Haq?

By Shamus Posted Friday Dec 12, 2014

Filed under: Notices 88 comments

EDIT: Should be fixed now. I’ll have another post following up on this once I’m sure it’s gone. Let me know if you see anything fishy that isn’t an actual fish.

So for a couple of months now I’ve been getting these really strange reports from a small group of peopleLess than five-ish? that my site had been “hacked”. Here is one:

Microsoft Security Essentials blocked content on this website

qwe.systemsviensows.asia
Hosted by: http://www.shamusyoung.com

Microsoft Security Essentials blocked this site because it might contain threats to your PC or your privacy.

And one more:

Got another one. “qwe.arteriosclerosisobliteranas.net”

Also: I dropped my laptop and killed my hard drive a few days ago. I just got a new one installed and just now got the OS and everything updated and running. So it's not a virus or malware on my end that's doing it, this is a totally new hard drive and your website was just about one of the first ones I went to (after gmail and facebook, and I don't thinking I'm getting malware from them.)

It’s very temping to say, “With so few reports, this can’t be a problem on my end.” But I want to be thorough. Furthermore, maybe scammers have gotten smarter and have invented malware that goes dormant in some cases instead of relentlessly attacking. “But it seems to work fine for me!” is perhaps the greatest shield a virus can have. It’s effectively a real-world implementation of the SEP invisibility field.

Some facts: Continue reading ⟩⟩ “Haq?”

 


 

The Last of Us EP29: All The Emotions

By Shamus Posted Thursday Dec 11, 2014

Filed under: Spoiler Warning 108 comments


Link (YouTube)

I seriously need to play this game so I can enjoy this story without all these other guys talking over it. This is really an amazing scene.

Also, some of you might not be able to watch this episode. Because of this:

Continue reading ⟩⟩ “The Last of Us EP29: All The Emotions”

 


 

The Last of Us EP28: Triangle Harder

By Shamus Posted Wednesday Dec 10, 2014

Filed under: Spoiler Warning 43 comments


Link (YouTube)

I know a running joke on the show is how we constantly make fun of Josh for playing so bad, but I think we need to drop that gag for a minute and talk about these goofy mechanics. What is going on here? In the first few minutes we can see:

  1. The game gives you a triangle prompt. Press it, zombie dies. Whee.
  2. Game doesn’t give the prompt, no matter how you position yourself, how long you wait, or how close you get. It gives no feedback as to what you’re doing wrong.
  3. The game doesn’t give the prompt, but you can kill the zombie anyway.
  4. The game gives you the prompt, but when you hit the button it insta-kills YOU instead.
  5. Sometimes you can quicktime event out of getting grabbed. Sometimes you just die.

I have no idea. On one hand, I love this game for its characters, story, and gorgeous visuals. On the other hand, it looks like a completely annoying pain in the ass to play.

See, Shamus. If you had PLAYED the game you would understand. The stupid, random, unexplained, and unfair mechanics just reinforce the stupid, random, unexplained, and unfair nature of life in the post-apocalyptic world. This isn’t broken mechanics, it’s an integral part of the storytelling and besides I didn’t have any trouble and I beat the game on hard while drunk.

Goofy gameplay aside, this entire section is completely fantastic. Best videogame photobooth since SBCGFAP.

 


 

Bad and Wrong Music Lessons, Part 5: Sound Bytes

By Shamus Posted Wednesday Dec 10, 2014

Filed under: Music 38 comments

It’s been a while since I did a music post, hasn’t it? Well, nothing good lasts forever so it’s time for another one.

In his famous deconstruction of the techno genre, cultural critic and doctor of musicology expert Strong Bad observed basically everything you need to know about techno music, and electronic music in general: You need the beat, the lead music part, a high part, and some kind of movie quote / sound sample. As someone who listens to a lot of electronic music I can say this is funny because it’s true.

Once again I need to remind you that all of this is either badly wrong, or an over-simplification of something that real musicians have known for centuries. I’m literally just posting observations as I make them, like someone learning to read exclaiming, “Have you noticed that there are two different shapes for each letter!?” It’s sort of true yet incomplete and sort of wrong but not totally. I have no idea how real musicians can stand to read these.

Sooner or later I’m going to need to stop this musical finger-painting and share something useful. But not today!

Continue reading ⟩⟩ “Bad and Wrong Music Lessons, Part 5: Sound Bytes”

 


 

Experienced Points: Why Video Games Need Their Own Programming Language

By Shamus Posted Tuesday Dec 9, 2014

Filed under: Column 178 comments

Nitpick shield: Games don’t “need” a language, but such a thing would be useful. I’m not complaining about the person who titled this article. I had the same problem yesterday when I said GTA V was “Banned” instead of more correctly stating it was “un-stocked from certain retailers in one country in response to an internet petition”. It’s really hard to cram complex ideas into pithy article titles. I’m okay with a bit of conceptual slop as long as it still conveys the basic idea. The only downside is the prevalence of people who argue with article titles without reading the article. Those people make me sad.

ANYWAY.

My column this week talks about the fact that we use C++ for making AAA games, and why that’s strange and un-optimal. The conversation stems from this video:

Continue reading ⟩⟩ “Experienced Points: Why Video Games Need Their Own Programming Language”

 


 

Diecast #83: Game Awards 2014, GTA V “Banned”

By Shamus Posted Monday Dec 8, 2014

Filed under: Diecast 272 comments

Trigger warning: In this episode we talk about mass murder, censorship, and social justice. These are touchy subjects. Just remember to be nice and to not to post angry and we’ll get through this.

Thanks again to special guest George Weidman of SuperBunnyHop for joining in.

Download MP3 File
Download Ogg Vorbis File

Hosts: Josh, Rutskarn, Chris, George Weidman (SuperBunnyHop), and Shamus.

Show notes: Continue reading ⟩⟩ “Diecast #83: Game Awards 2014, GTA V “Banned””

 


 

Trek Week: The Movies

By Shamus Posted Friday Dec 5, 2014

Filed under: Nerd Culture 243 comments

Now that we’re at the end of Trek Week, I have a confession to make: I really like parts of the Abram’s Trek reboot. Sacrilege, I know. How can I – Admiral of Starfleet Continuity Audits and former captain of the USS Nitpicker – tolerate these stupid movies that are riddled with contrivances and plot holes and mostly serve as a showcase for fanservice, explosions, and tits? Why am I not burning with outrage at the travesty that Trek has become?

Continue reading ⟩⟩ “Trek Week: The Movies”