2 Challenges

Two ideas occurred to me today.

The first one is putting a halt to buying video games. I've become far too susceptible to the hype surrounding games I think I'll enjoy. When these games come out, it's difficult for me to not buy them. I have dozens of games to play, though. I don't need the latest one. In fact, there are many incentives to waiting to buy a game. They inevitably go down in price (except for the rare gem like Rez). Also, buying a new game means either neglecting one I'm playing now or not starting the one I just bought. The cycle begins anew when I buy the next game before I've even started playing the last one I bought. Left unchecked, I'll just continue to accumulate unplayed games, effectively throwing my money into a deep, dark hole.

This is my pledge: I will not buy any more video games for the rest of the year, for any system. There is only one exception: The Wrath of the Lich King, the next World of Warcraft expansion. That's an add-on to a game I already play, so I'm allowing myself that one expenditure. I will maintain subscriptions for World of Warcraft and Warhammer: Age of Reckoning. I will buy no more games for any console or the PC. No digital downloads, no used games, no casual games. I will play what I have. There are simply too many games to ignore. Even after getting rid of all of my first person shooters, the list is embarrassing.

Completable Games 

(having a distinct ending or completion point)

1. Mass Effect
   
2. Oblivion
   
3. Ninja Gaiden
   
4. Jade Empire
   
5. Final Fantasy XII
   
6. Rogue Galaxy
   
7. Devil May Cray 4
   
8. Metal Gear Solid 2
   
9. Final Fantasy Tactics A2
   
10. Mario Galaxy
11. Marvel Ultimate Alliance
12. Black and White II
13. Assassin's Creed
14. Braid
15. Castle Crashers
16. Fallout 2

Repeatable Games

(having no ending, can be played indefinitely)

1. Soul Calibur IV
2. Burnout Paradise
3. Rez
4. N+
5. Puzzle Fighter
6. Bomberman
7. Carcassonne
8. Catan
9. King of Fighters 11
10. Rock Band 2
11. Starcraft
12. Diablo 2

(These lists are incomplete.  They contain only what I can think of off the top of my head in 5 minutes.)

My second idea is related.  On weekdays, 10 pm is fun time.  Until 10, I do chores, programming, writing, TBA work, organizing, and anything else that is not pure recreation.  The only exception is TV or anime while eating.  Once 10 pm comes around, work ends, and I enjoy myself.  Then, I'll read comics, play video games, read books, assemble models, or anything else.  N0 work, though.

I'm doing this to encourage myself to be more productive.  There are too many things that I can easily handle if I simply take the time to do them.  Most of them take 15 minutes or less, but I too often let myself get distracted by recreational activities.  I have to get that under control.  The 10pm deadline is also a reward of sorts.  It gives me something to look forward to as I work. I'll consider bringing the time up to 9, if I can get far enough ahead of my work.

It's not Blooger.com

I typed blooger.com into my browser when I decided to make a quick blog post just now. It amused me. I just thought you should know. "Blooger" is a funny word.

With the Electric Goldfish's help, I finished Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law last night. There are 5 cameos by Street Fighter characters, each of which unlocks a different "gag reel". I only found two. I intend to download an FAQ to see the rest before I rid myself of the game.

I'm going to give Goozex a try, to trade away Harvey Birdman. It's a service I've been interested in for a while, but I've never signed up. I've already got an account, and, as soon as I've unlocked the rest of the gag reels, Harvey Birdman will be the first game I make available on that site. Wario: Master of Disguise will probably be next.

I weighed myself today. Not good.

Current weight: 330.2 lbs
Total weight lost: 0.2 lbs

Animation Started

I added the first bit of animation to my new site. When "Presence" is clicked, all the navigation links flicker, then they slide away to the left. Eventually, the effect will be triggered by any of the links. Also, only the clicked link will flicker. Ideally, the clicked link will then slide up to the top of the page, a "back" link will appear, and page content will be loaded. I think it will look really cool.

Personal Site Reboot

I've started working on my personal website. It's at www.neobergeron.com. I got a neat design in my head, and it encouraged me to get back to work on the site. I've got a lot going on, so I think it'll be nice to have a place to gather all my info for myself and others. Hopefully, I can use the site to motivate me into getting more of my projects done.

I'll post updates about the site here. Today, I put up the new home page. It doesn't do anything yet, but it shows the design I'm working with. I plan on plugging in the Scriptaculous framework and using it to do some basic animation when links are clicked. Right now, it's just using Javascript for hover effects.

The site will grow. I'll probably use it as a test bed for new ideas or code I want to try out.