Wolfy Anytime
Something strange happened to me while I was working on a client’s website this weekend. Since music distracts me from such tasks, I typically play some of my old tapes or other spoken-word stuff in the background. This time I happened to select an old recording of Wolfenstein 3-D gameplay, and I have to admit, this got me seriously thinking about doing some more Wolf3D level design.
Not too long ago I created a new 10-level episode around a slightly modified Wolf3D engine, which my friend Pooch playtested and gave the thumbs-up to. I never went back and did any more levels though. I was planning to release the first episode by itself, then add episodes to the package as I created them, but I’ve once again dropped out of the Wolfenstein scene by virtue of the fact that I always seemed to have something else to do, and couldn’t devote the time to it anymore. That shit is like a full-time job, I tell you.
Which reminds me that even though I feel like I could get back into it and draft a few levels for episode two, I can’t really afford to. I’ve got a lot of side work to do. Even after spending pretty much the entire weekend working on the bikini website, there’s still more work to do—although at least I got two-thirds of the items crossed off my list of changes. Following that, I’m helping some friends at work with a project in the off-hours, and a former employee emailed me last week to ask if I wanted in on a job designing iconographic labels for remote control buttons. I guess I’m going to accept. I need money for my computer upgrade.
Attack of the Miscellany
It’s unwarranted! It’s irrelevant! It’s miscellaneous! That’s this Oddball entry, 1960s movie poster style. Sometimes I have used Classic Oddball as a vehicle for notes to myself, or as a means to set “life waypoints” that I can use later to glean a timeframe around which certain things happened to me. Thus I don’t really care whether you find any of this content interesting or not. Also, I’m quite bored to death right now, so I thought I would post something again.
I don’t know if I mentioned it, but we got our new refrigerator. Our new free refrigerator, thanks to GE who apparently is in “major concession” mode right now because they can’t afford to have any consumer lawsuits filed over the fact that they really don’t know how to build a decent fridge in the first place. Or didn’t, anyway. My hope is that those times have changed, and so far it looks like they may have. The new side-by-side refrigerator they sent us has been really great so far. Apple and I both have commented that we really like the fridge, and that’s something we never said about our old one, even when it was new.
For starters the thing feels a lot more solid. The doors don’t rattle or act like they’re gonna fall off, it doesn’t make as much noise, and the water pump doesn’t go SLAM when it shuts off (like the old one did). Even at a warmer temperature setting, it keeps food much colder than the old one did. Plus it looks like it was actually designed as though a human being would use it; to wit: You no longer have to remove the shelving in the freezer just to turn the icemaker on and off. The temperature regulators are now digital instead of analog, the door contains a nifty integreated can rack (which we found works just as well for jars of things like mayonnaise and spicy chili sauce), and the buttons on the front panel water dispenser—while they no longer beep when you press them—are much easier to press. There’s even faux chrome around the door handles, wooooo.
1998 F-Body Unique Identifiers
This is kind of interesting. Yesterday I discovered a detailed list of all the differences between the F-body models from 1998-2002 (year-to-year changes, upgrades, etc.). Despite being the oldest year of the F-body’s final revision, 1998 looks to have several interesting advantages. Here’s the complete list. My dad may be particularly interested in this since he has one of these cars too:
- Had differnet casting heads which had perimeter bolts and valve covers.
- Ignition coils were mounted to the valve covers one at a time.
- The water temp gauge actually works.
- 98’s do have an oil life monitor, they just don’t tell you anything when its time for a change. You can find it in Auto-Tap
- WS6s had single outlet exhaust (all others had duals)
- Steering wheel controls were completely different part with indentations on the buttons, and were better built
- Only year that Purple, Gold, and Green were available
- Some very early Trans Ams came with LT1 style headrests
- Rear hatch release was poorly designed and often caused problems releasing mechanism
- Early model 98 Monsoon stereos didnt have capability to control 12-disc CD changer
- 1998-1999 automatic transmission LS1s could be started in 1st gear even with the shifter in 2nd. Starting 2000, if you put the shifter in 2, it would start off in 2, even from a stop.
- 1998-1999 LS1 cars had a smaller throttle body cam, which caused the throttle to open to WOT faster than 2000+ cars
- 1998 cars had 28 lb fuel injectors from the factory (later years got 26 lb)
- 1998-2000 cars had a larger cam than the 01-02 cars
- 1998-1999 cars had more restrictive exhaust manifolds
- 1998-2000 cars had an LS1 intake with EGR
- 1998 and some early 1999 cars had blue outside rear view mirrors (Trans Am only)
- 1998 only LS1 blocks had a much smaller cylinder sleeve that only tolerated a .005” hone
- Last year F-body to use the old 15.5 gallon steel fuel tank.
- Only year LS1 F-body to contain a gascap with a tether long enough to actually hang from the fuel door while open
- Only year LS1 F-body to not contain the famous GM black box used in the event of an accident to record up to 5 seconds of pre-crash data
- 1998 only cars had a different PCV system with the PCV valve located above the passenger side valve cover
- 1998 most cars did not have an idle adjustment screw on the throttle body. Some 98 cars do have the idle throttle stop set screws.
- 1998 cars have a completely different PCM from 99+ cars
- A production shortage of F-body cams caused the use of a C5 cam to be installed in F-body LS1s for a very short time
- 97-98 LS1’s used a paper water pump gasket. The only gasket that isn’t reuseable
- SSs did not ALL go to SLP starting in 98. Y2Y was the RPO code that sent them to SLP for additional options
- SS option did not “include” the Synthetic oil package, it was a SLP only Option
Awesome 1:18 Scale KITT!
KITT on the shelf, scanning away
Many thanks to Reaper who got me the bloody awesome 1:18 scale diecast KITT replica for my birthday! It just arrived today, so naturally I unpacked it and set it up on my shelf next to my computer, where all of my favorite die-casts go (including the 1973 “Eleanor” Mustang). Naturally I also took a picture with the scanner on, haha. Reaper also sent me a surprise—a 1:18 diecast ‘69 Grand Prix SJ 428, which is awesome too. I didn’t even know they made a diecast of that. I remember seeing a similar car around town when I lived near Detroit. Really cool.
The KITT replica is the star of the show, of course, with its working scanner light, ejector seat, and GRPLG. HOOK, as well as removable T-roofs, opening doors, hood and rear hatch. The detail is pretty intense, too—they got almost everything right, down to the black door handles on the otherwise doeskin doorpanels. The only mistake is the amber fog lamps on the outboard edges of KITT’s fog light trays up front. It’s amusing, though, because replica KITTs (i.e., real-life replicas people build) often have those amber lights in order to comply with DOT requirements that you have turn signals visible up front. It looks like the modelers used a replica KITT as their design basis instead of the TV car! But if they did, they must have used a damn good replica, because everything else is spot-on. Fantastic job.
Well, to return the favor, Reaper: Your birthday present is finally on its way! Ikimaaaaasu!
Saturday Night’s All Right…
…For sitting around totally wasting time! No, not for fighting. What? You were expecting me to say “fighting?” My, aren’t you strange.
A little while ago, Apple bought me an early Valentine’s Day / birthday present: the latest album from J-pop group Round Table, featuring the vocal talents of Nino. Entitled “April,” the album contains “12 cute tracks” of cheery, happy music that really defies being shunted into any one particular genre. This is the same group that recorded the ultra-catchy main title theme for Chobits, and that song is represented both in its original form and in a “New Step Mix” that’s really cool. I hear that I’ll be getting some more musical enjoyment, this time from Thailand, before the month is over, so I’m looking forward to that. Thanks Apple!
As I write this, my primary server is town. I call it “primary” because it hosts my…uh, former web domain, as well as my email accounts. It’s been down for an hour and twenty minutes, ostensibly due to a failed network card. How it could take a data center that long to switch out a network card boggles my mind, so maybe it’s something more than that. Of course, this affects my Pooch’s website and email too. If you’re reading this, Pooch, hopefully these guys will get their shizz straightened out pretty soon.
Enterprise Cancelled
“Star Trek: Enterprise…has been cancelled.” Okay, you were supposed to be hearing the voice of the Wildfire central computer from The Andromeda Strain as you read that line. If you didn’t, your nerd index is insufficient to continue reading this site, so…oh, who am I kidding.
Yes, today the news hit the airwaves—even as far away as England—that the fifth series in the almost forty-year-old Star Trek franchise has been axed. In a joint statement from UPN and Paramount announcing the cancellation, Enterprise’s final episode was said to be scheduled for May 13th. UPN president Les Moonves, who in the past has publicly voiced his lack of support for the entire Trek franchise, was instrumental in making the decision. The fact that Paramount was co-author of the release indicates that the show will not be shopped around in syndication to other networks, and that yes, it—and Trek as a whole—really is gone for good.
As I told my friend Pooch earlier today, if I had recieved this news a year ago—during Enterprise’s third season—I would have been upset. I thought the third season took the show in a new, improved direction. But in season four, now that the banality has returned in full force—as well as a whole screwload of continuity problems and rapings of the classic TOS canon—I realize that what season three actually did was not fix Enterprise’s many problems, but cover them up with a decent over-arching story, plenty of action and a lot of anger and violence. Underneath, it was still the same cast of characters who have basically zero interaction with each other and are all about as likable as pet rocks.
Observations: Saturday, January 29th
Apple and I went out for dinner on Saturday night. I have to say, we had a great time, despite the restaurant we selected not quite being up to our expectations. As usual, though, the simple observations of life once again proved interesting enough to write about in and of themselves.
The restaurant—a Japanese sushi / teppanyaki grill type place—was about 40 minutes away, so we took the newly-opened north/south corridor that nobody has found yet. The traffic was great, as usual—it’s the only road in the county of which that can be said, even during season. The only problem was the Ford Lightning pickup ahead of us, which was hauling two refrigerators in its bed. The cargo wasn’t tied down whatsoever and it was too long for the truck’s liftgate to close. I hate following anyone carrying cargo, but when it’s not secured, it stops being annoying and starts becoming dangerous. I kept my distance.
The truck changed lanes, other vehicles merged in front of us, life continued unabated. But it wasn’t long before the van in front of us slowed down abruptly, and we soon discovered why: One of the Lightning’s refrigerators had fallen off the back of the truck and was now smashed in the middle of the road. Up ahead, the truck had pulled over, and the driver was probably cussing up a storm having just realized he’d destroyed half of his cargo because he’s a total and complete retard. Bully for him.
Battlestar Galactica Premiere
It almost snuck up on me undetected, but fortunately somebody alerted me to the fact that the new Battlestar Galactica series was starting last Friday on the Sci-Fi channel. It’s the new series that continues the grippingly dramatic story begun in the 2003 four-hour miniseries, which was incredibly good, and I’m pleased to report that the first two episodes of the series continue the unfaltering greatness.
Even as someone who is only a recent inductee into the 1970s Battlestar fanbase, I really appreciate everything the creators have done with the new series. It ties into the old canon just enough to make you feel like you’re watching Battlestar, but does enough things differently to give the show its own modern appeal. And by that I don’t mean that everybody’s keeping up with current fashion trends. The entire dynamic of the show is different—where the classic show was a campy adventure story with the ubiquitous comic relief and laser battles, the new series watches like a political thriller.
The first episode, “33,” picks up five days after the end of the miniseries and tells of how, in that span of time, the Cylons have been chasing the humans from FTL jump to FTL jump, always managing to find them in exactly 33 minutes each time. The crew of the “rag-tag fugitive fleet,” to borrow terminology from the old show’s closing, is obviously on the verge of collapse from stress and lack of sleep. Even Baltar acts zanier than usual, which is a stretch. But at no time does it ever feel silly. You know that the human race is going to survive the encounter, somehow, but it doesn’t detract from the suspense of everything that happens in between. It’s a great ride.
486 Saved by a Penguin
The core components of my Dell 486 have apparently bit the dust, but its hard drives remain intact. I’ve known this for a couple of weeks now, but it’s been beyond me to do anything about it. The smaller, secondary hard drive mounted fine in one of my other DOS boxes about a week ago, but there was nothing really on it. Just one extremely old revision of a story a friend wrote, an aborted “Nitpicker’s Guide to Knight Rider” that I started writing in ‘95 and abruptly gave up on (and for good reason, because it really sucks), and a zipped install of Windows 3.11 that used to be installed before I upgraded to Windows 95.
The main boot drive, however, was trickier. It’s a 1083 MB Western Digital Caviar 3100, cost me a whopping $400 back in 1994, and required the OnTrack Dynamic Drive Overlay to be installed before my 486’s BIOS would read past 528 MB of its capacity. The DDO is what was giving me fits—no modern machine could interpret it. A DDO installs extraneous software to a disk’s boot sector which helps older BIOSes get past their cylinder limits and such. But this means that the partition table, data and everything else on the drive has to be moved further in on the disk than normal, and no operating system expects that. I tried stuffing the HD into about six different computers, none of which would read from it. They all saw it was there—each machine’s BIOS never failed to detect it—but getting at the data was hopeless.
When I get really desperate, I post on message boards asking for help. So that’s what I did. Some guy suggested that I try a Linux live CD, and specifically recommended Knoppix. It’s an experimental German distro of Linux that can be burned to a bootable CD and run directly from your CD-ROM drive, no installation necessary. It’s really quite amazing. Anyway this guy on the boards said that Knoppix was adept at auto-detecting and mounting just about any drive, so he suggested I give it a go. Here’s where my story really begins. Read on only if you are a nerd supreme.
