That Stupid Club

Irregular Oblivioning: Foundations

loser-x — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 17:33:00 GMT

Before you begin any serious usage of mods, you will need a few resources that will enable some other mods you will be installing.

Oblivion Script Extender (OBSE)
The OBSE is an amazing piece of software. It hooks into the Oblivion executable and provides new scripting functions while keeping things rock-solid. If you don’t understand what that mean, just know that the OBSE enabled the creation of much more complex mods than what would otherwise be realistically possible. Note that D2D users and No-CD crack users are out of luck. Installation is simple, just follow the instructions in the readme file.
Pluggy
This is a multifunction OBSE plugin, and adds more scripting functions.
Common Oblivion (Cobl)
Cobl adds lore-friendly races, books, ingredients by itself, but its true value comes from it being designed as a shared resource for modders. It doesn’t come in an OMOD unfortunately, so read the installation instructions carefully. I have just the Core ESM/ESPs installed. Salmo the Baker is nice but unstable for some users, you’ll have to test it for yourself.

I’ll be doing game play tweaks next.

Sueetie

loser-x — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 10:21:00 GMT

All I can say is, SUEET! It is a project that integrates best of breed Open Source .NET software to produce an online community suite. That makes it a direct competitor to Community Server and, to a smaller extent, mojoPortal.

I’ll be looking at the possibility of migrating That Stupid Club which is currently running on CS to Sueetie. CS was nice, and for a while was the only choice, but it is just too big and too complex to customise easily.

Ip Man

golliz — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 17:22:00 GMT

Technorati Tags: ip man,donnie yen,kung fu

3 out of 5 stars

I left the cinema with a strange feeling of dissatisfaction after watching Ip Man, Donnie Yen’s latest kung fu flick.

The film talks about the life (and brief) times of the title character, a practitioner of Wing Chun Martial Arts whom was considered the most highly skilled martial artist whose disciples would include the legendary Bruce Lee.

The movie, if you excuse the cheesy pun, literally packs a punch. Donnie Yen portrays Ip Man as a modest family man who is always ready to offer a helping hand but would never asks for any in return. The opening fight scene between Ip and a fellow master is a masterpiece showcase in this genre. The viewer has no doubt that the challenger is out to probably humiliate Ip, but instead, he was offered hospitality by Ip. And strangely, this increases my curiosity of how good Ip really is. And the fight does not disappoint. While most fighting movies aims for the absurdity these days, the opening fight scene demonstrates how control and discipline can be even more impressive. Ip whom easily outmatched his opponent could have easily beaten him to a pulp not only held back most of his punches; he modestly thanks the opponent for doing the same afterwards.

It was at this time, when my friend turned and told me “I love this movie!” I eagerly concur, but once again I spoke too soon.

The second to third act of this movie unfortunately derailed from the intial set up. The Japanese invasion came along and all in Fo Shan goes to hell. And all these eventually led to a series of ‘misunderstandings’ which results in some meaningless over the top fight scenes which turned Ip turn from the humble kungfu master into a one man Mortal Kombat-ish fighting machine. All these of course are an overly elaborate lead to the final showdown between Ip and the Japanese General Miura, whom surprise surprise, happens to be a highly skilled kung fu Master in his own right.

Oddly enough, I was more than ready to ‘forgive’ all that went wrong with the movie if this last fight was played out … respectfully. And I humbly offer my thoughts on what totally went wrong with the third act.

The scene that personally I feel could have saved the movie was when General Miura came in to offer Ip a meal on the night before the big fight; a mirror of the opening scene of the show don’t you think? I would rather have Miura and Ip use the scene to state their respect for each other’s skills in Martial arts and I would imagine that the two are opposite sides of the same coin entwined in the middle of WW2. But alas, Ip sprouted some speech on Jap bashing, and later on, bashed up the Japanese General. *YAWN!*

You probably think I’ve put too much thought into a simple kungfu movie, but what I’m trying to say is what should have been a great film on the spirit of wushu, ends up as another generic chop-socky flick, and to that, I lament.

Irregular Oblivioning: The Essentials

loser-x — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 11:24:00 GMT

I’ve been a fan of the Elder Scrolls series since the Arena days and apart from the action adventure Redguard I’ve played them all (never did finish Arena or Daggerfall though, pesky bugs…).

The series really took off with Morrowind. While the main quest was OK, if a bit formulaic, the excellent plugins feature and the Construction Set were what really made the game shine, and almost instantly a huge community sprung up around Morrowind modding.

Oblivion continued the fine tradition of extensibility. I started playing it earlier this year, as I did not have a PC capable of running it. I did not even bother to finish the main quest as I did with Morrowind before downloading and using user created mods.

I’ll be writing about a series of posts about the Oblivion mods I’m using mostly for my own future reference, but I’m hoping somebody else will find them useful too.

And remember, whatever you want to change in-game, somebody’s probably already done it.

In this first post, I’ll be doing through files that I consider musts for every Oblivion on PC player (Xbox 360 and PS3 Oblivion can’t use user created content, sorry).

Before everything else, make sure you have the last official patch (v1.2.0416 at the time of writing). You should ideally get the Shivering Isles expansion as it adds a few scripting functions. Well you should get it anyway, as the quest is actually more interesting than the Main Quest.

First up, you want, nay, need Timeslip’s Oblivion Mod Manager. As its name imples, it manages your mods. But more than that, it handles OMOD files which are specially packed mods. This utility can easily add or remove mods, warn of file conflicts and most importantly, mod authors can provide an installation script which allows one to, say, install optional parts of the mod. Always prefer OMOD if that option is available from the author or perhaps a third party, and its usually worth it to make your own OMOD if not. And for the mod authors who are not yet providing OMODs officially, what are you waiting for? Get to it. Follow the instructions!

Even fully patched up, Oblivion has bugs. Modders to the rescue though. Grab the Unofficial Oblivion Patch. You will want the Shivering Isles and Official Mods patches too if you have them. Bethsoft should be paying these guys for what they do. OMODs are available.

You will want one of the UI mods too Out of the box Oblivion looks like a console game. Everything’s just so…big. And clumsy. Modders to the rescue, again. BTmod was the gold standard for a long time, but its been superseded by the excellent DarNified UI. Its what Oblivion PC should have been. Personally I’m using DarkUI'd DarN. Both DarN UIs comes in delectable OMODs.

Now grab the Better Oblivion Sorting Software, fomerly known as the FCOMhelper. Official description: 'A simple program for mod users to quickly optimise load ordering of ESP/ESM files in their Oblivion load-order.' MS Visual C++ Runtime 2008 is a requirement.

With these mods you will still be getting the Vanilla Oblivion experience. Next up, foundations.

Saigon Kick – Water

loser-x — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 10:48:00 GMT

Take me up to higher lands
Higher lands, I go

Saigon Kick is probably best known for Love Is On The Way off The Lizard, but the follow-up Water is arguably the superior album. The title track is a highlight, the gospel choir bit never gets old. I am a sucker for gospel choirs in rock songs though.

100 Greatest? Really?

loser-x — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 08:57:42 GMT

On the whole, I think its a decent list, but come one, there are only 57 singers better than Christina Aguilera, ever?

I also take extreme issue with Mike Patton not being in the list, and Frank Sinatra, and Edith Piaf, and Jon Bon Jovi… oh sorry, that was the 12 year old in me talking.

Such is a nature of a democratic list.

Goodnight, Quinnware

loser-x — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 20:36:01 GMT

Looks like its lights out at quinnware.com, home of QCD and QMP. I’ve still not found a suitable replacement for QMP yet and I probably was still hoping for that one last release despite the months of silence from the developer, but I guess the search is that much more urgent now.

Thanks for the years of aural pleasure.

Update 23-Nov: Looks like its a server hardware failure, whew…

Update 3-Jan: Happy New Year! Looks like quinnware.com is kind of back… at test.quinnware.com, with a new design to boot! Let’s hope we’ll get more news soon.

R.I.P. Mr Mitch Mitchell

loser-x — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 09:27:23 GMT

There goes one of my favourite rock drummers.

Sakamoto Ryuichi – Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence

loser-x — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 17:47:00 GMT

I remember watching Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence when I was a wee lad, back when I didn’t even know who David Bowie was. I remember hardly anything about the movie itself, but I’ve never forgotten the beautiful theme song.

This is a live performance, off Mr Sakamoto’s Ryuichi Sakamoto Trio: World Tour 1996 - Complete Version DVD.

Comodo Internet Security Released

loser-x — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 16:07:49 GMT

I’ve mentioned that I’m using Comodo Firewall as my software firewall solution. Version 3 was even better than version 2, with low CPU utilisation (even while engaging in heavy P2P sessions) and secure (ranked consistently near the top in the Matousec firewall tests).

And now version 3.5 (renamed the Comodo Internet Security) has been released and now features an optional anti-virus component. I cannot speak for the efficacy of the anti-virus component, but the engine feels very light, and the definitions get three or four updates a day. If the quality of the firewall is anything to go by, the anti-virus engine should be one to keep an eye on.

Best of all? Its free (as in beer).

The final build has been released in the forums, but the public facing sites have not been updated yet.

Nifty jQuery Plugins

loser-x — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 08:04:37 GMT

So I have the links to all the stuff I use in one place:

and of course, jQuery and jQuery UI.

Addendum (26 Nov):

Democracy in China

loser-x — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 19:04:16 GMT

Guns N’ Roses’ Chinese Democracy to be released 23rd Nov 2008!

Loser-X: stock up on canned food and potable water then run for the hills, clearly it is the apocalypse

Duh Magnet: WHERE IS YOUR GOD NOW 3DREALMS?

Neil Young & Pearl Jam – Throw Your Hatred Down

loser-x — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 21:26:44 GMT

Mirrorball is probably one of my favourite albums from the mid 90s and was my gateway drug to the wonder that is Neil Young. I have gone on to embrace almost all the musical aspects of the eclectic Neil Young but it is the distortion merchant proto-grunge rocker Neil that speaks to me loudest.

This is the performance from the 2006 Bridge School Benefit.

Oh, Norton!

loser-x — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 21:04:19 GMT

So Firefox 3 and Norton 360 2.0 and Internet Security 2008 do not get along at all. This was probably a shock to the millions who use and trust Symantec products but I have to say this, Symantec is not nice.

Symantec destroyed the reputation of the brand “Norton”, making the security applications bloated monstrosities. Left my beloved PartitionMagic to stagnate (where’s my new version that groks Windows Server 2003 and Vista partitions?). Killed Sygate Personal Firewall *shakes fist*.

And don’t get me started on Norton Commander…

I have not had a single Symantec product installed on any of my PCs this century and I intend to keep it that way.

Free alternatives I use and recommend:

Antivirus: Avast!

Firewall: Comodo Firewall Pro

PartitionMagic: GParted

Norton Commander: FreeCommander

Yamane Mai – After, In the Dark ~ Torch Song

loser-x — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 09:45:54 GMT

An unforgettable song composed by Kanno Yoko featuring vocals by Yamane Mai, it served as the ending theme to episodes 1 through 3 of the OVA version of Macross Plus. Sadly, nothing on Frontier comes close.

John Renbourn - Rosslyn

loser-x — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 11:43:28 GMT

As the video description says, “John Renbourn at the peak of his prodigious powers”.

My first experience of Renbourn was his rendition of “The Moon Shines Bright”, unfortunately there is not YouTube video with his recording but there is an excellent cover by troubleclef. Check out his other videos too, some really great stuff there.

Kula Shaker – Drink Tea (for the Love of God!)

loser-x — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 11:12:51 GMT

Just bought the “new” Kula Shaker album Strangefolk. It was released June 2007 and I’ve not heard a peep about it anywhere. I’m not sure about it yet, especially the two reworked tracks from the Revenge of the King EP which I loved, but their Christmas 2007 single (which I have also just found out about) is face-meltingly awesome. The absolutely mental video makes it doubly so.

Lyrics:

As we reach the end of our civilisation, it is perhaps a sign of the times that tea-drinking in our fair land is sadly on the decline. The byways are void of any tea, and all you can get is that disgusting drink, coffee. The situation is very grave. Something must be done.

Drink tea for the love of God
Drink tea, put the kettle on
Drink tea for the love of God
Drink tea, put the kettle on

Tea is a marvelous drink; everyone loves a nice cup of tea. It breaks through the barriers of class and status, from the worker in the factory canteen to Her Majesty the Queen. Everyone loves a nice cup of tea.

Drink tea for the love of God
Drink tea, put the kettle on
Drink tea for the love of God
Drink tea, put the kettle on
Put them on

Sixty-two billion cups of tea were drunk in Britain alone last year. That's not bad, but we can do better than that! Tea offers a moment of transcendence away from the mad and frantic world. Tea is a gift from our creator.

Tea comes from God in Heaven
No stinking factory
Drink tea in the morning
Drink tea all day long

Come on everybody, sing it to the world!

Drink tea for the love of God
Drink tea, put the kettle on
Drink tea for the love of God
Drink tea, put the kettle on

Drink tea for the love of God
Drink tea, put the kettle on
Put them on

Lyrics courtesy of drykid from the Kula Shaker Forum, some minor corrections by yours truly.

Souad Massi – Yemma

loser-x — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 08:51:04 GMT

I was in my favourite record store yesterday, and on the stereo I heard this beautiful voice. So it turns out that voice belonged to Souad Massi, and the song I heard was “Yemma”, off the album Deb.

This is a live performance from the BBC Radio 3 World Music Awards 2006 which is perhaps more powerful than the studio version.

Verisign SSL Certs with Apache2

loser-x — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 07:16:00 GMT

Just spent a couple hours wrestling with this, sigh…

So apparently Versign certs do not work with mod_ssl because they are packed in the PKCS#7 format.

For my own future reference:

openssl pkcs7 -in www.example.com.crt -print_certs -out www.example.com.crt.new

from Using a Verisign SSL Certificate with mod-ssl.

Pat Metheny and Brad Mehldau – The Sound of Water

loser-x — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 18:51:43 GMT

Featuring Pat and his 42 string Pikasso again, The Sound of Water was maybe one of the highlights off the “Metheny Mehldau Quartet” album.

Cutest Trooper Ever

loser-x — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 07:03:36 GMT

Or: Hello Trooper.

From BBC’s In Pictures, via digg.

SMS Squadron Song ~ That Girl is an Alien Lyrics

loser-x — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 09:46:13 GMT

For my own edification:

Here we go! Here we go! SMS
We fly and fly till we drop
Cause we SMS can't say "NO!"

When there's a call to a far off star
That weird chick's an alien, alien!

Go wack her with your big rockets
Here we go, here we go, SMS

Go spread our seed in the galaxy
We hot boys throttle through
the Magellan Clouds in a stroke

Cause we, the indestructible SMS
Speed! Miracle! Spacy!
Once we start, we can't stop, hey!

Best. Lyrics. Ever.

Listen to it:

Don’t remember where I found the lyrics, sorry.

Random Macross Frontier Thoughts, Part 2

loser-x — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 19:08:20 GMT

Here there be spoilers.

The series is about 2/3 done. There were a few weak episodes unfortunately, which is a bit of a letdown given the very high standards it set in the first 7 episodes.

So the VF-25 is named the Messiah, nice. Wonder what the VF-27’s (Brera’s VF) is.

The Macross Quarter is maybe too agile. Doesn’t feel like a cap ship. Of course I can appreciate improving technology and its smaller size making for a much more agile ship compared to the SDF-1, but it seems nothing it does can be quite as dramatic as the Daedalus attack. I wonder if the Macross Frontier will ever swing into action.

Nene (the pink haired Meltlandi) cowered behind KK when the two girly men fought? How far the mighty has fallen. I’m thinking maybe the Zentradi and the Meltlandi have started breeding naturally, so the younger ones are not engineered for aggression.

The “fold engine unaffected fold dislocations” plot device in episode 12 is pretty weak. “Here, I just so happen to have this top sekrit tech that will solve your previously unsolvable problem.” And why? Why did they decide to mount blingy speakers on Mike’s VF? I know its a homage to Macross 7, but its something I’m trying to pretend never happened. I was hoping Mike would go on and kick some ass.

The appearance of the Global made the fanboy in me weep in happiness, though it was more of a cameo.

Nobody remembers Raramia. She’s not had a single line before she got killed off and that’s bloody sloppy storytelling. Completely pointless. I bet the production team were thinking “we need to kill off a named character here, FOR GRITTINESS. But oh, it couldn’t be one the fans care about.” Pfft.

Was that Ranka’s mum? She looks like Sheryl with seaweed green dye. I’m thinking Sheryl’s an artificial construct. A clone, maybe, or a bio-engineered human based on Ranka’s mum. A small tidbit, her name as shown in the credits is Ranshe Mei.

Alto getting shouty is annoying. Its pretty theatrical though, so I’ll just put it down to his love for performance.

Is it just me, or is the techno Aimo terrible? I mean, the original isn’t all that, sounds like a Voices II or something, but at least I don’t hate it.

Episode 17 is just a big bait and switch for old fans. Pineapple cake? Bleeding in chair? Check out a comprehensive list of the Death Flags here. But man, Ozma’s GAR. So GAR Kathy can do naught but swoon in the presence of his GARness. I liked the Fire Bomber songs in this episode and how they were used, for what its worth.

Poor Sheryl. Sheryl gets no love.

Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder – Living for the City

loser-x — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 07:51:06 GMT

What else can I say but “wow!”?

Random Macross Frontier Thoughts

loser-x — Tue, 06 May 2008 08:34:01 GMT

Holy Homage, Batman! I'm surprised nobody's picked up on this yet (found nothing via Googling anyway). Most anime fans of my generation will have realised Saotome Alto shares a family name with Ranma, which is appropriate. But, what nobody's picked up on is that the Italian boy Ranma voice actor's family name is Alto.

Is the VF-25 the F-35 Lightning II to the VF-19's F-22 Raptor? The VF-25 has a more conventional design (drawing heavily from the classic VF-1) and is probably cheaper and simpler (armaments carried externally, no passive stealth design). Disappointed that there's been no sightings at all of the VF-19 or VF-22 in the show yet. I do wonder about the other VF found in the opening sequence, it resembles the Macross II Valkyrie...

Ranka's performance in Episode 5 is just out of place. It might have worked much better with just guitar accompaniment, maybe provided by a random wandering busker.

The locker scene veered dangerously close to yuri.

WW2 style bomber art would have been cool on the Pixies Queadlunns. Maybe of male pixies.

Ranka's hair and phone bothers me.