Hermes Retires

Today I mourn the loss of Hermes, also known as “MyGuarded.name,” as it has been retired. The maintenance and time required to keep it working and move it around has gotten to me. I can’t keep it up any longer. There are just too many things I want to accomplish and maintaining an aging email system isn’t one of them.

History: I set it up, primarily, because I was getting too much spam and the one good anti-spam provider was inconsistently online. I then spent a good 1 month recreating the type of service I got there, but with much more reliability. I called it “Hermes” after the Greek god. “Messenger of the gods” seemed quite appropriate for this email system. Anyway, there were issues here and there, nothing I couldn’t fix. It has served me well and while I did still get a lot of spam, all of it went to the junk folder and not once did i get a piece of spam in my inbox. It was very effective at what it did.

And then it came time to move Hermes.

Side story: For those who noticed, I haven’t posted in almost a year. That was partially because I tried moving my website over to another server for a while now. I just couldn’t get the mail thing sorted out and until I switched over and retired Hermes, I was hesitant (or maybe it was procrastination) to post anything.

The setup was pretty specific and it started to become more than what it was worth to move it. I don’t have the time to maintain it anymore like I used to. I have about a gazillion ideas I want to get finished, many personal projects, spent time with friends and family… and well Hermes got the raw end of the deal. I figired it was time to hang up the gloves and convert to something with a little less maintenance.

It is time for a moment of silence on my part as I remember the times with Hermes. (Yes I’m aware it sounds like herpes.)

Saturday ~ October 10, 2008 by foobar

Posted in The Business Element | No Comments

Bah Humbug!

Christmas. Pffft. Buying gifts you cant afford because someone else is buying gifts for you which you don’t need. The only ones who can appreciate Christmas this way are the kids who rarely get anything to begin with.

I don’t celebrate it traditionally anymore. What’s more, is anyone approaching me with that annoying Christmas Cheer gets me fired up. I hold my tongue though and don’t impose my views on others, but I won’t hesitate to explain when they ask why. I find it hilarious though when I tell someone I don’t shop and get anyone gifts. It’s like I told them I kill kittens.

I’m not into the whole consumer mentality thing. Except for the marketers, who really told us we have to get someone something at such a specific date. If we are really celebrating Jesus’ birth, why do I get gifts? Shouldn’t He be getting gifts? Not that December 25th is His real birthday anyway.

Santa and Frosty are too creepy. Some magical snowman, uh, … doing what he does. I’ve seen Jack Frost. While a horrible C rated horror, he’s a cold blooded killer (pun intended). And Santa? Some fat man changing his names and spying on little kids all the time… Granted naughty had a different meaning back in the day. Plus, we all know where toys come from now. It’s marked on the toy somewhere, “Made In China.” Santa’s wooden toys just are not as appealing anymore, unless you’re out of firewood.

What’s worse than any of that, though, are the gift cards. It’s worse than money. It’s money you can only spend in a specific store. It’s like a Discover card. Gift Cards, and money for that matter, only prove that you don’t know the recipient enough to get them a thoughtful gift.

The only thing I enjoy about Christmas is the time off work and the feasts with family. All the rest of it,… Read the title.

Thursday ~ December 12, 2007 by antihero

Posted in Life, Perspicacious, circumspective and sagacious | No Comments

I can’t do this.

My father has always been annoyed when I used the word “can’t,” or rather, the contraction. I guess he saw that as a sign I was giving up. I don’t quite remember as at that moment, I would usually tune out and roll my eyes. I was very negative then.

Much has changed since those times and I have picked up a much more positive attitude. It’s been so long that I’ve been like this now that only during times of true, painful stress will my negative side come out. But I’ve begun to notice that the phrase “I can’t” is once again entering my vocabulary. It seems in a different way this time.

As a Christian, I notice my failings a lot and it’s always when I try and truck it alone. But it’s not always my personal walk that I notice this. Since January of 2007, I have worked on a game called iKonquest. It’s gone through many stages but it has not caught on to the public. Reason being was for, in my view, my greatest failing. I don’t sell. I can’t sell. I won’t sell. This also includes marketing.

As the project itself has begun to grow, my eyes were opened to see that I could no longer do this as a one man show. Even if I were to finish the code. Nobody would play it, primarily because they won’t know it exists. Now that I have a few volunteers on board, things will get exciting. This will definitely be a great learning experience. One that I’m now ready to take on.

While “I can’t do this” is somewhat accurate, a more appropriate phrase would be: “I can’t do this alone.”

Friday ~ September 09, 2007 by antihero

Posted in Life, Perspicacious, circumspective and sagacious | No Comments

I w–t -ou t- und–s—n- m-

A fisherman, eh? I’m eating your friends. Lots of them. I pretty much need to in order to swallow. I woke up a few days ago with the start of a soar throat and only by eating the friends of fisherman would relieve me of my irritation. While it doesn’t hurt to talk, I sound like I’m on my last few days before I go for a tracheotomy.

I’m not thinking at a 100% either as I’ve been downing NeoCitran and Halls Centers as much as possible. It appears that while I may be very resistant to everything else: the flu, fevers, etc; My Achilles’ heel is soar throats and colds. If you’re within 100 km of me with a cold, guaranteed, I’ll catch it if I haven’t had it already.

As for the title of this post, that’s what I sound like half the time.

Wednesday ~ June 06, 2007 by antihero

Posted in Life, da Randomnesses | No Comments

Such is life. I’m busy, going nowhere.

Various things are now pulling at me in all different directions. Work, life, hockey, etc. I don’t seem to have any time to spend on my hobbies anymore. Or at least what time I do have, I don’t seem to get things done. Sometimes I may have a fair bit of time, yet it vanishes with no trace.

I wanted to make an amateur TV show about that at one point. Unlike Seinfeld, which was a show about nothing, this was to be a show being so busy, nothing gets done. Probably lots of stupid jokes that even the small group of friends would say this is dumb after filming it, but still laughing for some reason. Lots of meaningless busy work, distractions from distractions, and plenty of mind changing events (the “lets try something else” kind, not the eureka kind).

But alas, having no camera to do this is probably what stopped us from trying to make a very very poor amateur TV show. One of us was hoping to get one, but that never panned out.

Such is life.

Saturday ~ June 06, 2007 by antihero

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Heeded Haste

I played a game a long, long time ago. The name has since been lost to me but I remember one of the phrases used within the game. “Make Haste but take heed.” They sounded like funny Old English words to me at the time but for some reason they always stuck to me. The irony of it all is that while I often ponder those words, I’ve never managed to abide by them.

I’ve often jumped in without checking what I was jumping into. I thought I had it all covered. I do the once over on the situation, sometimes I also go over and over, but I miss one crucial point. I can only see from my own eyes. I’ve done that at work, I’ve done that with friends. One time in Carleton Place… (Ah hahaha…. um, It’s not funny…joke’s over.) Anyway.

When I was younger, I would often misinterpret something as meaningless as friends talking to each other and leaving me out of it at hockey to be something much larger than it was. I would begin to scheme of ways to respond when we would next meet and when they shun me, only to find out they wouldn’t. The haziness of it all is partially due to it was so long ago, and partially because I felt like such a tool afterwards.

I’ve told people things <s>that I intended</s> in which the intention was to be clever, wise, or they needed to know<s>.</s>, only to regret it afterwards. Like saying, “I’m glad your leaving,” to someone when I should have said something along the lines of, “you’ve answered God’s call.” The original intention was the latter, but my brain could only come up with the former. Obviously, I had to explain it later.

Writing a letter, or calling, or that one step farther: meeting them in person; requires much more commitment to see your “message” through to the end than a simple email or post on some site. I can just imagine what would have happened if I had the internet when I was young. It’s a good thing it wasn’t. I just have to train myself that when I think I’m wise, I’m not.

It still hasn’t changed; I do it less often, thankfully.

I bet that even this was rushed a little too much. Oh well, the title then suits it then.

Tuesday ~ May 05, 2007 by antihero

Posted in Life, da Randomnesses | No Comments

Injustice

It’s hard to stay calm as time goes by. Seeing random shootings with no intent other than to hurt others. Violent pranks such as drive-by paintballing. Super companies raising prices just because they can. Vandalism for the sake of boredom. Criminals suing their victims and winning… This world sucks and it’s not going to get better. The only thing that has changed over the past thousands of years is that we have become much more “civilized” in how we act uncivilized.

In an age where having super powers or just being a regular vigilante is popular, I must remain at peace. It’s one of the hardest things to do: to be a victim of injustice and turn the cheek. It’s a simple lesson but one that can’t be ignored. Once I start daydreaming about being a superhero of any kind, even for just the “I’d be cool if I could…” kind, hatred will now have an opening to get in. Who thinks of super powers like: spontaneous kitten / puppy creation, shooting laughing gas out of your eyes, or any of the carebear’s powers? It’s all super strength, super speed, and sharks with lasers on top. And when was the last time you ever daydreamed about dealing justice but you nicely captured the bad guys without hurting a single one?

And without going to the weird super powers, I could simply just be that little bit stronger than the perpetrator. Deal him my own brand of four fingered justice. Being that extra bit faster when they show a weapon. Or possibly the nonviolent method of spinning your own scheme to get them caught in their own plans. Foiling a plot… but really.

It’s not that you can’t do the above and you should just sit and take it. I’ll be one to admit that in tough situations, I’d probably freeze up. But that’s not the point. You see…

It all comes back to Hatred.

And the more you focus on it, the more you become like it.

Sunday ~ May 05, 2007 by antihero

Posted in Life, Perspicacious, circumspective and sagacious | No Comments

Changing of the Keyboards

What is with the changing of the keys? I understand that there are different layout standards in other countries, but I’m sure the 2×3 Insert -> Pag Down group has been like that for a while now. The only time it has changed was for laptops. As one who uses all 6 of those keys, I really don’t like when they start moving them around.

I’ve had frustrations with the backslash being beside the backspace, a small backslash with the backspace taking up the remainder of the gap, Enter being L shaped, and a few other minor layout changes. Thank goodness, that I haven’t experienced the backslash being to the right of the Right Shift key!

But those were all 1-2 key repositioning. I use all 6 of the “Home/End” block. So far I’ve pressed Home when I wanted Insert, End for Home, Pageup or Pagedown for End, End for Pageup… although I’ve never accidentally hit Insert as It’s not even in the same area anymore.

All in all, I like being able to type without having to look at the keyboard, but when they keep changing the layout of some of the keys, I have to constantly look after I notice the key I intended to hit produced a different result… because it was no longer the same key. If they keep changing the keys around, I’ll have to get myself a DX1 Input System - Fully customizable keyboard and layout the keys as how they should be.

Thursday ~ May 05, 2007 by antihero

Posted in Flailing Arms and Frustrations, da Randomnesses | No Comments

Two ads & a side order of patience.

And so the stage I dread the most. Advertisement. I know it’s a vital step in any success, but I’m not good at it and dread doing it myself. Recently I have finished making a game I have been developing for about 4 months. The first month was steady work where the latter three months were on and off development. The game itself is a strategy game based off of two open source games. It is most similar to the popular Risk games and their variations, with a few noticeable differences.

The game is now ready for the public to play. But there’s one small detail, in order to attract players, I need players. It’s the catch 22. So what I need to do is find some way of having people join but also be patient in the early community life of the game. Do I spend some money to setup advertisements on other websites? Do I offer prizes for the Nth player to join…

I guess I have to do some sort of advertising, but I want to do what is best for the site. I don’t want to attract hundreds of people right away, to only have them leave and never come back because it was the wrong crowd. But I also don’t want to wait 10 years for the game to gain light and catch on either. So I’m off to do some advertising I guess. But if you haven’t seen any of my ads, head on to www.ikonquest.com. Feedback, suggestions, complaints or general comments are welcomed.

Wednesday ~ May 05, 2007 by antihero

Posted in Life, The Business Element | No Comments

Twitchy Eyes

My eye is beginning to twitch faster now. I’ve suffered about a year’s worth of inadequate web hosting service. The server is up, the server is down. MySQL won’t work or is broken. Tech Support is responsive 50% of the time. As of this article, the email server is not responding. I was about to make another Support Ticket but guess what… the ticket database was down!! Jeez!

It hasn’t always been like this. I’ve used their service for about 5 years or more. When I first signed up it was great. For several years everything was fine. Then I noticed that things started to crap out. So being a loyal customer, I simply just switched servers and everything was fine again. But I’ve been neededing to do that (jumping servers) almost twice a year lately to keep ahead of the servers going to hell.

Why not move? Well I’m poor. I can’t afford large service charges and the other reasonable ones don’t offer the needed services this one does. It DID work at some point. So it’s not like I had troubles from the start and should have known to switch early on. And when the problems started, I was thinking of just waiting out the problem and it will pass. But in order to move servers to a different provider, I need to be certain of a few things. #1. They must support the version of PHP I want. Too low and I’m not using them. I can’t downgrade all my code to suit them… even with the risk that they won’t be good either. MySQL needs to be high enough too. They can’t be anal about their transfer limits or speeds. I won’t sign up with someone who’s just going to charge me a huge number or cancel my services or automatically upgrade me in the case of one of my sites having a spike of popularity. I’d rather be warned first so I can prepare to respond. I need appropriate access to the files. None of this CPanel crap.

So the only solution I can think of currently is either finding someone who can fit my requirements, or possibly strike a deal with dedicated hosting if I provide the actual server. I’m willing to buy a server if it means my monthly cost is low.

This is really beginning to peeve me though. I’m struggling to develop a few applications, yet I find myself fighting with the stability of the servers more than my own code.

Wednesday ~ May 05, 2007 by antihero

Posted in Flailing Arms and Frustrations, Life | No Comments

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