It’s been a while. Things have happened. Some were good, some were bad.
Managed an above average grade on my second Thermodynamics exam, which was a good sanity check after a below-average grade on the first one, but I’m not in the clear just yet. Need an above average score on the final to lock in that elusive B. Doing okay in my other class – just need to not screw up the final.
On the research side, things have been moving along at a canter. We created and characterized our first batch of samples and are currently trying to figure out the best fabrication approach to take in order to achieve better results with our second batch. I also did a literature survey recently and will be presenting to my subgroup on Dec 1. I’ve been through lots of training sessions and there’s more to come yet. On the whole though, I love being at MIT. Classes are brutal, but being constantly surrounded by smart people is great. I wish I could get to research directly without having to take classes, but it is what it is. Just need to survive. Getting used to being average took some time.
I won’t be going home this winter – first time in 5 years. I have to take a week-long microfabrication training course in January, so I decided to hang around for the entire break. However, I will be heading down to New York for the Christmas weekend and could possibly also make another trip to visit my cousin (and my nephew!) in West Virginia.
Since I got done with midterms recently, I’ve had time to indulge in video gaming. Picked up Left 4 Dead 2 after being persuaded by a friend and it is awesome. Really expands upon the original in several ways and makes the original look boring in comparison. Also picked up Batman: Arkham Asylum, Braid, and S.T.A.L.K.E.R. courtesy of crazy Steam sales. Yes, the very Steam I’ve ranted about in the past. I have been converted. While I still like getting something tangible for my money (i.e., physical media), Steam is a great distribution platform and something that’s improving to the point of being as good as Xbox Live (although it still lacks several features compared to Live). Two games I’m eagerly anticipating are Bioshock 2 and Mass Effect 2, both releasing next year. Now that I know ME2 will run on my laptop, I’m going to get myself the Collector’s Edition. It will hit retail January 26, and I should have a week to blaze through it before the spring semester starts.
My head might just explode. First, we have the UEFA Champions League Final between Manchester United and Chelsea. Of course, you all should know by now whom I will be supporting. Then, there’s the Dream Theater/Opeth concert which while definitely awesome, will be tiring due to four bands playing for a total of nearly four hours. As if this wasn’t enough, I just learned that the first installment of the Penny Arcade game also hits next Wednesday. It will be interesting to see what Tycho and Gabe came up with after years of experience gained by criticizing the work of others (when it sucked).
But that’s next week. Before that, I need to get through my 2.333 remaining finals. Peace the fuck out.
Oh man, this trailer has me excited! I loved Gears of War when it came out in November 2006 (insert comment about how times flies) and I’m eagerly awaiting the release of Gears of War 2 this November. I played GoW on the 360 about 3 or 4 times and also played multiplayer online. Both single player and multiplayer experiences were solid and the game was genuinely a lot of fun. It was subsequently released on the PC with additional levels but from I recall, it was buggy. Anyway, GoW2 seems to be stepping things up to the next level with huge outdoor battles and the ability to use dead Locust as shields among the things visible in this gameplay trailer. Pardon the pun, but I think this game is going to be EPIC.
If the 1UP video doesn’t play nice, follow this link: http://www.shacknews.com/onearticle.x/52629
1. Guy buys The Orange Box from India while home for winter
2. Guy tries to install game in the US
3. Guy finds out game is region locked
4. ???
5. Profit!! (Valve, not guy)
Today, The Times of India called well-known games such as Need for Speed, Half Life, and Max Payne MMORPGs or Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games. Granted that people outside the gaming community won’t know an FPS from an MMORPG, but the article smacks of shoddy research. As a longtime gamer myself, I found this piece of writing to be ridiculous:
The games that Mayank plays include Max Payne, Thrones of Chaos, Need For Speed and Half Life. Most of these are Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games (MMORPGs), which typically require at least six players.
Since when are games needing six players MMORPGs? You want an MMORPG? Look at World of Warcraft. Look at EverQuest 2. Look at The Lord of the Rings Online. A simple Google search of the term “MMORPG” throws up close to 31 million results with the Wikipedia entry prominent on the first page of results. From Wikipedia then:
Massive(ly) multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) is a genre of online role-playing video games (RPGs) in which a large number of players interact with one another in a virtual world.
As in all RPGs, players assume the role of a fictional character (most commonly in a fantasy setting) and take control over many of that character’s actions. MMORPGs are distinguished from single-player or small multi-player RPGs by the number of players, and by the game’s persistent world, usually hosted by the game’s publisher, which continues to exist and evolve while the player is away from the game.
Since you’re too lazy to do your research on the games you quote, let me help you. Need for Speed is a racing game. Max Payne is a Third Person Shooter. Half Life is a First Person Shooter.
So the next time you want to do an article on gaming, please do your research Times of India. All it takes is one simple Google search. Or a Wikipedia search for that matter. Don’t mislead your readers.
