Chris Crockett - Gaming and Computer Geek

Let me count the ways.

Chris — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 01:18:10 +0000

матраци

There are many reasons I love my wife. She not only accepts my geek nature, she revels in it.

A Conundrum

Chris — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 18:03:53 +0000

Would you use hand sanitizer of unknown provenance? Doesn’t it technically have to be clean?

Moving again

Chris — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 01:10:44 +0000

I suppose it was something I knew I’d have to get used to. It’s even something I grew up doing on a regular basis. Nevertheless, moving is always a hassle. I am quite happy to do it this time as it once more comes with a promotion. More money, true enough; more responsibility, check; more stress, just about certainly. Add to that the stress of pondering a first time home purchase and you’re in the place I was two days ago.

I’ll admit, Tuesday was pretty much a blur for me. I’m certain that things happened. I went to work, did my job, went home, spent time with my wife and dog, surfed the net…. but if you asked me to tell you one specific thing I did… not so much.

Since then, I’ve re-centered. Let the stress go and focussed on the fact that all of this is a good thing that will inevitably lead to greater opportunities and adventures.

Facebook is the new AOL if AOL was completely amoral.

Chris — Sun, 16 May 2010 03:22:09 +0000

From now on everything I used to post on Facebook will be posted here instead. The constantly shifting policies of Facebook are difficult enough for me to deal with directly but I could deal with that. Forcing my friends and family to deal with it as well doesn’t sit well with me. Social coersion may be fine for Mark Zuckerberg but not for me.
I will no longer force those closest to me to surrender their private data just to see my status updates.

Sleepy dog

Chris — Sun, 16 May 2010 03:11:11 +0000

Do I need an iPad?

Chris — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 01:52:16 +0000

My wife, a tremendously understanding and wonderful woman, has pre-authorized me to purchase an iPad when they become available but the question I have is this: do I really need another web browsing device? I’ve already got a desktop PC, a laptop, a netbook, an eBook reader and an iPod Touch; which I am using to write this very article. I’ve got all the bases covered, though with an admittedly heavy collection of devices; none of which has 3G connectivity. I will admit that Apple can put serious design licks on a device that quickly becomes indispensable; I suppose we’ll see how quickly the iPad is adopted. I do have to admit that I’m putting off the purchase of a Nook for the time being.

The Christmas season begins

Chris — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 02:31:13 +0000

The tree is up and decorated. Most of the presents are purchased and I am preparing to spend the first Chrstmas of many with my new, wonderful, wife.

Post GenCon overload.

Chris — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 12:34:47 +0000

GenCon is over and I have several new gaming products to read, review and plan campaigns for. I purchased five books and one GM screen, only two of which products are for the same game. Most of them are, in fact, core rulebooks or settings for entirely new games… or mostly new games. Pathfinder, also known as Dungeons and Dragons 3.75, did not sell out by dint of Paizo bringing many thousands of copies of the book to the convention. Eclipse Phase, a new game that I was unaware of until I arrived in Indianapolis, did sell out in approximately seven minutes of total sales time spread over four days because Catalyst Game Labs only had 100 copies. I picked up Geist from White Wolf games because apparently I buy White Wolf products regardless of my need for them. I also snagged the Slahser book for WOD2 because, for some reason, most bookstores seem reluctant to sell a supplement detailing how to pretend to be a serial killer. Reality Blurs surprised me by having Realms of Cthulhu at the convention, which I purchased because I do need the ability to inject Lovecraftian horror into every game system and Savage Worlds is one of my favorites. Pinnacle dropped a Deadlands GM screen on us, which I bought for the included adventure but I was less than impressed with their poker chip style every-flavor-bennies. I have riverboat themed poker chips that I bought several GenCons past. They look better and I assembled three full sets for less than the cost of one set of “official” bennies.

I also played several games I’ve never played before and plan on getting the Battlestar Galactica boardgame as well as the Pegasus expansion because I enjoy ending every sentence with “You damn dirty Cylon”.

Would anyone like to help me form a new gaming group in central Florida?

Wondergeek powers activate!

Chris — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 14:55:35 +0000

Allow me to paint a picture for you: imagine one geek, on his EEE-PC (running Ubuntu naturally), with Tweetdeck on one virtual desktop pinging every few seconds with updates from GenCon, a broweser open on another desktop with Google Voice (for SMS contact with my agent at the convention), GMail, Facebook and a blog post running.. now put that geek on a plane at 23,000 feet on his way to that very convention. Now, if you know me or what I look like, you can complete the picture by putting my face on that geek. I’m pretty sure I’m right in the middle of having a full-on nerdgasm.

As some actually useful information: AirTran’s inflight WiFi is fairly impressive. It occasionally slows to a crawl but given the technological wizardry required to maintain an internet connection with an object travelling at 30,000 feet and moving a couple of hundred miles an hour… not bad.

The waiting is the hardest part.

Chris — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 19:08:12 +0000

By the machinations of myself and my best man, I have arranged to go to GenCon. Not the entire convention, but at least a couple of days of it. This is entirely appropriate since my bride-to-be is headed to Vegas at the same time. Of course, as I am writing this post, the convention has already started, and I’m obsessively watching the Twitter feed from the floor, which makes me wish even more that I was already there.

Tomorrow morning I shall board a plane bound for Indianapolis and, with luck, be deep in the trenches of the dealer’s room by… 3pm maybe. Depends on how things go.