Oscillating Interest

Image by: geralt License: CC0 Update October 29, 2019 - I tweeted a link to this and realized it was time for an update. I have switched over to iOS from Android and continue to use 1Password, it works even better on iOS. Fixed tenses/removed irrelevant/old paragraphs, and added notes about lack of sponsorship. Update January 18, 2019 - 1Password uses a monthly pricing model primarily now. I've started using 1Password instead of Keepass due to family sharing, their Watchtower service (powered by haveibeenpwned.com), and the amazing ease of use on all platforms. Update March 18, 2017 - LastPass has changed their business model and the mobile app does not require a subscription. I have also become aware of the Diceware passphrase generation technique. This post has been updated to reflect that. Preamble You can skip this section if you just want to get to the advice. NOTE: I realized I should point out to anyone reading this that I do not run ads on my site, nor a...

Background Information Ever since tablets had become popular I wanted one. The iPad looked great, but I wanted something running Android. The Nexus 10 was out of my price range at the time, and the Nexus 7 was too small of a screen, I wanted something closer to 10" for watching videos. Having set aside money for a tablet, the Nexus 9's release was perfectly timed for me. After using it for a few months I felt it was time to post a full review. I own an Android phone (HTC One m7), a desktop computer (using Chrome), and a Chromecast already and I am a regular user of Google's services, which may affect my views on the Nexus 9. The Nexus 9 I purchased was pre-ordered from the Google Play Store and is a Black, Wi-Fi only, 32GB model, shipped to Canada. Use Cases I knew I wanted something I could easily watch videos on, I also wanted something to browse the web, read PDFs without awkwardly zoom/panning and play video games on. I wasn't entirely su...

Just a quick note to any readers who are used to the old layout: I switched it so it better matches my full website and no longer uses widgets that would break certain layouts. Hope to post something interesting in the near future.

Many people have asked me about how exactly Steam Family Sharing works so I'll try and cover some of the tricks and special cases not covered in Steam's FAQ Sharing games with a child, parent, sibling, room mate or other person you live with is often quite simple when you use a shared computer. However, I'd like to cover the other scenario: sharing with friends. I like explaining concepts through examples so to go through all of these examples we will use two friends, Alice and Bob, who live in separate homes, use separate computers, and want to share games. For the purposes of example I will give them each a small library of games: Alice's Games: Hotline Miami (only Alice owns) FTL (both Alice and Bob own) Dota 2 (Free to Play so both Alice and Bob 'own' it) Bob's Games: Crypt of the NecroDancer (only Bob owns) FTL (both Alice and Bob own) Dota 2 (Free to Play so both Alice and Bob 'own' it) Alright great now we'v...

I've been a running and playing Dungeons & Dragons off and on for the last decade. Recently I feel I've upped my game and found some useful tricks, props, and techniques that have helped enhance the game I'm currently running for my players and feel this would be useful for other DMs new and old. Today's post is about Rumours, that little blurb of plothook filled text at the beginning of a module that you're supposed to give to your players somehow. My problem with plot hooks and rumours is I was never sure how to present them to my players without feeling artificial. I was browsing the DnD subreddit one day and I either found this idea or I realized it was a good one: The bag of rumours.  Overview I'm currently using  Sly Flourish's Lazy DM  ideas for adventure design but to make things more sandbox/open world I have thrown in a combination of   Critical Hits ' 5x5 method. This means I have several adventures 'on the go' that have a...

Background I decided to buy a Chromecast to replace my Raspberry Pi as a Plex client and general streaming device.  I use a few services quite regularly for watching shows and these are a requirement for me to consider a new set-top box for the TV.  My "Streaming Trinity" is:  Crunchyroll  - for legal anime subs. (Ad-based and subscription options) Netflix  - for movies, TV, and legal anime dubs (subscription) and  Plex  - for local media on my computer and I'm trying out some 'channels' as well to watch videos from official websites such as CBC and Discovery (Paid mobile apps,Free web/desktop clients, optional subscription or one-time lifetime unlock, requires a computer for a server) The Chromecast had my trinity and more so for about $50 CAD (after shipping and tax) I figured it was worth a shot! I also purchased it in the timeframe to receive $20 on Google Play (this offer is over now, sorry). I heard you can also p...

Update: I've added some more apps and updated the prices on Swiftkey since it is free now. I've also added explanations to the differences between the free and paid versions of apps. Any extra details in the description/new apps are prefaced with Update or New This is my primer to Android apps. There are some apps I install on any Android device I have, either because I feel it's necessary, enhances the experience, or is just plain cool. To help remind myself which apps these are and to cut down on the number of times I have to copy and paste links for people I've compiled this list. (All prices are from the Canadian Google Play Store at the time of writing) Keyboard Swiftkey - Play Store Free ! - Official Site This is my favourite keyboard app. I like it because of its themes, the Flow mode, and its word prediction (which is great!). To be fair, I haven't tried the new Android Kitkat keyboard, so it may have improved significantly. However, the adva...