Computer Games

When computers finally managed to beat us at chess, a game of ingenious human invention, we did not say they were now officially smarter than us. What we did was give computers another game - another puzzle to struggle with.

Go is a board game that is a magnitude more complex than chess. Whereas computers could memorize well studied opening books for chess, such a strategy is unmanageable for Go, since there are 361 possibilities... for the first move alone. Today's fastest computers with the best Go algorithms are still beaten by human players with a few months of experience - mere novices.


I believe that computers will one day manage to beat us at Go. But that is a discussion for another time. Now I want to talk about what game, what puzzle we will toss future-computers after that, to assuage ourselves that NO - they are still not smarter.

Settlers of Catan is a board game that is a magnitude more complex than Go. Whereas future-computers only had to think about winning or losing for Go, a binary 1/0 that they are familiar with, such a strategy simply doesn't work for Settlers, since bartering between players involves the hazy variables of human psychology that computers are ill-equipped to define. First there is the game. It is played on a board, which has over a million different possible configurations - and that's before any player has had a turn.

Then there is the meta-game. It involves players bartering with each other, forming alliances, and knowing when to stab their former partners in the back. To give you an example of how complex the thought process can be, we need to take a quick diversion.


From personal experience, I've seen a human player propose an ingenious trade, that would have given her an enormous advantage. To fully understand the significance however, you first need to understand more about the game. Victory in Settlers is achieved when a player has 10 victory points. There is a longest road development card, which is awarded to whichever player has the longest road* of at least 5 segments. It is worth 2 victory points.

You also need to understand more about this particular instance of the game. There were four players. The human player and another player (let's call him the opponent) were both just mere points away from victory. One of the two other players currently held the longest road card. However the opponent had two large sections of road, and if he was able to connect them, held a good chance of gaining the longest road card for himself.

The human player proposed that she refrain from building a road at a position where it would block the opponent from connecting his two road sections in return for him giving one of his resource cards on every turn to her for the rest of the game (like a tax). Right as the opponent was about to agree to this outrageous deal (remember he still might not have gotten the longest road card), the human player realized it was better to take away all possibility of the opponent gaining the longest road card, and she built the road anyway.

What will happen when future-computers beat us at Settlers of Catan? That's when we can say they are officially smarter than us - and be right.


* The length of a road is the longest possible segment, not counting branches.

Home Theater 2.0

Ever since I did my first living room upgrade, I've been meaning to get a surround sound system. After six months, I felt like I've waited long enough. I went with the Onkyo HT-S5100 7.1 home theater in a box system because it was pretty inexpensive. More pictures here.

Both my HTPC and XBOX360 output 5.1, which the receiver can expand into 7.1. The only gripe I have with the receiver is that the HDMI inputs are pass-through only, meaning they can't be used for audio input. So whereas with my TV, I was able to connect one HDMI cable from my XBOX360 for both audio and video, now I need to connect one HDMI cable for video, and one optical S/PDIF cable for audio. Onkyo's higher end models do support audio over HDMI, but I wasn't going to pay an extra $200 or so for this extra convenience.

I hate visible wires about as much as Steve Jobs hates buttons (just look the latest shuffle), so I tried very hard to balance wire management with optimal speaker placement. The center speaker is on a wall shelf that is just above the TV. The front speakers are wall mounted with wires mostly hidden behind the TV. The surround speakers are on speaker stands with wires hidden under the thing that runs along the bottom of the wall (I have no idea what it's called). The surround back speakers are also on speakers stands with the wires hidden under the floor in the crawlspace (I hope I never have to go down there again).

Some movies that really show off the audio system:

• Transformers
• Cloverfield
  
• Children of Men
• Independence Day
• Terminator 2
• Iron Man
  

Homemade Chili with DS

I was working from home today due to snow, so I tried my hand at cooking chili with the help of my Nintendo DS. The whole process was surprisingly easy. I marked the ingredients in the chili recipe that I didn't have, and the DS created a shopping list for me. I brought my DS with me to QFC and checked off ingredients as I got them.

When I was ready to start cooking, the DS read aloud every step of the recipe for me. All I had to do was follow the instructions and yell "continue" when I was done. If I wanted, I could yell "more info" to see details about a step (like watch a video showing the proper way to dice an onion). Before I knew it, I had made chili!

Okay, so there were some minor difficulties. The pan I used was too small, so some liquid spilled over the side. Also, I had never used cayenne pepper or paprika before, so I wasn't sure how much to use, resulting in a slightly spicier chili.

More pictures.

Dual 30" Monitors

Dependency Graph

In order to play Tales of Vesperia, I need an XBOX360.

In order to use an XBOX360, I need an HD TV and a TV stand.

In order to enjoy the TV, I need a couch and a coffee table.

In order to acquire a couch, I need to rent a truck.



I think I'll stick with PC gaming for now.

Dell 3008WFP Input Lag

I've been watching the 3008WFP monitor like a hawk on Dell's website, and it's price has never dropped below $2000. I've also called Dell to order it twice, but gave up after only managing to negotiate the price down a measly $50. Even after pointing them to this forum thread where people were getting $400 discounts and more. I'm pretty bad at negotiating.

So I'm about ready to just give in and order the 3007WFP HC, which can be had for $1200. It doesn't have as wide a color gamut, and it only has DVI input, but other than that, it's about the same. In fact, you could say it's better since it has less input lag. That extra 30ms input lag could mean the difference between life and death when playing TF2 right?

I know, sour grapes...

Rock Band

OMG this game is addictive. After the first time I played, I had a crazy dream about playing the Rock Band drum set. The very next day (a Saturday), I went to work with some friends just to play Rock Band. We must have played for about 10 hours straight.

How Not to Buy Dance Pads

I wanted to play StepMania the free, open-source, awesome dancing rhythm game for the PC. In order to do so properly, I needed a dance pad (playing with a keyboard doesn't count). Here's where things start to get complicated.

Instant Gratification

When I get an idea into my head, I like to act on it right at that moment. That's why the first thing I did was drive to some brick-and-mortar stores. I went to Fry's, Best Buy, and Walmart, hoping they would have dance pads - and I was right - just none that were compatible with the PC. So I go home and order from Amazon. I order a cheap Red Octane PlayStation 2 dance pad, and I also order a PlayStation 2 to USB converter.

The Worst Present Ever

You know that feeling you got when you were a kid right before Christmas? Anticipation mixed with anger over why you can't have your present now. That's how I feel whenever I'm waiting for a delivery. Of course, none of it matters when the day finally comes and you're holding the package in your hands, ready to rip it open. That moment, is the best moment of all - except of course, when you get clothes instead of an xbox360, or in my case, the thing doesn't work.

I plug the dance pad into the PS2 to USB adapter and plug that into my PC. I configure the inputs in StepMania and then use the pad to navigate to and start a song. So far so good. When I'm trying to play the song though, I find I'm missing all the left-right and up-down jump steps. Thinking it's a problem with my dance pad, I try to smooth it out, but no luck, it's still broken (or so I thought - more on this later).

Two for the Price of Two

After waiting for a week for my dance pad, only to find that it doesn't work, I get a little angry. I'm not the best decision maker when I'm angry, so in hindsight, driving back to BestBuy and buying another dance pad may not have been the best decision. But anyway, that's what I did.

Faulty Diagnostics

So I'm back home with my new dance pad ready to play some StepMania and what happens? The dance pad I just bought doesn't work either. It has the same exact problem. Since I had bought a different brand and the bug was too similar to be a coincidence, it can only mean one thing. It wasn't the dance pads that were faulty, it was the converter!

After the euphoria of my great revelation wears off, I'm even more upset. This means I bought an extra dance pad that I don't need, and the worst part is I have to order another adapter (since no conventional stores seem to have it), which means another week of agonizing waiting! By this point, I'm ready to give up, I don't even want to play StepMania anymore.

Google is Your Friend

Just for kicks, I do some searching, not really expecting a solution to my problems. How wrong I was to underestimate the power of the internet. StepMania has a wiki, that wiki has a page devoted to all the different USB converters, the one I purchased is on there with a comment talking about my exact problem and a very simple fix.

The fix?

Press the Up, Start, and Select buttons for 3 seconds to put it in multistep mode. -o-

Phoenix Wright

The Phoenix Wright games may not seem like much at first glance, but they are, in my opinion, the best games available for the DS. The games' captivating storyline, unique gameplay, colorful characters, and superb localization combine to make it one of the most enjoyable portable gaming experiences ever.

There are 3 games in the Phoenix Wright trilogy:
Phoenix Wright - Ace Attorney
Phoenix Wright - Justice For All
Phoenix Wright - Trials and Tribulations

In the game, you play a defense attorney, Phoenix Wright, who must defend your clients who have been convicted of various crimes (usually murder). Each game includes 4 or 5 separate cases, where each case takes around 2 to 6 hours to finish. The cases are all different, and played in order, they reveal a captivating backstory that rivals that of many films and novels.

The final case in the last game was so gripping, in fact, that I managed to stay up until 4am without even realizing it. Let me just say: it was awesome!

Portal Song

Portal is one of the best video games I have ever played. It has everything you could ever want in a game: a gun that bends space, a quirky AI character, and the promise of a cake party. After beating the game, I witnessed what is probably the most awesome ending credit sequence ever.

One component of that awesomeness was the song. Of course I wanted to listen to it over and over again. If you find yourself in the same situation, here's how you can extract the portal song, Still Alive, from the game files:

1. Download GCFScape, a tool for exploring Valve's .gcf files.
2. Use it to open Steam\steamapps\portal content.gcf
3. The file you want is portal\sound\music\portal_still_alive.mp3

Boom, Head Shot!

I can dance all day! I can dance all day!!!

I know I bitched about TF2 not getting released on time earlier, but it's such an awesome game, that all is forgiven.

Hey Valve, Where's Team Fortress 2?

It's 10:56PM on the west coast right now - and still no Team Fortress 2. Valve has about an hour left to keep their promise of a September 17 beta release.

Update: It's now 12:00AM on the 18th. Valve has officially missed their deadline. I gave them my money for nothing!

NDS Game Overload

After several weeks of mediocre releases, there seems to be a deluge of awesome NDS games that came out within the last week:

Glory Days 2
Luminous Arc
Rune Factory
Heroes of Mana
Gyakuten Saiban 3 (Phoenix Wright 3)

Trying to find time to play all of these is going to be difficult though...

Rubik's Cube

Ever since I played with the Rubik's Cube that I found in my hotel room two weeks ago, I've been itching to get one for myself.

However, they're harder to find than I thought. Walmart has them in their online store, but the last few times I went to a physical Walmart they were out of stock. I also tried Alderwood Mall with no luck.

Well, today I went to Walmart for something completely different and what do you know - they had six Rubik's Cubes on display, so I grabbed one.

Kind of funny how I had more trouble getting a Rubik's Cube than my iPhone.

Video Card Drivers in Vista

I had several problems setting installing a driver for my GeForce Go 6800. The default driver Vista installed had good Aero performance but terrible performance with everything else, like Photo Tourism. I then tried installing the 77.77 driver which I had used in XP and knew to be very good. I guess it wasn't optimized for Aero, because Vista switched me to the basic look and wouldn't even give me the option of going back to Aero.

After digging around the Laptop Video 2 Go forums, I decided to install the 100.59 driver. With this driver, Aero works, and gaming performance is decent. The only thing missing is support for overclocking. My video card is stuck running at a stock speed of 290Core/590Memory. I know it can do better because I ran it stable at 370Core/770Memory when I was using the 77.77 driver in XP.

My Frustrations with Nintendo Continues

Backstory

One of the main catalysts for the birth of this blog was Nintendo "repairing" my DS lite for a cracked hinge, and sending me back a system with a dead pixel. I called Nintendo's service number and informed them politely of the problem. The best they could do was send me a UPS shipping label and have me send the system back to get repaired - again. So I packaged up the DS lite and sent it back - again; This time, I even included a little note to signify my annoyance. When I got my second repair back today, the first thing I did way turn it on and ensure that there were no dead pixels. I was happy to find no problems with this DS lite. However, my delight was ephemeral...

Nintendo keeps on screwing me.

What I was not expecting was this little gem that Nintendo included with the repair:



The second paragraph of the letter reads:

However, upon examination of your system, our technicians determined that the problem you were experiencing was not due to a manufacturer defect. It appears that the damage to your system was the result of water or some other liquid coming into contact with the circuit board, which caused damage to the internal electronic components. As stated in our warranty text, our one-year hardware warranty does not cover physical damage. Therefore, warranty coverage does not apply.

There are so many things wrong with this letter, it's ridiculous. First of all, the DS lite I had sent back to repair the dead pixel was in the exact same condition as when I had received it. After I had discovered my first "repaired" DS lite had a dead pixel, I did not touch it. It sat on my desk for about a week before I shipped it back. There was no way I could have caused water damage. In addition, I deliberately tried to make it obvious when I shipped it back, that is was just recently "repaired". I shipped in back in the same box that the repair came in. The unit looked new. I even used the same plastic sleeve that Nintendo had put it in. If Nintendo looked up the serial number, they would find that they had sent it to me a week ago. If the circuit board did have indications of "water damage" it would have to be there when Nintendo first sent the unit to me. Either Nintendo missed the "water damage" markings on the circuit board the first time when they sent me the unit, or the "water damage" is completely made up.


A true story.

A few months ago, a friend of mine (who shall remain nameless) accidentally dropped his DS lite in the ocean. He tried drying out his DS lite, but it would not turn on at all. He sent it to Nintendo for repair, putting "dead pixels" in the problem description. His repaired unit came back a few days later. It worked fine, looked brand new, and didn't have any dead pixels. Here's the kicker: he never got a "water damage" letter.

So basically, Nintendo diagnoses a unit that's obviously been dropped in the ocean (there was sand embedded in the slots) as a "dead pixel problem", and diagnoses a unit that they had deemed "repaired" that obviously has a dead pixel as a "water damage problem".

Sending Nintendo a Message

As I blogged earlier, my DS Lite repair was returned with a dead pixel. While I was packaging my DS Lite for shipping today, I wanted to ensure that Nintendo would not make the same mistake twice. I hope they get the message this time.

My DS Lite has a Dead Pixel

I just received my DS lite today after I sent it back to Nintendo because of a cracked hinge. They fixed the hinge, but now there is a dead pixel right in the center of the top screen! I know that Nintendo will replace units with even one dead pixel for free. What makes me angry though, is that Nintendo's repair technicians are incompetent enough to not catch this, or even worse, Nintendo knowingly sends back units with defective screens.