Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to all.

PS3 Controllers

It seems it is impossible to get first-party Playstation 3 controllers these days. Third-party controllers are also becoming scarce. Only three options seem to be readily available, and I have one of each.

The first two are both made by Powera, one wired, one wireless. They use the same case, and feel the same in the hand.  The wired version will run you 15-20$, the wireless 30$.

The wired Powara controller is very light, and feels cheap. It has no rumble motors, or sex-axis support. However, it handle modern games well, with the sticks being accurate, and the buttons being responsive. 2d games are not easy to play with this controller due to the placement of the d-pad.

The wireless version is heavier, and feels a bit better in the hands for it. In addition it has dual rumble motors and six-axis support. This has the same strength and weaknesses as its wired counterpart. It has decent battery life running for about 20 hours on 3 AAAs.

Both of these are alright, at least for modern games. If you play a lot of 2d games, or PS1 classics, these are not very good options.

The final controller is made by PDP. It runs 20$, wireless and is made of clear plastic with lots of LEDs. Thankfully the LEDs can be turned off.

Unlike the other two this controller has the same layout as a first-party PS3 controller, while being a little thicker in the hands. It runs on two AA batteries, getting roughly 18 hours play. It has dual rumble motors, and supports six-axis. The buttons are responsive and springy, and sticks are accurate and feel good on the thumbs. The d-pad is decent, having a central pivot.

Overall, of the options available I think PDP Afterglow is the way to go. Combines a low price, with the proper Playstation controller layout. Making it good for all game, not just modern ones.

Saying "no" never felt better.

Earlier this week I was contacted by a former classmate of mine. It would seem one of our old teachers is very close to death. The teacher would very much like to see our class altogether again, as we were the last one before some unfortunate events happened in her life. This is not a much of a task as you might think, there were only a little over 30 students.

Apparently, I was the last person that they were contacting. This classmate of mine had stayed in contact with our teacher over the years for reasons I can't begin to fathom. She however, wasn't asking me to come be apart of her little project, she was more ordering me to.

If you read the title, you already know my response, at least the short version. I have no good memories of the teacher. So I said "It gives me more pleasure than you can imagine to personally deny that old c**** dying wish. But you have a great day!". She began to yell in a way that only someone not used to hearing "no" can, but I didn't stay on the line to hear it. It is somewhat of a shame I couldn't deliver the message personally to the teacher, but that would ironically defeat the purpose.

That place was a hell I was in for two years. To get any kind of payback is so very sweet.

Shocked I need to say this.

Because a few people have asked, no I am not getting paid by anyone when I post about various video game controllers. Don't get me wrong, I would be happy to get paid, but at the moment that has NEVER happened.

I was really surprised anyone thought otherwise.

Powera Xbox One Wired Controller

I was in need of a controller for my Xbox one. I also didn't have interest in paying for an official one. At Walmart I found a cheaper option. 

This is a wired controller made by Powera. It was only 20$. It is a pretty good deal.

It has a good hand feel. The buttons and d-pad are responsive. The analog sticks are accurate. As mentioned it is wired, it comes with a removable 8 foot long cable.

The controller is much lighter than standard controller, and its rumble motors do not seem to be as powerful. Neither of these are real problems, but worth noting.

For 20$ this is a great deal. Good to have around as an extra for player 2, or as a back up when your first party controller runs out of batteries.  It also works perfectly on a Windows PC.

Black Friday 2018 Bounty

Not the biggest haul, but respectable.

Education.

While I was in a waiting room a child asked me what school was like. He was going into kindergarten, and wanted to know what to expect. I was first surprised that a child so young would approach me being large and bearded, but secondly rather at a loss for what to tell the child about k-12 public education. The boy's mother came up and got him before I could answer, she seemed worried, but the child was in no danger. Since then I have tried to think of a way to describe k-12 education, here are a few of my thoughts.

If I were to be bluntly honest, I would say school is 7 to 8 hours a day of psychological torture and emotional abuse. Most actual learning will be done alone on your time, and teacher will serve only to get in the way of the process. I guess the teachers are mostly acting as an obstacle so they feel like they earned their paycheck. This is clearly not something to tell a child, so perhaps speaking more symbolically would help.

School is basically a raping of the mind. Only when you don't enjoy being raped, you are told it is "for your own good", and that you will "look back on it fondly someday". Gang rape might be more accurate, do to the fact you will deal with many teachers over your time in school. Here again, I think this might be a bit much to tell a child. Maybe something the child could relate to would help.

Ever watch "Tom and Jerry"? Well in school you will be Jerry, and the teacher is Tom. Only Tom never gets any comeuppance. So... basically just "Tom and Jerry" if Tom won. This feels about right, but the child might think you were talking down to them.

School is like if you saw a vast forest, and in that forest was someone tryong to cut down the trees with a sledgehammer. And when told that a saw or axe would work better, that person treats you as if you have just spoken blasphemy. In this the students are the trees, and the teachers are holding the sledgehammers. This gets across the unpleasant nature of the experience, while also hinting at where the root of the problem lays.

Happy Veteran's Day

Yes it is veteran's day. Normally I wouldn't comment on that here. However, after last week, some people asked if I was a veteran. No, no I am not. I have never served, and have only respect for any person that does/did. To them, I say "Thank you for your service".


Some people have also asked if reporting a troll for stolen valor was an over reaction. To them, I say I did my duty as a citizen. No one forced him to masquerade as a soldier.

Dealing with a troll.

I used to go on a little forum. I was invited there by a friend. However it was not my kind of place, it was not a fan forum it was instead a "fanboy" forum. Specifically, it was for the Final Fantasy series, with most of them only interested in the 7th and 8th in the series, no accounting for taste.

This was not a great place to go. It was the kind of place that treated any opinion that varied from the majority as trolling. Sad to see a place like that. So after much harassment, mostly by the staff, I decided to leave and let them have their little safe space. However, I guess that wasn't good enough as one of them thought it was a good idea to continue the harassment off of their forum. This anger little boy made a big mistake.

So to take care of the situation, I warned him that there would be consequences to his actions. He continued despite my warnings. So as he likes to boast of being a soldier, whoever, he has never actually served in any military. So I reported him for stolen valor, which is a felony. I then went down to the local veteran's bar and got the real actual soldiers worked up, and many of them reported him too.

Well, I feel better about the situation. 

Happy Halloween

Remember if you give out raisins, you deserve the egging your house gets. Same goes for pennies, coupons, religious pamphlets, and other none candy items.

Fun with Nuns

Once while I was in an Office Depot I encountered a nun. She needed help, and thought I worked there, I did not. However, I helped her any. I go around to office stores looking for clearance items, good way to get spare flash drives and other bits. So, I encountered her several times. We got to be friendly.

One day she asked if I would get a coffee with her, I don't drink coffee, but I went with her anyway. It must have been an odd sight for people to see a dude like me sitting with a nun. While I had been friendly with her, this was the first time we had an actual serious conversation. She told me that I treated her differently then most people she was around outside of her convent. I told her, first that I wasn't catholic, and second that I was treating her as I would treat any woman I was friendly terms with. We would meet several more times, and conversed, and we began to flirt.

It wasn't till a few later that she asked an obvious question: "If you aren't catholic, what are you?". I told her I was an atheist, that I had been ever since as an 8 or 9 year old I had read the bible and various other religious texts  and found them wanting. After this conversation, I wasn't sure if I would see her again, but to my surprise I did.

I had expected her to try to covert me, or in someway talk me out my atheist stance, but she didn't. In fact she seemed very curious about it, I think I may have been the first one she had ever meet, or at least the first one she had ever had the chance to really talk to.

Then one day, she came to meet me and she wasn't in her habit. In normal cloths she was actually a fairly attractive woman. She told me that she had left the church, and that our conversations had been what made her start thinking about it. We have been friends ever since.

However, in some ways she hasn't left faith behind. She now actively proselytizes atheist ways of thinking, and protests for atheist rights. I personally don't do any of that, but it is good she has found something that she loves to do.

It warms heart to see that someone who was so emerged in religious practices can find enlightenment. It gives me hope for the world.

Working out.

I work out, a lot. 6 days a week. Tuesday through Sunday, taking Mondays off only because it is by far the most crowded day. Tuesdays and Wednesdays are crowded too, but not as bad as Monday.

The best days to work out are Saturday and Sunday. On these days the gym is empty. No wait time to use any of the weights.

Only problem with working out, got to go somewhere to do it. If only I had the funds for a home gym.

The last woman I was with.

This is a bit more personal. No names will be used, because I don't want to cause anyone involved any problems. This story is however true.

Last woman I was with I meet when I was working at Circuit City. This was during the Christmas season of 2007. A woman came in, needed help with cameras. She was completely covered, baggy sweat shirt, and pants, and was even wearing gloves. This was odd as we are in southern California, so even in the coldest parts of winter this style of dress is unnecessary.  After helping her, she asked for my phone number, I had assumed this was more for tech support than anything.

A week later, she called me, not with question about her camera, but to invite me over. Perhaps I am dense about such things, but I really had no idea she was interested. When I got there, I found out why she had been dressed the way she did: she was covered head to toe in tattoos. I had never seen anything like it, she was more than a beautiful girl, she was living artwork.

We were in what seemed to me to be happy relationship. Spent much time together, in person, on the phone. Went with one another to important things. Had a physical relationship as well, which I will not provide details about it. She was with me, even when I had employment problems, and not much money, didn't seem to bother her. I was content, and was under the impression she was as well. This went on till June of 2014.

It was then, that she told me she had just gotten married. I guess for all the time I was with her, I was just her man on the side. This hurt, as I had begone to consider what life might be like with her in a more legally binding way. As you can see by the date this going up, it took me a long time to even begin to talk about this.

Truth be told, it wouldn't have bothered me to be a "man on the side", I just wish I would have known about it at the time. I haven't seen her since. The evolved part of me wants her to be happy. 

8Bitdo SN30 Pro review.

Before we start, I am not getting paid for my this by 8Bitdo for my thoughts on their product.

Recently, I picked up this controller at Fry's Electronics for 50$.

The short version: It is easily the best controller I have ever used for 2d games. It is also a fine controller for modern 3d games.

The long version: This controller has a lot going for it, both tangible and intangible. Making for a controller that not only feels good in the hands, but is also make you wax nostalgic.

Firstly the contoller can be used on multiple systems, both wired and wireless (through Bluetooth). There are botton combinations printed on the bottom of the controller for quickly switching between systems. Windows, Mac OS, Android, Nintendo switch, and Raspberry Pi, can all be easily be paired to this controller.

The build quality is very good. The buttons feel good, and continue to feel good even after several weeks of heavy use. The d-pad has a very definite feel to it, with a proper pivot. The analog sticks are very precise, and work well for any modern game might play. The plastics used seem to be at least somewhat resistant to the natural oils of your skin. It has built in rumble motors, and motion controls that both work very well. The batteries last about 16 hours on a charge, and can last longer if you are using it for something without rumble support. It also has built in turbo for the buttons, which while not very useful in modern games, can be very useful when playing older retro games.

This controller tries very hard to invoke nostalgic feeling.  It is designed after the standard controller of the Super Nintendo, only with twin analog sticks, and an extra pair of shoulder buttons. This is taken further, as the plastics used are textured to feel the same as the ones used by Nintendo for their SNES controllers. The buttons also have the same height and resistance. Meaning that if you spent a lot of time with an SNES, you will undoubtedly be very fond of the SN30 Pro.

Insomnia to do list.

1. Look at the clock.

2. Flip channels on the TV

3. Find out there is an infomercial called "What does your poop say about you?"

4. Try to write a blog.

5. Fail.

6. Browse the internet.

7. Realize the only thing you go on it is pornography.

8. Play game on phone till wrists hurt.

9. Finally write a blog you hope is funny using stories from real life.

Movie Idea: The Bible the movie.

I have an idea for a movie. A movie about the bible. Unlike other bible movies, this isn't just about one section of the bible. Not just a creation story, or problems in Egypt, no... Instead it is about the whole bible.

The movie takes place in one room. It is God, and a collections of writters (possibly angles?) sitting and collectively writing the bible. You would see idea being pitched, impromptu details being added, whole sections written out but the struck down by comity. 

Head of the table would be God, don't need to show him directly. He could have his back to the other writers to show he is the boss. Or you could have occasional shots over his shoulder as he speaks at them.

You could end it with just the old testament, that way there is room for a sequel.

Mega Man Monday Bubble Man

Mega Man Monday Mega Man 2 Quick Man