So I’ve finally got my Dell D630 three months after I ordered it. Everything was shiny, even Ubuntu 7.10 worked out of the box except the sound card (as long as you use the safe video mode for the initial install).

But I noticed a small scratch directly on the display panel last Sunday. Not nice. As I’ve enrolled almost every support update that is possible with Dell I contacted their support line, a technician came two days later and installed a new panel. I was quite happy for the quick support.

Two hours later I recognized that my former glossy display had turned into a reflective one. While this is advantageous as I do not own a mirror in my flat I decided to contact Dell’s service again as it is just impossible to work longer while staring into a kinda mirror. Also some pixel errors appeared (around half a dozen always white or black pixel).

After half an hour in the waiting queue the helpful support tech told me that the display will be replaced with a glossy one and the local technician will contact me on Monday. This time I also reported my defective Dell D610 display where the lower left side of the panel seems to be folding backwards (which should be physical impossible). The support guy asked me to send in some pictures to better understand the problem, I did it and just received a mail notification that the panel will be replaced.

So lots of bonus points for Dell’s intent of changing every defective part, some negative points for their execution. There are still worlds between Dell’s support division and that hellhole named Apple Support.

The new laptop included a nice nVidia NVS 135 discrete graphics card so I finally took the time to try Cedega/wine (Cedega is the commerical version of wine that should provide better (3D) support). Through that emulator I should be able to play most (older) Windows-based games under Linux. The only two important games that came to my mind were Starcraft and Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword. The former already worked with my old laptop and the later one produces obscure error messages. While wine just tells me about some “shader error” (for which I tried the various hints from the web, but none of them worked), cedega does the right thing ™ of just segfaulting the background process and giving the user no feedback about the execution status whatsoever. What was even more curious is that the installation through wine seemed a lot faster than the cedega one.

I just want to mention two website I’ve been using lately:

First pardus: Pardus is a web based MMOPG. It is situated in the far future and reminds me of Privateer with a very ugly web interface. As with that game you have various paths of earning reputation and money: trading, pirating, bounty hunting are only some of them. Despite the ugly interface it makes lots of fun, interaction with other players is mandatory for good gameplay.

Second kiva.org: Kiva is the attempt to utilize internet users to gain the assets for micro-credits in the developing countries. Visitors of the site can read the descriptions of various proposals and lend small amounts of money through their paypal account. As soon as the targeted amount of money is reached, it is transfered to a local company that manages the micro credit and payed to the applicant. The local representative seeks that the credit will be repayed. There is a very high propability that the lended money is payed back and can be redirected (by the user) towards a new credit or be taken back by the lender. There is no interest rate payed to the lender and the local partner take around two percent (which is subtracted from the money the receiver gets) for handling.

I do like the idea as it shows how the internet can connect people. On the lending side there are many people that would spent small amounts of money each, on the other side are few people that need relativly little money for short periods (around one year). If this can beat traditional credit companies, so be it. At least it is more effective than traditional development aids.

After spending to much of my time with the last warcraft themed flash game I really feared its sequel.

Now it happend: part two of the game is available here and I already invested too much hours on it. My clues so far:

1. level up your anti-air towers instead of building lots of them
2. combine high level splash turrets with the tripple amount of slow towers

I survived till level 93 which brought me the 98th place in the daily ratings. I do believe that I might enhance my tactics a bit, but there are still some open problems:

• the bird levels are killings me slowly
• how can I clear up the inner ring. I can keep control of the creep level on the outer one, but acquire lots of them in the inner ring.

Any suggestions?

This is a Warcraft3 influenced flash game. You have to build towers to defend the hordes of darkness (and sheeps). It seems as there are 40 levels, I’m currently dieing around level 38.

My tactic so far is building up to 4 canon towers, 1 archery tower and 1 anti-air tower and then opting for two fully upgraded fire elemental towers and adding some “don’t know their name but OMFG they deal 2000pts of damage”-combi-towers.

If you have any suggestions how to get to the final level in this really great game (at least tom thinks the same), please leave a comment.

And another saturday with heavy red wine and no wish whatsoever to go out.. purifying. Maybe I’m getting old enough to really despise those ‘i got nothing else to do’ party goers.

All the things you’ve got
All the things you need
Who bought you cigarettes
Who bribed the company to come and see you honey?

Radiohead - Thinking of Your

Just go here and play a small floating being.

I do not fully or partly understand what I am doing, just chasing the other.. things around and eating them, but I did it the last hour or so.. great game.

It’s that time of the year again: ORF released this year’s edition of their free ski racing game. As they’re still working on the controllability there’s just a playable demo out there, but the real thing should be ready on December, 2nd.

Last year’s productivity was greatly harmed by this game, there are lots of fond memories of playing it with or against friends. Bets are taken how it will be this year.

Addendum: as the weather and runway conditions are not perfect my current times are still 15 seconds behind last year’s. Just depending upon environmental conditions and not on my abilities..

The impossible happened: you’ve got some minutes on your own. What are you going to do? Game.

These are some of my favorite linux games:

• jumpnbump - there’s nothing like a bunch of psycho-killer rabbits that try to frag each other mario-like. At least two players are needed.
• Battle for Wesnoth - is a great round based strategy game which is expandable through modules. Settled in a fantasy world it has most of hexagon-based *-General features. While the graphic engine is not that smashing, all graphics are done carefully and with lots of love.
• UFO: Alien Invasion - this is one of the more advanced UFO clones. Isometric, roundbased, great so far but still in development. Try out one of their technology previews!

I’m still hoping that some commercial games (with released source code) will make it to the linux platform. Especially Microsoft’s Mech Commander 2 under linux would be great. Thanks for releasing the code Microsoft.

Of this Order I am made one,
from mankind to guard this place
that through their guilt they have foregone,
for they have forfeited his grace;
therefore all this must they shun
or else my sword they shall embrace
and myself will be their foe
to flame in the face.

The wind blows merciless through the empty streets. I was playing Warcraft 3 and against all odds my team was victorious two out of two times. For all those unnamed which won’t believe in my words proof may be found here (FFA) or here (3vs4).
My nick is of old remembrance: kingNothing.

So you may ask yourself: why is he better than last time? The simple answer is: I know how to play Starcraft and I’ve applied SC tactics to WC3. I have chosen a unit mix which resembles ordinary SC units (while ignoring those funky spells which all WC3 units seem to have). If you care to watch the replays you will notice that I’ve never used any spell but my moon sorcerer’s deadly ‘falling stars’ (or whatever) spell and the mountain giant’s taunt ability. I played like SC - putting my units to battle at places I liked, with superior unit count and better tactical starting position (and ignoring every specials my units would have which would confuse me or make my reaction time worse). It worked two times but will fail if my opponents will battle me again.

Some play tennis, i erode the human soul.

I”m looking forward to an humiliating defeat in warcraft3 on tuesday. My team has absolutly no clue, no tactics and a snowballs chance in hell to survive twenty minutes against an unskilled advercary.

I need something like the typical movie miracle: an elderly, shirty mentor which would teach me the secrets of warfare regarding wc3 in four days..

.. for a Warcraft III match to begin. Feeling the pure energy running through my fingers, ready to be released on a helpless target, filling the world with screams of pain and despair.

I am the ruler of the midnight air,
I am the destroyer

(and for those that know my Warcraft skills.. please shut up).