Well, hello there!
Welcome to my blog, my little corner of the internet. I'm glad you found your way here, whether you came looking for something specific, followed a link, or simply took a wrong turn somewhere on the information superhighway. I'm told that's still what we call it, although presumably someone has updated the road signs by now.
I've been fascinated by computers for as long as I can remember, starting back when they came with thick manuals, floppy disks, and the occasional requirement to understand hexadecimal numbers before you could enjoy yourself. Over the years, that fascination turned into a career in software development, although I've never entirely figured out at what point playing with computers became something people were willing to pay me for.
Not that I'm complaining.
Outside of work, my interests haven't changed all that much. I still love games, movies, technology, and discovering new things. I also have a habit of starting side projects, which is a wonderful hobby if you enjoy the excitement of beginning something and are reasonably comfortable with the concept of unfinished business.
And now I've started a blog. Naturally.
What can you expect to find here?
A bit of everything, really, although there are a few subjects that will probably turn up more often than others.
Gaming will undoubtedly occupy a fair amount of space. I've been playing computer games since the days when getting one to run could involve editing configuration files, moving jumpers around on sound cards, and making promises to various deities. I have a particular fondness for the classics, but I'm just as interested in modern games, especially those that try something a little different.
There will also be reviews, although I don't particularly believe in reducing an entire game, film, or book to a number. Giving something a seven out of ten has always struck me as a remarkably precise way of saying very little. I'd rather talk about what makes it enjoyable, what doesn't quite work, and whether it's actually worth your time and money.
When it comes to games, that means looking beyond graphics and gameplay. Does the game respect your time? Is it fun to play on your own? Is the monetization reasonable, or does it feel like someone in the accounting department has been given creative control?
I suspect that last question will come up fairly often.
Programming and technology will make regular appearances too. I spend much of my working life developing software, but apparently that isn't enough, because I also enjoy doing it in my spare time. I'll probably share some of my experiments, discoveries, occasional frustrations, and projects that seemed like excellent ideas until I realized how much work they involved.
And then there's movies, television, and anime, along with books, music, and whatever else happens to catch my attention. I don't intend to limit myself too much. This is a personal blog, after all, and having to submit an editorial proposal to myself before writing something seems unnecessarily bureaucratic.
A little nostalgia never hurt anyone
I should probably warn you that I have a rather large soft spot for the 1980s and 1990s, particularly when it comes to computers and gaming.
I don't think everything was better back then. It certainly wasn't. Computers were slower, hard drives were smaller, and installing a game could turn into an evening-long investigation of why your sound card had suddenly stopped acknowledging its own existence.
But there was something wonderful about figuring things out, experimenting, and discovering just how much those machines could do. Multiplayer gaming, for example, sometimes meant building your own cable to connect two computers. Today, you simply click a button, which is undeniably more convenient, but somehow less satisfying than getting two PCs to talk to each other through something you'd assembled with a soldering iron.
I'll be revisiting some of those old games and experiences, partly to see how well they've aged and partly because nostalgia is considerably cheaper than buying a sports car.
Usually.
So, what's the plan?
There isn't a grand plan, which is probably just as well, considering how most of my grand plans tend to develop additional features, several unexpected complications, and occasionally an entirely new project before lunchtime.
I'll write when I have something I want to share, whether that's a review of an old favorite, thoughts on a new game, an interesting bit of technology, or something completely unrelated that seemed worth putting into words.
There won't be a strict publishing schedule, and I'm not particularly interested in chasing trends or producing content simply because some algorithm thinks I should. I'd much rather have a place where I can write about things I genuinely enjoy, and hopefully entertain a few people along the way.
So, make yourself comfortable, have a look around, and feel free to come back now and then. There should eventually be quite a bit to read here.
Assuming, of course, I don't get distracted by another side project.
Actually, I wouldn't make any promises about that.