SeiferTim's Journal

listening to "Pr0n S0ng - MC Frontalot" on Blip

Wed, 06 May 2009 19:40:26 GMT

@mc_frontalot :D

listening to "Let's Croak Toads!!! - Brian Davis" on Blip

Wed, 06 May 2009 19:27:20 GMT

Trying out this blip.fm thingum... (thanks @WoWGrrl)

Mon, 23 Feb 2009 18:07:44 GMT

Most people here on LJ would probably assume I'm dead or something, but in fact I have only been making posts on my own site: http://timsworld.nfshost.com
I still read my friend's posts, but I will no longer make any more of my own posts on LJ - I may occasionally pop in from time to time to leave a comment on other people's posts.

Quizzin'

Fri, 31 Oct 2008 17:41:59 GMT

Your result for Howard Gardner's Eight Types of Intelligence Test...

Intrapersonal

37% Logical, 29% Spatial, 35% Linguistic, 47% Intrapersonal, 8% Interpersonal, 25% Musical, 18% Bodily-Kinesthetic and 35% Naturalistic!

"This area has to do with introspective and self-reflective capacities. Those who are strongest in this intelligence are typically introverts and prefer to work alone. They are usually highly self-aware and capable of understanding their own emotions, goals and motivations. They often have an affinity for thought-based pursuits such as philosophy. They learn best when allowed to concentrate on the subject by themselves. There is often a high level of perfectionism associated with this intelligence.

Careers which suit those with this intelligence include philosophers, psychologists, theologians, writers and scientists." (Wikipedia)

Take Howard Gardner's Eight Types of Intelligence Test at HelloQuizzy

Dices

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 18:15:10 GMT

I saw this, and wanted to share, specifically because I think zaxec would get a kick out of it:
http://dicemonkey.wordpress.com/2008/10/30/dice-control-my-attempt-at-theory/

Behold the power of the Scientific Method

Wed, 01 Oct 2008 06:05:52 GMT

Don't usually pay attention to the Onion anymore, but this gave me a chuckle.

http://www.theonion.com/content/news/evolutionists_flock_to_darwin

Play-by-Post RPGs

Thu, 25 Sep 2008 22:04:43 GMT

So, I haven't posted here in a long time - that's because I've been busy with my main Site.
And, this other little side-project:

Play-By-Post RPGs!

So, what is it? Well, it's traditional-style, pen-and-paper RPG-ing, using a forum (in my case phpBB), or some other web-software to allow all the players to play whenever they have time.

So, the general idea is that someone DMs a game through the forum, making posts about what the players see, etc, posting maps and combat updates, while the players post about what they want to do, and basically play a game of D&D online, without any software, or free-time conflicts. There are certainly some problems in the mix to be addressed, but the pros seem to outweigh the cons, at least in theory.

So, in order to try out this method of gaming, I'm getting ready to start a 'trial-run' campaign. I want to run a 5-player adventure, using D&D 4E rules, and the PbP method. You can read more about the campaign on the forum itself. The trial-run is meant to be a test of how the whole thing works out, so that I can get a feel of how to DM that type of game, and so that I can get some feedback from the players to see if there are things that they like, or dislike.

So, if you are interested in playing with us, there are 4 slots free. Just head on over to the forum (here's another link if you need it ;) ), register, and then post in the Planning thread to let me know.

I would prefer it if you have some RPG experience, although I won't nesecarily throw you out if you don't. So. Oh, damn, I missed that one. ;)

Presenting: Zounds! The astounding emprises of Douglas and Trilby

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 05:28:59 GMT

I am excited to finally unveil the project that Louisa and I have been working on for the last few weeks:

Zounds! The astounding emprises of Douglas and Trilby

Zounds! Is an online, serialized story that follows a heroic duo: Douglas and Trilby as they uncover hidden plots, corruption, and conspiracies within their city and world. The story takes place in a world similar to our own, with a setting similar to our 1930s-1940s, with a small hint of 'steampunk' flavor (but just a hint).

Each installment of the story will be updated each Monday morning - at least for now. Most updates will contain a few paragraphs of the story and an illustration to go with it. We've already got enough material for the first 6 weeks(!), and by the time those have all been released, we should have many more weeks done. We're both really excited about it, and I hope we can get other excited about it, too. Head on over and check it out, and let us know what you think!

...uh-oh...

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 01:08:57 GMT

It's coming...

Jefferson Bible

Sat, 05 Jul 2008 17:29:25 GMT

I found this very, very interesting...

Tim's World - Updated!

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 18:21:54 GMT

I recently finished making some major changes to my Tim's World Blog... head over there and check it out, and tell me what you think!

Progress...

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 21:50:16 GMT

Well, you can probably see that I haven’t done very much with the Engine lately - I’ve just been too busy to find any time to do much. However, I have been working on some of the other parts of the site....

[Read More]

'nader!

Thu, 22 May 2008 19:55:41 GMT

http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/05/22/colorado.tornado.video/index.html?eref=rss_topstories
holy carp!

lame.

Thu, 22 May 2008 15:48:36 GMT

We've been moving stuff over this last week. We've got our bed, washer and dryer, and a ton of boxes. We still have a LOT more to move.
Moved my computer over last night to set it up and watch some shows while we worked on the house... set it up and it won't come on. Hook up and switch on the power, and there is a strange, high-pitched whistle sound, that gets more intense when I press the power button. Power Green Light comes on, HD Red light comes on, DVD and CD Rom Drive Lights come on, all the fans start up, but then it just sits there, all the lights on, nothing happening, except for the whistle sound, which sounds similar to what you get when you touch two pennys together in dry ice... can not afford a new computer, or any computer parts at this time, so I'm hosed for now.

In other news... how come no one told me that Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters had been re-released on PS2? I really want to play it. I really want to play the PS3 one, too, but there's no way I'm ever going to get a PS3 unless I win the lottery.

Oh, and I've found myself reminiscing about FFVII lately - partially because I'm thinking of the story and world for my game, and I keep coming back to FFVII as one of my favorite games of all time. I find myself replaying moments of the game over in my head, and remembering where I was, what I was doing, and how I felt when pieces of the story unfolded, or a fun battle was completed. It's been an unprecidented trip down memory lane for me, since I'm positive that if you had asked me a week ago, I could not have told you the name of city with the Mako Cannon (Junon), or the events in the Temple of the Ancients that caused Cait Sith to sacrifice himself (well, one of his bodies) to obtain the Black Materia. Typically, I have a fairly short window of memory that I can access - everything outside of that window is muddled and impossible to retrieve, but then there seems to be another short window of long-term memory that seems to be able to flow freely, and unintentionally. It's pretty disconcerting, to be honest.

Anyway, I better get back to work now.

Game Engine

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 15:43:37 GMT

Hey everyone!
I don't think anyone actually reads what I post anymore, but, I figured I'd put this out here anyway:
On my Worldbuilding Blog, I added a post about the future plans of the game engine that I'm working on...
Please take a look, and let me know what you think!

In other news, we closed on our Condo on Monday, and we've started cleaning and preparing to move. We spent $250 at Lowes last night on paint and crap, we're planning to repaint all the rooms and then replace the carpet... it's a huge task, and I'm already worn out thinking about it... stress stress stress....

Naomi is getting huge... she's jabbering a lot, too. Louisa posted some pics yesterday, which means I can link to them ;)

Game Progress - Day 1

Mon, 14 Apr 2008 04:38:54 GMT

Read the latest progress of my game here: http://seifertim.exofire.net/2008/04/13/game-development-log-day-1/

Tired

Sat, 12 Apr 2008 06:41:36 GMT

...read this, goodnight.

How d'ya like dem updates?

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 03:09:42 GMT

Due to a multitude of reasons, such as Charter's Horrible Server, intermittent connection issues, Charter's Horrible Server, computer crashes, and Charter's Horrible Server, I've pretty much abandoned my dream of running my own blog using my own server software. *tear* There's been so much going on that I hardly know where to begin - everything has been busy and hectic, but I wanted to get something of an update out to everyone, because I know the anticipation is driving you mad, so, in no real order at all, here's What's Been Going On™:

Baby:
    Naomi is getting huger than the hugeness she had previously attained. She's got a Doctor's appointment coming up in a week or two, which means will get to stand around aghast as the scale collapses into a singularity when it tries to weigh her. Also, she's been 'talking' more, mostly in the form of Babyese, which she must realize we don't speak, since she takes every available opportunity to yell it at us, like people do to foreigners - because the louder you say something, the higher the chance the other person will understand you. she's got a total of 3, deadly-sharp teeth protruding from her gums, and Louisa now has nightmares of the razer-lined maw closing in towards her mammaries. She's scooting a lot more, as well, and we now have to be on diligent watch when she is let loose to terrorize the floor.

Baby says: sl jklmn m jMl

Condo:
    We're closing on April 10th, and then should be moving everything from this place to the new place shortly after. We started the painful task of packing up all our stuff... it's a very, very long, uphill battle... Although I don't know if this is even plausible at this time, I would like to try to have some people get together once we move for some type of "everyone hang out at the new place" type thingum... I've probably lost touch with anyone who would have wanted to come, but let me know if this is something you would be interested in.

Work:
    While insanely stressful at times, work has recently taken a turn towards 'fun'. I've started working on a new segment of our vast Medical Billing System which, using Voicent, we will allow clients to send us lists of patients who need to be called, either for Past-due balances, Appointment Reminders, or whatever else they might need to be called, and we have an automated system call those patients, say something like: "this is Dr. So-and-so, please call the office at ### as soon as possible" - or whatever that Doctor's office wants to say. So far, it's complicated, interesting, and, most importantly, working, which is a lot of fun.

Projects:
    I know that I have a lousy habit of picking up and dropping projects, unfinished, but I just love to try to create things, only to be met with the realization that I don't have the time, or the resources to get anything done... anyway, here's a few more things I've been working on:

Lim still exists, although it's sort of in Limbo. I just haven't had the motivation to get back to work on it. An old friend of mine has recently started up a hosting service, and is letting me host the game on his servers for free - at least until we start making money from it. I just need to get the files transfered there someday...

I had this idea to create an intricate, complete fictional encyclopedia, sort of as an experiment to see if I have the ability to come up with something that can be like a living world... imagine something like WoWWiki, only if WoW didn't actually exist, but all the lore, history and characters did. It's still in it's infancy, and I only have a few things written up, but I've been gradually adding to it. We'll see how that turns out...   Finally, I've started working on a WoW Addon, more as an experiment to see if I can. The addon's function is to simply allow a player to automatically block incoming duel, party, guild or trade requests, track the players asking for those things, and ignore people who keep pestering you. I have it blocking Duels and Party requests so far. If you want to see if so far, you can find it here.

Entertainment:
    We recently downloaded (and then watched ravenously) the last 3 seasons of the new Doctor Who series. It's the best show I've seen in a long time. I also want to watch the older episodes, but they have been very hard to locate. We've also downloaded Torchwood, which is a spin-off of Doctor Who, but it has failed to show as much awesome as the Doctor has. We do plan on finishing the season sometime.
    We've also been watching Futurama, we're almost done with the last season :(. Also an amazing show that I never got a chance to watch all of before.
    We rented Enchanted, which wasn't that bad for being a: a Disney movie, and b: a romantic comedy, or whatever it is. Fun family movie.

WoW:
    Ah, you knew I'd throw this in here somewhere ;) Patch 2.4 landed like a ton of Adamantite Bars, and Louisa and I have been trying vigilantly to complete our Daily quests in order to assist the Shattered Sun Offensive in taking down Kael and the legion. I'm a little bit bummed, since I know we're never going to see the inside of the Magister's Terrace instance, let alone any of the other ones, but the other content has proven to be quite amusing and rewarding. WotLK is due out soon, and if this is a taste of what's to come, Blizzard is going to be getting my $14.99/mo for quite a bit longer.
    I don't remember if I wrote about it, but a few weeks ago my account was hacked - it was a traumatizing experience - they deleted most of my character, disenchanted all my gear, and transfered my level 70 Hunter to another server. It took a few days, but they restored everything (as far as I can tell), and it's been smooth sailing ever since. Louisa has finally saved up enough gold for her epic flying mount training, and after she gets 6 horribly unattainable skill points in engineering, she'll be able to build her Turbo Charged Flying Machine.

Okay, I think that's enough of an update for tonight... I might come back in another 3 months for another one... just kidding... I hope.

Blinky, Pinky, Inky, Clyde, meet your new neighbor...

Sun, 16 Mar 2008 20:30:49 GMT

I read these two articles, and thought: if there's one thing our new condo is sorely lacking, it's a Haunted Pac-man game. Louisa says "no". :(

Abandonment!

Mon, 28 Jan 2008 20:08:00 GMT

I'm going to be abandoning my LJ and moving over here: http://seifertim.blogsite.org/
I'm going to keep the account for comments and to see my friends page, but won't be posting new things. Hop over to the new Blog for more details.

x-posted to parenting101 community

Fri, 25 Jan 2008 01:43:57 GMT

I just finished watching part 7 of the 7-part PBS Special on Evolution. Parts 1-6 were probably one of the best things I've watched in a long time. However, part 7 was an altogether different experience. It was titled: "What about God?".
Now, it's not that it was of a lesser quality than the other 6, it's just, well... The range of emotions I experienced went from Disbelief, Shame, Pity, Surprise, Anger, Fear, and Exasperation, with a few stops in between. It had never before been so clear to me the precise nightmare that our society is in today.

At different points in the show, there were scenes that depicted rooms full of young children and their parents signing along to a song that went something like: "I don't believe in evolution | I know creation's true", and "God created everything | and the 6 day story's true | so the Big Bang theory's just a dud | and the million years are, too". Another scene showed someone - apparently one of the 'leading activists against the lie of evolution', explaining how the flood (Noah's ark) deposited animals around the world in such a way that they were buried in mud and created fossils, only a couple thousand of years ago, with cute little diagrams too. There was a large section of the show devoted to talking about this school in Tennessee, where a group of students started a petition to get "Scientific Creation" taught in their Science Class, simultaneously with the theory of evolutionary biology. Thankfully, they didn't succeed, but they kept showing scenes of this group of students sitting around talking about how evolution is inferior to their beliefs - and frankly, much of what they said to support their "Scientific Creation" was disturbingly inaccurate...

My fear is that, in a couple of years, my Daughter is going to be starting school (okay, she's 6 months now, so it might be a while...), but there seems to be a growing number of these 'movements' and petitions to either force evolution out of school, or throw in these other things like Intelligent Design, or whatever "Scientific Creation" is supposed to be (from what I could gather, because the schools have said that they would allow any valid, scientific theory to be taught alongside evolution in science classes, Christians and other religious people have been trying to come up with some type of scientific version of the creation story that's in the bible... which essentially means they take small pieces of science that agrees with their views and throw away the rest to come up with something that does not stand up to any type of scientific testing, and try to pass it off as a theory that is just as valid as evolution).

It worries me that when she should be learning about science, and biology, and the natural world, it's either going to be completely absent from her curriculum, or, she's going to also have her head filled with this magical, feel-good, 'God loves you', nonsense, and be completely screwed when she has to think for herself on the matter.

IF they, for some reason, decide that the Christian - or any other - view of creationism should be taught in school, they should only do it in a separate, theology class, or something that has a clear distinction from "Science" vs "made up crap", and I really don't think that they should have any class where religion is the focus of study, outside of college curriculum.

Anyway, I apologize for this getting to be longer and more rant-y than I intended... I'm still kind of fuming thinking about this stuff... What I was hoping to find out is this: What steps can I start taking - and when - to help ensure that when my Daughter is in school, somewhere along the line, she is able to learn about evolution, and other science. I'm not qualified to teach it to her. Having her watch the PBS special(s) over and over is not going to help her learn about it... so where do I turn?

Drood

Thu, 24 Jan 2008 20:55:48 GMT

So I rolled a Nelf Drood a few days ago, simply because I kept hearing people say how awesome the class is (pretty much the same reason I rolled my Warlock, not that long ago). It's a pretty fun class to play. Unfortunately, I'm pretty weak (that could just be because I'm only level 19...) I seem to die at least once on each quest I try to complete... it could also just be because the Night Elf starting areas are really horrible (give me Westfall, any day!), but I've decided to tough it out and stay there while I progress through the quests. My first character hopped on the ship bound for brighter lands as soon as I found out there were ships, so I feel like I might have missed some neat content... We'll see.

My goal with this character is to be more viable for instances and raids when I get closer to end-game. Once the mankey is a little older, I would like to be able to see more of the content like Karazhan (which still looks to me to be the most fun instance ever...), and Sunwell, etc. I've only seen the inside of like 3 of the Burning Crusade instances, and only completed 1 of them (the first on: Hellfire Ramparts). Which is partially due to the baby, and the lack of free time, but I think mostly due to the fact that my main character sucks, and no one likes to take Hunters into difficult dungeons. On top of that, the guild Louisa and I were in has fallen to pieces. It seems that there was a sudden rift in players who wanted to run end-game content over, and over, and over to get better gear, and the players who only have time to raid once a week - if at all. The result was that several members of the guild quit and went to another guild, and the rest of the players just slowly drifted away. Louisa and I both /gquit a while ago, and put our characters into the Nubcakes guild. I would love to get our guild off the ground someday and start actively inviting people to join us, but that will have to wait until later.... Possibly after I get my druid up to 70+, and have the ability to actively switch specs from Balance to Feral to Restoration as the need arises.

Our Land of Lim game is still progressing - a little slowly, since I've been busy at work, but I think most of the content creation tools are in place and working beautifully. I've been working on a Wiki for documentation, and a sort of encyclopedia of all things Lim, and it's just been lots of fun. We have to add a few more behind-the-scenes interfaces for quests, and things, and then churn out tons of more images, and then I think we'll be just about ready for some Beta Testing.

1 (one) Pic and 1 (one) Movie.

Thu, 24 Jan 2008 02:34:22 GMT

Yes.

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 20:10:50 GMT

Gah

Sun, 06 Jan 2008 07:01:15 GMT

Check out this site: Kongregate it's pretty awesome - if you sign up, tell 'em SeiferTim sent ya'