C# Confusion

I’m really kind of frustrated at the general lack of helpful input from other people on the internet when it comes to trying to learn a new programming language..  It almost seems like folks just don’t want to be bothered or that they have the opinion that “by god it was hard for them, so it should be hard for you.. ”

Human beings are blessed with the ability to learn from one another, and while we are also often cursed with the disinclination to do so, quite often it seems that those “in the know” don’t want to share that knowledge when others are clambering for it..

I’m fairly new to C# and am interested in learning it..  I’m not new to programming though so I understand most of the basic concepts, I just need to learn the syntax and the “flavor” of the language..  The IDE is pretty familiar because I’m an old time Delphi programmer (C# was written by the same guy apparently)..

I decided I wanted to write an application that take a screenshot of a DirectX game while it was in the background (not minimized)..  I’m having a lot of trouble getting it to work correctly, and trying to find people to help is very much like trying to find Venuses arms..

I can’t help but feel very alone in my struggle and that plain sucks..

I have always tried to keep a balance off of it, but there have been a couple  years where just due to the times I couldn’t help but carry a small balance..

Well the other day I went to pay off my card and I noticed that they bumped my APR to 29.998%…   Are you fucking kidding me?  30% APR is highway robbery..

I called them up and asked them to lower my rate and they refused..  The operator I got ahold of (once I navigated their automated system) told me that “.. they were unable to lower my rate at this time. Thanks for calling.. *click*”

I immediately called them back and told the new operator (that I got after navigating their automated system.. again) that I wanted to cancel my account and that it was due to their recent rate hike.. I have zero intention of paying 30% and that’s ludicrous..   He said, “but wait.. what if we lowered your APR would that make you stay?”

I explained that the previous operator told me there was no way to lower my rate.. So I want to cancel the account.. (2)..  He came back explaining that he could lower my rate to 26% for 6 months.. (after which it would spring back to 30%)..  I said that this was a bunch of crap, that if this was such a deal why didn’t the last guy offer it and that 26% is still robbery..  No thank you, I’d like to cancel my account.. (3)..

“But wouldn’t you like to lower your rate?” ..   I explained that if he could lower my rate to 0% I’d stick around, otherwise, I’d like to cancel my account.. (4)..  “No you want to lower your rate, so that the remaining balance doesn’t take that 30% rate, but instead gets this much lower rate… “  (26% is “much lower”)..  I told him that I just paid the account off, online.. that there is no remaining balance and that I’d like to cancel my account.. (5)..

But.. blah blah.. and blahdiddy blah..   I’d like to cancel my account.. (6).. if you keep pestering me to lower my rate I will ask to speak to your manager..

“Id be more than happy to let you speak to my manager..  but golly we need to lower this rate.. blah blah bullshit bullshit I’m a douche blah blah blah”..   I’d like to cancel my fucking account please.. (7).. and now I want to speak to your manager..

I honestly was getting really pissed.. this asshat wouldn’t let me just cancel the damn account..  I don’t want it any more.. you’re trying to screw me, and I refuse to do business with you..  Take your “amazing low rate of 26%” and shove it up your ass..  cancel my account.. I shouldn’t have to ask for this 7+ times.. (I’m sure it was more than 7.. this is very much the short version.. )

Eventually he asks me to hold (I fully expected him to just hang up the phone..)  A minute or so later someone got on the line claiming to be his manager and I told him that I wanted to cancel the account and that I shouldn’t have to ask so many times, and that I shouldn’t be pressured to do something I don’t want to do.. I want to cancel the account.. Period.. I’m done working with you..

He said, “Fine it’s canceled, do you want confirmation of the cancelation?”  — “You’re damn skippy.. “  –  “It will be sent to your billing address.. *click*”

The manager was rude as hell..  I should never have had to deal with him.. The initial call taker should be fired to be honest.. Or retrained at best..

As to Citibank..  I’m done with you..  Jack my rate to 30% which should be criminal, and then as of April 1st 2010, charge a $60 annual fee just to have the card?!   That’s $60 a year, just to have that card empty in your wallet.  Are you kidding me?  This is some kind of joke right?

It’s clear to me that Citibank doesn’t give a rats ass about their members if this is the way they plan to treat us..   So fine.. Bye.. I’m done with Citibank forever.. I wont do business with you ever again.. period.

More over I plan to tell as many people as possible not to do business with Citibank as they are clearly a bunch of crooks..

Napoleon Total War

I have always been a fan of the Total War franchise, but in my opinion none of them have been all that great.  Good and fun in most cases, sure.. but great?  Eh not really..  All of them have had their share of issues of which Napoleon TW shares some of them.. NTW is by far the most refined version so far and a lot of fun but, I’m not quite sure it peeks the “great” meter just yet.. I will say its pretty darn good and a lot of fun though..

Totally worth the price as it’s clear to me that Creative Assembly (the developers) are getting better at their craft but the game has one staggering short fall that it shares with all it’s siblings;  Horrible AI.

This is the 6th iteration of the game core concept and the AI is still just dreadful..  I’m pretty sure we could train a monkey to play the game better..  I know AI is very complex and as a programmer myself I’m not sure how to solve this problem, but dang..  The computer is down right bad.   Given enough time you probably could beat any army with just about any force..  It’s actually fun trying to do just that.. heh

In comparison to Empire Total War, it’s immediate predecessor, Napoleon is the clear winner.  The game is much more polished and refined than ETW ever was and it makes me feel like ETW was what NTW was supposed to be, but they ran out of time and money..  I will say that the AI in NTW is better than ETW, but when up is the only possible direction….

I will say this, NTW is beautiful.. There is nothing cooler than watching your line of infantry slowly disappear in a hazy cloud of black powder smoke as a line of enemy advance forward.. Or the small skip gashes that are cut into the scenery as a cannon ball goes whizzing by.. Great stuff..  The level of care and detail there is pretty high..

But the AI is so dumb that the enemy unit of 120 line infantry will happily walk into a line of cannon..  Or horse melee units that charge into the barriers (only to die immediately in droves)..  Or how the diplomacy system is completely pointless..etc..

The AI is the killer.. It’s just not good..

One way they got around that was to introduce the notion of “drop in battles” in which you can, during your single player campaign, enlist a friend (or complete stranger even) to play the part of the enemy during some of the battles.   I will admit.. This was a damn good and innovative idea.. Well done guys..  I love this..

Whats nice about it is that the other player when he’s playing your enemy, or when you’re playing his enemy in his campaign, isn’t really invested in the same way..  So if he loses it’s almost like it’s not a personal loss.. after all its not like you chose the force..etc..   I like it.. this was a good addition to the game..

For the next iteration of the game I hope they go more into the trading, and economy aspects of the game.   I want to be able to set individual tax rates for a single province.. or define whats being traded where..etc..  Right now its fairly limited.. you’re either trading or not.. etc..  I know this game is more about the killin and less about things like trade and diplomacy but I still would like a more rounded game experience in these areas..

All in all… Not “great”.. but pretty damn good and a lot of fun against like minded friends..

Additional;

I really think Games Workshop should get with Creative Assembly and make Warhammer Total War.. Dear god.. talk about two franchises that absolutely belong together..  This engine, plus GW’s IP?!  WIN!!  It would be like chocolate and peanut butter man..

How cool would it be to see a pack of Skaven march into a pack of Witchelves (dead Skaven)..  Or see a bunch of Jezzails take out some Coldone Knights.. etc..  Hot..

I think this is such a good idea I’m going to send them a letter…

Splintercell Conviction

I really like a good first person shooter..  But most FPS games these days aren’t about thinking or planning your way out, they are just run and gun, “zerg-fests” where you run in shoot a few.. die, respawn, run in shoot a few, die, respawn.. wash, rinse, repeat..  Boring..

The new Splintercell game isn’t this..  I would call it more of a first person sneaker.  In that it’s entirely conceivable to play through large swaths of the game without firing a shot, and that’s just cool..

As with any game it has it’s ups and downs, but over all its up and I think UBISoft has set themselves up with a game that they can kick out a lot of downloadable content for, if they leverage this correctly..

Things that make this game stand out for me are the little details, like the movement mechanics.. Frankly, I think the movement mechanics are great!   And the cover system is fantastic, unlike some other games I have played recently..  It did take a little getting used to some aspects of it; like I’d prefer the shift key to not be a toggle for run/walk but rather be a press and hold kind of thing but that’s largely because it’s what I’m used to with other games, not because its inherently wrong..

There are lots of different weapons that you can use ( or not use ) and you have options to upgrade them..  There are also a whole pack of different thrown gadgets that you can use and they all have their use..

I also really like the color vs black/white mechanic..  At first I thought this would be jarring and break the suspension of disbelief but the opposite was true.. I feel it actually helps a lot..

Lots of textual help everywhere which again I thought would be distracting or break the suspension, but actually they way they worked it in was great and made it sorta feel like a movie..

Really my complaints about the game are minor;

1.  The game is short — I finished the game in 11 hours, and I was going slow.. I’m pretty sure you could finish it a heck of a lot faster than that if you tried..  It seemed really complete though in that the 11 hours was packed with stuff to do, but I kinda wish games were longer.. they seem to be getting shorter and shorter.

2.  Very linear — to be expected really.. There is usually only one way to go..

3.  A couple of the levels need more direction — the car garage sneak event annoyed me and really was the only level that kinda pissed me off, but primarily because I had no idea where I was supposed to go and it took me several tries..

4.  PRODUCT PLACEMENT!!  Dear god..  I wonder how much Cisco and the producers of the new Nightmare on Elm Street paid to get their product so highly and obviously placed in the game..  Frankly this was jarring.. I didn’t like this..  All computer monitors can be destroyed!! uh.. unless there is a Cisco logo on it, then no..  etc..  There were others.. it was annoying..

5.  And finally the AI, while not dreadfully stupid the enemy aren’t too bright.. For example I was right around the corner from a guy who knew I was there.. he had the brilliant idea of throwing a frag grenade at me.. it basically dropped at his feet and I just remained hidden while he died.. heh  it was amusing, but kinda dumb..   The biggest issue is that they are constantly yelling what they are doing which they took directly from FEAR and was a problem in that game too that I know folks complained about..  Oh well..

All in all it was a great game.. and I will likely play it again on hard..

I think I actually give this one 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Tron Lightcycle

I want one..

So I have gone above and beyond out of my way to avoid learning any details about Tron 2.. (Tron Legacy is it’s officially called.) ..but it’s hard not to see the lightcycle.. And man does it look cool..

It’s very reminiscent of the Dodge Tomahawk concept bike but for some reason, just looks cooler.. The dodge just looks like raw power, and as such dangerous.. I’m pretty sure the lightcycle looks cooler to me because its tapping directly into my childhood fantasies..  I loved Tron as a kid.  I loved the universe, I loved the movie, I loved the games.. and I loved Cindy Morgan but that’s another story.. Most of all I just liked the concepts, core of which was the whole lightcycle fight..   The lightcycles really made the universe feel real..  And to this day I have to wonder how many people ride around on their “crotch-rocket” with the Tron theme running through their head..

Well apparently, the lightcycles in the new movie are real working motorcycles.. (or so is the rumor.. )  That appeals to every childhood fantasy I ever had regarding the Tron lore.. I so want one!  I’m pretty sure everyone else wants one too..  I am willing to bet if they sold them, they would go like hotcakes..  I’d get one if I could..   Dream on…

I also believe in having multiple armies for your game.. I have two 40k armies; Tau and Orks.  I like them both and am not really looking to change them..   But right now I only really have one fantasy army;  Skaven.  I love my rats, but I want to find another army to play and have been looking for a while..  I tried Ogre’s and I tried Tomb Kings but really didn’t get into them.  I have a lot of TK stuff painted up and I very much like the models and the lore, but for whatever reason the TK army just doesn’t excite me..  The Ogre’s never even got that far..

So I’m back on the hunt and I think I have settled on getting a Daemons of Chaos list going.

I think all of the models are pretty neat, and I like that that its sorta 4 armies in one; one list for each god.  Something that also appeals on a lesser level is the fact that they are the exact same models used in Fantasy and 40k.. So if you have them ready to go in Fantasy, its easy to use them in 40k.  (Just have to solve the bases problem which I’ll get to in a moment.. )

My number one reason for picking this army is because I dig the models.  I am most likely going to go an all Slaanesh army, or if that’s not viable I’ll fill in with Nurgle or Khorne..   I’m going to leave Tzeentch out because it seems it’s what ever one is doing and I like doing things others aren’t..

I really look forward to painting these guys (gals?) up.. I think the Slaanesh models all look pretty cool and should be quite fun to paint.. I know I wont get anywhere near as good results as the professional painters do, but still they look good and should come out okay..

The only issue at this point is that the new core rule book is coming out in July and is rumored to nurf the Daemons down something harsh..  If the current rumors hold true then the DoC army as a whole may be unplayable.. I find that unfortunate, but not enough to dissuade me from getting the army in the first place..

I have also heard tell that half the reason for the new rule book is to correct issues in the DoC army and a couple other newer armies that introduced issues into the game.. It’s really too bad they feel the need to completely rewrite the main rules, instead of just fixing the issue with the individual army..

Fantasy and 40k approved!

The Bases:  So, I listed above that these models can be used in both fantasy and 40k.. that’s pretty cool.. The only issue is that fantasy uses square bases, and 40k uses round bases.  That issue can be complicated further by the fact that 40k bases are one inch in diameter, and fantasy bases are typically 20mm or 25mm square..  So, if you want to use the same models in both games (as opposed to buying the same models twice.. ) then you have to get clever about your bases..

I solved it this way;

1.  I got some washers that are smaller around than both the 40k bases and the fantasy bases you’re going to use.  With the Daemonettes I was in luck, they use  25mm bases so I could get a slightly larger washer than if I was stuck with 20mm bases.  Also make sure the washers have as small a center hole as possible.  The washers I’m using are 7/8 (0.87″) with a 7/32 (0.20″) inner hole, got them at Lowes for $3 or $4 for a hand full..

2. I then assembled the model as I wanted it and glued it to the top of one of the washers — trying very hard not to foul the hole in the washer.

3. I then drilled 4 itty bitty holes in the base and stuck in some of the tiny magnets I have.   I mean it these things are small.. 0.05″ is small man..  4 of them hold the washer down nicely, and are small enough to not cause clustering.. (Where a bunch of magnets jump to one another.. )  Drill all the way through the base with a drill bit slightly smaller than the magnet, and then enlarge it a bit by in and out movements..  This is a tiny hobby drill bit.. Once that’s done, I glued the magnets in from the underside so they wont go anywhere.

4. I then got a dowel from Walmarts hobby area that was the exact fit for the washers..  You can get a bag of like 20 of them for $0.89..   I drilled a whole in the direct center of the base and pushed the dowel through.. I had to be very careful not to split the base.. And I made sure to push the down through the hole a bit so that it touches the table the same time the edges of the base does.  It helps with gluing later.

5.  I then took the thinnest washer I had ( they are varying thicknesses for some odd reason ) and slid it down the dowel until to stuck to the magnets..  Put the dowel in a vice, and used a coping saw to cut the dowel at the washer.  Once that was done I applied glue to the underside, again ensuring that nothing goes anywhere.

6.  And that’s it..  Paint and flock it up.. When you flock the square base you want to make sure that you use an extra washer because it gets kinda nasty.. And when it dries you might have to do some minor surgery to get that washer off.. I had to carefully Xacto around the edges to free it from its flocky jail..

Click the image to see the results.. it works out nicely..  The 40k round bases snaps up in there and only requires a touch of flocking on the top of the dowel.. the fantasy base you see snaps down nicely too almost 100% hiding the washer..

BN.com Nook

So I have been in the market for an e-reader for a while.  I do a lot of reading and thought it would be darn handy to have a single device that could carry multiple books, and have the ability to order new books at any time, anywhere.  I like real paper books, but the ability to carry many books in one small device is appealing.  And despite what my sister in law says, I think they are generally a good idea and can only encourage reading..

Everyone I know swears by the Amazon Kindle, and while the device works just fine I just didn’t much like it.  I got my paws on a friends and it felt cheap to me, plus I really didn’t like that keyboard down there.. The Kindle DX looked really nice, but it’s big and really expensive.. I could have purchased an Apple IPad for the cost..

Which brings me to my I didn’t want an IPad..  Asside from fanboy snobbery turning me off of Apple, I didn’t want an IPad because I wanted a dedicated device for reading that was of a size as to not be unwieldy..   The IPad and the Kindle DX are, for me, too big for comfortable reading.  And the IPad with all its other features would distract me from what I want the device primarily for; reading..  yes I’m actually implying the IPad has too many features.. heh  For an e-reader anyway.. Plus the $500+ price tag is a tad steep..  And the other huge issue is that Apple doesn’t give us any sort of window into what books they offer to non-ipad owners..

And let’s be honest here.. You’re buying into a back end — the hardware really is immaterial..  I have always liked Barns and Nobles and generally go there first when I want a book, so when they announced the Nook I was interested from the start.. BN.com and the BN brick and mortar stores most likely aren’t going to go anywhere..  They are the largest chain of bookstores in the United States, and the BN store here in Austin is huge and is always crammed with people buying stuff — I’m pretty sure they aren’t going to go anywhere any time soon..

So they seem like a good company to offer an e-reader with a solid back end..  Plus their technology seems very solid and well glued together.. I like that I can purchase a book online through their website and it magically appears in my Nook ready to read with in a minute or two..

I also like that if I drop my Nook off the planet, I can simple buy a new one and have all my books still..  yay!  This really is a one stop shop for books in that I will never have to buy the same book ever again..  Plus, I like that I can attach another Nook to the same account so my wife can have access to my library..  Damn handy that..

The Nook hardware is extremely nice.  It has a good weight to it (being roughly twice the weight of the kindle) and is well built.  I have seen some people complain about cracked plastic around the outside but I have yet to see anything like that in mine and I don’t see how its possible without dropping it or throwing it at something..

And the best part is that it’s built on Android!!  So new updates come all the time..  More over apparently it’s extremely easy to root, which I have no intention of ever doing.. this e-reader is always going to be just my e-reader.. nothing more..

Complaints:

I do have a few complaints about the device that are really very minor..

1.  No internal backlight — In the interest of battery conservation they didn’t put a light in the Nook.  Their reasoning was that if it had a light it would chew up the battery very quickly and for some reason people think that if an e-reader can’t go a month without charging its not worth owning..  I say F to that.. It’s my device if I want to chew up the battery reading a book late at night using the internal back light so I don’t wake my wife, then I should be able to..  Give the users the option to use their device how they want to use it..

2.  Slow page turns — I think this is just the nature of the e-ink screens but they pages are slow to turn.  Now, when I say slow to turn I mean it takes all of a second, maybe a second and a half, once you click “next page” for it to actually show up.  This is a minor minor gripe at best, and may be due to some Android programming issue and as such is fixable.. But more likely its due to the e-ink screen just taking that long and I should get over it..

3.  The touch screen kinda sucks — the little LCD touch screen seems like a good idea but its very unresponsive.. Again I don’t know if this is an Android issue that will get resolved or if its a hardware issue but sometimes it just wont respond to input.. Or is very slow to respond..  I’m going to chalk this up to an Android issue that will get ironed out as updates are released..

And that’s it.. those are my complaints.. All really minor to be sure.. the thing works great.. I’m very happy with the purchase and at this point I have 7 books in there waiting to be read..

I think the problem now will be the growing line of books in my queue waiting to be enjoyed.. Ah what a problem to have..

Rock Band to Real Band

I have been playing the hell out of Rock Band 2.  I very much enjoy it as it’s quite fun and challenging.  I’m also willing to bet that games like Rock Band and Guitar Hero are helping the music industry quite a bit as most likely people are getting exposed to music they have never considered before (I know I have been)..  But what might me more important is that people are getting exposed to the notion of making music..

In an era where school music programs are on the decline (or completely gone) I can’t think of anything more important for the music industry as a whole than getting kids interested and/or hooked at an early age..  This is the perfect venue!

They just need to bridge the realism gap..   Rock Band (and guitar hero, band hero, etc..) are great games, but they aren’t realistic at all..  For the guitar and bass you are producing notes by strumming a single piece of plastic and pushing one or multiples of 5 buttons..  As you graduate through the difficulty levels things get harder in that the waterfall of Chiclets come faster and the fingerings are more difficult, but you don’t actually progress towards being able to play a real instrument..

How cool would it be if instead as you progress through the difficulty curve the game got more realistic the harder it got..    In order to pull this off they would need to basically ship the game with a real guitar or a device that hooks into a real guitar such that it responds to the console in a way expected by the game… Instead of pushing a single button, maybe sense that we are actually pushing a cord or even a single string..   And once you get to the end of the difficulty curve you’re playing the song..   How awesome would that be?!

Suddenly not only would Rock Band be a kick ass game, but it would also be a must have teacher that could train you to play your favorite songs (for only $2 a download.. or whatever it is..)..

Once you have a device that hooks into a guitar or drums it should be fairly simple to make that device work for other instruments..

Imagine if you will, “Piano Hero!”  or maybe “Violin Hero!”   It would allow you to play a game with you instrument of choice, and go a long way towards teaching you to better play that instrument..

You think “Band Hero” is fun?  Try “Symphony Hero!” hah

There are so many possibilities here.. I seriously hope that they don’t squander this..  They could spark a whole new revolution around music making if they really wanted to..

The Sonic Infusion

My music tastes range far and wide, but when it comes to some tunes to play in the background while working I find that good techno, house, or trance serve me the best.  I can really get into a groove when listening to this music..  Oddly enough it helps me focus on my work and blocks out the distractions nicely..   My productivity probably triples when I can code to the beats..

Typically I would listen to some Classic or Vocal Trance on DI.FM (Digitally Imported Radio) a service I happily pay for because it did such a good job of keeping me focused on my work.  A while back I stumbled across the Sonic Infusion while browsing the podcasts available on iTunes and I’ve been hooked..

The Sonic Infusion is a free podcast put out (about once a month) by Spencer Gordon consisting of skillfully mixed and current Progressive, House and Trance music from all over the world ranging in length from 1 to 3 hours..  And it’s great!  At this point I have listened to all 120 episodes and he is only getting better..  What blows me away is that he does this for free..  He puts it out there solely to promote his and the other artists’ work, and is completely worth the listen.  The quality is high enough that if he put CD’s out there I bet people would buy them..

I realize this post is a shameless plug, and as such not something I typically do.. But man its worth it..  This guy is great as is the product he puts out..  I listen to one of his episodes (randomly) every day just to get into the groove and help me focus on my work.. (Which is in all likelihood completely NOT what he had in mind.. hehe  Hey it works for me!!)  Give it a listen, and to Spencer I say thanks man..

You can check it out here:  The Sonic Infusion or by going to http://www.thesonicinfusion.com/

Net Neutrality

Most gamers typically play games online, download expansions or other forms of DLC, watch hulu, stream music..etc.. generally speaking, use more bandwidth than your average user who just browses the occasional website or checks email.  As such, Comcast feels they can charge those users more or block / throttle  them.   This led to the whole “Net Neutrality” fight.  For those of you know up on what that means, it’s basically the fight to keep the price of bandwidth static and common for all users.

You see, back in 2007 Comcast actually did start blocking and throttling certain types of traffic, and targeting gamers because they did use more bandwidth..   Well the FCC have been fighting it, but yesterday three federal judges sided with Comcast saying that the FCC “lacks authority to require broadband providers to give equal treatment to all Internet traffic flowing over their networks”.. This means Net Neutrality is dead and really soon you can expect all broadband providers to raise their fees.

Read more about it here:  http://finance.yahoo.com/news/FCC-loses-key-ruling-on-apf-78990100.html?x=0

This sucks for everyone.. Frankly it’s a greedy ploy by all the companies involved and ultimately as with anything else, we pay the price.   If Time Warner raises their rates I will leave.  Vote with your wallet people..