The Spam Thread!

[cpd2009]

It isn't a surprise for Ruby to garner a lower score anyway, given the processor and all.

True. I did have an urge to merge her media production programs into Patsy, but I just spent some good money on those aforementioned upgrades. Putting Ruby to the curb now would be money wasted...

In other news, almost done with Mighty No 9. The experience has been good so far, with just the framerate drops being the most visible issue.... until earlier tonight. I was randomly playing through one of the final levels of the game (which I thought was the last level), got to one section with a lot of enemies and voice dialog, and the game hard freezes my Wii U! :/ A hard reset later, I was able to complete the level no problem.

I was playing the game for a rather long time... at around 3 hours or so. I wonder if that had anything to do with the game, or if it's just rushed coding? Is this a PortingDisaster? Or is it a case of ChristmasRushed, where pressure and criticism from the Kickstarter backers and gaming press pushed Comcept/Inti Creates to rush the game to retail, to avoid yet another delay?

Only Keiji Inafune knows.

[huckleberrypie]

And they're basically fuming at Keiji for delivering a half-finished game, viewing the Kickstarter as just a big scam or something like that. No, I have nothing against the developers for failing the audience's expectations, but they sholudn't have bit more than what they could chew and developed it at their own pace like what R* did for the PC release of GTA V. The latter was oft-delayed, but when it was released, it more or less regained gamers' faiths on R* as they have since learned from their mistakes with GTA IV for the PC.

[cpd2009]

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="https://www.amazon.com/Dell-U2713HM-27-Inch-Discontinued-Manufacturer/dp/B009H0XQQY/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8">https://www.amazon.com/Dell-U2713HM-27- ... op?ie=UTF8</a><!-- m -->

I became aware of the Dell U2713HM monitor through a book illustrators public FB page, and gave it a good review. The Amazon reviews are also good for the most part. I so want this Dell monitor, despite Patsy only having her Dell S2316H for only a few weeks. The WQHD resolution would be impressive, and I would actually be able to have a full size web page open along with a couple other windows beside it. It has adjustable hight, a full vertical tilt, and four display inputs through DVI-D, HDMI, VGA, and DisplayPort. However, full WQHD can only be achieved through DVI-D or DisplayPort.

I'm a bit on the fence because of the cost, and wondering if I actually need such a large display. I took a rough measurement with a ruler, and my desk could theoretically fit a 27'' monitor, but it would be massive compared to the 21'' to 23'' displays I have been used to for the past several years. If I were to get it now, I would have to use the credit card. Seeing as how I already used it to fund Ruby's upgrades, I really don't want to. I would be able to save up funds for one by putting money aside every two weeks until end of summer, and I would then be able to get one. Amazon lists the seller as only having 10 of these left in stock though, but that number hasn't really changed over the past month or so. Hopefully they remain in stock until I can get the funds saved.

By then, I will either spring for it, or figure the Dell S2316H is good enough for me. It's hard to decide on things like this since I never seen a WQHD monitor in person.

[huckleberrypie]

In my case I am basically stuck with a 900p monitor at most as anything with a higher res wouldn't fit on my desk anyway.

[cpd2009]

I thought about it, and decided that I probably wouldn't ever need a WQHD monitor. Perhaps if I ever start learning how to draw digitally, maybe a WQHD display would be necessary, but not right now.

Instead, I just replaced the cheapo AOC with another Dell.. a S2240M, a 21.5'' monitor. Image quality is far better than the AOC as expected, but the white color temperature is slightly warmer than the S2316H at the "Standard" preset. Both monitors normally use the Standard preset and utilize the Dell Display Manager software.

[cpd2009]

Time now for a news update... I guess, since it's been awhile since I posted anything here.

Firstly, Pokemon Go.... wow. Who knew Nintendo was sitting on a goldmine this entire time. Literally on release day, this new AR Pokemon game spread like there's no tomorrow, gaining more users than Twitter and several other popular apps and services. It's also leading to rather strange things, such as a poison gas Pokemon being found near the National Holocaust Museum and a woman in Wyoming coming across a real-life dead body while searching for a water Pokemon at a stream. Businesses have been scrambling to either embrace or reject this new fad. As for Nintendo... who needs the NX when they could just make money off in-app purchases and multi-platform DLC? Though I'd hate to see the Big N leave the hardware business, it should be obvious to them where the money now lies. Maybe the Nintendo NX will benefit from Pokemon Go somehow, or maybe it will harm sales of the NX. Too early to tell at this stage. At least we have some comfort knowing if the NX is a failure, they will have mobile games to fall back on.

Also in Nintendo news, they are taking the hint from Sega when it comes to retro games in a compact plug and play "system". Nintendo is releasing a mini-NES replica in time for Christmas, with 30 built in games. What they didn't take from Sega is the ability to use your own cartridges, the ability to download more games to an SD card, or even use original NES controllers or accessories. The ports appear to be the same connector that is used to connect the Nunchuk to a Wii remote. I know Nintendo is eyeing casuals and non-collectors, but even so, they should have built in the ability to run your own carts and use original accessories. There are the various after market clone systems, but it would be nice if another company would come out with an official way to run old NES carts and have the build quality to match.

[huckleberrypie]

Pokemon Go seems to have been Nintendo's saving grace given how their games are strictly exclusive to their own platforms for the most part, but I'm afraid it has led to UnfortunateImplications like injuries, robberies and whatnot. I am glad Nintendo more or less decided to get off their comfort zone for once though.

As for the pocket-sized NES, it did attract attention from American Girl doll collectors as besides being the right size for said dolls, it's also fully functional too.

[cpd2009]

It's time to formally introduce Oscar, my new smartphone. AKA, the Kphone K5 I ordered from QVC in April. I activated him using a Tracfone "Bring Your Own Phone" kit and simply transferred my existing number and minutes/text/data allowance over to the SIM.

I am watching my text balance to see if that suspicious APK that we talked about in the Kphone thread is indeed a piece of malware or a false positive. Our Android Central forum thread went nowhere apparently, with not many people coming by to help out. :/ If the text allowance mysteriously starts going down, then we know what it is. That hasn't happened yet and it's been nearly a week since I activated the SIM. I do hope it is indeed a false positive since the phone is about as close to an iPhone clone you can get in the states, and I'm still ValuePaying on the item. (it was around $200 USD total).

I also ordered a cheap $10 USB "EasyCap" AV device for Ruby. I want an easier way of converting VHS to DVD without resorting to my rather bulky VCR and DVD-recorder setup. It would also make my YT commercial compilations easier to make. I made sure to get a 64bit version since you can still find older EasyCaps that only have 32bit drivers. I may have to work a bit to get the device to run under Win10 if the Win7 drivers don't work.

[huckleberrypie]

I believe it's running on Android 5.1, right? I went to a store once with my aunt and saw a 1:1 Galaxy S7 clone, presumably running off an MT6580 and came with 1GB of RAM (reported by the system as 3 or more, as with most clones, but that can be changed through a hidden menu). Could've bought it in a whim but I already have a phone to begin with, and I have a couple other expenses to take care of anyway.

[cpd2009]

The steps I took to create a working EasyCap environment...

-Disconnect Ruby's Win10 hard drive and install an older WD 80gb disk.
-Install Windows Vista Business 32bit on the WD 80gb drive.
-Update Windows Vista and stuff
-Configure EasyCap device and see if it works
-Re-connect Ruby's Win10 drive and use the F12 boot menu to select which OS to start.

I got my EasyCap device in the mail today, and turns out the video output doesn't seem to work under Win10. The newest drivers available are for Win7. Vista and XP drivers are also available on the disc. Thus, I decided to set up Ruby's new Vista OS and use that for capture purposes. I'm about halfway through the list above as I type this. The updates will be fun, but hey, it's good to have two computers side by side.

Oh, and the included Honestech VHS to DVD software ended up breaking my Magix Movie Edit install beyond repair. I had to perform a full uninstall and reinstall of the program.