MJHの世界 ~ MJH no Sekai

Life is an interesting entity...

Wed, 27 Feb 2008 17:04:45 -0500

Life has been such a busy thing for me. Of late, with new jobs and school, I haven't been able to write anything. I truly want to write something, I'd like a purely opinionated topic that I can just write on a whim. For that, I need to scour the news services. I have yet to do so, and when I find something of interest, you can bet all out that I'll certainly right about it. Until then, I may appear here and there.

Happy New Year, or something like that.

Tue, 01 Jan 2008 15:53:49 -0500

Yes, I'm aware that I've appeared to drop off the face of the earth. Things don't look so great for the immediate future as well, however, I do plan to make a comeback. I have plans of sort for the future, but everything is still quite vague. Expect me to return when I get bored of being bored during the upcoming weeks.

The quest for the perfect controller...

Thu, 16 Aug 2007 20:00:00 -0500

One of the many things you find while playing games, aside from occasional abandonment of other projects, is that, for some games, the controller itself can have a major impact on not just how you play, but how well you do. The first genre of games that one should think about is fighting. Games like Soul Calibur, Virtua Fighter, and Tekken all have different gameplay mechanics depending on the controller being used. It's widely known, especially within each community, that controllers like the PS2 Dual-Shock 2, or the PS3's controller, are not very practical for such games. Let's leave that aside, for now, as I will cover that more in-depth later. There's another genre where the controller can affect gameplay performance: First Person Shooters. The dual-shock controller is a very good controller for this kind of game, though there are better. I believe the XBox controller is widely touted as the best FPS controller around. The problem herein lies that, what if someone wanted to use said controller on a system like the PS3 for games like Resistance: Fall of Man? There are conversion utilities, though in this case, I'd be willing to take the dual-shock design, given that's what I'm familiar with.

..and it shall be named Otakon

Wed, 18 Jul 2007 13:07:39 -0500

With but 2 days remaining for my departure to Baltimore, I learn some rather disconcerting news. Unfortunately, internet access while at the hotel and convention center are not free. That being the case, I will have to hold off on my writings until my return. With luck, I'll have plenty of pictures, and stories to tell. This will be my last post until I return, and yes, I know I have an article due to be posted, I haven't finished writing it yet.

Of price cuts, E3, and randomness...

Sat, 14 Jul 2007 13:00:00 -0500

In lieu of this week's "Notes from a Vista User," which I'm still writing, I decided to switch gears a little bit. My topics this week come straight from the news. Sony's Playstation 3 is edging its way closer within the reach of the masses with its recent $100 price cut. Sony's 80GB Playstation 3 introduction in August can be seen as competition for Microsoft's XBox 360 Elite. Is it worth the price tag of $599? Should Sony even be worried? In other news, Sony also released information on a new PSP model. Is it worth the repricing? TV-Out is nice and all, but is it worth the loss of homebrew as well? We also have E3 this year, where most of these announcements have come from. Of the many things that's been said about E3 this year is that it's much smaller than previous years. Is this the end for E3?

Let the countdown begin!

Fri, 06 Jul 2007 15:00:47 -0500

In other news, as of July 20, 2007, I will be out of state for a little while. I may, or may not have internet connectivity, but I will endeavor to make sure I get at least a few minutes.

Where will I be? Baltimore, Maryland for Otakon 2007. This will be the second time I've gone to Otakon, first being in 2005. You can read about that experience here.

I endeavor to try to make end of day write-ups, though my Sunday write up may wait until I return home. I should have some internet access between the hotel and convention center, so I shouldn't disappear entirely. This year, compared to my other write-up, expect pictures.

The countdown starts: 14 Days remain.

Notes from a Vista User - Chapter 2 - I hope I didn't break that glass...

Mon, 02 Jul 2007 21:42:33 -0500

Any frequent user of a computer knows that interface design is important. We are all aware of our common input interface: the keyboard and mouse. Lurking beneath these common devices is another, more important aspect of a computer interface: the output device. Looking back on the days when LEDs and printers were the primary output devices, we take for granted our monitors attached to video cards. Despite the age and inefficiencies of our clumsy keyboard and mouse interface, the combination has served us well. Similarly, despite the age of our monitor outputs, they do the job just fine. Just like the features of that new super 114-key multimedia keyboard, or a 7 button laser mouse, graphical interface design through the monitor has gone through its own evolution. This week in "Notes from a Vista User" I plan to highlight the history of the Windows GUI, and displaying the latest evolution of that design that is present in all versions of Windows Vista to some extent or another: Aero.

Issues in Gaming - The Pilot: Take-Two

Thu, 28 Jun 2007 22:46:37 -0500

"Issues in Gaming" is a new series of articles that I wanted to write. Unlike "Notes from a Vista User," "Issues in Gaming" is going to be a longer running series of articles. My topics will change from week to week, but will ultimately be focused on contemporary issues in the gaming community. There are a number of issues, political and ethical, that exist in the community. There are also practical and philosophical issues that Jaxel, over at the Elitist Gamer’s Journal, writes about. For me, however, this week, I intend to focus on one of the issues that the media is having a field day with: Take-Two’s Manhunt 2. I do not intend to focus strictly on Manhunt 2 however; I will also focus on Take-Two’s other titles, relate them to this current issue, and show how their present situation could herald dangerous times for the company. I also plan to relate Take-Two’s circumstances to the situation that has been growing in the gaming community as of late.

Notes From a Vista User - Chapter 1 - UAC

Wed, 27 Jun 2007 00:00:00 -0500

User security, particularly in the home market now, is becoming one of the more important aspects of computer security. One of the best ways to prevent malware from doing any significant damage to a user's system is to run as a user with limited rights. These limited rights, as the name suggests, limit what the user is capable of doing. One of the disadvantages, however, is the need to occasionally run as an administrative user to perform certain tasks, such as configuration changes or software installation. Linux has a program called sudo, Windows XP has the "Run as Administrator" option, however, the most controversial of them all is Windows Vista's User Account Control (UAC), a technology aimed at allowing users to run with limited rights will maintaining the ability to perform administrative tasks without having to log in as an administrator. As we will learn in this first real chapter of "Notes from a Vista User," UAC, for its potential merit, has some major failings.

I write this preceding my next article...

Tue, 26 Jun 2007 21:51:36 -0500

Part of my update listing for the site. I spent the better part of an hour completing a number of template conversions. Well, three.

A full listing of template conversions is as follows:
Main Index
Individual Entry Archives
Category-based Archives
Date-based Archives
Master Archive Index
There are a few more odds and ends to wrap up, then I start focusing on getting other things set up. Namely static pages, forums, and whatever else I can dream up.

Still going strong!

Fri, 22 Jun 2007 01:08:12 -0500

I have two major templates to ultimately finish converting, which should be fairly simple as I just need to copy and paste a few things here and there. As you can see, I've written my first article for the site, and I know it may seem a little long winded. I'll make things a little interesting, next week's article, due Wednesday, right at midnight, is about the element that turns most people off to Windows Vista: UAC. Believe me, if you think the pilot was long winded, read my one on UAC when it comes out.

In other news, I would like to mention a few things specific about me, and about what kind of content is going onto this site. Firstly, the about me topic is strictly for providing a basis, and a justification behind my "Notes from a Vista User" series. When you read these articles, take them from the point of view that I am a Windows user who uses Windows because there are things that I do that that I can only do in Windows. I am the person that, if I could switch over to Linux tomorrow, and still do everything I have been doing, the way I've been doing it, and I can drop Windows entirely, I would. This should add a little weight to my analysis on Windows Vista. Secondly, the articles and content that will appear on this site will probably be random. When I do a series, I plan to have them release weekly, but when I'm not in the middle of a series, you may find articles about anime, computers, Linux, Windows, games, or even the regular software I use. You may find posts that are just off-the-wall, or posts that are just my brain droppings. The point I'm trying to make, while I intend to keep the site oriented towards the technical (Computing and Gaming) and a bit towards the media (My interest in Japanese media primarily, anime and manga), there may be moments when something interests me so much that I just decide, on a whim, to write about it.

With that, I bid you all a good night (as it's quite late at the time I write this) while I sleep.

Notes From a Vista User - The Pilot

Wed, 20 Jun 2007 00:49:54 -0500

One of the many things I planned for this site are various articles that I'd write on a wide variety of topics. Among the first will be a series of articles on Windows Vista from the eyes of a tech savvy consumer. My intent for these articles are to explain Windows Vista to the people that may be on the fence, or dead-set against it. I do not pretend to know everything, or be an expert on all things. Nor do I pretend to be an avid Microsoft fan; in fact, I'm rather against Microsoft when I can be. I only intend to express my views on various topics relating to Windows Vista as an early adopter. In this first post, I intend to focus on my general experience, and touch on topics that I will devote whole, specific articles to.

Whoa, I worry myself...

Tue, 19 Jun 2007 00:00:00 -0500

Time for another daily status update, 12 hours early! Click the permalink titles, you'll see the fruits of my labor. What's best, it's still standards compliant. Individual entry archives are now completed. The remainder of my work involves: Date-based archives, category-based archives, and comment preview templates. Those are my primary goals, then I've gotta look at what's what. Look for tomorrow's daily update post.

I'm gettin closer!

Mon, 18 Jun 2007 12:00:00 -0500

Maybe I'll do a daily status update until I finish completing the new web design. I'll have everyone know that I am trying to make this as cross-browser compatible as possible. Ultimately, I will end up catering to consistency. I know the side renders well enough in Firefox, Internet Explorer, and Safari. As of this posting, I haven't tested Opera as yet. I'm practically done with the front page, I now need to update a number of the various other templates. Namely, individual entry templates, date-based archives, category-based archives, and comment previews. After that, it will be completely based on a "as I see them" routine. Though I should strive for completion, for the time being, I could settle for 90%. Ultimately, I will be apt to cater to Firefox and Internet Explorer. By far, this design displays best in Firefox, though Internet Explorer does an acceptable job of rendering it. After the overall site design, I need to focus on getting forum software installed. I'm likely to aim towards phpBB, though I'd like to wait until 3.0 is released. Of course, I'll do my best to integrate the color scheme into it.

Things are moving along, though still dusty...

Sun, 17 Jun 2007 11:57:37 -0500

Web design has a unique appeal to me. At least, when I'm motivated to work on it. The way I do things is rather different from what most others would probably do. This is a live, production site. I'm developing my pages for all to see. So, if you check back regularly, you may even find me making mistakes. I strive to keep my designs standard compliant, in this case, XHTML 1.1. If you were to run it to through the validator at the very minute I posted this, it would fail due to my affiliate link. However, by the time most of you read this, it will no longer be an issue. What I'm trying to get at now is how I'm slowly and steadily making progress. The main index for this site, where you're likely reading this entry, is almost complete. Now I need to adapt some other things from older designs, and then move onto archives and entry pages. Well, I still need to get back to work.