Month: August 2010

Project Quartus: Make A Flash Game

Posted by David – 28 August, 2010

I’ve used up all my fun name juice, which is probably for the best.

This is probably the most straightforward project of the lot. I’m going to make a Flash game. Each week I will set myself a little goal and finish it by the end of the week. After a while I will have a little game. Then I will try to make another one which might be better. Then I’ll make a third one which I’ve been thinking about for quite a while but will probably be worse than the second one.

This is all assuming that I don’t make one game then decide that’s quite enough of that.

This week’s goal:

  • Make music, sound and art for Game One.

You’d think this’d be really involved but, if I’m honest, Game One isn’t going to win any awards for anything at all.

Project Tertius: Corrective Bibliophilia

Posted by David – 28 August, 2010

This one is a mixture of Primus and Secundus in that it is about both self-improvement and tidying up the results of unfettered spending.

You see, I used to be a voracious reader; in terms of words consumed per unit time I probably still am. The problem is that I don’t really read books anymore. Instead I read RSS feeds, magazines and game rulebooks.

This wouldn’t really be a problem at all, apart from silly, snobby reasons but for two things. For one: when I do remind myself to go to bed an hour earlier and read a novel I always enjoy it, and feel jolly good for having done so. For two: the unread books shelf:

There are more, this is just as many as I could fit on one shelf.

I think this is most of them.

You see; my love of buying books hasn’t really adjusted to compensate for the low rate at which I’m reading them these days. Hence these, the rules of Project Tertius:

  • One book to be read per fortnight, and rehomed on the shelves with the books I’ve actually read. I’ll also write a wee review, which seems the thing to do.
  • Books which are compilations of several books don’t have to be read all in one go, but should be fastidiously marked with a post-it recording which of the books contained have been read.
  • Books which are really big (at least 500 pages in regular paperback format) can be read in stages, or allowed more than one fortnight.
  • If a book is completed early the timer is reset to a fortnight the following Saturday.
  • If a book is intolerably bad it can be abandoned and sold, gifted, or left as a trap for unwary borrowers.
  • Project Tertius will conclude when I feel like concluding it.

If anyone reading through all this is concerned I might be taking on too much, they should recall that I have a great deal of free time.

Project Secundus: Too Many Tiny Men

Posted by David – 28 August, 2010

tanky tanky

Tanky tanky!

A little background: as I mentioned a couple of posts down, I am a giant nerd. The nerdiest of my hobbies is probably playing table-top wargames with miniature figures I’ve painted myself.

The problem with this hobby is that painting the tiny men, as fun as it is, takes blimmin’ ages. So long, in fact that one can rather get ahead of oneself in buying tiny men to paint, which is what I’ve done. I’ll pop a picture of the backlog in an upcoming post but please trust me when I say it’s substantial.

Compared to Project Primus this might seem a little trivial but, frankly, I much prefer them painted, they look ugly all lined up in my living room unpainted and I’ve been slacking off on painting some of the less interesting models (read – almost the entire giant box of Games Workshop “Bretonnians”).

Here follow the rules of Project Secundus:

  • Until Project Secundus is concluded I am not allowed to buy any miniature figures (except as gifts)
  • Project Secundus will conclude only when all figures designated part of Project Secundus are painted (picture to follow)
  • At least one painting project will be completed per week, where a project can be anything from a single figure painted to the best of my capabilities to a group of ten or more painted en masse
  • At least every second project must be a Bretonnian, so I don’t end up having to paint them all without a break
  • Completing a second project in one week *does* count against the following week

The first model I’ll be completing is the partially painted tank thingy linked at the top of the post. Expect photos on Saturday!

There – that can’t possibly go wrong or become frustrating or anything like that.

Project Primus: Fitness Splendour

Posted by David – 28 August, 2010

These really pong

These really pong

As one can tell by scrolling down a bit, my attempts to get in shape are something of a long-running comedy of errors. This time, however, might be different! It’s certainly possible!

My goals for this week are modest – I’ve certainly learned that sweeping changes wear out my resolve quickly.

By this time next week (the 4th of September):

  • I’ll have worked out three times. Whether that’s going to the gym or doing this workout at home. This should be easy enough, since I managed it last week, but I want to make a habit of it before I start making it harder.
  • I won’t have used motorised transport to go anywhere within, say, two miles by road. By this I mean that I’ll bicycle or walk, not that I’ll call a pedi-cab. Poor pedi-cab men. Travel for work is exempt from this rule, for reasons of sweatiness.
  • I will have had takeaway food a maximum of one time.
  • I won’t have snacked on more than one day.

To spare your boredom, I’ll spread out my reasons over forthcoming updates.

Longer term my goals are:

  • Lose at least 10 kilos, taking my weight under 110kg.
  • Squat my bodyweight and a half for five sets of five
  • Bicycle home from my sister and her husband’s flat without ending up a wheezing wreck

Again, I think reasons are for a later time.

Update on Saturday!

Gonzo Didacticist: A New Hope

Posted by David – 28 August, 2010

Hello everyone. I am Dave and this is me:

Picture courtesy of Stasi and her camera and Picasa

As you can see, I am a radical dude. I am also an enormous (in at least two senses) nerd (in just the one) – which will become abudantly clear very shortly.

Of course, if you are reading this the odds are you already know me, but it’s only polite to cover this sort of thing  for the uninitiated. I am, after all, the first google.co.uk hit for “gonzo didacticist”, and people must search for that all the time.

Where was I? Oh yes: I’ve finally come up with a purpose for this blog!

In common with most people, I am very good at getting interested in a project. I’m even, these days, pretty good at starting them. I am, however, utterly rubbish at keeping them up. I’ve found recently that having targets and a solid routine help marvellously, but I’m arse at sticking to them without accountability. By which I mean, unless I’ve told people I’m going to do something (most especially if they are relying on me) I tend not to get it done. Can you see where this is going?

I’m going to use this blog to set myself weekly or biweekly goals regarding some things I really do want to just get on with, but have been shabby at doing so. Posts about each to follow immediately!