Posts

Showing posts from February, 2008

Books I want to Get (But I'm too poor to afford)

I know there is a good chance there is a lot of garbage mixed in with the useful tidbits but the cost of sorting through it is worth the opportunity cost. Strangely work books are my new fascination. ShaderX5: Advanced Rendering Techniques (Shaderx) GPU Gems 3 by Hubert Nguyen Pro OGRE 3D Programming (Pro) Game Programming Gems 5 (Game Programming Gems Series) Programming Game AI by Example By Mat Buckland Game Programming Gems 5 (Game Programming Gems Series) By Kim Pallister Mathematics for 3D Game Programming and Computer Graphics, Second Edition (Game Development Series) By Eric Lengyel Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software (Addison-Wesley Professional Computing Series) By Erich Gamma, Richard Helm, Ralph Johnson, John M. Vlissides Game Programming Gems (Game Programming Gems Series) By Mark DeLoura The Cg Tutorial: The Definitive Guide to Programmable Real-Time Graphics By Randima Fernando, Mark J. Kilgard

Living in the Corruption: Nothing like the sobering experience of getting your NBI clearance.B

Image
NBI Clearance . National Bureau of Investigation, established as the Philippine equivalent to the FBI (its so bad it can't be counted as a copy). Public reaps the benefits of NBI computerization By: Charlie Agatep - January 11, 2002 YEAH RIGHT!!! From 3 days to now 7-12!! 1 hour in Megamall . According to the NBI website you only need your old copy to be renewed. I have 13 year old NBI clearance sheet back when I was 15 for travel to the USA. I tried to follow the instructions of the website. Asking questions is great and all but in ALL the government services this one is the MOST understaffed. Carriedo . Suffice to say, DON'T listen to the FIXERS. Luckily I didn't, although who wouldn't be tempted. They hawk papers that don't mean shit and you can buy a BLACK ballpen on your way to carriedo (but never there). THE REAL Step 1 . Line up to PAY the P20 entrance fee. Its just so obvious that the People&

Whole day affairs.

employment requirements . It takes roughly a WHOLE day to get your NBI clearance (because by the time you get it its to late to get the other important papers), to Get your SSS card and to get your TIN card. I didn't know I was supposed to do this stuff while I was unemployed.. especially when i was thinking I could do it when I'm on a roll. Ignorance is no excuse but the fact that it takes WHOLE days to do, with no SATURDAY schedule and terribly inefficient bureaucracy (I don't live in makati anymore) just makes the corruption that headlines the news more visible to me. To think, that things could be more efficient, faster, a little bit more expensive but WAY more convenient to the tax payer infuriates me at the system it is now. When the BIR (bureau of internal revenue) threatened the Makati Business Club with Audits it JUST pisses me off that such efforts are wasted by the presidents vendeta and a goverment and system that doesnt want to change (especially since she prov

Anarchy of Families: State and Family in the Philippines

History has interesting stories . ...and they all echo to today. The stories in the book aren't new, we see them in the headlines and our experience living here in this environ. What is new is what insight you get when you connect then and now. and WHOA... the Wild Wild west... was in the Philippines. It was called La Madre Le Los Ladrones "The Mother of Thieves". It was so violent the Americans had to declare martial law in the state. It had everything and more, with cattle wrestling, bandits turned Governors, villains, anti-heroes, and even magic (the tattoos and talismans). Even today, criminal Law Lawyers never prosper because of the violence of the region. I'm trying to BI (bad influence) our GM to run it. Planning to make a more EVIL version of Justiniano Montano or just my version of it. I have a some serial killer dramatics planned and make him just as violent but MORE theatric. Like instead of direct violence some more subtle but more gruesome acts and a ps

What to do with all that Garbage.

I think I'm over GURPS . I don't touch my books anymore although it has left the idea of a "realistic" game. A game where human limits are part of the challenge. I saw the counterstrike competitions on TV and I found all the maneuvers done by the characters suprising. For a game that simulates combat, it could have gone farther by adding the basic limitation of endurance and energy. It was like all the characters were on adrenaline drugs. One lesson I will take away from GURPS is if a table Top RPG can simulate some realisms, a Computer Game should be able to do the same with less. I guess one of the things I have to learn is how to fiddle with Ogre with the hope to make a game engine (or help make it) like A GURPS where it has all the basic physics built in for games to come.

"What freaking Stool Sample!?"

All that trouble but when I got there they didn't need it . It said in my papers that I was required to have 2 valid IDs and a Stool Sample... with all the freaking disgusting trouble to get one (because it has to be dry, I have bouts of constipation and unpredictable bowel movement) and storing and the transporting the damn thing from GH to Old Manila... freaking eh. Declining Hobby . I'm embarrassed to be leaving the gaming hobby a bit. Not totally since I still play GURPS with Bobby and DaBoyz and DnD with our little group, but leaving the old RPGbarkada forums since pen and paper RPGs are going the way of the dinosaurs. Its really change of direction and the fact that it is getting harder to play the hobby as you get older. Airsoft is a different matter, there are some practical aspects to it more capital intesive but less prep... but RPGs can't sell so well. I'm suprised people still buy the books when I visit the stores (or they may not be since these books don

Papers to get for my Job

Ok I can PROBABLY fix all the requirements by tomorrow... Probably... worst case senario by wednesday. As a reward I bought the gun bag for the AK tactical and a belt and suspender (because the belt can get pretty heavy). I'm not planning to get anything else other than that... probably just a wireframe mask but thats iffy and alot of effort. I just hope its more Being Trained than Self Teaching... at least I'm self studying with other people compared to just my self. Hope I learn as fast as them younger guys.

Buyer Beware: Buying Computers in the Philippines

Having lost a Thesis 3 weeks before the deadline because of questionable computer people have made me very traumatized about the cost of computers. Even if someone tells me they got the parts X% I won't really feel bad about my purchase because when it comes to electronic parts here its hard to get Bang for Buck... its mostly about covering your ass. Here are the warranties of the two more trusted places to get computers in the Phils. Read carefully and compare, note that PCX has a return and exchange policy which has a very narrow window but at least has one nonetheless. Villman IMO has better warranty because it is simpler for me to understand and doesn't have confusing stuff like the last part of the PCX one which can mean: if its not covered by either the manufacturers warranty or our warranty we won't honor it... Although its confusing enough not for me to be discouraged by it. http://www.villman.com/products/warranty.asp http://www.pcx.com.ph/docs/legal.asp With work

Got a Job in Animation... Kinda'

Image
They asked me if I'd take it, I told the guy that I'd like to talk to my wife about it but will tell him in the morning asap. That morning I call but the guy was in a meeting. Minutes later the guy calls and I say I'm really glad to take it but I'm supposed to take a test and I'm not in YET. He already spelled out the benefits, the pay, the hours etc... but I need a test. Last mention was an IQ test. Anyway, at least I'm going into 3d Character animations Heads first. This is a dream and will help me get closer to my goal of a Mahadlika SOMETHING! (either a game or a low res online cartoon series- the new online comic). Either way I have a ton of work ahead of me. the job has a ton of overtime and there are always last minute things that may need overnight stay to make the deadline... they didnt say that but when did anything in production ever go smoothly. I've experienced it first hand and seen it in the development videos of games and movies there is no

Correcting a mistake

The problem with Airsoft and Computer alike are the quality of people dealing in them. Both attract the seediest people and finding people who will be honest with you and treat you fairly will be rare and far between. I had a bad brush in with the people who sell airsoft merchandise in shopsvile. They won't replace or exchance the defective mask they sold me (for 1k) I know its buyer beware but I couldnt help but try to get my money's worth back. I was there for an hour talking to the people who found every way to say it was my fault for not being aware and saying that they shouldnt have trusted them. Either way I asked about their integrity and why would they argue that they shouldnt be trusted since it outright claimed they were unfair. It was really tempting to snitch given the opportunity since its illegal to sell airsoft guns. I don't like leaving things to kharma either. All i merely did was give turn away a number of customers because of the questions and the loud vo

the news

Fibre Problems (Too much information alert)

Started taking fiber supplements . It was the first time in a long time I didn't feel too guilty eating white rice. I'm taking C-lium and its not so bad. It makes me go without anymore pain but gives me really smelly farts, diarrhea smelling ones. I take about a guesstimated amount before I have a meal, depending on how much I am planning to eat. I'm trying to lower my calorie intake very slowly but I end up binging. I hope to have it under control as I work my way to a good balance. The C-lium has a tendency to make me lose my appetite so I get dizzy marking my hunger instead of the feeling of hunger. Which is great because it SHOULD stop me from binging but the urge to pig out when I'm low is still there even when there is no sensation of hunger. I just keep eating till I'm not dizzy. Anyway maybe I'm on my way to an effective diet... or a disaster. Airsoft . A new hobby but yet to have my own gun and be a semi regular player. I hope to one day afford a cheap

Airsoft for the Cheap and Newbie

Airsoft Budget (the Ideal Budget) .. For the Cheapest Deal go to Manang Luming's (burlington) 503 Quezon Boulevard, Quiapo, Manila. Tel No. 733-6093 (they issue official receipts). This is almost 1/3 the price of convenient places to buy. In my experience in Green Hills they sold me Knee and Elbow pads for P1000 and The very same Face Mask for P1000. Both of which costs 380 here and which is the very same Item. In hindsight, after getting a gun or once the gun part can be handled take a day to go to this place to get EVERYTHING you need. If your "Kikay" have it all customized. I don't think you'll hit 3k with a ton of customized stuff. Battle Dress Uniform P1400 (top and bottom) . We got the Digital Jungle Cammo. Custom fit costs the same, I am a small in their size. Knee and Elbow Pads P380 . They don't usually carry so call Lito ahead of time for a reserve. I got this in Shops ville Arcade for P1000 Hat P100 . A boonie hat (I didnt get this ) Helmet with