Sunday 27 March 2011

I've been busy.. (See: Lazy)

So yeah, I've been somewhat busy/lazy for the time being, namely due to work and desire to sleep in on weekends. Also, my girlfriend was over for an extended duration on Friday so my valuable blogging time was spent cuddling up to her.

Anywho, I've recently realized that my love for metal is slowly being overshadowed by the awesomeness that is Dubstep and Progressive House. While metal is still awesome in most aspects, my yearning for a "catchier" tune remains. For the past few months, I've been listening to the likes of Mindless Self-Indulgence, deadmau5 and Skrillex (A very good band and two fine artists if I may say so!)

Mindless Self-Indulgence has been around since the 90's and still keep to their catchy, yet somewhat strange ways as is evident in a comparison between their debut Album and their newest album "You'll Rebel To Anything". High pitches, dirty lyrics, tight tunes and upbeat beats are to be expected from this band. (Plus, I can safely say that their music video for "Shut Me Up" is quite plainly pants-on-head retarded.)

deadmau5, pronounced "ded-mows", the second artist I mentioned, is a progressive house artist, well known by most techno-heads (Is that even a real term?) Though supposedly mainstream, deadmau5 still manages to keep producing fresh beats which he prefers, which in a sense make them entertaining for his listeners. Music is really only good when someone makes it the way they want. Nudge nudge, mainstream pop!


Regardless, deadmau5 is a great example of an artist who makes what he wants, and not what butthurt fans want.

Finally, Skrillex! Well, all I can say is that his drops are more exciting than the time I finally got a deep voice.

So, who here has some techno or electro artists they listen to who I may enjoy? Share some opinions in the comments, and perhaps some others may discover a new musical taste, or an inspiring artist. Better yet, if you do produce your own music, just post a link to a soundcloud/etc here and I'll check it out!

I'm out. There'll more than likely be a post tomorrow while I'm bored shitless at Tafe.

Tuesday 22 March 2011

Pascal's infuriating triangles, and M-14s!

So, at Tafe we're trying to write a program which tells one the value of any given row/position of a Pascal triangle. Pascal triangles are simple enough in theory, as you will see below:



So yeah, there's a fairly distinguishable pattern within the triangle, however, I may impale myself on one by Friday if I can't figure this damned coding out. I'm fairly sure I have the method I need, but syntax errors are a bitch.

Anywho, onto a more pressing matter: The M-14 Semi-automatic rifle in Call of Duty: Black Ops (Commonly referred to by my manager Luke as "Blops") has gained a new spot in one of my 5 custom loadouts. While it is obviously a horrible choice for the likes of Nuketown and some of the other smaller maps, it remains an effective weapon, and can achieve the ROF of a regular Assault Rifle given your finger has a nervous twitching disorder or somesuch. 2 shots is effectively a kill, apart from those goddamn Second Chance assholes. Yes, I'm calling you out! Take death like a man and stay down.

Here's the seemingly wonderful rifle:



While not as effective as the FN FAL in some cases, this gun retains a place in history as an effective War and Hunting rifle. With that said, I shall go and make my Butter Chicken frozen dinner, which taste oddly delicious for a non-name-brand meal. (For any Australians reading, try the Coles brand Butter Chicken. It's worth it!)

So, comment- and discussion-wise, what's your favourite main weapon in Black Ops, along with your Attachment(s)? It'd be great to hear from those who're reading this!

Ciao!

Sunday 20 March 2011

Post-headache Syndrome. Also, iPhones.

Howdy, people! It seems that after playing Black Ops after work for a few hours, I managed to get a headache. So, like any responsible person, I tried sleeping it off. However, in my stupor, I woke up a little earlier than my 6am wakeup for Tafe (Also see: Pressing "Snooze" on my alarm util 7:30). It's 2:20am, and I have absolutely nothing to do!

So, I may as well see if there's any new games for the iPhone. While I do so, I may do a quick review on a game I certainly find appealing.

Infinity Blade!
Everyone who games on their iPhone should know of this game. Consider it the Crysis of mobile devices in terms of eye-candy. Infinity Blade uses the Unreal Engine 3, ported to iDevices by Epic Games! So yeah, onto the story...

You play a valiant Knight (Well, KnightS really. Darned generation-based storylines!) who is sworn to defeat the evil "God King", an Immortal tasked with.. I really have no idea. Something vague about evil spirits and monsters being released, chaos ensuing, etc. All the usual RPG stuff. Overall, though seemingly bland, the storyline DOES allow the gameplay to make some sense (Specifically, the Bloodlines).

One must battle through the servants of the God King in order to reach the dreaded Immortal himself, and destroy him. The God King is no easy foe, however, and wields the game's namesake, the Infinity Blade. The battles are fast-paced and exciting, and require some degree of reflexes.

The one thing which lets the game down though, is the lack of free-roaming. Choosing your path is a point and touch adventure, and nothing much else. However, walking around isn't really ideal gameplay. There are already plenty of chances to see the Unreal Engine in effect, since one can pan the screen around whenever they wish so they may see the sights that the engine offers.

Overall, I'd give this game a 4/5. The one thing that the game is missing is a detailed storyline with a bit more of a thrilling plot.

Anywho, with that over, some of you may be thinking "But Piesadamus, the iPhone is a phone, not a console!" While that may be true, it runs on the surprisingly powerful UNIX platform (The distro being iOS). As a Linux fanboy, I guess I see the potential for most Linux-based systems, especially the iPhone.

With that said, I've managed to get a somewhat-working Java runtime installed on my iPhone, which I attained via jailbreaking it. Quite a good decision, as I can now do my Tafe work on my phone. Pretty handy, no?

Anyway, it's nearly 3am now, so sleep may be a good idea. Goodnight, folks!

Friday 18 March 2011

That tired/not tired feeling you get after work

Well, you know the one. You finish work, exhausted and tired, only to come home with newfound energy which you have nothing to do with since it's 11pm at night. Yeah, I always get that.

So, as previously mentioned, I'll be talking quite a bit about games, computers, programming and things which take my fancy. Well, I may as well give you a very short, condensed and to-the-point bio about myself:

I attend TAFE, I'm currently learning Programming, I enjoy any and all music bar most modern mainstream stuff, but metal truly has a big place in my metaphorical heart. I take pride in my ability to argue a point across, and I am almost always snacking on some sort of food. (How am I still thin!?)

But yeah, time for some Minecraft!

Woop-dee-doo, it's another Internet blog!

Long story short, just saying "Hello" and a bit of a talk about the posts to come.

Basically, I enjoy working with computers (Specifically the Java coding language), so I may upload source files for programs I may find enjoyable to make, or otherwise handy. I play WoW, Black Ops, Halo Reach and Minecraft, so conversation shall also be made about those four games. Knowing me, I'll probably end up going off-topic quite often, blabbing about daily life, and my personal views on.. Everything, as the blog title suggests!

Anyway, I'll leave you at that, for I need to go to work!