In order to be both productive and take breaks to not go insane from writing I’ve started to brainstorm ideas for a new wordpress theme for this site. I was able to do a good job with the site for work so I think I can manage to do a pretty go job with a new theme for my blog. Also I will be posted the plugins I use on my work webpage as a list of plugins I’ve found to be useful for CMS.

Stay Tuned

Well after making an attemp at teaching a co-worker how to update the site for work I came to the realization that it’s not all that user friendly for non-techy people. So I have come to the realization that while I made the front end pretty the back end is while organized somewhat confusing.
So I’ve decided to implement a CMS. I have decided to use WordPress as the CMS.
I started working on it today while at the office but it’s slow going. Up until now I’ve used it just for a blog so as a static site this is new. So I’ve figured out some of it but now I’m stuck on the theme. I know I can do it but I will need to do a lot of studying. I’ve never made my own theme before so this is a first.
Just need to figure out a good way to combine features from the site like the menus to a wordpress theme.

Work, work, work

My iPhone headphones bit the dust around 2 weeks back and I finally broke down and got a new pair.  When I was at the Apple Store I picked up a replacement set and noticing that they were $30 (oh thank you for the markup Hawaii). Feeling uneasy about spending that much for the basic pair I wandered over to the higher end stuff to see what was there. After browsing a bit I chose to get the Altec Lansing BackBeat plus mobile model. I knew Altec Lansing was a good company for speakers having had a set in the past so I was confident with the quality. So I got them and went outside to try them out.

And WOW

The sound was 10x better than the iPhone headphones. The custom earpieces make them fit nicely in my ear. The noise cancelling and bass were incredible. I had forgotten that a lot of my music had bass haha. They cost me $50 but it is worth it for the sound quality.

I also decided to sit down and put a lot of music back in my iTunes library and put together some nice playlists.  It makes listening much more enjoyable putting grouping of music I like together. And it is helping me focus while I work better too. Noise Cancelling Rocks by the way. No more listening to my loud neighbors for a while.

Altec Lansing BackBeat plus mobile

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆~ (4/5)

On this fine day everyone becomes a little Irish as we fall under the influence of the festivities. Green is a must and I got a couple things that are green so I wont be worried about getting pinched haha.  Planning on going to Chinatown and enjoying the entertainment there this evening after work. Should be fun.

I will try to get a little more written on my thesis today too.

I decided to get Assassin’s Creed 2 and boy am I not disappointed. I played the game a little over the weekend and it was a blast. A combination of puzzles, action, and mystery just makes this game one of the best I’ve played in a while.

The story is follows events that occurred in the first Assassin’s Creed but even without playing it (like me) there are no problems.  It’s set in 1480s Italy with a nice supporting cast of notable people like Leonardo de Vinci and Lorenzo de Medici. The last one made me laugh as my job has a study abroad program at the school named after him.

I also purchased The Orange Box too as I got addicted to the Portal demo. I don’t think there’s a person alive that could fault me for that.

I have decided though that I wont be buying anymore games (all formats) until I have a job on the mainland. So go willpower.

In other news thesis chapter 2 got shredded by my editor and adviser so it’s in the middle of a huge overhaul which has messed up my planned timeline but I think I’ll be able to get it together this week and push chapters 2 and 3 out this week.

Top 10 Tips and Tools for Commuters – Commute – Lifehacker

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After battling with Steam for over a day with games freezing on the splash screen I finally go it to work. I did two things actually. I uninstalled steam completely and reinstalled it but I also uninstalled all the Microsoft C++ programs I had installed (had both 2005 and 2008 versions). After that it worked great. Went through demos of Bioshock and Batman Arkham Asylum last night just to make sure things were fine. After that I was going through games and tried putting together a list of games that I wanted so I wouldn’t buy on impulse.

I feel comfortable with going with one of three games. Assassin’s Creed II, comes out on the 9th. The graphics look great and I’ve heard good things about the series. Also if I were to pre-order it I would get three extra maps. Very tempting though the $60 price tag is a little scary. I understand that that is the new standard price for new games but still, ouch. The second is Star Wars: The Force Unleashed Sith Edition. I had a chance to test it out at a friends place around when it came out for consoles but haven’t seen much since. I like the style of the game and I’m tempted by that but the reviews for it have been rather low. It’s hard to weed through it though as I can’t tell whether people are upset with the port having nothing new or if it sucks on the PC. The last is Prototype, a pretty cool looking game from what I’ve seen. High paced action with a story to boot.

I am really interested by Steam and how the PC gaming work is getting better. While there have been good PC games for a while now, it was often a different image than what was then popular on console system. With the boost in PC gaming I feel less of a desire for wanting a next-gen system as I can buy the game without having to buy a system to play it on. It makes having paid for high-end parts worth the upfront cost.

Now I’m sure people around me will be first to point out that why am I thinking about playing a game when I have my thesis to be more concerned about!!!! Well to be frank, I need time to cool down and relax. Video games do that well. Especially action games in relieving stress. Also Video games count in my area of research so no complaining! HAHA

Now I must sit down and consider my options….

So yesterday my computer finally told me that I needed to upgrade. Before I had been running Windows 7 RC with much joy. Yet as of March first though Win7 RC would regularly reboot as its way of saying “Upgrade Me!!!!

I was slightly tentative to do so though. As a student money is usually tight so I couldn’t see myself spending $300+ for the OS. I know there were student deals with other versions of the OS but I prefer the Ultimate version as it gives me the most flexibility in my opinion. Luckily as I was wondering my schools bookstore I found it. Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit for $90. I jumped for joy, yet was worried as it was the Upgrade version. Having read that you couldn’t go upgrade from RC to Full I scoured the web for answers.  I new Lifehacker linked to how editing a file in the disk would make it possible but that wasn’t appealing. Then I found a nice work around.

So I was able to upgrade successfully. *FFVII Victory tune*

I was then presented with something I had not truly expected, that being, I had a fresh install meaning I was free of much of the bloat I had before.  In the process of which I installed steam.

I had installed Steam before but it was buggy (I think it was Win7 Beta’s fault not Steam’s) but I thought I’d give it a go. I was impressed by the lineup. I expected just a bunch of indie games but it seems that most mainstream games are there too. I was really pumped as in between writing, school, work, and sleep I was feeling the itch to game a little. The problem was that I lacked one of the present generation systems and a TV.

With Steam though I’ve found a lot of the games available.

But now I feel myself pausing again. Mainly being I don’t know how the PC versions fair against their console cousins. I’ve read reviews on such ports like Force Unleashed but I can’t tell that if there really is a problem with the PC version of if it’s just a bunch of console fanboys bitching.

I hope I’ll be able to weed out the crap and get solid answers cause I feel this is a great alternative.

Oh and my system feels so much faster it’s great.

Tatakae! Otaking

Something fun I thought I’d start. So this may the be first it may be the last I dunno, we’ll see. Tatakae! Otaking is the theme song to the classic OVA Otaku no Video. A mocumentary about otaku in Japan in the early to mid 80s, we are presented with the protagonist Kubo on his rise in (or fall to) otakudom.

One of my favorite anime, I remember purchasing the DVD back in 2003 at Ohayocon from the AnimEigo booth. Sadly I have no idea where it is now. Ok, I know where it is as in what building (parent’s house) but where in said place? It is a mystery. One I will solve with the determination of a parent ripping apart a car to save their child!!! Or something like that.

Lyrics after the jump

Ok it’s not really zombies. It’s just my natural reaction to sirens. An 8.8 earthquake hit Chile this morning resulting in tsunamis across the Pacific.

People should check out Hawaii News Now

I didn’t have to evacuate but went to friends place in Kaneohe. It’s like a party but much calmer and relaxing.

Will give updates as they come.

Update: 56 Aftershocks over 5.0 magnitude have been recorded in Chile. The first tsunami wave to hit may not be the last or strongest.

Dear surfers still out there and are waiting for the tsunami, good luck and thanks for helping nature with that whole survival of the fittest. Your genes won’t be missed.

Update: Little rise in water but nothing cool. I feel let down.