Just Because You're Paranoid, It Doesn't Mean You're Wrong

    I've been waiting on the latest edition of a game I really like for a few weeks now.  I ordered it months ago, but it officially came out on August 30.  The store where I ordered it from hasn't gotten it yet, and it might not ever.  It has had problems getting some of the niche products that I like.  I would ordered it directly through my store, but the publisher doesn't use my distributor any more.  I could order directly from the publisher instead, but I would prefer not to, as that would be way more expensive.  Also, if I don't like it, I got possibly return it if I go through other channels.  And as of right now, based on everything I've read, I probably won't like it.  When the new edition was formally announced last fall, controversy has surrounded it.  Soon after the first statement was made, one of the designers mentioned in an interview that the new edition would not be a direct continuation of the game.  This fact, along with some of the other changes first announced, brought the fan community into a frenzy.  Many long-time fans hated these decisions, especially when compared to other games that this company had updated.  While calls for open-mindedness prevailed, many people on some of the social media platforms I visit were having major doubts.  These doubts began to increase with the first previews earlier this year.  The artist had traced the image of a well-known activist who does not like his image and tattoos reproduced.  The art was reportedly changed, but further previews had more traced art of people in the public eye.  While this is an accepted technique, to some degree, the art director should have been alerted about possible problems.  Maybe the previews came out before final authorization was finished.  Maybe it was a lax editing process.  Maybe it was all a publicity stunt to grab attention. I believe any of this is possible.  The art previews did stop, though.  Rules previews were next.  One of the designers for an earlier stage of development noted that the rules preview seemed to be lifted directly from their design. (The final version of the game was the third development pass-through.  The first two ended in bad faith.) Fans were wondered if the writer would be credited.  Again, there were possible explanations. Maybe there was no other simpler way to present the information. Maybe the final version would have a different version written up.  Maybe management just didn't care who they were angering.  Then, with just a few weeks left before the debut, one of the designers for an early iteration for the new edition posted an interview about the horrible working conditions he was put through, specifically by one manager whose heavy-handed interpretation of how the game would be like may have been the cause for the first two iterations of the new edition to be scraped.  Well, many older fans were immediately thrown off for the new edition, at least on the sites that I frequent.  When the game finally came out, they dissected the changes very critically.  The overall opinion was that the new changes weakened the game and made it less appealing for most players.  The game basically forced the player into a certain game style that was never a predominant position in previous editions.  Most of the vitriol was directed at management, whose ideas for favoring this style of gameplay through each of the lines of games in the new editions of this world were turning away many of the game's older fans.  While many of the positive changes were praised, frankly because certain parts of the game hadn't aged well and needed updating, many of these fans were considering either skipping the new edition or using a lot of adaptations to get it to work.  A few were trying to work with the new edition and were not hated for it.  Attacks on the designers were mostly discouraged, as many felt that they were only doing what they were asked to do to get the game to work.  Other platforms weren't so encouraging.  Older fans were noticing how their views were being shut out on other sites, claiming that they were showing extremist views, even when they were just dissecting changes. I even looked into one such group of new edition fans myself.  They were showing such hatred against older fans, claiming they were fascist for hating the changes, particularly one change.  And this was just as the early PDFs of the new edition was coming out.  Even after more people got the new book and a more nuanced and balanced opinion came out, the hatred aimed at older fans was still vicious.  I noted that some of the posters in this group seemed connected to the gaming industry.  I don't know if they were connected to the game's publisher or not, but it was a red flag.  A few of the most vehement fans of the new edition appeared to have joined the platform just so they could support the game.  Either that or they managed to keep almost everything else about themselves private, including information that is usually kept public.  Maybe they just skipped some parts of their profiles. Or they might not be entirely 'real.'  I don't know, but their profile gave off the same vibe as the friend requests I used to get from women from foreign countries whose posts were mostly photos of them barely dressed. Or less, as one was a full frontal shot that probably was against policy standards.  Anyway, I am not sure what is going on.  Maybe I'm just spotting a conspiracy where there is none.  Or, maybe the game publisher is running a long-range publicity campaign to boost the appearance of their new product, when they know it might not be a good as they think it is.  I can almost believe anything after all of the mixed messages I've seen over the past few months.

All I Hear Is Hear Is Radio Ca-Ca

    Well, I'm having more problems with the radio in my store again.  The latest instance started last Friday.  While I was listening to my favorite radio station on the way to work, I noticed that there was quite a bit of static.  Now, while other stations had been known for getting interference, this station usually was pretty clear for this stretch of road.  I made a note to make sure I knew what song was playing when I got in to check that the radio was playing the same one.  The store radio was not playing the same song.  In fact, it wasn't playing any song at all.  There was just static.  I fiddled with the dial some, but it was to no good.  I was getting the public radio station two clicks down, or some Christian station two clicks up or so.  I didn't know of any Christian stations anywhere near mine Top 40 station on the dial.  I tried every trick I had developed over the years in trying to get a clearer signal.  None of them worked either.  For almost all of the day, all I had on the radio was a dull static in the background.  I needed some sort of background noise to help me concentrate.  Fortunately, I kept the volume down so as not to interfere with any customers, although I don't think we had anyone actually come in that day.  From what I could gather, the Christian station may have just started up that day, the first of the month, because I couldn't figure anything else out.  I waited until the following day, Saturday, to try a few more radical ideas in case the radio was still acting up.  I moved the radio around a bit without unplugging it.  Didn't clear up the static.  I moved the radio to the only easily reached outlet that wouldn't block anyone coming into the store.  After some fiddling with the dial, I thought I was getting the UK pre-game show, but only after turning off some off some of the lights.  The lights create a tiny bit of interference, so turning them off clears the signal ever so slightly.  Well, I don't like to listen to sports on the radio, so I just turned the radio off for the rest of the day.  I brought a CD to listen to that afternoon, but the rest of the day was silent.  When I left for the day, I checked the car radio to find out the results of the game.  My favorite station wasn't playing the post-game show, which I found to be odd. I checked a different station, and that one was playing the post-game show. Oh-oh.  I tuned the radio to the country station that plays UK games that sometimes interferes with my radio station, even though it is over ten clicks away from it.  Yep, they were playing the post-game show too.  So, either my radio station no longer carries anything but the actual game, or they are no longer part of the network at all and the store radio accidentally picked up the country station again.  The store was closed for the rest of the weekend, so I couldn't do any more until yesterday, Tuesday.  I got in late because I was expecting a delivery at home.  It got delayed due to some engine trouble, so I went on in to work and left someone there to take care of the delivery.  I fixed the dial some more, and I turned off a different section of lights, and I got my station back.  The signal is back to almost the same as it was before this latest problem.  After a moved light post, a boosted country station, new lights, a bunch of high-profile vehicles parked outside, and a new Christian station, I am almost ready to buy a new radio with a digital tuner so that I can dial in the exact station instead of estimating with my current analog tuner.  Maybe that will help, or maybe it won't, as all of the other sources of interference are too much to overcome.  My favorite station might not be the best, but it is the one with the most variety of songs that I sort of like, even when they play a song twenty-to-thirty years old instead of the current Top 40, minus much of the rap and hip-hop of course.   Why they won't play it, I don't know, but it is still my favorite.

Giving Debit Where Debit Is Due

     This week marks an important milestone for me as my rechargeable debit card expires.  It was my first one ever.  I know that it will sound strange that I got my first ever edit or credit card so late in life, but I do have a good explanation for it.  My mother is sort of obsessed with money.  For some reason, she has never thought I was good with it.  While I admit I sometimes go overboard, it was never that often and never intentional.  Nevertheless, she pretty much refused for me to ever get.  I preferred cash anyways, and I rarely had to buy anything too expensive.  The main downside was that I could never purchase things online.  This al changed when I got into graduate school.  To save money, my mother wanted to make sure I could get my books through alternate sources.  This meant getting most of the books through the library, with a few more through my bookstore.  I only had to get a small amount through the college, and for that I needed some sort of card.  After some hassle, I finally got my first card, a rechargeable debit card.  I only used it for a few books, one a used book for a class I ultimately dropped and couldn't return because it was no longer going to be used.  For my second semester, both of my books were available through my own bookstore, so I didn't need the card for awhile.  That's when I started using it for other things.  The first purchases were for digital PDF versions of books that I had been wanting for years.  There was a sale going on, and I bought all six.  I could have ordered print-on-demand physical copies, but that would have cost too much.  I would end up buying multiple other PDFs from the series, including newer ones as they were brought out.  I would sponsor crowdsourcing for other new products, getting some older PDFs of products as well.  Sure, there were other benefits that I would end up either mostly ignoring or opting out on, but I was just so overjoyed to finally be able to get into one of my favorite things after having to sit out on it due to not being able to order online.  I also bought a few other things, actual physical objects and not digital releases, with my card.  I also used it to sign up for my loan streaming service.  I tried to renew early, before my card expired, but I wasn't given the chance.  My mother even co-opted it to order something for herself, although she may have returned it.  She frequently does that.  At the end of the week, my card will finally expire. I'm planning on making one last online purchase in the remaining hours.  Then, I'm not sure what I'll do.  I'll need a new card so that I can renew my streaming plan.  I'll need a new card to make sure my PayPal service remains steady, even if I so rarely use it. I'll need a new card the next time there's a sale of my digital books or crowdsourcing for a new one I'd like to be a part of.  (I'm only now starting to buyback older books that I lost twenty years ago in the flood.  That would be dozens of downloads.) Hopefully, I can start a new account soon, although I'm sure my mother would prefer that I didn't have one.

Maybe You Can't Drive My Car

    I sometimes let someone else drive my car.  Not that often, but it does cause the occasional problem.  For instance, I'm a good six to eight inches taller than this other person.  They have to adjust the seat closer to the steering wheel to drive, and they sometimes forget to return the seat to its original position.  Just yesterday, I had to wrench my hips around just so I wouldn't bump into the steering column.  My knees hit it anyway.  It wouldn't be that much of a problem, but I don't really like to adjust my seat until I'm actually sitting down, as it is easier to reach the controls that way.  Almost as bad, they sometimes adjust the seat way too far back, as if I was well over six feet tall.  While I don't hurt myself, I do wind up messing up anything in the floor behind me.  Next, there is the sun shade.  It's summer, and I like having some sort of visor up by the windshield to keep the car a little cooler.  However, this person frequently messes up the passenger side of the screen, causing it to slip a little.  While that doesn't affect the temperatures on my side, it does make it harder to put the screen away easily so I can drive.  If the screen is set up properly, it can be taken down without any fuss, but there always seems to be a problem whenever it isn't set up right. After this, I can now start the car, only to find more problems.  Whenever one of the car's features sends out a notification, the feature turns on the radio console to use its speakers.  Well, this person doesn't know how to turn the radio off properly, even after numerous attempts at showing them how.  They just leave the radio on, and asking me to go back out to shut it off.  What's worse, they accidentally mute the radio instead of turning it off. This risks draining the battery, especially when I turn the motor on.  Another problem is the digital information display.  This person has an irrational fear of tires going flat at the worst possible moment.  They check the tire inflation every chance they get into the car, even if when they don't really feel anything is wrong.  They've also have starting worrying about the electrical system and the battery life as well.  Half the time I start the car, the information is still there, instead of something more immediately useful, such as the speedometer.  It's not like I'm going to note what the tire inflation, battery charge, or even oil life when I don't need to.  Finally, I can drive.  Or not.  This person has one last bad driving habit.  They don't 'zero out' the steering wheel to straighten the tires.  Frequently, there is a slight turn to the wheel that could cause the car to turn in that direction even after I straighten the tires out.  Worse, this person has even had the steering wheel upside-down, and I don't notice it until it is too late.  I've pressed the wrong buttons on the wheel, and it has led me to think something bad is happening.  I've even almost gone into traffic in front of another vehicle because the wheels were turned in the wrong direction.  As the primary driver, my needs take precedence.  They keep saying that they are going to change and remember to set the car back to my standards, but they keep doing it.  I'm just fortunate that they don't read this blogcast, or I would be in trouble for mentioning them, even though I never mention them by name. If they need, then I could be in even worse shape the next time after they take my car.

If It Is Broke, Then Replace It

    I have had a lot of things breaking down on me lately, with the capper being my computer last week.  That is the reason why there wasn't a post last Wednesday.  Let me update some of the problems I have been having.  First, my watch band snapped a few weeks ago.  I was finally able to get it to a jewelry repair store, but they said they weren't able to fix the damage.  The watch still works, as long as I remember to shake now and again to self-wind it.  I might be able to get a new band though, but it might be difficult to replace it.  Next, my electric shaver stopped working two weeks ago.  As I mentioned in my last regular post, I was trying to find a way to fix it or get a new one.  I checked an online troubleshooting site, but nothing seemed to match my problem.  I went to a local big box store to see if they had anything I could buy as a replacement.  Well, I knew they were kept locked up, even though the trimmers weren't and some of them cost just about as much. However, the shavers were stored with the bottoms of the packages face out. I couldn't tell what brand and model was which.  Let's not even mention about how hard it would be to find a sales clerk to open the cabinet for me.  Well, while I was shopping around, I had someone else call the toll-free number about how to dispose of my old shaver.  Out of nowhere, the company sent me a new, replacement model for free.  I'm not sure why, but I'm thinking that there was a recall of the old model and I missed the notification. I did register my shaver when I first bought it, but I think I remember not using the right zip code for the mailing address and I may have unsubscribed to the notifications after a while.  Still, the new one charges much faster and lasts for about the same amount of time as my old one.  Now, for my old computer.  Last Wednesday, I was doing my regular routine. I checked my email, and then I started watching my YouTube shows before going on to my blog.  I was just starting my video when the screen froze, the audio began to repeat, and the cursor vanished.  The screen then went dark.  I tired turning the computer off and on.  It tried to come back on, but quickly turned off again.  I checked some of my guides for help.  Again, it only partially worked before failing.  I got on my phone and checked Apple's support site for help.  Again, nothing seemed to fully work.  When my mother cam back it, she suggested a friend of hers who is an avid Apple user to see if he knew anyone who could look at it.  He suggested someone, but they didn't work on Apples, but hey knew someone who did.  We called him and described the problem over the phone.  He didn't seem to be that enthusiastic about the chances he could fix it and save my data.  Finally, my mother suggested the technician who works for the town we live in. She called him, and he managed to get to the store a few hours laters.  He looked at my computer and diagnosed the possible problems.  It didn't look good.  He helped me order a new computer, but was somewhat confident that he might be able to save my data.  Well, even though we ordered it overnight, it took almost two days to arrive because it was ordered so late in the day.  The good news was that he figured out why my old computer died.  I can't really explain it all, but there had been numerous warning signs that I had missed for weeks if not longer.  The bad news was that he didn't have the equipment needed to ship the data over to my new computer, although if I had gone through Apple directly like I wanted, it could have.  He was able to salvage the hard drive, so if I ever can find someone who has the equipment, I can restore the data.  Most of the things I lost are also stored on the cloud, so I can retrieve them whenever I want.  Many of my downloads are also stored on other servers, so I can get them back without any problems.  My videos are also stored on YouTube and/or Facebook, so I can retrieve those as well.  A few things are now unavailable, as they aren't easy to get back, but most of them would ultimately be trashed at one point anyway.  The biggest hassle was the passwords.  While I had copies of most of them off my computer, some rarely used ones weren't, especially the very long ones suggested by the computer itself.  I'm now going to have to redo each one and that is the worst.   I can't even remember everything that had a password.  I'm finding new ones every day.  I'm now so scared of what can happen to my new computer, that I'm not using it as much as I used to.  Should I run it off the battery or the cord?  How long should I go before recharging?  I have seen multiple ideas, not all of them agreeing. I know I shouldn't fully recharge it that ofter.  That accident led to the death of my old one.  However, I am still afraid of another disaster.  The final straw is that my old mouse won't work with my new computer.  I have to use the trackpad only until I can find a cheap, newer one.

Not by the Hair on My Chiny Chin Chin

    My electric shaver died on me recently.  It started its decline last week when the battery charge faded just as I was ready to shave.  I had to wash the pre-shave treatment off my face and switch to my cartridge razor.  I used that razor the next few times, as I didn't like to charge my shaver unless I was there to watch over it for the over seven hours it takes to fully charge it.  The weekend came, and I plugged in the shaver to recharge it.  I noticed that it seemed to reach maximum charge a little sooner than normal, but I didn't think much of it at the time, as the shaver had always taken less time than recommended to recharge.  I went to use it for my next scheduled shave. (I almost never shave two days in a row, as I am prone to getting ingrown hairs.  It could be because of my sensitive skin, or the fact that no one ever taught me how to shave properly.  Yes, even after over thirty-five years, I still am not sure how to shave.  This shows the importance of learning how to shave from someone who knows and not just trying to find out on your own.) I put on the pre-shave treatment, again, only to see the 'low battery' light come on my shaver again.  I switched out to my cartridge razor, again.  I didn't have time to look over my razor until that night.  I tried 'topping off' the electric charge.  After about thirty minutes, the 'full charge' light stayed on, but the razor immediately switched back to the no-charge light when I went to turn it on.  I searched for the instruction manual to see if there were any trouble-shooting hints, but there weren't any.  I am going to look on the company's website for additional information, but it looks like I will have to get a new one.  I got my first electric shaver as a gift on my sixteenth birthday.  I would barely use it once a week for those first few months.  It was rechargeable, but I could use it plugged in as well.  I hated it, as it was hard to find the replacement parts for it. Still, it allowed me to shape my mustache that I grew as soon as I could. I got a new one in college.  Unfortunately, it was plug-in only, so that made it harder to use.  Especially since I starting growing a goatee, like most men my age back then. I kept that one for years, even after I started trying out cartridge razors in the late 90s.  I used to alternate between the two, before I went to using the cartridge exclusively in the 00s.  I switched over to my 'current' shaver after the only store that used to carry the replacement parts went out of business.  (Not to mention that I hadn't used the electric shaver in so long that, well, it was in no shape to use on skin any more.) When I got this one, I failed to notice that while it was rechargeable, one couldn't use it while plugged in.  So, I will have to buy a new shaver soon.  Immediately.  See, while I could use my cartridge razor in the meantime, my mother doesn't know I use one.  Yeah, I've kept that a secret from her for over twenty-five years.  It's been tricky having to find ways to buy supplies without her knowing.  It has gotten trickier since I had to upgrade from two-blades to triple-blade models.  (The same store that sold the parts for my electric shaver was also the only one to regularly stock my replacement cartridges.  At least cheaply, and without having to ask for help in getting them.) I have about two days research to find one I like and buy it before my beard grows out too much and starts looking wonky.  Admittedly, I regularly takes breaks like this so a can shave everything off, even my 'stache, so I can get everything clean and even again.  At least I didn't waste any money by ordering replacement blades online for my old shaver.  Yeah, local stores stopped stocking those parts last year.  I guess that it was just another sign that it was getting time to get a new one.

Random Musings for a Wednesday Afternoon in Late July

    Okay, technically it is still morning when I write this, but the title sounds better when I use 'afternoon.' Anyway, I don't really know what time it is because my watch is broken.  Okay, I know what time it is, but this reads better the way I wrote it.  And, my watch isn't 'broken,' just the watch band.  I was carrying a few heavy bags back from the grocery store last week, and the handles pushed down on my watch.  The watch started to come off my writs.  When I looked at the watch soon after, I noticed that on of the major joints was breaking apart.  I was trying to bend it back into shape, when I had to put the watch down to answer the phone, landline.  I must have thrown the watch down to hard, because the other side of the weak joint broke, with the original weak side following soon after when I examined it.  I've had this watch since Christmas of 1992, although I started wearing one back in high school.  I had three different digital watches though high school, with only one lasting well beyond a year, although I had torn the plastic wristband off after my freshman year as it was getting too tight to wear comfortably.  The other two tore up whenever I tried to change the batteries, so I ultimately just left them alone, carrying the first watch with me whenever I really needed to see the time.  I guess my current watch corroded because I never cleaned it enough.  I planned on getting it professionally cleaned every year, but that never happened.  The store where I got my watch went out of business before the watch needed a good cleaning.  The store where I went to next either couldn't or wouldn't clean it carefully, possibly because it is a self-winding watch.  They said they would have to send to a special place to get it looked at, as they didn't really had the right materials for the work.  Or, it was due to the fact that I didn't get the watch there.  Anyway, it has never been professionally cleaned, although I have tried to keep it okay.  I accidentally opened it up one day trying to clean it, and it has had problems ever since.  For some reason, it tends to run fast.  Also, the timer function doesn't really work any more either.   The reset button just won't work properly most of the time. I'm looking into other watch bands, but I haven't set my mind up for a final decision yet.  Soon after my watch broke, I found out that the store where I was shopping is getting an exclusive new product from Hostess cakes, the first in their new fusion pastries.  This first experiment combines a Ding Dong with a Twinkie.  Basically, it is a round Twinkie covered in the same chocolate as a Ding Dong.  Technically a round Choco-dile, the chocolate-covered Twinkies from before the Hostess bankruptcy from a few years ago.  While I don't really like regular Twinkies, I loved the chocolate coated ones.  In particular, I loved the limited-edition banana split flavored ones with a banana-flavored cake, vanilla filling, a layer of strawberry spread on top, and all covered in chocolate.  Whenever someone combine banana, strawberry, and chocolate, I am there.  I don't know what other fusion possibilities exist, as most of them are already out there--chocolate Twinkies (albeit very hard-to-find now), chocolate honey buns, golden cup cakes, and a few others.  I'm thinking a fondant coating on a Twinkie, kind of like a Zinger in this regard, might be next, but that is just guesswork.  Finally, I had an unusual occurrence this weekend.  I almost ran over a young heron in my car.  It was just standing on the side of the road, trying to walk around, when I was driving towards it.  Of course, it flew off before I could hit it.  Strangely enough, this isn't the first time this has happened.  At least one other time, if not two.  Usually, herons just fly alongside or over my car. Yes, this has happened quite frequently to me.  At least once, it happened on the highway. However, almost running over a heron has been much rarer, but I get to see the bird close up just as it takes flight.  Sort of like a pterodactyl or some other ancient beast.  Magnificent really.