Roenik Knacks

How to be classy, in three easy steps

2012-01-01T10:29:00.001-05:00

*sips coffee*

Quite.

Tag! You’re it!

2011-12-30T12:11:00.000-05:00

Tag, you’re it! Here are the rules: Each tagged person must post ten things about themselves. You have to choose and tag ten people. Go to their blogs and tell them you tagged them. No tag backs.

1) I don’t have any tattoos. I’d love one, but I can’t decide what I’d want to keep forever.
2) TRON (original 1982) defined my love of computers and my career with them.
3) My alter-ego online is a female avatar named Roenik.
4) My favourite colour is sky blue.
5) I love video games and video game culture.
6) I’ve mapped out my family tree up to 1588.
7) I still don’t own a cell phone.
8) I have mild social anxiety, yet I teach adults for a living, hah!
9) For some unknown reason, libraries and bookstores make me gassy.
10) I’ve never been drunk in my life. Ever. First of all I don’t drink and can’t stand beer.

Movember support!

2011-11-27T18:06:00.001-05:00

Showing my support in Second Life!

My workplace is participating too, check them out

10 years

2011-11-18T10:06:00.001-05:00

November 15, 2001.
Walking out of the Compucentre store at St-Laurent shopping mall, a shiny day one XBOX under my arm, the other holding a bag with extra controllers, with copies of HALO and Fuzion Frenzy. $800 less in my account. Whew.

After hooking it up and booting it we got right into the games. First few minutes of Halo actually had me going “meh” another FPS. It was only until the Silent Cartographer that the depth of the game materialized to me.

My daughter and I played Fuzion Frenzy together. A lot. She loved it, and I loved the time we spent together with it.
My stack of Official XBOX Magazine kept getting higher every month, with demos and videos showing off the power of this box.
A year later I’m beta testing XBOX Live. I had played online before over modems (Ultima Online, for one) but never over broadband and with voice. Playing MotoGP with 5 or so other people and hearing them all scream and laugh as we all faceplant at the first turn was pure gold. I was sold.
My cousins and I starting meeting online regularly for sessions of Hockey or Halo 2. One of them was in posted in Belgium and we could catch up every weekend with voice while playing. Good times.
Ten years later I’m now beta testing the 360’s upcoming dashboard update. It will be way more social, way more interactive. I look forward to what the next ten years will bring.

Thanks to the XBOX team for sticking with it, when the world and the odds were against you early on. It’s a great service. I use it every day.

With time…

2011-11-14T19:42:00.001-05:00

There are things you only realize with time, as experience, age, change of pace and a different point of view settle in your life.

Presently at 40, I am (finally) learning about myself again. At a younger age, my energies were often spent trying to "fit in”, even though most of my free time was spent in a basement with a Commodore 64 until university/college. This desire to fit in, these energies spent worrying about whether or not I will “make it” are now spent enjoying the things I now realize I enjoy and don’t have to apologize for it.

I enjoy the music I enjoy, I like the things I like. That’s who I am. I don’t need to pretend to like something to fit in or to get someone’s attention. Some figure this out early on, some later. I’m slow, so here I am. There’s a feeling of “settling in your comfortable shoes” and relaxing while living.

Has the shadow finally passed?

I’m looking forward to my 40s.

-Roe

2011-09-30T10:30:00.002-04:00

I was there back in 1997, loading up my shiny beta disk for this thing called UO...Ultima Online. A new concept for a graphical game where players from all over the world could play together at the same time, see each other, fight each other, trade in virtual items, etc.

The entire world was going to be dynamic. If people killed too many sheep, the dragons would then come to town and start eating people, etc.

My new v92 modem warmed up and it was my first step into a world that would change the direction of my life. UO, then SWG, then Second Life, where I met my future wife (real life).

UO celebrates its 14th birthday this week. Hail to the King.

New mouse from Microsoft Design

2011-08-02T15:10:00.000-04:00

Check out Microsoft's new mouse. I was jonesing for a new Arc mouse, but might try this one to see if it suits my work habits. I'm the kind of user that has an inordinate amount of windows open at one time (Visual Studio, IE with 9 tabs on average, tweetdeck, mail, etc)

-Roe

A glimpse of the future of healthcare, MS style.

2011-06-24T15:02:00.000-04:00

I love the proliferation of MS surfaces here. And that digital wallet is kickass.

Ideas are coming to me a mile a minute :)

Picture fun

2011-06-20T10:34:00.000-04:00

Go here and try putting a few good pictures of yourself, family, avatars or whatever strikes your fancy.

Here's a few of mine:

Very cool app by Intel

2011-06-18T23:32:00.000-04:00

Check out this app which aggregates your Facebook info and presents it as a museum walkthrough.
Impressive :)

Museum of Me

I could think of many other sites more deserving...

2011-06-13T14:36:00.000-04:00

Bethesda is the next victim in this series of attacks. Sony, Valve, many others.

Hey hackers, why not concert your prodigious efforts towards the Republican party? Or the various nut jobs running religious groups?

Got Klout?

2011-06-10T11:25:00.000-04:00

Want to know influential (or influenced) you are on the intertron?

Checkout klout, an aggregator for your online activities, tied in with Facebook, twitter, linked-in, and so on.

You'll be given a score on various attributes.

Peace!

How to eat a Family donut

2011-03-04T21:27:00.000-05:00

Here's a breakdown on the technique to eat a Family donut:

Get yourself to a Malbeuf Xmas Family reunion. Spot the goods:

Pick up one of the heavenly cakes, and slice it horizontaly across. Very important.

Once sliced, carefuly pour the sweet sauce all over the pastry.

Close it, and NOM!

Pass it on, this tradition will remain alive through the ages.

Future of web games

2011-03-04T13:08:00.000-05:00

3D games in your browser by 2013.

That is all.

2011-02-18T12:57:00.000-05:00

Project Gotham Racing, 2D shooters, James Bond...hours of fun.

Goodbye Bizzare Creations (raises glass) May all you guys/gals find satisfying jobs after today.

Farewell Bizarre…it’s been an absolute pleasure! from Eamon Urtone on Vimeo.

Time

2010-12-21T21:55:00.000-05:00

28 years.

over 100 viewings since 1982, alone and with my friend.

We loved the movie, hell we lived it. In the school yard, throwing pebbles at each other and blocking them with our frisbees.

We quoted it in high school, then in college, as the terms of the movie finally came clear in Computer Science class.

Our constant passion for video games and computers.

28 years.

And together we sat for TRON: Legacy.

Older.

Wider? Yes.

Wiser? Perhaps.

Friends? Always.

Dude I'm happy we got to view it together, almost 3 decades after the original. After all the events of our lives leading up to this moment in time.

Still RAM and BRO.

I would call it "The Armoury"

2010-11-17T11:30:00.002-05:00

http://www.joystiq.com/2010/11/17/music-box-rock-band-ottoman/

2010-11-08T12:04:00.000-05:00

YES!!!!! I loved the original and its soundtrack!
WET is an awesome game with attitude to spare.

http://www.joystiq.com/2010/11/08/wet-2-and-naughty-bear-2-confirmed-in-development-at-behaviour/

Free RDR DLC coming next Tuesday

2010-10-05T12:08:00.000-04:00

Hee hee! The Jackalope is coming to RDR!!! And those outfits are top-notch too. Plus it's a free download next week!

REAL gamers

2010-09-30T10:19:00.000-04:00

Yeah, we're all like that

Oh Emm Eff Gee

2010-09-29T11:59:00.000-04:00

Holy Crap Zombie Horses!!!

Rockstar treatment

2010-09-29T09:40:00.000-04:00

The marshalls are coming!
The marshalls are coming!

Having finished Fable 2 + DLC, along with Assassin's Creed 2 + DLC, I now find myself going back to finish Red Dead Redemption (single and multiplayer). There's 2 DLC I don't have yet but plan to get soon.

Rockstar also announced a zombie infestation DLC in time for Halloween, sweet :P

They keep on giving: Marshalls are now free to use in MP.

Happy (Bounty)Hunting!

Happy Birthday Mario (NES)!!!

2010-09-09T12:59:00.003-04:00

Twenty-five years! Still loving it :)

http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/307402

Nice application

2010-07-30T10:25:00.000-04:00

http://vimeo.com/13659627

One step closer...

2010-07-27T10:37:00.002-04:00

Outstanding Physics Engine: Lagoa Multiphysics 1.0. [VIDEO]

2010-07-26T14:16:00.000-04:00

Outstanding Physics Engine: Lagoa Multiphysics 1.0. [VIDEO]

Great progress made here. Will be a few years before titles make good use of it. Cloth especially.

Godspeed 1 vs 100 :(

2010-07-19T08:48:00.003-04:00

I always enjoyed playing 1 vs 100 live on XBox. Sometimes it was my wife and I, sometimes it was the whole family.

I loved the dances, unlocks, questions, live hosting with Chris Cashman...I felt a real connection with other xbox live players!

I hope MS takes the knowledge gained from hosting such games and brings us something just as fun!

Here's a goodbye from Chris himself:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7RjOMv5STw&feature=player_embedded

For those dire moments

2010-06-14T19:09:00.000-04:00

http://www.nooooooooooooooo.com/

Sony delivers floppy disk's last rites | Business Tech - CNET News

2010-04-26T08:35:00.000-04:00

It was only a matter of time...

Sony delivers floppy disk's last rites Business Tech - CNET News

Xbox Live's Major Nelson

2010-03-26T09:58:00.001-04:00

USB Support coming to the 360.

On April 6, a dashboard update will allow you to store your save games, profile and other bits of data on a plain jane USB key. You'll have to "prepare" the key through the xbox dashboard to format the key either completely or use a certain portion of it, leaving the rest available for normal use.

Maximum capacity will be 16GB, minimum 1GB.

This is also work with USB hard drives, but the limits still apply and the performance won't be as good as a USB key.

Check it out below:

http://majornelson.com/archive/2010/03/26/USB-Memory-Support-for-the-Xbox-360-coming-April-6th.aspx

Metro-inspired apps to come courtesy of Silverlight – istartedsomething

2010-03-12T08:07:00.000-05:00

Interesting. The UI that's been used for the Zune application will now become available as a theme for any application through Silverlight 4.

"Metro" is the look & feel that the new Windows Phone 7 is using.

Metro-inspired apps to come courtesy of Silverlight – istartedsomething

New trailer

2010-03-11T00:21:00.000-05:00

Greetings Programs!

That is all :)

program-glitch-esc

Windows Phone 7 Series - News

2010-02-15T13:33:00.000-05:00

Windows Phone 7 Series - News

Methings the time is right to return to smart phones. I've been avoiding them for years, waiting for the hardware/software to mature.

2010-02-12T15:23:00.002-05:00

I long to return to the Caribbean...

The balmy air...the warm waters at night under the palm trees...the food, the music...and most important of all my LeeLoo there with me.

Until we return there, this will have to do.

Drawing Mass Effect 2: The Creation of Thane - Features - GameInformer.com

2010-02-12T15:08:00.000-05:00

Interesting how so much work goes into a single character!

Drawing Mass Effect 2: The Creation of Thane - Features - GameInformer.com

Mass Effect Lovin'

2010-02-03T09:57:00.003-05:00

Mass Effect 2 is out and much has been improved to all facets of the previous game. Locales ranging from sparse colonies to heavy urban blight are beautifully rendered, all with a hefty amount of atmosphere.

I spent 150 hours with Mass Effect 1 over 5 playthroughs, and up to the very end I was still discovering small gems I'd never noticed before. ME2 will be no different, as I'm enjoying just walking around and taking in the amazing universe Bioware has crafted.

I'm a sucker for character creation screens...I can spend an entire evening playing with features to make a character "just so."...I'm in OCD territory.

I've never used the default Shepard in any of my games and I have the shirt to prove it:

NOT MY SHEPARD

-Roe

2010-01-08T21:14:00.002-05:00

Sophia Harlow has thrown a challenge to take a look back and compare our avatars then and now.

I started off humbly, noobishly and naively on Help Island. Spent an entire week there, learning little bits of scripting, building, inventory management and the like. I met the Mentors regularly and some are still friends today, 4 years later.

Anyway, here's me taking my first baby steps in SL:

That didn't last very long. A male avatar just didn't work for me. I wanted/needed something that represented more who I was, who I felt like at the time. After a few weeks of tweaking, this felt closer to the mark:

Yes I was totally boobular, I realize that now :D This was not out of some fetish or for what I desired. Honestly they didn't feel *that* big at the time, standing next to models on the catwalk (they were HUGE). I loved modelling in SL, making my own poses, having fun chatting with the other models.

This shape I was completely comfortable in. It felt "me". However once I came out (being male in RL) modeling contracts dwindled, but the sense of freedom I gained from being at peace with my RL gender and my avatar made me very happy. I thank my RL/SL wife for this.

Here's me now, 4 years later and hopefully wiser. My boob size went down three times, but my face never changed.

I'm still "me", but I have changed in those four years. Changed in RL and in SL. I know myself better than I did before.

3 of 365

2009-11-07T10:49:00.001-05:00

15 days in Liberty City

2009-11-06T12:07:00.002-05:00

Here's a time-lapsed video showing 15 days in Grand Theft Auto IV's Liberty City.

It's amazing to me how elaborate virtual sandboxes have become in the last 3 years alone.

Have a look.

2 of 365

2009-11-05T19:58:00.004-05:00

I love to visit the Japan Kansai/Mao Sims. I find them very relaxing and a nice change of pace.

There are plenty of spots to take a break and enjoy the detailed textures of the scenery.

These sims also host a roleplaying group set in the time period.

365 days: 1/365

2009-11-04T17:07:00.004-05:00

Inspired by Chestnut Rau's blogpost, I decided to forge ahead and begin my own "1 picture a day" project and hopefully keep at it for a full year.

I'm interested in seeing the changes that will be shown through this project. New client-side features, new SL changes, new lighting setups. It will also be a nice retrospective and allow me to remember events that happened throughout SL.

I haven't logged in a few days, so here I am, still in my Hallowe'en costume.

Hello Kitty officially middle-aged, celebrates in Hello Kitty Online

2009-10-23T10:23:00.000-04:00

Hello Kitty officially middle-aged, celebrates in Hello Kitty Online

RIP Patrick Swayze

2009-09-15T11:06:00.001-04:00

http://aintitcool.com/node/42358

Farewell John Hughes!!!

2009-08-22T12:17:00.003-04:00

In response to a blog roll at www.achariya.net I've posted a pic from a while back. A set of poses I made representing "The Breakfast Club".

Myself, Leila, Katheryn, Bergamo and company.

2009-07-16T20:42:00.000-04:00

Lyrics | - Origin Of Love lyrics

Thanks MJ

2009-06-25T19:06:00.002-04:00

Michael Jackson passed away today at age 50.

I have this fun memory of the time my father spent money to buy a brand new radio/cassette sound system for our home.

He purchased these humongous headphones to go with it. After helping him set the whole thing up (hehehe) I plugged the headphones in and turned on the radio. It was around 8 in the evening, and as the sound poured in my ears, "Thriller" was just getting started.

For the first time ever I was hearing perfectly clear music with no outside noise, much better than earphones.

Then there was the time I first witnessed "Thriller" on tv. I was 12 and riveted to the screen as Michael's face was transforming into a werewolf. My uncle Neil then came behind me and screamed. I jumped out of my skin lol.

I'll never forget those times :)

My personal favorite (his peak in my opinion) was in the Smooth Criminal era. The 30's clothes, the moves, the base-ladden soundtrack. Love it.

Thanks for the music MJ.

http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ex30DYwQlHU

http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQwFHoLMti8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYx3BR2aJA4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZI9OYMRwN1Q&feature=fvst

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZI9OYMRwN1Q

The future of SL?

2009-03-10T19:38:00.002-04:00

This short is amazing. We are moving ahead with virtual tools...I hope I will live to see the day where tools become as ubiquitous as they are displayed here.

World Builder from Bruce Branit on Vimeo.

Stuff for sale!!!

2009-03-06T11:38:00.003-05:00

Yes I've made something lol.

A nice set of poses for the dicerning sword wielder.

You should check them out here.

-Roe

...but they keep pulling me back in!!!

2009-02-22T10:00:00.005-05:00

Never mind my previous post. 7Seas got me hooked! (pun intended) If I need the need to relax while studying (which, again, I'll be doing probably until June) I log in for a bit and enjoy a nice round of fishing. Leila and I often do it together, sitting side by side at home and online :D

I even leave it on WHILE studying and come back to press F2 ever so often hehhe...add to that a relaxing track from groove salad and I'm all set.

What a time we've had

2009-01-29T14:54:00.002-05:00

I just unchecked the "send IMs to my email" in my user preferences of my SL account...

I find myself spending less and less time there, as I find little to do now, or little that interests me.

I'm not quitting, but probably taking a break, with the occasional log ins once in a while. RL has me stacked with a huge amount of studying for certification exams...this will continue until mid-summer.

SL was to me the 60s I've never had. I could be dancing at a party and step on the toes of the person who captured the animation we were all using. Total population was under 90K. New creations were amazing, new features were just being added. It's still like this, but with so many people it becomes hard to stand out.

My last rez day passed unmarked. 3 years. So much has happened since I stepped on there back in Jan 06.

The Shelter is no longer what it used to be, but my Shelter friends will always remain in my heart.

Thank you Shelter. Thank you SL. You have changed my RL for the better, and made me look inside myself.

I'll keep in touch.

Portal gun for reals!

2009-01-21T12:49:00.005-05:00

A dedicated fan made a real, life-sized portal gun!

I think I want to try out a zune…

2009-01-06T14:34:00.001-05:00

I want a zune.

It ties in with MS points (same balance as the xbox live service), it uses the same friends list as xbox live too.

Zune social where you can see what your friends listen to, what their playlists are made of, share music, etc..

14.95/month for unlimited music download, and it’s in mp3 format, NO DRM….I dunno…I’m piqued.

Happy New Year!!!

2009-01-01T14:03:00.001-05:00

Happy New Year to all my friends and family!!!

Happiness and properity to you all *hugsss*

And now for something different...

2008-12-02T20:03:00.003-05:00

Do yourself a favor and try this.

Saint's Row 2 Rocks!!!

2008-10-21T11:23:00.001-04:00

That is all :)

No More Kings

2008-10-09T11:33:00.003-04:00

Holy Crap! The original Cobra-Kais return in this video (which was directed by William Zabka, Johnny!)

Well well well...

2008-06-27T13:48:00.001-04:00

My tarot card. Surprising, but accurate.

You are The Devil

Materiality. Material Force. Material temptation; sometimes obsession

The Devil is often a great card for business success; hard work and ambition.

Perhaps the most misunderstood of all the major arcana, the Devil is not really "Satan" at all, but Pan the half-goat nature god and/or Dionysius. These are gods of pleasure and abandon, of wild behavior and unbridled desires. This is a card about ambitions; it is also synonymous with temptation and addiction. On the flip side, however, the card can be a warning to someone who is too restrained, someone who never allows themselves to get passionate or messy or wild - or ambitious. This, too, is a form of enslavement. As a person, the Devil can stand for a man of money or erotic power, aggressive, controlling, or just persuasive. This is not to say a bad man, but certainly a powerful man who is hard to resist. The important thing is to remember that any chain is freely worn. In most cases, you are enslaved only because you allow it.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

free running

2008-05-09T11:34:00.001-04:00

Think some of the moves in Assassin's Creed are too far fetched?

Think you could pull off some of those moves?

Check out these guys :)

Whoa!

2008-05-07T13:13:00.005-04:00

Those of you who have played Breakdown on the original XBOX will certainly feel something watching this trailer for the upcoming title Mirror's Edge.

I want to see more, and the soundtrack is kick-ass!!!

This one's on my gaming radar now :)

(sit through the advertisement, then enjoy the trailer)

Lost Odyssey

2008-04-14T18:49:00.007-04:00

This game is a must if you enjoy a good solo experience (get your minds out of the gutter!).

There is no multiplayer here, except the eventual downloadable content.

What I played so far is outstanding, a production quality on the same level as Mass Effect and Assasin's Creed. Like those two, a lot of work went into this piece.

The main character, Kaim is immortal and has lived over 1,000 years and (dun dun duuuun!) is amnesiac. His memories return to him in the form of dreams, which are beautifully written and delivered.

With that in mind, get ready to read. A LOT. Dream sequences are long, but well worth it, in my opinion. Each one takes you back in time, to another place and reveals the pain involved with living without end.

Not many games will make you care about the character you play. This one pulls it off very well.

The music is spot on, by reknown composer Nobuo Uematsu who also worked on Blue Dragon. Each piece ties connects you with the action on screen, as well as the location your party travels through.

The places you will travel are breathtaking, each with its own sense of history and vibe.

I'm still on disc 1 (there are 4) and I'm enjoying taking my time with this one. Little Roe and I enjoy going through it together, and she insists on reading the dream sequences outloud :)

Who am I to discourage her from reading?

Sailing in SL

2008-04-04T19:05:00.006-04:00

A few weeks ago I stumbled upon a nice set of sims dedicated to sailing at Sailor's Cove. Twenty-seven sims altogether, with some of the nicest terrain elevations I've seen during my time in SL.

The architecture is entirely east coast and very relaxing. The pull of the water is unmistakable, and after being there for less than an hour I was looking to purchase a good sail boat. My previous one was built on the tako 2.x script, I learned, and wouldn't work with anything else but SL wind. SL wind is way too erratic to sail by (something that I hope will someday be fixed) so I purchased a Tetra 35.

I've been sailing around the area ever since and took up friends and of course, my Baby.

It turns out the area is separated by one sim block from Nantucket/Hollywood sims, which is another huge area dedicated to sailing. I hear there have been disputes on the topic of connecting both sets...I do hope to sail across the entire series unninterrupted sometime.

Sailor's Cove hosts live music events almost daily, as well as races for novice sailors to experienced.

Check it out!

www.flickr.com

Roenik Newell's Arrrrrr! photoset