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Friday, May 30, 2003
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nation's most dangerous intersections
It sounds like a bad Fox reality show, doesn't it? But it's not--check out the most dangerous intersections in NC. BTW, Meg and I encounter that Raleigh intersection several times a week--it's on our route to work, church, and the Dumais home. In case you don't live in NC, check out the most dangerous intersections in your neck of the woods.
Drive safely!
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video game friday
Not that this is important by any means, but I finally finished Medal of Honor:Frontline. It shouldn't have taken this long, but I had other games to play, too. :) The ending was neat, but not extraordinary. I love the attention to detail in the game, though.
Which brings us to this week's trivia...
Obviously Related Jeopardesque Category: Video Games
Answer: This game introduced to the world the most famous plumber of all time -- Mario!
| Place cursor here for solution. | What is Donkey Kong? |
A related article for you: Video Games Not So Mindless After All
Hopefully I'll get some good trade-in value at the video game store to purchase 'Enter the Matrix' for PS2.
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Thursday, May 29, 2003
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Game Review
Hellas - Kosmos/Rio Grande Games
Game Profile on BoardGameGeek.Com
  - 3 STARS
Fairly new in the Kosmos 2-player line is this unusually bellicose offering. Opponents set out to voyage and battle their way to victory in a nautical arena.
GAMEPLAY
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Trying to position themselves favorably for battle and expedition, players begin by each establishing 4 hexes of territory.
After this initial setup phase, regular game play commences. On each turn, a player has the option to perform one of three actions: Burst of Strength, Voyage, or Attack. In the 'Burst of Strength' action, the player can increase armies, place ships, or obtain 'god cards.' Building armies helps to set up for attacks. Placing ships facilitates successful voyages. Procuring 'god cards' allows for special actions, such as the ability to perform more than one action on a turn,
stealing 'god cards' from the opponent, and much more. In the Attack action, the attacker must have at least as many greeks attacking as those defending to win a land battle, and a majority to win an oversea battle. As you might imagine, successful battles can easily determine the outcome of the game. Voyages are attempted by uncovering and attempting to place a face-down tile near existing friendly ships. Voyages are somewhat risky, as it is possible to draw a tile that cannot be placed. The reward for a successful voyage is a newly colonized city.
The object of the game is to occupy 10 cities, by attacking your opponent and/or colonizing new lands.
OPINE
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The production value of this game is quite good. Even though the pieces are plastic instead of the preferred wood, they are well made and sturdy. It is very tactilely satisfying to place the meaty land hexes, warriors, and ships.
The game play, though simple, is not simplistic. As in any good game, the choices are sometimes tough. The game satisfies the wargamer in me. I have even heard it dubbed 'fast Risk' without the dice. I'd say that I like this better than Risk, due to its brevity (about 15-20 minutes).
Hellas has a lot going for it. On the other side, there is a lopsidedness that has come with each game that I have played (I'm at 5 now). It is extremely difficult to 'catch the leader.' Once someone has a three city lead, the game is almost over. Only an extremely well drawn 'god card' could get you out of it.
That being said, I give the game three out of five stars. The good outweighs the bad, but just barely. If I experience a few tight games, this rating might change.
2 Players / Approx. 20 min. Playing time / $14.95 at funagain.com
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Wednesday, May 28, 2003
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eight six seven five three oh ni - e - ine
Universal Studios should know better, and so should the general viewing audience. view article
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Friday, May 23, 2003
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the end of an era
The truck is sold. Is this the final rite of fatherhood?
No jeopardesque this week, but I wish you a great Memorial Day weekend!
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Wednesday, May 21, 2003
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it's a MOVIE, folks!
Re: The Matrix Reloaded...
"On Tuesday, a British philosopher joined critics who have attacked the film's philosophical themes." In the same article, people are cited blaming their deviant behavior on the film. Yes, the movie was good entertainment, however violent and with a needless sex scene. But come on! British philosophers are complaining and miscreants are using it as a scapegoat. Puh-lease. We must come to the realization that movies can point to the truth (not saying that this one necessarily does), but they aren't the source of it. We must also take full responsibility for our actions and discard 'the devil made me do it' mentality, however tempting. Your comments are welcome.
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Tuesday, May 20, 2003
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avoiding a head-on collision
The following quote is from a RelevantMagazine.com article about art pointing people to God:
"Why don’t more artists take the role of prophet? Perhaps because it’s just a lot more difficult. Perhaps because we’re making some wrong assumptions, one being that to be evangelistic, we must somehow spell out the Gospel in plain English in a song or a painting." -- Keith Giles
Makes me wish I were an artist.
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ah, tuesday
Here's a little humor to help get you through the week:
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Friday, May 16, 2003
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happy weekend
I hope you're having a great Friday. I will apologize up front -- this week's trivia isn't related to anything in particular. But hey, you got your Jeopardesque this week, so don't complain! :)
Jeopardesque Category: Foreign Languages
Answer: In the Greek language, the English semicolon functions as this.
| Place cursor here for solution. | What is the question mark? |
Some very unrelated links:
Bill Gates Stiffs Waitress in South Dakota
San Antonio Spurs finally bring Lakers their Fate
A New Medal of Honor Game!!
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Thursday, May 15, 2003
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technology down the toilet
First it was the sports page under glass over the urinal in the men's bathroom (glass=really good idea). Then it was TV screens showing SportsCenter at the ESPN Zone. What could be better, right? How about interactive video games in the loo. Is this what we've come to? Using MIT's best brains to make stupid entertainment. Well, I gotta admit, I'd want to try it, especially after a few Diet DPs. Anyone want to try to beat my high score?
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too funny not to share
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Friday, May 09, 2003
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back to school
Last night, I began taking a non-credit class at Wake Tech called 'Programming Basics.' It's kind of weird to be back in the classroom, but also exciting. I took a preparation trip to Wal-Mart and purchased the necessities: a box of 3.5" disks, a spiral notebook, and peanut butter crackers. Okay, maybe the crackers weren't necessary, but they sure did come in handy.
Last night's class was interesting. I learned some of the basic nuggets of programming logic, and was able to write a very simple program. I think that I can really get into this. And because the class covers C++, Visual Basic, Java, and HTML, I should be able to use what I learn on this website!
Related Jeopardesque Category: Basic Programming Logic
Answer: In programming logic, this is the concept of repeating a task until a condition is satisfied.
| Place cursor here for solution. | What is a loop? |
Enjoy your Friday!
Enjoy your Saturday!
Enjoy your Sunday!
Until next time . . .
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Thursday, May 08, 2003
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new game review
Amun-Re - Hans im Glück
Game Profile on BoardGameGeek.Com
 - 4 1/2 STARS
In Reiner Knizia's latest gem, he welcomes the gamer again to Egypt. This time, the objective is to obtain land and build pyramids. But that's not all -- when the new kingdom comes, old domains are lost and you must begin again!
The game has elements of money management, city building, and two elements of bidding. The challenge is to balance your tactics to maximize your victory points. It is reminiscent of Knizia's Ra in theme and bidding, but there's much more going on here. And just as with Ra, concentrating on one area will NOT win the game for you.
After three plays, Amun-Re gets a solid 4.5 stars. It was a hit with my wife, and even went over well with my non-gaming friends. I'd say it's a middle-of-the-road gamer's game. It's got some meat to it, but doesn't take forever. Complexity level is inbetween Ra and Puerto Rico.
3-5 Players / Approx. 90 min. Playing time / $27.95 at funagain.com
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Tuesday, May 06, 2003
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the perfect food
I think I found the perfect food. Salsa. You heard me right -- I said salsa. Let me count the ways:
1. It tastes good.
2. It's cheap to make.
3. It's not full of calories or fat.
4. The garlic helps fight cholesterol.
5. The tomatoes help fight cancer.
6. It's fun to make.
I found a recipe on the web and cooked up my first batch this weekend. My first two batches, actually. The first was a mild version, and the second was hot.
You can find the recipe here, although I substituted a jalapeno pepper for the serrano chiles, and tomatoes for the tomatillos (which I couldn't find at my local Kroger store). The only downside to this perfect food? My breath after eating it.
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Saturday, May 03, 2003
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Joy =
- jamming to poor old lu in the shower
- enjoying my cats
- Saturdays!!
- gaming with friends
..and the big stuff:
- my awesome wife
- anticipation of our new addition
- salvation
- our loving God
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Friday, May 02, 2003
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The Eyes Have It
The eyes: Window to the Soul? Reflection of your Inner Self? An interesting study on the eyes can be found here. Note: views expressed there are not necessarily those of dreifuss.org.
Obviously Related Jeopardesque Category: The eyes
I'm taking the shortcut this week, and pointing you to Bauch & Lomb's trivia page.
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