the tutorials, instructions, manuals, and howtos I found assumed that you're running Linux. I'm not, but I stumbled my way through an install anyway and wrote down my notes so I don't forget what I did. Maybe they'll help you, too?

The Best Update on the Best Website

Fri, 30 Oct 2020 13:10:00 CDT

I wrote two articles, but they ended up being a little more similar than I expected, so I decided to publish them both. One about why I don't recommend any software, and one about why I'm not defined by my preferences.

Free Updates!

Wed, 21 Oct 2020 11:20:00 CDT

I've been writing a lot, but I realized that I hadn't posted anything in a while, so I pulled a couple of articles out of draft status and posted. One of them is a pledge to keep this site free forever, and another one about the bsd-hardware.info project.

All the updates fit to print (and some that aren't)

Mon, 28 Sep 2020 14:42:00 CDT

Did some work on several areas over the weekend, so I decided to collate them all into one update. I updated the audioblog with a message about not being boring that maybe comes off a little preachy, I wrote up a description about how I set up Nginx to host this site, and I tried to coin a new word for writing down how I did something but isn't really a tutorial.

Multidimensional

Mon, 28 Sep 2020 10:15:00 CDT

I take on a tired old trope and inadvertently describe why my website doesn't really fit neatly into a niche. It kind of fites into several niches.

Platform Forming

Fri, 18 Sep 2020 11:00:00 CDT

Several updates today. I posted links to all my social media accounts, I bought a few new NES games, and I decided that I would start hosting some videos on my own dang site.

Deplatforming

Wed, 26 Aug 2020 14:00:00 CDT

I decide that it's time that I distance myself from online 'platforms' and concentrate on my own stuff

Ease of Use

Tue, 11 Aug 2020 12:30:00 CDT

While trying to learn about FreeBSD, I came across one of the stupidest YouTube comments I've ever seen. I rant about it for too many pages.

FreeBSD install notes

Tue, 28 Jul 2020 11:25:00 CDT

I got bored and decided to replace my computer's operating system with FreeBSD. I took notes and published them for some reason.

Kookies

Fri, 17 Jul 2020 12:55:00 CDT

As I was browsing around the web, I realized my site didn't have one of those annoying popups telling you about my cookie policy. I put a link in the sidebar for anyone who hasn't figured it out.

The Seventy Dollar No-thank-you

Wed, 15 Jul 2020 13:15:00 CDT

There's been news making the rounds lately that with the new video game consoles on the horizon, that $70 will be the new $60. If that comes to pass, it prices me right out of the AAA market.

Creativity is a skill

Sat, 16 May 2020 13:15:00 CDT

I rant a little bit about being creative and push back against the idea that in order to be creative you have to be born with some innate creative ability.

Blocking makes the world go 'round

Wed, 24 Jun 2020 11:00:00 CDT

Some time ago I decided to block more than just ads with my Pi-Hole. I started blocking sites that waste my time or I just plain don't like. I wrote an article about it and then made the block list public for some reason.

The Fame Game

Mon, 25 May 2020 09:25:00 CDT

It's easy to look at something that you love doing and think that if you could make money at it, then you would be on Easy Street. But, do you really want to turn the thing you love into your job?

No News is No News

Wed, 20 May 2020 16:35:00 CDT

Just a quick update to say that I didn't update today (uh-oh, is this a paradox?).

Fifty!

Mon, 18 May 2020 16:15:00 CDT

This is the 50th(!) edition of Episode 1, I compare it to a little-known television show called Video Power and ponder starting up Episode 2.

Opinionations

Fri, 15 May 2020 19:51:00 CDT

I take what should be a very obvious stance: that having an opinion that different from 'everyone' else is actually okay.

The Best Game Ever

Thu, 14 May 2020 19:51:00 CDT

I blow the lid off one of the biggest kept secrets in the video game industry and reveal what the actual best game ever is.

Unsuccessed

Wed, 13 May 2020 09:25:00 CDT

A lot of people make video game content with the hopes of striking it rich. I think that's misguided. I think you should make things because you enjoy it, but I'm weird that way.

Social Gamering

Tue, 12 May 2020 15:25:00 CDT

This is the one where I recommend that you play a multiplayer game by inviting friends over to your house. Or going to their house, I guess.

Physicality

Mon, 11 May 2020 14:50:00 CDT

I will always prefer physical media over digital. I lay out a few reasons why, but I keep coming up with more the longer I go on.

E-Motion

Fri, 8 May 2020 15:19:00 CDT

Can video games evoke an emotional response? They evoked me rambling about it for around 15 minutes, so you be the judge.

Game Design By Xerox

Thu, 7 May 2020 14:55:00 CDT

I start talking about indie video games, and then I somehow get sidetracked into talking about video game design poorly aping more successful games. Not my best work, but I figured I'd post it anyway.

Film at 11:00

Wed, 6 May 2020 15:49:00 CDT

I mentioned that I barely keep up with video game news these days. I go over reasons why that is and accidentally start ranting about ad-supported media.

You're doing it wrong

Tue, 5 May 2020 14:29:00 CDT

There's no wrong way to play video games*. *There's one wrong way to play video games.

Controllering

Mon, 4 May 2020 14:49:00 CDT

I get carried away remembering all the weirdy controllers on the 1980's-or-so and lament that all we have now are minor variations of the same thing over and over again.

Versus System

Fri, 1 May 2020 14:12:00 CDT

Finding out the hard way that Vs. Super Mario Bros. is not the same as the copy of Super Mario Bros. I had at home.

A Rare Gem

Thu, 30 Apr 2020 15:12:00 CDT

When collecting anything it's really easy to get caught up in searching for the rarest thing you can find because that' usually the most valuable. But that's not always the case. Sometimes things are rare because nobody wants them.

Backlogjam

Wed, 29 Apr 2020 15:12:00 CDT

I used to be embarrassed about the size of my backlog. Now, I don't think about it all that much.

ExpLANation

Tue, 28 Apr 2020 15:51:00 CDT

I realized that I never really explained what a LAN party is/was, so I decided to fix that.

That's a Paddlin'

Mon, 27 Apr 2020 15:27:00 CDT

I didn't sleep very well last night, so I convinced myself that it was a good idea to talk about paddle controllers for a few minutes. There's also a sneeze that I didn't edit out because I'm extremely lazy.

Tournament-style

Fri, 24 Apr 2020 14:23:00 CDT

I went all-out to hold a Super-NES tournament, but the uptake wasn't as large as I hoped.

Virtual Boy

Thu, 23 Apr 2020 14:01:00 CDT

The Virtual Boy, the console that Nintendo would probably like to forget about, but I liked it anyway.

Grandma's Birthday

Wed, 22 Apr 2020 15:27:00 CDT

Today is my grandmother's birthday, so I go through a couple of stories involving her and video games.

In The Zone

Tue, 21 Apr 2020 16:07:00 CDT

I used to get so engrossed in games that I would be what I called "in the zone" for hours and hours until one day I wasn't. I reflect on that for a while.

Reading the Room

Mon, 20 Apr 2020 15:27:00 CDT

I watched a review show that gave a game in a text-heavy genre a lower review because the reviewer had to read lots of text. That was annoying.

Advantageous

Fri, 17 Apr 2020 14:42:00 CDT

The NES Advantage is the finest controller ever made.

Suspension of disbelief

Thu, 16 Apr 2020 20:25:00 CDT

Old games were better than you think, but not for the reasons you might be thinking.

The Audio Bloggening Continues

Wed, 15 Apr 2020 13:07:00 CDT

I fouled up the RSS feed for this site somehow, sorry about that. It's fixed for now, at least until I foul it up again. I also made an audioblog entry, *and* an article rambling about why I'm audioblogging in the first place. I'm exhausted.

Video Home System Radio

Wed, 15 Apr 2020 12:35:00 CDT

I used a combination of a Super NES, a VCR, and a bunch of adapters to record some radio shows for some reason. I talk about the process for a few minutes.

Cinematics

Tue, 14 Apr 2020 12:35:00 CDT

A rambly look at why I prefer my video games to be video games rather than movies with interactive bits.

Sound Trax

Mon, 13 Apr 2020 12:35:00 CDT

If you take a ride in my car, there's a good chance you'll hear video games music. I go over the reasons why.

Competitioning

Fri, 10 Apr 2020 14:40:00 CDT

I've only participated in two video game competitions that I didn't also have a hand in. One went poorly and I got knocked out immediately, the other was organized poorly and I bowed out.

Super Mario Bros. 3

Thu, 9 Apr 2020 13:38:00 CDT

The Japanese version of Super Mario Bros. 3 was the first imported game I ever played. It was like peering into the future.

Manual action

Wed, 8 Apr 2020 14:20:00 CDT

Discussing game manuals or the lack thereof.

MMORPG-whiz

Tue, 7 Apr 2020 14:05:00 CDT

I ramble for longer than I intended to about how I feel about MMORPGs.

Doing the Impossible

Thu, 2 Apr 2020 15:05:00 CDT

Someone tried to mess with me by convincing me to do something he thought was impossible. Spoiler alert: it wasn't.

Strategizing

Wed, 1 Apr 2020 12:55:00 CDT

I ramble for a few minutes about strategy guides, walkthroughs, and 90's cyberpunk.

Super Castlevania Thumb

Tue, 31 Mar 2020 13:48:00 CDT

Spending my summer making toys for underpriveleged kids seemed like a good idea, until I injured myself and tried to heal up by playing Super Castlevania IV.

Two pre-teens, an arcade, and a couch

Mon, 30 Mar 2020 13:48:00 CDT

Spending my summer by hanging out in an arcade seemed like a good idea, until someone asked me to move a couch.

Evolving Dorit-dew Mountain

Fri, 27 Mar 2020 14:18:00 CDT

Finding out the hard way that a diet of Doritos and Mt. Dew is not the correct 'game fuel' to power me through a weekend of playing E.V.O Search for Eden

Yarr! It's a Half Life for me!

Tue, 24 Mar 2020 15:34:00 CDT

Trying legitimize a copy of a game that I acquired via unofficial channels, but it wasn't as straightforward as it should have been.

Text adventure freakout

Wed, 25 Mar 2020 13:15:00 CDT

I rarely get affected by video games, but one text adventure game on the Commodore 64 really freaked me out one night.

The Legend of ZooCube Waker

Tue, 24 Mar 2020 15:15:00 CDT

Describing the time I took a crappy $10 puzzle game and turned it into $20 off a better game.

Two for the price of one

Mon, 23 Mar 2020 13:35:00 CDT

Two updates today: One where I go over part two of my Getting Time Back on the Internet series, and one on the audioblog where I talk about wearing a video game accessory that's clearly intended for small children, and I am neither of those things

Interactor Interactions

Mon, 23 Mar 2020 13:30:00 CDT

I try on a video game accessory designed to 'put you in the game', but it was clearly designed for someone a lot smaller than I am.

Cheating at Zelda II

Fri, 20 Mar 2020 10:30:00 CDT

I use a Game Genie to cheat at Zelda II and get what's coming to me

Our past that we carry around with us

Thu, 19 Mar 2020 13:40:00 CDT

I wear an old Marvel vs. Capcom sweatshirt to the store and it reminds me of a community I used to be a part of that effectively no longer exists

The Laundromat Kid

Wed, 18 Mar 2020 12:04:00 CDT

Some kid came up to watch me play games while I was waiting for my clothes in a laundromat. He was very excited... at first.

Old Wrestling Injuries

Tue, 17 Mar 2020 09:06:00 CDT

Talking a little bit about the the only time I've ever injured myself while playing a video game

XBVND PC Edition

Mon, 16 Mar 2020 09:06:00 CDT

Telling the story of the time I put a Super NES video game modem into a PC for reasons I can no longer remember.

Command and Conquer

Sun, 15 Mar 2020 13:06:00 CDT

Talking about the time that a seating issue at a LAN party led me to discovering one of my favorite video game soundtracks of all time.

Dig Dug Drive Din

Fri, 13 Mar 2020 13:06:00 CDT

I briefly talk about the time that I went to a drive-in movie and got the high score on a Dig Dug machine despite having never played the game.

Crazy Taxi

Thu, 12 Mar 2020 13:06:00 CDT

I'm driving down the highway today, which puts me in the mood to talk about Crazy Taxi. I talk a little about the game itself and how I was the first person in my town to set a high score on the machine

Arcade Etiquette

Wed, 11 Mar 2020 13:06:00 CDT

I ramble a little bit about the practice of putting quarters on an arcade machine to signal that 'you got next', how not to be a jerk, and I tell a story about a guy who didn't do these things while I was trying to play Killer Instinct 2 on my day off

Yelling into the void

Wed, 11 Mar 2020 13:06:00 CDT

Bought a cheap voice recorder and added an audioblog to this site for some reason

Getting my time back on the Internet

Fri, 06 Mar 2020 07:36:00 CST

Starting a new article series where I talk about the steps I'm taking to reclaim my time spent on the Internet.

R(edux)SS

Tue, 04 Feb 2020 12:37:00 CST

Decided to circle back and finish my goal of styling the RSS page.

How Long To Beat (dot com)

Mon, 03 Feb 2020 07:00:00 CST

Revisited an old article that I wrote a long time ago with some additional insights that I gathered from the secret technique of 'thinking about it for a while'.

The Year of Who Cares?

Mon, 20 Jan 2020 17:00:00 CST

Started thinking about how I want to use my computer in the year ahead and instead got on a soapbox and talked about the Year of the Linux desktop, which nobody really cares about any more.

On Nostalgia

Fri, 20 Dec 2019 13:15:00 CST

Wrote an exploration about why I think there's so much nostalgia for video games that were made in the 1980's and 1990's.

On Being a Creator

Thu, 14 Nov 2019 17:17:00 CST

Wrote a lot about being an unsuccessful creator and what that means for me, this site, and everything else creative I want to do.

Atari 2600 inventory

Thu, 24 Oct 2019 09:55:00 CDT

Realized that I had a bunch of Atari 2600 games sitting in a box. Added the Atari 2600 inventory page.

Pitfalls of using XML and XSLT to build a website

Wed, 23 Oct 2019 10:55:00 CDT

Making this site with XML and XSLT was a conscious decision. One that came with some interesting problems that I didn't anticipate.

Console Colors

Tue, 22 Oct 2019 11:42:00 CDT

Added custom colors to most of the game inventory pages so that they kind of look like the consoles they're describing.

Virtual Boy

Fri, 18 Oct 2019 07:48:00 CDT

I remembered that I had a Virtual Boy and added an inventory page for it.

Too many blogs

Wed, 16 Oct 2019 12:44:00 CDT

I talk a little bit about why you would want to make a website that's not a blog.

Basic BASIC

Tue, 15 Oct 2019 15:55:00 CDT

I reminisce a little bit about old programming languages, and why it's a bad thing that computers are now harder to program than ever.

Image Free

Fri, 11 Oct 2019 08:00:00 CDT

I briefly describe why I don't have images on this site

404 Update Not Found

Tue, 24 Sep 2019 09:52:00 CDT

Added a custom 404 page.

Cut Back

Tue, 17 Sep 2019 13:35:00 CDT

Sometimes I need to remind myself to not take on too many things.

Nice Things

Sat, 14 Sep 2019 07:57:00 CDT

What happens when I dream about CSS?

Expertise

Thu, 5 Sep 2019 13:30:00 CDT

Video Game Experts are a thing of the past... or maybe not.

meta refresh

Tue, 3 Sep 2019 16:35:00 CDT

Added a redirect page, then changed my mind...

Feeds pt 2

Wed, 28 Aug 2019 10:15:00 CDT

Feeds

Tue, 27 Aug 2019 17:14:00 CDT

Added an RSS feed for some reason...

Oops I built an rss feed

Tue, 27 Aug 2019 16:25:00 CDT

Wait a minute... How did this get here?