Renamed!
My LieroX ID shall, from this day forward, be Tempest (or [SA] Tempest).
In other news, SA will be hosting a LieroX and StarCraft summer event! I’ll be posting the details here as soon as I’ve negotiated the details with the clan.
SA-Sponsored Events
Sponsored by Storm Alliance
Party #1: StarCraft Brood War
Date and time: February 27, 2009 @ 2pm and continuing until no hosts are available
I will be one of the initial hosts.
Potential maps from me: BGH, LT, Andromeda, Hunters, Katrina, Othello
Others may decide to go for UMS. I will not be doing any UMS during this event, but possibly at another event.
This event is open to the members of SA and their friends. If you don’t know any of us, you will not be able to get in. We will sponsor another event at a later date, so apologies and don’t fret if you’ve been left out this time.
Party #2: LieroX
Postponed until further notice.
Technical Remedy for Computer Death
I must have forgotten about putting this over here on my WordPress. Can’t believe this is almost a month late.
My new computer arrived on January 22 from Dell. It’s an Inspiron 530.
Specs:
- Intel Q8200 2.33GHz
- 4GB RAM (looking like DIMMs)
- 500GB HDD (actually 489GB) + 144 (actual) GB from previous computer HDD = about 630GB
- Intel graphics chipset >_>
- Generic 20″ widescreen Dell monitor
- OS: Microcrap Vista SP1
- Anything else is generic Dell stuff (including the motherboard)
External hardware (some retained from previous computer)
- Dell generic keyboard (it’s actually not that bad – I prefer it over the “laptop-styled” keyboards)
- Logitech LX7 cordless optical mouse
- Realtek speakers (used when the headphones are getting to my ears)
- Logitech clearchat comfort USB headset
So yup…I’m up and running again.
Note regarding Gyakuten Saiban scores: expect them to come slowly to very slowly.
SA: Unofficial Extension and Event
Since many of the SA members (including myself) have mostly moved on to StarCraft, SA will now unofficially make an extension to StarCraft Brood War.
I am also trying to plan a double party for February 27 when we will have no classes. 1.5-2 hours of Liero, and 1.5-3 hours of SC. I’ll break them apart so that we can actually have some breaks. There will also be a 10 to 15 minute intermission, probably at most every hour. I’ll post again with more information.
On a side note, I was disappointed with the ridiculously buggy OLX8 client! It completely destroyed our previous event!
New SA Members
LieroX has found new ground at our new school and we have added two new members to our clan!
A warm welcome to:
Chimmi Chunga, a new friend of ours found at this new school.
Lime, a first-generation member. He will probably change his name soon.
Storm Alliance Announcements
Storm Alliance has been inactive due to its members moving away to other matters, StarCraft and WarCraft being among the most common. I’m considering expanding our clan to StarCraft or adding a StarCraft branch to our clan. I’ll deal with that later.
I’m also considering declaring Xfire the official communication tool and OLX8 the official Liero client for our clan. More on that later as well.
New members will be joining Storm Alliance soon, as Liero has found new ground at our new school.
Now to the most important part of the announcements. Storm Alliance will be hosting a Christmas event!
Time and Date: December 23, 2008, 2pm to 5pm
Master server: thelobby.altervista.org/server
Server names: Storm Alliance Christmas Network (tentatively…probably will need a second server)
Server hosts: Most likely Tempo and Aliean
Invitations: not required, but we extend them to KCC.
Special rules: TBA
Settings/modes to be planed: various, but morts and Powerstruck – Dawn will definitely be on there, as well as a few rounds of spam.
Client recommended: OLX5, or OLX8 if you can handle the risk of bugs
There will probably be another event for the new year, and we might be doing both SC and Liero that day. That’s still in the works, though.
Opinions on Java
Alright, so I’ve gotten myself a very general understanding of Java and I can make small programs with it. Already I can tell you a few fundamental reasons I don’t like the language.
For one, everything is either a primitive data type (and there are only eight of them) or an object. The byte, short, and float are hardly used, which leaves the int, long, boolean, char, and long. I don’t use the long much either, but I can see its application.
Objects? Excellent, but what happened to the struc (known to Pascal as the record)? How would a genuine enumerated type be? There are some types that would be far better off as a structure than an object because of instantiation and what not. Enumerated types I can do without (using integer or byte as a substitute), but it increases development time.
Here’s another stupid thing: returning compile-time errors when variables are not initialized or objects not instantiated before using them. Sure, it can create bugs, but there ARE reasons not to initialize a variable.
I also get annoyed because of scope problems. I cannot use an object instantiated in the try block for anything in the finally block.
There’s more, but that’s all I can remember at the moment, so we’ll leave it here.
Computer Death
Alright, so the computer I was using, a Dell Dimension5150, has thrown in the towel, or rather, quit its job. I didn’t expect to get hit by it so soon, but things happen and technology can’t be trusted.
The power button on the front, when pressed, only blinks orange. The problem has appeared several times, and every time before it took some time and then suddenly worked. I’m not exactly sure what the culprit is; I suspected the power supply but there is a contradiction created by this explanation. As to the motherboard, I can’t say anything for sure either. I looked up some internet help, and the problems range from leaky capacitors (WOW Dell…it’s apparently a common problem too) to incompatible devices to faulty USB connectors.
I’ll probably be recovering my HDD, possibly some RAM and/or data cables, maybe the speakers, the mouse, my headset, and hopefully not the monitor. The majority of my most critical data is either available in paper form or on my USB key (my HDD isn’t dead anyways…).
I’ll be using this OS-fail computer for the time being. CPU is less powerful, less RAM, AND it uses Vista. Can’t ask for much more. I don’t have administrator status on this machine, but I’m running a VM, and Windows 2000 Professional, although less convenient when it comes to some programs, and not as advanced, is actually pretty good (not that I didn’t know that. I just haven’t used it much lately.) XP isn’t that bad, now that I think about it. Vista, though…IS HORRIBLE. QUIT FREEZING EVERY SEVERAL HOURS! I need you to sit still and wait for me!
I’ll get a new computer, probably on Boxing Day, and then wait a few days for delivery. Hopefully Brawl and StarCraft Brood War will also end up “under my tree” on Boxing Day. I’ll probably end up buying Brawl for myself, plus a NGC (GameCube) Controller. I heard it’s real hard to play SSBB with the Wiimote.
GS1: Logic and Trick v2
I’ve done the revision for GS1: Logic and Trick. I slowed it to 30% and then it broke down pretty easy from there. Only pages 4-6 have been changed, but the zip file includes the first three pages as well.
Only one more to fix up before I move on to GS1: Examination Allegro. Advance notice that I will be using a different size of manuscript for this work. The sixteenths in the bass will eat up too much space any other way.
GS2 Examination Moderato v2.1
Some minor changes to the last section have been made. I’m convinced that this will be the last revision.
Final version…hopefully
