Testing Geek Toys

Joel Spolsky posted about using Markdown and SmartyPants automagically converting text into HTML for posting. I liked the idea but didn’t want to switch to his editor. So I hacked up a version in elisp so I can keep chugging right along in Emacs.

Ooh… I like how this turned out. It’s a little rough around the edges but as a “work in progress” it’s doing pretty well. The first thing to fix is to be able to run one command that runs the text through Markdown and SmartyPants. Right now I have to run them one after the other.

hollyqueen presented me with the coolest book for my birthday yesterday. It’s called Subversive Cross Stitch by Julie Jackson. Don’t I have the greatest wife evar?

Cross Stitch Stores?

I'm looking for a cross-stitch store. I only found one result on Google for local stores and when I called the number it was disconnected. So does anyone know where I can go to scratch my stash itch and get my cross-stitching craft on? Thanks!

I've been to Michael's, Jo-Ann's and Ben Franklin, but they don't carry the specialty fabric, fibers and beads that I need. An embroidery or needlework store would also work. I have found that yarn and needlepoint stores, while great for my other crafting needs, do not have the supplies I need for this project.

Cross posted to seattle.

It's all fun and games until someone loses an eye.

Tonight I picked up a copy of Official U.S. Playstation Magazine to play the demo for Guitar Hero II that is included with the magazine. That game is gonna rock! I can’t wait to play the final version with all the songs. Hey jamee13 do you wanna challenge me again? GH2 is going to have a head-to-head mode. *grin*

Along with GH2 and the other demos there were videos for a few upcoming games. I didn’t find most of them very interesting but two stood out for various reasons.

First there was Rule of Rose. It was very creepy and the story line reminded me a bit of The 7th Guest. The reviews I’ve read compare RoR to games like Silent Hill or Resident Evil but they also point out that it’s possible to skip most of the combat and focus on the storyline. That’s right up my alley because the part I enjoy most is solving the puzzles and exploring the game world.

In a nutshell the story in Rule of Rose is that Jennifer has found herself trapped in an alternate universe ruled by young girls who call themselves the “Red Crayon Aristocrats.” Every month Jennifer must find a gift for the Aristocrats or she’ll be killed. So while searching for gifts you are also searching for the way out. There is a trailer for Rule of Rose on the Atlus website.

The other game was .hack//G.U. Vol. 1//Rebirth which is a sequel to the .hack series from Namco Bandai. I’ve been waiting on this one for a while and now it’s going to be released on October 24th. I guess that means I need to hurry and finish up the first series of games. Just like I need to finish Kingdom Hearts so I can play Kingdom Hearts II. grin

To make walbourn happy, not really, I also pre-ordered [Neverwinter Nights 2][nwn2] and World of Warcraft: Burning Crusade. I’m hoping Microsoft’s new Games for Windows push will bring a new wave of good RPG and adventure games. Personally I couldn’t care for BattleQuake: 1632 or any of the 100 other FPS games just like it.