From 9f5a217f4702dce95c83f5237ba9bc9a53ce91e8 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Bill Niblock Date: Tue, 24 Sep 2024 15:56:16 -0400 Subject: [PATCH] Update Now Page --- now.md | 142 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++------------------------ 1 file changed, 83 insertions(+), 59 deletions(-) diff --git a/now.md b/now.md index d58ab62..202ec77 100644 --- a/now.md +++ b/now.md @@ -2,80 +2,104 @@ layout: corrupt_now tabtitle: Now author: Bill Niblock - pub: 2024-08-19 + pub: 2024-09-24 --- # Life In Progress, as of {{ page.pub }} -- Learning [Stan Rogers' - _Bluenose_](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZVpvJsqTMM) on mandolin and voice -- Building a few games in the [TIC-80 fantasy console](https://tic80.com) -- Deploying my own ["Pages" server](https://codeberg.org/Codeberg/pages-server/) -- Building a Forgejo Action for deploying game builds to Itch.io using - [butler](https://itch.io/docs/butler/) -- Building a custom WordPress Docker container that uses SQLite -- Starting my own business +- New hardware: laptop, phone, and NAS +- **TWO** game jams! +- Finishing up Morrowind +- SEAP/Self-Employment Progress -## Music +## New Hardware -Adam and I continue our semi-weekly jam sessions! We've settled on [Stan Rogers' -_Bluenose_](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZVpvJsqTMM) for our first piece. I -normally pick up lyrics pretty quick, but this song eludes me. We worked on the -chord progression last week, and I've been actually practicing! +### Framework Laptop -## Game Dev +This new [Framework](https://frame.work) is great! I've only had it for a few +weeks, but it is wonderful. I've been slowly sync'ing and migrating workflows +from my various existing options to it. Being able to work for multiple hours +without worrying about battery life is nice. -Still having a blast with [TIC-80](https://tic80.com/). I made a small farming -experiment game, to learn [Fennel](https://fennel-lang.org) some more and also -nail-down some basic design principles. Some of the ideas in that experiment, -namely generating the map with a loop and `mset` instead of using the built-in -map designer, gave me some insight for solving my darkness troubles in -Nightgolf. I'm still wrapping my head around it, but I think this will be a -solution. +Previously, the Chromebook I have was my go-to remote personal macine. +Considering its age, and the inherent limitations of a Chromebook, it served me +better than I ever could have hoped. However, I knew it's time was drawing +near, and the Dell I got as part of my work severance was not going to cut it. +Considering I'm starting a business doing technology, I needed a reliable, +"all-day" machine with Linux. The ARM-based Macs are incredibly tempting, but +I am not a fan of Mac. I've been eyeing Framework for a bit now, and their +newest 13-inch model with AMD components checked enough of the boxen for me to +dive in. -The farming experiment game lives on -[Itch.io](https://vagabondazulien.itch.io/farm-experiment-1) and the [TIC-80 -Webzone](https://tic80.com/play?cart=3965). +### Phone -## Tech Dev +For a while I've been eyeing Mint Mobile. In the US, they have a plan offering +unlimited text and talk, plus 5 GB of data, for $15 per month. I generally use +less than 1 GB of streaming data, so this seemed like a clearly better option +than the $30+ I was paying for Google Fi. When I decided to switch, they had an +incredible deal offering a Google Pixel 9 plus a year's service for a great +price, so I not only switched carrier, I also snagged a new phone! I had a +Samsung S21, which was more than sufficient for my needs, so switching isn't +quite as significant as with the laptop, but it's still a nice new experience. +The OS and environment on the Pixel is much nicer than Samsung phones, so +that's quite the plus! -[Forgejo](https://forgejo.org/) continues to be rewarding, and I'm looking -forward to expanding my deployment of it by deploying my own ["Pages" -server](https://codeberg.org/Codeberg/pages-server/). This will allow me to -deploy my static sites on my own infrastructure. I'm also working on an "Action" -for leveraging [butler](https://itch.io/docs/butler/) to publish games I publish -the source code for from my Forge to Itch.io. +### NAS -In preparation for both my own use, and my business use, I need to learn more -about Nextcloud. I'm also working on building a custom WordPress Docker -container that relies on SQLite instead of MySQL. +I bought a 2-bay Synology NAS from a friend a few months ago, and with the +myriad other changes, decided to set it up proper. I setup +[Navidrome](https://www.navidrome.org/) for audio, and [Jellyfin]( +https://jellyfin.org/) for video. I had previously used Navidrome, then +switched to Jellyfin for both audio and video, but with the new phone comes a +return to form. I like [Ultrasonic](https://gitlab.com/ultrasonic/ultrasonic), +and Navidrome plays nicely with it. -Hovering about all this is backups and monitoring, both of which I sprinkle into -my learning voyage. I'm looking forward to writing up some documentation about -my implementation. +The other big additions with the NAS is more backup scripts, and also pulling +down some YouTube series I like for local copies. More details in a full post. -## Entrepreneurship +## Game Making -I'm happy to report I was accepted into New York's Self-Employment Assistance -Program, [SEAP](https://dol.ny.gov/SEAP). I will be starting a business offering -managed online services, such as website design and deployment, personal cloud, -and email. I would like to offer these services to local small businesses and -not-for-profits. I think of it as "Silicon Valley experience" at reasonable, -local prices. I'm excited to dive into the parts I'm not very familiar with, -namely the business side of things. I have extensive technical experience and -mastery, but I lack any significant business experience. +Two game jams! One for the entire month of September, [Clone +Jam](https://itch.io/jam/clone-jam-game-a-month), and a +[Mini-Jam](https://itch.io/jam/mini-jam-167-cyber). For the Clone Jam, I was +working on building a ray-casting-based dungeon scavenger, similar to "Legend +of Grimrock", but with less combat. However, while I have made great progress +understanding how ray-casting works, and how to implement it, I won't have time +to finish such a game. That knowledge won't go to waste, though! There's a +game-jam at the end of October where I intend to make use of it. Instead, I'll +be touching-up and submitting a clone of Minesweeper I made: +[TICsweeper](https://vagabondazulien.itch.io/ticsweeper). -## Gaming +For the Mini-Jam, I decided to make a "runner" type game: you maneuver your +sprite to collect and/or avoid certain projectiles. I also made this game in +the [TIC-80](https://tic80.com). While I didn't pull any all-nighters, focusing +on a single project for 72-hours with as little down-time as possible is still +quite exhausting! My submission was called +[RUNR](https://vagabondazulien.itch.io/runr). It ranked 48th out of 66 +submissions, which is honestly disappointing, but not enough to demotivate me +from continuing my game-making journey! -I've started a new playthrough of [Darkest -Dungeon](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darkest_Dungeon). It's mildly -frustrating, but mostly fun. I have fun yelling at the game; it's like stress -relief. I've been generally successful, but the Crimson Court has been very -rough to me. It is a game about challenges and loss, though, so nothing -unexpected. +## Game Playing -I've continued my play-through of -[Sundered](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sundered), though have put it down for -a bit. I'm playing it on my Steam Deck using [Lutris](https://lutris.net/), and -it works very well. Lutris continues to impress me, and I want to try writing an -installer for a game. +I finally finished my play-through of Morrowind, and one of its two expansions, +Tribunal. (Note: before "DLC", new game content for existing games was +distributed like the game itself, on a piece of data-storing media, such as a +CD. These were called "expansion packs.") I have thoroughly enjoyed my time in +The Elder Scrolls III, and I definitely understand why many claim it as their +favorite. I will talk more about my experience in a full post, just like I did +for my recent Fallout 3 replay (I mean, just like I _will_. I _WILL!_) + +## Business Time + +Alas, while game making and playing are great uses of my time, they do not get +me the resources I need to pay my bills. I continue to work on starting my own +business. I've met with two mentors, one business and one technology, to help +get me started and provide guidance. In fact, this week marks what I would +consider the proper beginning of my business. With some dedication, I'll have +more exciting news to share about this next time! + +## That's All For Now! + +I think the original intention of a "Now" page is to be less verbose, but I +find the monthly cadence of a somewhat comprehensive update to be more +appealing! Until next month!