Back to the Ramen

November 22, 2005 at 3:22 pm · Filed under Books, Games, Lifestyle

I arrived back in Chicago today. Just a reminder to CJ and Claire on your computers. When you see a yellow shield in the bottom right corner, that means you have Windows updates. Install them. Ughh…derr…CJ. I also use McAfee Anti-virus, with Ad-aware, and Spybot Search and Destroy. Anytime you run these, check for updates on them too. Firefox 1.5 now has an automatic update feature, so upgrade to version 1.5 if you’re not using it.

After getting back, I went on Amazon and bought an Anime DVD, QOTSA-Through the Woods…, and Dragon Quest VIII for the PS2. Typically, I dont agree with paying $50 for a game. I got all my XBOX games for free with a mod, but I cant do that with the PS2 (or could I?) I’m just going to plan on putting it on ebay after I’m done. I’ll see how much I can get for a used game when I’m done. But, I’ve read the reviews and I have some high expectations for this game. That’s why I thought the price was worth it.

I had finished Slaughterhouse Five before we met for the weekend. I wasn’t sure what to make of the book, so I didn’t really talk about it. I read the Sparknotes Themes and Symbols. That helped piece the story together for me. The book is supposed to make a statement on the destructiveness on war, and question “the illusion of free will.” Overall, it was kind of a depressing read, and not as forward as Fahrenheit 451. If you didn’t notice, I’m now reading a biography on Warren Buffet. I’ll try “Kim” after that.

…and now a little Calvin and Hobbes.

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Game Nostalgia

November 8, 2005 at 2:34 am · Filed under Games

I dont know why I just thought of this now, but I did. Somehow I saw the word “Risk” and remembered the board game. (I dont think I’ve ever played Risk, but it got me thinking about that board game that I played at Grandpa Barnett’s.) I couldn’t rember the name for the life of me, so I did a google search for “board game flag bomb general.” Miraculously, it found what I was looking for. The game in question was Stratego, the classic game of battlefield strategy. Google directed me towards this page, Ed’s Stratego Site.

The site has a history of the board game, and just about everything you wanted to know about it. In its present form Stratego appeared in Europe before World War I as a game called L’attaque. It was also patented in 1908. Apparently, Grandpa Barnett had one of the first editions by Milton Bradley, which came out in 1961. It included the horses on the box, wooden pieces, and a colored map. There were many later versions and even a PC game, which I guess wasn’t too challenging or good. The site has some names for particular strategies. I remember my set-up always included the flag surrounded by bombs. There are now some newer multiplayer online game versions. I should try these out, and see if it was really as good as I remembered it. But, I wonder what happened to that game or if it’s still in the closet. Hmmm…

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