Asymptomatic

There must be intelligent life down here

Fable Disappointment
September 17, 2004

I’m not disappointed in Fable. I’m actually quite pleased. I think I had a slight let-down during the training phase, and ever since I’ve noticed this crack in the wall, I’ve been able to do nothing but stare at it since I’ve started playing.

Fable is a very pretty game. At first, I thought that it was a little chunky graphically. But I think that the style I’m noticing is an artistic quality. It’s not that the graphics are blocky, it’s that the art is blocky. It became apparent to me through play that the style of the art is as a story book - a fable. To this end, they were quite successful. I don’t find the raw look of the graphics (setting aside style) as appealing as Prince of Persia, but the polygons packed on the screen are quite impressive. Sometimes distracting.

Weird Task Manager Trick
September 17, 2004

Open up task manager in Windows XP however you usually do (Ctrl-Alt-Del or right-click on task bar). Double-click in the area just under the tabs. Do it again to put it back. Weird, huh? You can drag that window around, too. It does something strange on the Performance and Networking tabs.

Miserable Day
September 16, 2004

So, the doctor says I’m ill. Big shock there. I’ve got three medications to take twice daily. My health insurance card isn’t working, so I’ve had to pay it all out of pocket. Just before I went to my appointment, I learned that my server had been hacked.

I was in the doctor’s office for an hour, waiting. I think that they take sadistic pleasure in asking you, “How ya doing?” when they first encounter you at a doctor’s office. I mean, clearly, I’m miserable. But I’m going to say I’m fine because that’s just what one is supposed to do. You just know that they’ve got an evil grin on their face when they turn away. I’ve always hated this stupid custom.