Nathan W. Ho

Hey -

It’s been a long time since I blogged, as I’ve been very busy with life, family, work – and the house!  I have some great stories that I want to share with everyone about that (yes, Paul – lawn care stories even).  But I mentioned the following to someone (who found it interesting), and wanted to document this before I forgot.

My family loves games – all kinds of games.  Board games, card games, computer games, indoor and outdoor games.  We have a lot of fun!  But with some – as much as we love them – they get a little old after a while.  What do we do about this?

We modify the rules or create new ones of our own!

Now, this isn’t all that unusual; I know others do this as well – but we’ve done this quite a bit with a variety of games, and I thought I’d share one of my favorites: Phase 10

This is a great card game that my family still adores.  But seriously – only 10 phases?  That doesn’t last very long if you’re playing at a decent pace.  So a few years ago, we sat down and drafted up another 10 phases (we have a few more beyond that, but not a full set yet – you’ll have to wait for those).

Anyway – the classic game has the following 10 “phases”:

1. 2 sets of 3
2. 1 set of 3 + 1 run of 4
3. 1 set of 4 + 1 run of 4
4. 1 run of 7
5. 1 run of 8
6. 1 run of 9
7. 2 sets of 4
8. 7 cards of one color
9. 1 set of 5 + 1 set of 2
10. 1 set of 5 + 1 set of 3

And my family now offers you the joy of playing the next 10 phases of:

11. Run of 5 and set of 5
12. Run of 6 of same color and set of 3
13. Run of odd OR even of 6 and set of 4
14. Run of 9 of same color
15. Run of 10 alternating 2 colors
16. Run of 4 and 2 sets of 3 (both sets all different colors)
17. Set of 4 and run of 4 (both all 4 colors)
18. 2 runs of 5, each a single color
19. 2 sets of 4:  one set – no wilds; one set – all wilds
20. Run of 10 all one color (no wilds)

If you enjoy this game as well – we hope you enjoy the extra fun

Nathan.

I am quite happy to announce that I am now an official home owner!  I have acquired a 7-ish man hot-tub, attached to a nice 4 bed / 2.5 bath house on the western side of Lancaster, PA!

Pictures and further details forthcoming, after the shock wears off a little more….

(1) I’m house shopping again (this time in PA) – and I’m very serious about getting a house by this summer!  More on that later…

(2) If you’re a mac user, you will want to check out the new MacHeist:

http://www.macheist.com/bundle/u/94384/

$39 for 12 programs is a pretty sweet deal – and since they’re each worth about that retail, if you like even two of the apps being offered, then it makes total sense to buy!

For me, I’m really interested in:

• SousChef (been wanting a cooking / recipe software package for my mac)
• PhoneView (for my iPod Touch)
• World of Goo (I’ve heard great things about this game)
• Wiretap Studio (to use to record work calls for project needs)
• Espresso – looks like an interesting / new programming editor

So anyway – I pay for one, and basically get the rest free….whee!  If you’ve got a mac, it’s definitely worth checking out!

Oh – and if you bother to join in their “heists” (puzzles) which are separate, you can get a lot of other apps for free….

Cheerios!

Happy Chinese New Year to everyone

It is now the Year of the Ox (Ji-Chou) – I hope everyone had fun “practicing” their American New Year’s, because now the _real_ one starts

I’m working on a dynamic system that maps out the 60-year cycle of the Chinese New Year schedule (zodiac + chinese stem / branch + dates) – but still have a few kinks to work out in the logic.  Until then, here’s what I have if you care:

           http://www.theoslogic.com/hong_bao/

Nathan.

So I got these pictures almost a year ago, and never got around to posting them until now

BUT I wanted to share with all of you doubters out there. Still think that Internet Explorer is fine as a browser? I just wanted to point out that it’s now being advertised in towns all over the country that Mozilla Firefox is much better than Internet Explorer – and not only that, they apparently have WHOLE GALLERIES setup just to prove that it’s better….you don’t believe me? Then just check out these two pics (click to view full images)

Advertised as you drive by...

Mozilla beats out Internet Explorer...

And if you look closely at the second image, you’ll note a sign that I’m fairly sure is a neon “perl” advertisement – although I’m sure that some DOUBTERS out there will think it’s just a broken “open” sign….but WE know better

So these galleries apparently are great places to get all kinds of good information! Maybe you should check it all out

Now, I’m not a real conspiracy nut – although I can come up with a few if you really want to have some fun talking – but there are times when things become so OBVIOUS it’s kind of like a slap in the face.  

I’m talking about things like gas mileage on cars.  I mean, seriously – my 1985 Subaru got better gas mileage than all but the best of the current hybrids, people!  Any idiot who falls for all those the dumb TV commercials about how great the new cars are with gas mileage deserves the loss of money when they buy one.  It’s sadly apparent that most marketing groups think that the general public is made up of idiots!

However, I want to bring up something new (at least to me):  TV advertisement audio levels for non-HD television.

I’m not a major fan of cable OR satellite TV – and although I do enjoy the network and paid tv channels that I receive (for a very high price).  Overall, common sense dictates that you use whichever one is:

1. Cheapest (or that you can afford within your budget)
2. Gives you the features that you NEED

I think not…

So what do I think?  I’m guessing that the tv providers are trying to come up with not-so-subtle ways (audio and video degredation, small pauses and hiccups at random moments, etc) to “encourage” people to make the move to purchasing HD services and equipment.

I mean – if you have any form of non-broadcast TV (ie cable or satellite), then you’ve seen the commercials touting all the new HD content available.  And if you visit any store with technology available, it’s all about HD content and how awesome it is…

SO – what do YOU think?  Am I (and my sister) just imagining things and jumping at shadows (or loud audio commercials)?  Or do you agree that there is something not-so-sneaky going on with tv providers?

So, ever since I made the move to the Mac operating system, there have been a few functionality features that I’ve really missed about Linux.  The first – windowshading – is the ability to “minimize” a given program window to just it’s title bar (and back again) with a double click or so.  I use Unsanity’s Windowshade haxie to gain this ability in Mac OS X (now that they’ve released a Mac OS X Leopard compatible version). But as great as Windowshade X is, it doesn’t have everything that I want.

The other major (related) functionality that I’ve missed was the ability to click-drag anywhere on a program window to move it around on the screen.  For instance, being able to click in the middle of a browser window and drag it to a new location.  Linux has had that ability for ages – but with Mac OS X, for whatever reason, I’ve been reduced to using the titlebar to move windows around (which works fine – but is a hassle).

Enter Afloat 2.  While this little app duplicates some of the functionality of Windowshade X, it ALSO gives you the ability to click-drag windows just like I want!

It’s even OSS / free, so hey – why not give it a shot?

So my sister and I went out looking for movies the other day, and she picked out a few including “Sydney White”, which is a modern / collegiate spin-off of the old “Snow White” fairy tale, starring Amanda Bynes, Sara Paxton and Matt Long.

Overall, this is a fun movie with some hysterical comedy, great use of stereotyping – and a basically decent message behind the plot even (everyone is a dork at some level).

I’d definitely rate this as worth watching, especially if you (a) love it when the dorks win, or (b) have a girl who will watch with you and who has a good sense of humor

My main problem with this movie is that they should fire the makeup artist team for Amanda. Through most of the movie, she seriously looked like an orange…..or that she’d bee pinned down and forced to use a really cheap “fake tan” product…..or that maybe she’s expressing her support or familial relation to one of these guys.

Anyway – I’m satisfied with having seen it, and would even watch it again

So there you have it!

So my younger sister (Rachel) has been going on about how awesome this movie is for a while – and my dad picked up a copy at Sam’s Club…..so most of my family hunkered down to watch it together.

The premise of the movie is that an animated princess-to-be is cast into the “Real World” (ie our world) by an evil queen’s magic, so that she won’t be able to marry the prince – and thusly depose the evil queen, who doesn’t wish to give up her throne.

From the sound of it, you expect it to be the kind of movie that only little girls (or little girls-at-heart) would enjoy. However, I have to admit that I really enjoyed this movie for a couple of reasons:

1. First, there are some really funny occurrences, as the animated people try to understand and interact with “the real world”. Things like referring to the TV as “the magic mirror” and asking it questions…..a talking squirrel who can no longer talk in this world – but who still tries to communicate. And the best part? Watching the music sweep everything and everyone into it. I’m a music lover, and the way that they meshed the music of the animated world into the live experiences of the real world was absolutely fantastic.
2. Secondly, the references and uses of past fairy tales mixed into this story are just priceless. From the music, to the animals (and insects), to “true love’s kiss” – I definitely recommend this movie to anyone who has a girl that enjoys romantic comedies, or a family with young girls (not too young – there IS a semi-scary dragon that may not be appropriate for little kids).

Anyway – Amy Adams, who plays Giselle, does an absolutely marvelous job of acting – fairly accurately portraying (IMO) the experiences and reactions of an animated character being thrown into the real world.

Enjoy!

So I’ve now been in my new place (a townhouse) for a week, and things are finally starting to take shape! And as has been my goal – it’s all coming together on my birthday! (Happy birthday…to ME!!)

What’s been happening today that’s so special? Well, my new dining room table and hutch was delivered today, just in time for my birthday dinner – a great way to “christen” my new place with my whole family

Also – since I moved in, I’ve been having horrible trouble with my Internet connection (broadband through Comcast cable). Instead of a 3-6MB connection (3000 – 6000), my connection speeds were only rating an average of about 400KB (400). NOT exactly the “broadband” speeds to which I am accustomed. So I’ve been after Comcast for the last week to get it fixed…

After about a dozen phone calls, and 3 techs (including a fully-rated supervisor) – I got my connection fixed today!!

On top of that, in the last few days, I’ve also gotten my PA drivers license, voting registration and my PA license plates – as well as moved my insurances to PA, setup a will (have to do this in each state in which you live), moved my AAA account, and a few other random things…..so now I’m an (almost) fully vested PA resident….just have to wait for some final paperwork to work it’s way through the various systems

*LOL*

I’m currently watching my two nieces play ring-around-the-rosie with my younger sister (Rachel), and they are having quite the blast together

….. time passes……

Well, I just opened my presents, said good-bye to my parents (who had to drive home to NY tonight), played a game with my siblings, and then sent them all off home….and ended my birthday!

All in all, this was a very good birthday – spent with a loving family, in my new home. Once again, I am so grateful for the family that I have – and for my God who has given it all to me!!

Thank you, God, for the wonderful beginning to another new year of my life….