Rakuten Kobo - Aanvulling (Dutch)

Kobo + Dutch

Het inlogscherm op de telefoon van Kobo is een beetje verwarrend. Ik heb de handleiding voor Rakuten Kobo dan ook iets aangepast.

Voor meer, zie hier. 

D&D - Raise the Dead (d20 2003)

RPG Book Review

There's life after death... as long as you are a D&D character.

This book is all about raising the dead. Which might be a friend. Or it might be an enemy, to be raised to interrogated... or to be killed off again, who knows. This softcover book four adventures, all focused on raising that one dead friend.

V.E. Schwab - Shades of Magic - A Darker Shade of Magic / A Gathering of Shadows / A Conjuring of Light

Audiobook Review

This is a well known series, in which the last of the Antari (dimension hopping mages) discovers his ancestry, and fights an all consuming magic evil.

It's pretty good, but I didn't find it as exceptional as it is often made out to be. Still good though.

Wallpaper - Sigil University

Wallpaper

I've been running a few D&D sessions as a DM where the players were students at Sigil university (in the Planescape setting). And every university needs a logo and a slogan...

(Click on image to enlarge) 

Apple TV - Murderbot - s01e01..s01e06

Series Review + Apple TV

It's on Apple, and Apple appears to be doing a banging good job when it comes to SciFi shows. Severance. Silo. For All Mankind. Foundation. 3 Body Problem. Pretty good.

You can now add Murderbot to that list.

Kalayna Price - Alex Craft 1 - Grave Witch

Audiobook Review

Dabbling in romantasy lately, are we?

Well. It's only for scientific purposes. And if the story is half-decent, then why not? I can always skip the random porn inserts that seem to haunt modern day fantasy novels...

D&D - Forgotten Realms Adventures (2e 1990)

RPG Book Review + Forgotten Realms

Welcome to the Forgotten Realms. Back in 1990 TSR released Forgotten Realms Adventures, a hardcover book to help players and DMs update from (A)D&D to AD&D 2nd edition.

Content wise it's a little thin, but it was the very first TSR / D&D / RPG product I ever bought. For me, it's the book that started it all.

Homematic Maintenance / Error codes

Domotics + Homematic

Note to self: don't forget to frequently check your Homematic domotics system for any heating related issues...

2nd note to self: don't forget. But I did. Sigh.

3rd note (to visitor): skip this page. It's just for my own usage. You want to go here and see what else is on offer...

Nicole Conway - Mad Magic

Kobo Plus + Audiobook Review

I've only read this one a few weeks ago, and I'm already forgetting about this one. I guess that means it did not leave that much of an impression behind.

Elizabeth Moon - Vatta's War - Series

Audiobook Review

Harringtonish... Nice read, still. Youngling gets kicked out of school, becomes trader, killer, captain, admiral, savior.

Predictable, I admit, but enjoyable.

Wallpaper - PlayStation

Wallpaper

I did share an Xbox wallpaper, so there had to be a PlayStation one as well...

(Click on image to enlarge)

GoPro Bestandsnamen (Dutch)

Datatalk + GoPro

GoPro cameras geven hun bestanden rare namen. De GoPro kijkt naar de al aanwezige bestanden, combineert dit met informatie uit de camera zelf, en maakt vervolgens nieuwe namen.

Alle bestandsnamen hebben het volgende formaat: G[e][cc][rrrr].mp4, oftewel G [encoder] [chapter] [recording] .mp4

Rachel Bach (Rachel Aaron) - Paradox Series - Fortune's Paw / ...

Audiobook Review

Down-on-her-luck wannabe-warrior falls in love. Add exo-suits, aliens, baddy evil to fall in love with, an empire, a love story, and Rachel Bach's writing skills.

And what you end up with is a great series.

The Forgotten Realms - Map of Maps

RPG + Forgotten Realms

It's pretty hard to find a map that shows all the maps ever made of Faerun. So, I made my own, based on the products I own and other stuff I could find on the Internet.

Sneeuwjacht - 2 - Weerpech (Dutch)

Travel + Dutch

Je hebt invloed op je vakantie periode. Nou ja, een beetje dan. Natuurlijk moet je werkgever je toestemming geven, en dan zijn er nog beperkingen zoals kinderen en schoolvakanties.

Waar je weinig invloed op hebt is het weer. En dat is soms dus goed balen...

Ryk Brown – The Frontiers Saga

Audiobook Review

Ryk Brown appears to have become a quite popular self publishing author. I've sampled some of his wares... It's a bit fannish, a bit 'wannabe', to be honest. Some of the jokes and characters are okay, and do bring a smile on my face. The plotholes though (especially the technobabble guffaws) are a bit of a let down.

Chronical: 2067

Movie Review

2067 (also known as Chronical: 2067) is a decent SciFi movie that more or less flew under the radar. Don't expect mega blockbuster style VFX and CGI, huge explosions and robust heroes. This isn't one of those.

Jill Bearup - Just Stab Me Now

Writing + Book Review

Alright... this post is going to be a weird one.

I was pointed toward this video by another nettizen (does anyone still use that word?) / Discord user / writer, and the video is quite interesting.

So let's split this post up in two parts: writing related, and a short review of the book itself.

Wallpaper - Revy (Black Lagoon)

Wallpaper

There are few characters as foul and violent in Anime as Revy, and you gotta' love her for that. This wallpaper is a fanart image based on the Black Lagoon's company's trip to Tokyo. Yeah, she's wearing a skirt but don't let that fool you... 

Microsoft Copilot... in Notepad? And 'on' by default?!?

Windows

Microsoft / Muckysoft / Micro$oft is rolling out it's Copilot AI assistant... and it doesn't matter if you like it or even agree with it, or not... You'll get it shoved down your throat, no matter what.

Did you know that Notepad (!) has Copilot support? Did you know it's ON by default?!? M$, what the hell is wrong with you?!?!?

(Go into settings and turn it off. Also uninstall the Copilot app. Fuck M$.)

Romantasy Redux

Writing

First of all, this is a little cynical, so my apologies for that.

Nevertheless, if you step away and study the subject from a distance then you'll find some interesting commonalities between many of the books in this well-selling (sub)genre.

Here are several of the tropes I identified thus far...

I hate Raymond Chandler...

Column + Writing

Sometimes, I try to be inspired by other authors. And I have to admit I'm awfully impressed and influenced by two specific, grand names: Raymond Chandler and Roger Zelazny.

But it's hard to get even close...

Sometimes I delude myself into thinking I 'got' it...

Quick check on Lyrion Music Server status (LMS) - Issues with .APE files and APE tags

Lyrion + Music

I managed to crash Lyrion v9.0.2 (former SqueezeBox LMS) without any reason. I suspect a reboot of the home server caused it to re-index, and it crashed and exited on some .mp3 files. So, here's a quick check to see if it is running, and what caused it to crash.

Wallpaper - The Team

Wallpaper

There's something about the work by Tony DiTerlizzi that just speaks to me. He was the original artist behind the artwork of PlaneScape.

I think (not even sure, it was too long ago) this is a poor re-composition I did myself. Which reminds me of a great team of real people I once worked with. I miss you, people. You were the best.

Sneeuwjacht - 1 - Proloog (Dutch)

Travel + Dutch

Hoe zou het zijn om vanuit een warm, sneeuwvrij dal de berg op te rijden, en dan boven op de top sneeuw aan te treffen?

Geweldig!

Dus... als voorbereiding voor een komende roadtrip een paar links...

MRA in de praktijk - 3 - GPX voor zowel MRA Next (Here) als Tom Tom (Dutch)

GPX + Dutch

Met MRA Routeplanner is het eigenlijk heel erg simpel om een .GPX file te maken welke door zowel Tom Tom als MRA Next (Here) goed wordt verwerkt, en waardoor gebruikers van verschillende navigatie apparaten en apps toch voor 99© dezelfde route rijden!

MRA in de praktijk - 2 - Volg de Route met MRA Next / MRA Navigatie (Dutch)

GPX + Dutch

Doel:

1. Lees een TRACK .GPX file in

2. Maak er een ROUTE .GPX file van

3. Gebruik MRA Next om de route te volgen

A Brief History of Self Regulation

Column

Call me a leftist. A socialist. A communist.

Or a realist...

(Click on image to enlarge)

Plat plat plat... Biesbosch en Lekdijk met een GPXje (Dutch)

Car + GPX + Travel + Dutch

Afgelopen Zondag een leuke tourrit gedaan, maar... wat doet me weer realizeren dat Nederland zo verrekte vlak is...

Maar goed. Een paar weken terug had ik een .GPX beloofd van een tour rit bij mij in de buurt... Dus bij deze.

MRA in de praktijk - 1 - Track naar Route (Dutch)

GPX + Dutch

Doel:

1. Lees een TRACK .GPX file in

2. Maak er een ROUTE .GPX file van

3. Gebruik MRA Next om de route te volgen

D&D - Cloak & Dagger (2e 2000)

RPG Book Review + Forgotten Realms

Let's add another D&D product review.

This isn't the Marvel based TV show, but the TSR Dungeons & Dragons book from 2000, and it details some (hidden) factions in the Forgotten Realms setting.

Elaine Cunningham - Elfshadow

Book Review

TSR, the (in)famous creators of the AD&D role playing game (then boutght by WOTC, Hasbro, and becoming perhaps even more (in)famous for their poor handling of the OGL) also publish books based on their games. One of those is Elfshadow by Elaine Cunningham. It's set in the Forgotten Realms, but no prior knowledge is required. 

The Verdict: It's not bad. Expect regular 'sword and sorcery'.

Dapper / TellTales! #6

D&D - How Not to get Eaten by Owlbears (xe 2024)

RPG Book Review

TSR, WOTC, and now HASBRO all seem to struggle a bit when it comes to marketing, and sometimes they release books that simply make no sense.

Take, for example, How Not to get Eaten by Owlbears.

RPG Book Scores Explained

RPG Book Review

This is part of my 'recovery effort' of the materials on the old NightLive website.

Years ago I did review a number of TSR / WOTC products, so I've dusted off the old review scheme. You'll run into some TSR / WOTC / Hasbro reviews from now on...

Here's my default review / scoring scheme.

Wallpaper - Dual Monitor - Another Tomorrow

Wallpaper

Another great piece of artwork by the artist Yumei. This one works well as a dual monitor wallpaper.

Datatalk + Bufferbloat

Unfortunately, dslreports.com is no more. Are there any alternatives?

I did find https://www.waveform.com/tools/bufferbloat which is a little less clear, but seems to work.

(And yes, I know that QOS is not the right way to address bufferbloat, but it may be the only option available to many of us.)

Netflix - Damsel (2024)

Movie Review + Netflix

First you see a dragon. Then you're watching some royal intrigues for 35 minutes, and only then the action starts.

Which doesn't make Damsel a complete disaster, but it helps to know what to expect.

The Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008) and a little Summer Glau

Series Review

Summer Glau has a pendant for Sci-Fi 'nerdish' shows. Unfortunately, they're not all successful, but apparently her choice in roles matches my taste in television...

Jeffery Haskell - Grimm's War 6 - A Grimm Decision

Audiobook Review

And yet another space opera / military sci-fi series. Shades of Honor Harrington, and that's fine. Captain Grim leads the crew of his older but still powerful boat through a conflict between multiple sides, Consortium, Caliphate, Guild, Alliance...

MX-5 NC Bose Headunit vervangen (Dutch)

Car + MX-5 + Dutch

Er is vaak wat verwarring over wat je precies kunt doen om het geluid in je MX-5 te verbeteren.

Hierbij een overzichtje:

Elliot Kay - Poor Man's Fight 6 - No Man's Land

Audiobook Review

Another space opera / military sci-fi series. Main protagonist might be a little too much of an anti hero in the 6th book, but it’s quite readable.

Series starts with greedy corporations that unload endless debts on wannabe students, then moves on to an interstellar conflict between several races. 

Wallpaper - Dear Karma

Wallpaper

No comment 😶

(Click on image to enlarge)

Faith Hunter - Junkyard Cats / Junkyard Bargain / Junkyard War

Audiobook Review

Entertaining set of 3 (now 4) novels, in which a post-apocalyptic junkyard owner becomes a kind of queen bee, driven by biotech, and assisted (hampered?) by gen-engineered cats, after aliens overcame earth’s finest.

The Verdict: great read. Looking forward to book 4!

Erik Schubach - Fixit / Glitch / Vashon / Descent / Sedition

Audiobook Review

Supposed to be somewhat ‘lesbian scifi’ but - except for one scene that wasn’t even that explicit - these read as a fast paced nerd-becomes-heroine set of short stories. Does suffer a little from the Mary Sue effect.

Synopsis: dirtside engineer knows how to create sentient robots, and falls in love with a copper-without-impulse-control from the floating cities above.

The Verdict: perfectly readable, light SciFi.

Charlaine Harris / Christopher Golden - Cemetary Girl

Audiobook Review

Short story that got expanded into three short novels, about a girl who lost her memory and starts living on a cemetery.

It's an easy read - nothing too exceptional - with perhaps a somewhat unexpected plot twist near the end, where the whole story adopts a supernatural element.

The verdict: a decent, entertaining read. 

Compound Interest is a lovely thing

Column

Are you ready yet to become a millionaire?

If you are 20 years old, and you have 300 dollars to spare every month, then you are one hell of a lucky person.

If you're 59 and going on 60, it ain't that easy...

Netflix - Arcane - Season 2

Anime Review + Netflix

I had high hopes for season 2 of Arcane... Season 1 was brilliant, an emotional roller coaster, great animation, and a good story to carry it all. How could season 2 be any less?

Well... it turned out it could be. Worse, that is.

Rakuten Kobo - Korte handleiding voor Kobo / Kobo Plus (Dutch)

Kobo + Dutch

Voor Engelstalige boeken ben je waarschijnlijk beter uit met Amazon + Audible, maar voor Nederlandstalige boeken is Kobo misschien de betere optie.

Check van wie je koopt bij Amazon en Bol! (Dutch)

Dutch

Koop je online, zorg dan dat je koopt van een betrouwbare (toe)leverancier. Er zijn heel veel spelers welke rotzooi verkopen, of onbetrouwbaar zijn. 

Ik beperk me dan ook vooral tot de grotere / betrouwbare namen, maar dat betekent niet dat alle (kleine) shops slecht zijn!

Koop Kindle en Audible Boeken op Amazon.DE! (Dutch)

Dutch

Elke keer wanneer Amazon (Amazon.nl, om precies te zijn) met een trotse melding komt dat je 'al je digitale producten nu op Amazon.nl' kunt kopen krijg ik hoofdpijn. Omdat ik weet dat daarmee gelijk de prijzen omhoog gaan, en het toch niet werkt...