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[Review] Sikulu, the Kul Visual Programmer

January 30th, 2010 · Review

File this under “Cool concept, needs work”. Sikulu is a free visual programming language, but it’s not like Kodu or Mindstorms (or even LEGO Universe). The code itself is fairly standard, with if, while, and for loops. But instead of identifying what you want the program to click with code, you identify it with pictures.

The script behind a Sikuli program that automatically "Likes" all Facebook statuses in view.

It’s very intuitive, and you don’t have even have to take the pictures in advanced – you can do it all from inside the program. I’m a bit curious about how much you can actually do with it, but the website shows some pretty impressive examples. Plus, (I have to say this again) it’s really easy – that’s always a plus.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to work well with big pictures… or pictures that are too small. Sometimes a script will run accurately, and sometimes it won’t. In addition, the documentation needs some serious work before it can become accessible to those it is most useful for. But still, Sikulu is a great concept, and I can’t wait to see it a little while down the line, when it works a bit better. In the meantime, enjoy these possible uses for Sikulu.

  • Automatically “Like” all Facebook statuses. (See above)
  • Refresh Twitter as soon as new tweets come in.
  • Write your own blog posts. (What? No, I don’t do that!)

What would you use Sikulu to do?

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[Interview Link] The Student Who Risked Life and Limb For a Signed MacBook

January 29th, 2010 · Interview, Links

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer is known to react strongly in the presence of Apple technology, and not always in a good way. Take, for example, the time when he pretended to stomp on an iPhone after a Microsoft employee tried to take his a picture with it.

Jordan Bennett, a 20-year-old sophomore at Nashville’s Belmont University, had heard these stories, but when Ballmer came to town last week to speak to the Nashville Technology Council, they didn’t stop Jordan from coming up with an idea — asking Microsoft’s top executive to sign his Apple MacBook Pro.

Recently, a video has been circulating around the internet showing a college student who asked Steve Ballmer to sign his MacBook Pro.

YouTube Preview Image

The incident happened close to where I am (in fact, I almost went to the event myself), so I talked to the student, Jordan Bennett, about the experience. You can see the interview over at TechFlash – check it out!

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[Opinion] How Do You Like Your Demos?

January 28th, 2010 · Opinion

I was browsing some of the free apps on the Palm App Catalog (I’m not ready to make the plunge into purchasing any phone apps, yet), and I noticed that there were a lot of demos. Call ‘em “X Lite” or “X Free”, but that’s what they are, demos. They also all have different ways of limiting the functionality of the app. Some of them, I think, are better than others.

Limited Features

Unlimited usage, but there’s limitations on what you can do with the software. As long as the removed function isn’t key to the program, then this is a pretty good way of limiting the demo. I think, due to the downsides of the other two methods, this is likely one of the best ones there is.

Timed Trials

There are two varieties of a timed trial. The one that tends to be standard for computer programs is a number of days – 14 days to a month.Then there is what seems to be the standard for phone apps – a few minutes. The former, I’m okay with. The latter… I could do without. I don’t think you can get an idea of the application with such limited time using it. If there isn’t enough time for me to decide if I like the program, then I’m not going to buy it.

Number of Uses

Similar to the above strategy, this lets you open the program (for example) 15 times and do what you can with it. I don’t think this is as widespread as the other methods, but I’m alright with this one. In fact, it’s more useful to the consumer than the time-limited trial. The downside for the company is that if the person only needs to use it one, then they aren’t likely to purchase the product.

Any Combination

And of course, there are those that impose more than one of these restrictions. Like a limited number of uses over a short period of time, or restricted features for a limited number of uses. This is a Bad Idea. More restrictions equals more frustration for me, the consumer. Not a fan of this one. Although there is the exception of limited features with either of the other two, where you have access to the full program for a certain amount of time or number of uses, and then it gets restricted.

Outside of free, what do you think is the best way for someone to make a demo out of their product?

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[SPUC] Week of January 27, 2010

January 27th, 2010 · Secret Project Update Club

Didn’t get to update last week, because last week was terrible. This week isn’t so hot either, but I have time to make an update.

  1. Codename Backup Dancer – Unchanged.
  2. Codename Power Struggle – Unchanged.
  3. Codename Collegiate Level Pets – Recreated the framework. Made the revolutionary decision to learn what I need to know before starting to work on the project. Education starts now.
  4. Codename Urban Spirits – Started publishing it here looking for feedback.
  5. Codename Four Contemporary Equestrians – Unchanged.
  6. Codename Atomica – I have thought about it. More deeeply.
  7. Codename Memory Banks Intact – I am an idiot. The way I switched my blog over to DreamHost created a minor issue that isn’t really a problem. However, since I want to make sure that everything is well organized to save myself from pain down the road, that means I have to start over. From scratch.

Excuse of the Week: Two terrible weeks. Atomica prototype hopefully in the works, though.

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[Review] Three Articles You Must Check Out in Kobold Quarterly 12

January 26th, 2010 · RPG Bloggers Network, Review

The cover art for the twelfth issue of Kobold Quarterly.

Kobold Quarterly, Issue 12

I really had trouble picking out three articles from the most recent issue of Kobold Quarterly. Not that it’s a bad issue – the exact opposite, it’s amazing! Too good, that I couldn’t just pick three articles. But I knew that if I tried to make it longer, then eventually the list would spiral out of control and I’d have pretty much every article in there. Here are my three favorites instead.

  1. Telkari, Inevitable of Death. A great clockwork villain for use in your 3.5e (or 3.5e compatible) game. Telkari is a marut that punishes those who try to escape death – including nearly every living creature, since the gods have destroyed and rebuilt them multiple times. If the fluff wasn’t delicious enough, he also can cause the “clockwork plague” where the victim finds their insides being slowly replaced by clockwork parts.
  2. Elves: The Fallen Ones. Another example of some really fantastic fluff. This is a “Wicked Spin” by John Wick, and it takes the backstory of the elves and gives it a bit of a darker look. The Fallen Elves are spirits of the Great Trees, and their lifeforce is linked to the tree they protect. When their tree is cut down, they begin to die, and they spend their few years remaining to the best of their abilities. It’s great writing and of course the stats for the new race come with it too. There are a few odd typos, but nothing too distracting.
  3. Lessons from the Shadows. This article has a flaw, in that I’m not entirely sure who or what it’s geared towards. But it’s awesome anyway, because it talks about ninjas, and some of their tactics. In particular, I like the idea of projecting an aura of infamy – I want to figure out some way to fit that in to something.

Like I said, I had a lot of trouble picking out my top three articles. Seriously, I changed that list around a lot. There are a lot of articles I would to have liked to include that list. The Holy Remix has four Cleric variants that combine some of its class features with those of other classes. Spice Up Your Combat Encounters is by none other than Chatty DM, and is a great look at how to integrate 4e skill challenges into combat. And if you want another look at elves, there’s Impossible Caravans and Unseelie Ambassadors, a look at Open Design’s 4e patron project that’s currently in development.

This issue of Kobold Quarterly is even better than the last one I looked at (issue 10). I still like the icons that identify what system each article is for (although they’ve become less useful for me as Pathfinder has grown on me), but I would also like them to appear on the Table of Contents – just so I can glance and get an idea. Other than that minor tweak, Kobold Quarterly 12 is a great bang for your buck – check it out here [Affiliate Link].

Full Disclosure: I received a free PDF copy of Kobold Quarterly 12 to review.

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[Opinion] Do Themes Make It Too Easy to "Rebrand"?

January 25th, 2010 · Opinion

Okay, so here’s a post that is coming from completely left field. I was looking at some of the themes that Dreamhost includes when you auto-install Wordpress onto their servers (still haven’t found one I like more than the Cutline theme), and I started to wonder about rebranding a site.

For corporations, a brand is usually identified by a logo. For blogs and websites, however, it’s most likely identified by the theme of the site. Before Wordpress themes (and Blogger themes, and themes for any similar CMS), rebranding was something that took a bit of work. You had to start from scratch (or mostly scratch) in order to redesign your website (I say this like I have experience in doing so, but I don’t). This was a double-edged sword – it meant that it wasn’t easy to improve your site, but it had a consistent, recognizable look that people knew and were familiar with. And having a consistent brand is a Good Thing. Just look at Coca Cola:

The evolution from the Coca-Cola logo of the early 1900s to the present day logo, with little noticeable change.

Source: Coca-Cola vs. Pepsi Revised Edition

The first image is from the early 1900s, one of the first logos Coca-Cola had. The second is from last year. Not much change, right? There have been a couple times in the past where they’ve changed it, but in the end they went back to something that is almost exactly the same as the original logo – because it is recognizable.

Now, with themes in Wordpress (and Blogger, and so on), it’s very easy to change the look entirely of your website. Off the top of my head, I can think of four blogs I read that have recently changed their themes to something wildly different from the original. While it hasn’t been a bad thing for any of them, it did make me wonder. It took me a fairly long time to adjust to the changes, and it was a bit like, for a short time, the website lost its identity.

(Somewhat related, but not entirely: In addition, if someone who stumbled across the site a while ago comes across it again, they may not remember it; I know because this has happened to be before).

Change is necessary for something to improve, I know. But changing from one theme to another is a very big step forward, unlike some sites that take one step at a time. The only one I can think of off the top of my head right now is CSS Tricks, who recently tweaked (but didn’t replace) their theme, but there are other examples out there.

What do you think? Do themes make it too easy to rebrand?

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[Review] Doctor Who for Beginners

January 24th, 2010 · RPG Bloggers Network, Review

Want to see the full review of the game? Click here.

So, when I asked people on Twitter if they had seen my review, here’s what someone said in response:

MissMouze: @allgeektout Yeah, but how it is for a person who doesn’t play a whole lot of RPGs?

Oops, I forgot to mention that in my review, didn’t I? So here’s my opinion on Doctor Who as a game for beginning gamers.

Character creation probably isn’t the best mechanic for new gamers. The point-buy system is simple enough (especially with detailed descriptions of what each Attribute at each level means), but I don’t think it’s a great way to start off. However, most non-gamers picking this up will likely be interested in playing the main characters in the show, so the pre-generated characters should be enough. Even those who want to create their own character could find what they want in the Archetypes. Including those was definitely a good idea on Cubicle 7’s part.

The system at its core is very simple, so I don’t see too much trouble for new players. Everyone’s familiar with rolling two six-sided dice, and the rest is simple math. Naturally, I think the Gamemaster has to be a little bit more experienced, or at least be able to easily reference rules like the margin of success chart. Still, it shouldn’t be too hard for people to put together a game.

Really, the only problem I see (with basic rules, getting into more advanced rules would be a problem for new gamers) are Traits. There are a lot of them, and I could see them easily slipping out of the minds of experienced gamers. Of the pre-generated characters, The Doctor suffers from this the most. He has an insane number of traits, and flipping the sheet over and over again would get frustrating for any player.

Outside of the Traits, though, I don’t see anything that could get in the way of new gamers enjoying this game. That’s the real strength of its simplicity – luring over more and more not-yet-gamers to the hobby. I can’t wait to see what happens when Cubicle 7 does the widespread release with Matt Smith.

Want to see the full review of the game? Click here.

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[The City] The Races of the City

January 23rd, 2010 · RPG Bloggers Network, Settings

Alright, next step: what are the roles of the races in the City? I knew from the start that I wanted to incorporate the whole Core Rulebook, but I didn’t want everything to be the same standard race they always were. So here’s what I came up with.

Humans are the oppressed majority in the City. Their time as leaders and rulers vanished along with the village – though there are some in power, they often have to fight to keep it that way.
Dwarves are the gardeners of the city, responsible for the food. They spend most of their time in the underground farms, making sure that everything is taken care of. Though all have houses on the surface, many choose to carve out their homes underground – which is of questionable legality.
Elves are the inventors, from the mountain forges in the forest of Alderbrook. Though they are the ones who came up with the technology that enabled the City, they aren’t the ones that utilized it.
Half-elves are closer to humankind than to elf-kind. Most of them lack the connection with the forges that makes it possible for the elves to create the world’s technology. However, they are held in higher regard than humans, and often hold powerful roles in the city.
Gnomes are the ones who brought the City to life. They realized the potential in the elves invention, and “marketed” it to the others in the village. An interesting split occurred at this point – the gnomes who took up positions in power, and the gnomes continued to hold their entrepreneurial spirit in the highest regard and are the shopkeepers of today.
Halflings are the true leaders of the city. Despite the equality allegedly brought about by the Council of Races, there’s no doubt in anyone’s mind that the halflings have made their way to power, either by hard work or, more commonly, through trickery.
Half-orcs are elves (or descendants of elves) who have been twisted by the magic of the forges. No one knows what causes it, and those who suffer from it are looked upon with pity before revulsion.

Right now, I’m a bit torn. I want to make the races stand out against the fantasy norm, but I’m worried it’s going to turn a bit too much into just an example of Our Elves Are Different (although I’m keeping the Elves – they were one of my first ideas for the City). For now, I’ll keep the races as they are until I get some feedback.

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[Announcement] Hello? Is This Thing On?

January 22nd, 2010 · Announcement, RPG Bloggers Network

Okay, so I made a stupid mistake last week, and in addition to it resulting in the destruction (and subsequent recreation) of allgeektout, it also resulted in me temporarily not showing up on the RPG Bloggers Network for a little while. Thanks to the extreme kindness of Duane of aterribleidea, my feed has been altered so that I show up again. So, if you’re coming here from the network, here are some articles you may have missed:

You’ve also missed the subtle relaunch of allgeektout. There isn’t much to look at that’s different, yet, but if you happen to come across an error somewhere, I would greatly appreciate it if you passed that along.

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[Review] The Box That's Bigger on the Inside

January 22nd, 2010 · RPG Bloggers Network, Review

David Tennant stands as the Tenth Doctor in front of his TARDIS on the cover of the new Doctor Who RPG box set.

Doctor Who: Adventures in Time and Space

Okay, the title’s a bit of a lie – the contents of Doctor Who: Adventures in Time and Space (the new Doctor Who RPG from Cubicle 7) are actually pretty snug inside their box. But when you look at the contents of the box, and the fact that I can’t resist an obvious pun, then you’ll see why I picked that as the title for my review of the game.

Now, lots of great content unfortunately turned into a very long review for me, so if you want to skip ahead, here are the major parts of the review:

Now, if you don’t mind, I’m going to go through the contents of the box in order:

[Read more →]

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