Bill Loguidice's Blog, page 74

The problem with ranking the Star Wars movies and the limits of nostalgia

It’s always fun to rank things. Whether it’s the best videogames, the best books, the best restaurants, etc., rankings and listings are easy – and often fun – ways to subjectively rate things in a hopefully reasonably objective way through (preferably) well-reasoned argument. Goodness knows we all have opinions, with many of us enjoying sharing said opinions. For various reasons, including the fact that the most recent film in the series was controversial in some camps and highly polarized between the “love it” and “hate it” groups, ranking the Star Wars movies is a common practice. I’d like to explore my own ranking of the Star Wars films.

Now, ranking is difficult for me because my answer would be different depending upon when you’re asking. For instance, as a kid and into my teen years and a bit beyond, I adored the first three Star Wars films (episodes 4, 5, and 6). Like I’m sure many reading this, I watched each film what seems like dozens of times. Anyway, when I forced my daughters to watch the original trilogy on Blu-ray before the release of The Force Awakens, I really struggled with getting through those three movies for the most part (fortunately, my daughters generally liked the films and are now fans). They were still the same movies, but obviously a lot of what made them special – particularly the “wow” factor of the special effects – has long since been surpassed.

That’s no moon…

It used to be that these films were unmatched in terms of spectacle, but that’s no longer the case. In addition, movie making itself, from story telling to acting to general geek-centric product has advanced from when these films were fresh. I’m now used to something “better” than what the original three films offer. Frankly, that’s applicable to lots of older movies that I watched endlessly and happily as a kid (and beyond). I’m not sure when the turning point happened, but it did happen, and I can no longer enjoy most “spectacle” or effects-heavy older films (70s and 80s, but some 90s) as much as I used to (not by a long shot; of course, to be fair, a lot of this also applies to other media from the time and was a factor in liquidating most of my vintage videogame and computer collection). Even the pacing of most movies is different now, i.e., much faster versus the past.

So, for me to rank the Star Wars films, it’s tough. I do know that I never really liked the second trilogy much. I didn’t even watch Revenge of the Sith (acknowledging that many consider it the best of the second trilogy) and I only watched Attack of the Clones once (it was enough).

In terms of the original trilogy, in my youth, I was always partial to Return of the Jedi. As much as I appreciated Empire Strikes Back, I could probably never say it was truly my favorite. For me, the three original trilogy films are about even.

In terms of the newest three films (not a true trilogy like the others, of course), I really liked both The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi. I enjoyed Rogue One a great deal, but I must admit that the fairly poorly done CGI Tarkin and Leia took me out of the movie more than I would have liked. So, I guess, by default, that’s third, despite again, really liking it otherwise.

Finally, I’d like some more time to pass before passing true judgment on The Last Jedi and The Force Awakens (and of course, having the perspective of episode 10 would provide key insight into its predecessors). I also only saw The Last Jedi once so far, and I’d like that to change.

So, I can do a grudging ranking of my mindset right this moment, as:

1 – The Last Jedi (could eventually swap with 2)

2 – The Force Awakens

3 – Rogue One

4 – Return of the Jedi

5 – Empire Strikes Back

6 – Star Wars

7 – The Phantom Menace (keeping in mind I didn’t see Revenge of the Sith)

8 – Attack of the Clones

9 – ?

The post The problem with ranking the Star Wars movies and the limits of nostalgia appeared first on Armchair Arcade.

Misty Robotics launches personal robot developer program and 50% off early bird coupon

Sphero spin-off, Misty Robotics, has announced their Misty I Developer Edition prototype robot and software tools. They’re looking for a select group of developers and inventors to help them build their next generation personal robot. You can get more details at their Website, where, even if you’re not a developer, you can get a coupon good for 50% off the eventual price of the release version!

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Pay what you want for Humble Manga Bundle: Attack on Titan Universe by Kodansha

The Humble Manga Bundle: Attack on Titan Universe by Kodansha

Here’s the link. Offer expires 2018-01-31 11:00:00 PST.

Manga lovers, attack! Kodansha is back with a giant bundle of manga for you to devour. Pick up volumes 1-22 of Attack on Titan, plus titles like Before the Fall and Lost Girls. Then, feed your appetite with the hard-to find Attack on Titan Guidebook: Inside & Outside and Spoof on Titan. For even more colossal value, gobble up the Humble exclusive Attack on Titan: Exclusive Artbook!

Pay $1 or more. All together, the manga in this bundle would cost as much as $517. Here at Humble Bundle, though, you name your price of $1 or more and increase your contribution to upgrade your bundle!

Read them anywhere. These comics are available in multiple formats including CBZ, PDF, and ePub, so they work on your computer, e-readers, iPads, cell phones, and a wide array of mobile devices! (Note: Attack on Titan: Exclusive Artbook is not available as an ePUB.) Instructions and a list of recommended reading programs can be found here.

Support charity. Choose where the money goes – between the publisher, Kodansha Comics; the ACLU; and, if you’d like, a charity of your choice via the PayPal Giving Fund. For details on how this works, click here. If you like what we do, you can leave us a Humble Tip too!

The Humble Manga Bundle: Attack on Titan Universe by Kodansha

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Pay your own price for The Humble Book Bundle: National Parks by Lonely Planet

The Humble Book Bundle: National Parks by Lonely Planet

Here’s the link. Offer expires 2018-01-29 11:00:00 PST.

National parks need our help. We called up our friends at Lonely Planet to bring back this awesome bundle in support of the National Park Foundation. They even added two never-before-bundled titles, Best in Travel 2018 and National Parks of Europe! Your purchase will help protect our national parks and national monuments, which need safeguarding now more than ever. We hope you can pack up these ebooks and tour the beautiful wild lands of the United States – and other natural wonders of the world, too – for years to come.

Pay $1 or more. Together, these books would cost over $496. Here at Humble Bundle, though, you name your price of $1 or more!

Read them anywhere. These books are available in PDF, ePUB, and MOBI formats, meaning you can read them anywhere at any time. Instructions and a list of recommended reading programs can be found here.

Support charity. Choose where the money goes – between Lonely Planet and the National Park Foundation via the PayPal Giving Fund. For details on how this works, click here. If you like what we do, you can leave us a Humble Tip too!

The Humble Book Bundle: National Parks by Lonely Planet

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Get The Red Solstice for free, plus big discounts on other Steam games

The Red Solstice is FREE for 48 hours in the Humble Store! This promotion is available until Wednesday, January 17 at 10 a.m. Pacific time. Here’s the link. While there, be sure to check out the rest of the Winter Sale.

The post Get The Red Solstice for free, plus big discounts on other Steam games appeared first on Armchair Arcade.

After liquidating my videogame and computer collection, what I kept and why

As I detailed in my two previous posts on the subject (here and here), I got rid of my massive computer and videogame collection, as well as quite a bit of other associated materials (the big auction is set for some time in April or May, so stayed tuned). With 99% of the stuff in the basement gone, it’s now back to being an extremely usable space, with a nice gym, living room area, office space, and an unfinished portion that’s both a Makerspace (complete with crafting) and miscellaneous storage.

Looking down into the basement. It’s clear!

While there’s still a long way to go to fixing it up, including a fresh coat of paint and eventually replacing some outdated items, it’s already a joy to be in once again. With that in mind, I know there were several of you out there who wanted to know what the 1% of vintage stuff I decided to keep was and why. This is that explanation.

Looking into the vintage computer and videogame room, which is now functional.

First off, I obviously kept all modern computers, consoles, and handhelds (those are in the main living areas). Going forward, I’ll get rid of those as they become obsolete or a better option comes along. For the most part, I’m also all-in on digital, so amassing more physical items is not going to be an issue. This applies to books, movies, games, music, etc.

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Inside the room.

So of the vintage stuff, I kept a dozen systems. Note that, of those particular platforms, what I kept was just a fraction of what they actually consisted of, included system duplicates, which all went to the upcoming auction. That also includes tons of boxed software (sadly, to a degree, since I love a lot of vintage software boxes) and all kinds of other paraphernalia.

Another angle.

A different angle.

The final new angle.

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Three of four marquees that ultimately weren’t taken because of damage.

Here’s the vintage stuff I kept:

Apple II:

– Apple IIe Platinum (NTSC, full setup, several cards, etc.)

Apple IIe Plantinum.

Apple II stuff.

Atari 8-bit:

– Atari 800 (NTSC)

– Atari 1200XL (NTSC; ClearPic2002 video upgrade, R63 resistor upgrade for SIO, 28 pin EPROM OS motherboard, OS has two selectable operating systems – 800XL and Omniview+40/80 column text mode)

– Atari 800XE (PAL)

The Atari 8-bit stuff.

Commodore 64/128:

– Commodore 64c (NTSC)

– Commodore 64c (PAL)

– Commodore 128DCR (NTSC, includes JiffyDOS 128 and Servant ROM)

– Extra Commodore 1571

– Various flash devices and multi-carts and a few miscellaneous homebrew games

Commodore 128DCR.

Commodore 64 stuff.

GCE Vectrex:

– GCE Vectrex (two original controllers, one third party controller, various games, multi-carts, and overlays)

The Vectrex stuff.

Sony PlayStation 3:

– Sony PlayStation 3 (60GB launch model upgraded to 250GB Western Digital Scorpio 7200RPM, Hardware Backwards Compatibility with PS2/1)

– Steering Wheel rig (and associated games)

– Flight Stick (and associated games)

Tandy Color Computer:

– Radio Shack Color Computer 2 (NTSC, 26-3128A, Factory composite/audio out (education model))

– Radio Shack Color Computer 3 (NTSC, Triad 512K upgrade)

– Multi-pak Interface

– Various flash and multi-carts and other solutions; Sound & Speech Pak

– (see Tano Dragon)

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The CoCo and Dragon stuff.

Tano Dragon:

– Tano Dragon (NTSC, Hitachi 6309 CPU upgrade)

– Various flash and multi-carts and other solutions

– Disk drive with interface and switch to go between Tano Dragon and CoCo modes

I still have several displays left, including Sony Trinitron 20″ and 32″ CRT TVs (which the auction site wouldn’t take) and a Commodore 1084S monitor. Between those, several extra LCD monitors, our other, modern TVs, and a complete XRGB-mini setup, I still have plenty of coverage and versatility in that area.

Also, I have a selection of joysticks, paddles, gamepads, and an X-Arcade with various adapters for all kinds of different systems.

You’ll note that I didn’t keep any vintage consoles other than one Vectrex, and, if you want to call it vintage (for this, I do), the PlayStation 3. For the most part, I either wasn’t interested in keeping what I had, or could easily replicate the experience in emulation or some related manner (Retro Freak, etc.).

You’ll also note that I didn’t keep any vintage computers beyond the 8-bit ones. Although I was a big Commodore Amiga user back in the day and had every system in my collection save for a 3000 and 4000, I found the 16-bit+ experience wasn’t thrilling me as much anymore. It was too finicky, too close to modern experiences, too complex for more casual usage, etc. With 8-bit computers, you get a very specific, simpler type of experience out of it all and that’s something I was more interested in exploring with my limited “hobby” time.

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Heading down the now clear hallway.

For now, the living area. The PS3, PS4/PSVR (the PS4 Pro is upstairs), and Nvidia Shield are all here.

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Another angle.

Turning to look into the now usable gym area again.

So why did I keep the specific platforms that I did? Here’s a summary:

Apple II: I always had a fondness for this platform. It’s one of the big three for us in the US, along with the Atari 8-bit and C-64. It will obviously be used to play games, but I’m also interested in exploring some coding activities. I debated between the Apple IIe Platinum and my well-loaded Apple IIGS, but decided I preferred the simpler 8-bit configuration. Also, the Apple IIGS has no cassette port and displays original Apple II software a little differently than earlier II’s do.

Atari 8-bit: This is another one I have some interest in exploring some coding activities on. Technically I didn’t need the Atari 800 with the other two, but I can’t resist its aesthetics, and it’s nice to have a straight up original model for guaranteed compatibility with the older stuff.

Commodore 64/128: This was my first real computer, not counting a VIC-20, so my affection for this is obvious. It’s the vintage computing platform I understand best and the one I’ll probably be turning to the most for various things. Although it may seem odd I kept the 128DCR, it not only runs C-64 software, but also 128 mode and CP/M software, as well as has a built-in disk drive, saving me one external disk drive storage space. That type of versatility is prized in my new mindset.

GCE Vectrex: This was an easier one to justify because of the unique display and experience it provides.

Sony PlayStation 3: This is the backwards compatible model, so it can play PS1 and PS2 games. However, this was really kept because I have a fancy steering wheel rig as well as a flight stick that only really work well with the PlayStation 3 and the specific games I have for it. Still, the decision was made easier by its versatility.

Tandy Color Computer: This was a tough one, but I feel like I have unfinished business with this platform. It’s not a good game machine, but it does have an interesting processor and I’d like to explore some more involved programming activities with it. I could have easily just stuck with the CoCo 3 and have been fine, but, like with the Atari stuff, I wanted to ensure maximum compatibility with older software that would benefit from the CoCo 2’s restrictions and output.

Tano Dragon: This is the odd duck, the outlier. I really only kept it because I had a disk drive with switchable interface that works on both this and the Color Computer. Since I decided to keep that disk drive for the Color Computer (I kept real disk drives for all the computers save for the Atari 8-bit, just in case), I thought what would it hurt to keep this as well, particularly since I had a few extras like a multi-cart and a flash cart for it.

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Heading back down to the unfinished part of the basement.

The Maker area. 3D printing, CNC routing, laser engraving, 3D scanning, etc.

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More Maker-related stuff.

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Another angle.

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Eventually the rest will be a more organized crafting area.

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It’s hard to properly capture the different sections of the space, but you get the general idea. We’ll obviously limit how much more stuff goes everywhere. The key is to be lean and mean, and useful.

So that’s it. Again, my family and I are loving the extra space in the basement we have, freeing a whole other level of our house once again, and I’m actually able to easily use and enjoy what I have. While I will no doubt add a few things here or there for these systems, the focus will continue to be on extreme minimalism. Regardless, even before the auction takes place, I can say this move was as wonderful as I hoped it would be, despite the occasional pang of regret over letting go of a particular item or two.

The post After liquidating my videogame and computer collection, what I kept and why appeared first on Armchair Arcade.

Sid Meier’s Civilization VI, the Australia Civilization & Scenario Pack, and the Vikings Scenario Pack for just $12!

The Humble Monthly for January is now out, which means it’s time for the new Early Unlock game! The Early Unlock game for February is Sid Meier’s Civilization VI, the Australia Civilization & Scenario Pack, and the Vikings Scenario Pack! Humble Monthly subscribers can get the game right away for just $12, plus more games to come on Friday, February 2 at 10 a.m. Pacific time.

Here’s the link.

The Early Unlock game for February is Sid Meier’s Civilization VI, the Australia Civilization & Scenario Pack, and the Vikings Scenario Pack!

The post Sid Meier’s Civilization VI, the Australia Civilization & Scenario Pack, and the Vikings Scenario Pack for just $12! appeared first on Armchair Arcade.

Name your own price for The Humble Book Bundle: Work It Out by Callisto Media!

The Humble Book Bundle: Work It Out by Callisto Media

Here’s the link. Offer expires 2018-01-17 11:00:00 PST.

Bundling goals n’ gains. Care for a little self-care? Look after body and mind with this library of ebooks from our friends at Callisto Media. Get the Yoga Body and Mind Handbook, The Ultimate Bodybuilding Cookbook, Running Your First Marathon, Paleo for Beginners, and lots more to inspire you through the new year!

Pay what you want. All together, these books would cost over $147. Here at Humble Bundle, you choose the price and increase your contribution to upgrade your bundle! This bundle has a minimum $1 purchase.

Read them anywhere. These books are available in PDF, ePUB, and MOBI formats, meaning you can read them anywhere at any time. Instructions and a list of recommended reading programs can be found here.

Support charity. Choose where the money goes – between the publisher, The Little Free Library, and, if you’d like, a charity of your choice via the PayPal Giving Fund. If you like what we do, you can leave us a Humble Tip too!

The Humble Book Bundle: Work It Out by Callisto Media

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Pay what you want for top games in The Humble Staff Picks Bundle: Scribble

The Humble Staff Picks Bundle: Scribble

Here’s the link. Offer expires 2018-01-16 11:00:00 PST.

We think you’ll be drawn to this bundle. Etch-ing to get your hands on some new games? Top designer Scribble is cray-on the job. She’s outlined a few ideas for you, like Bioshock Infinite, SHENZHEN I/O, and Aragami. Look, just because she’s a purple crayon dog, doesn’t mean she doesn’t have good taste in games.

Pay what you want. Normally, the total cost for these games is as much as $102. Here at Humble Bundle, though, you choose the price!

Redeem on Steam and DRM-Free. All of the games in this bundle are available on Steam for Windows, and most for Mac and Linux too. All of the games except Bioshock Infinite and Punch Club are also available DRM-free. Pay $1 or more to access Steam keys. Please check out the full system requirements here prior to purchasing.

Support charity. Choose where the money goes – between the developers and a charity of your choice via the PayPal Giving Fund. If you like the bundle or like what we do, you can leave us a Humble Tip too!

 

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Pay what you want for the Humble Book Bundle: Python by Packt!

The Humble Book Bundle: Python by Packt

Here’s the link. Offer expires 2018-01-15 11:00:00 PST.

What…. Is your name? What…. Is your quest? Do you want to learn some Python skills? Are you tired of just holding two empty halves of a coconut and bangin’ ’em together? Then look no further, good Sir Knight. In this bundle from Packt, you’ll get Artificial Intelligence with Python, Beginning Python, Python Machine Learning, Software Architecture with Python, Learning Python Web Penetration Testing, Mastering Python, and lots more. Ni!

Pay what you want. All together, these ebooks would cost over $1308. Here at Humble Bundle, you choose the price and increase your contribution to upgrade your bundle! This bundle has a minimum $1 purchase.

Read them anywhere. These books are available in PDF formats, and some as ePUB and MOBI too. Instructions and a list of recommended reading programs can be found here.

Support charity. Choose where the money goes – between the publisher, The Electronic Frontier Foundation, and, if you’d like, a charity of your choice via the PayPal Giving Fund. If you like what we do, you can leave us a Humble Tip too!

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