Monday, January 05th, 2009
My PSA of the day are two pieces of writing software that are quite cool. The first one, Scrivener, is a combination word processor and writing management tool. It doesn’t try to replace Word or Pages but is a basic word processor with all the standard features. What differentiates it is the ability to outline and do workflow for a writing project, including virtual notecards, version tracking, et al. in one package. In particular I think the notecard view coupled with outlining and the full-screen edit mode would make any writing project easier.
The other is WriteRoom, a very basic word processor with one goal: to take away all distractions. The bane of any writer’s existence, WriteRoom gives you a simple, no-thrills full-screen interface with basic options and forces you to write instead of giving into the lure of Internet surfing, fiddling with playlists, or checking your e-mail. My friend used something similar to this during NaNoWriMo.
Although both of these programs are OS X only, I’m sure there are Windows-equivalent applications with the same function.
Sunday, January 04th, 2009
As part of the new look of Abulia Savant I made use of the very nice and clean Green Light template provided by Template Lite. So my thanks to them for providing such a very nice foundation from which to build.
I only made a handful of changes based on some friendly recommendations. A pure graphical header for some punch, some cream coloring for the navbar links to warm up the default all-white text, and changing the link colors to a more complementary brown to go with the green.
Tuesday, December 30th, 2008
Well, that wasn’t so tough! A couple of hours and some code editing and Abulia Savant has a fresh, new look. Now if only the content was so easy!
The site has also been certified by Google as malware-free, so that’s a load off of my mind as well.
Monday, December 29th, 2008
It’s been a long time coming, returning to Abulia Savant. At first it was the job, travel, and general morose. Then it morphed into dread at the thought of having essentially abandoned the site. Finally it came down to being told by folks that the site had been hacked. It had!
Nasty DB injection vulnerability in a prior version of Word Press let hackers edit posts and slip in malware links as well as JavaScript. I’ve purged it all…or have I? (Yes, pretty sure I have but am triple-checking to be sure.) As a side-effect, until I can verify with a clean template, I’ve had to go with the latest stock Word Press template. Also many user accounts were outright purged from the system.
Will Abulia Savant return? Who knows…or cares? I will say that writing this post wasn’t as painful as I thought it would be.
Thursday, April 24th, 2008
For a number of years I’ve been interested in writing the Sports RPG. The idea never quite came together — I always got stuck on the “what do they do?” part of the game. However, I may have found the next best thing: Goal Line Blitz. It advertises itself as the first MMO Sports RPG. Like most online fantasy sports games you get a team and try to win games. The catch is that all the players are human controlled. So as an owner you have to negotiate contracts, work with players to devise a gameplan, etc. The individual players create any position (the glamor positions like QB take more points to create), train up their guys through levels, spend points on special abilities, just like any traditional RPG.
At the end of the day, instead of slaying monsters, you try to score touchdowns.
It’s amazingly addicting and you can play for free. The business model allows you to buy up points to improve your players or purchase a team. That’s when the real fun begins.
Until I get off my ass and write said Sports RPG, Goal Line Blitz might be the next best thing for me.
Thursday, April 10th, 2008
How old do I feel today? Well, about 20 years older considering I just got the invite for my 20 year class reunion. Arrgh! Welcome to the present, Class of 1988. Even though I detested my days in high school I have to admit to a bit of curiosity in returning to the scene of the crime. But Caldwell, Idaho? It took me 20 years to escape it!
Speaking of which, Grosse Pointe Blank needs a sequel, dammit!
Wednesday, April 09th, 2008
You’ve watched the show and heard the alluring, mysterious music. Now Abulia Savant reviews the recently-released “Heroes” Original Soundtrack from the television show.
more…
Monday, April 07th, 2008
Apologies for not keeping Abulia Savant current the past few months. There’s a bevy of reasons, but a big part of it was not really thinking that anyone cared/read the darn thing. Based on the e-mails I’ve received, that appears to not be entirely true.
So in the coming week I’ll be resurrecting the blog. I’m not expecting any format changes. It’ll still cover RPG/gaming “theory,” gaming, and pop culture through my somewhat hazy perspective. I’m very unapologetic on the tone of Abulia Savant, as I’m not one to mince words. I think by-and-large that irreverent honesty strikes a chord with folks.
Now go do something more important, like catch a Zero Punctuation review! (NSFW)
Tuesday, January 08th, 2008
I’m in the envious position of playing in two games at the moment, something of a strange situation for me. A few months removed from running Stargate, my thoughts have been wandering as to what the next game I run might look like.
more…
Monday, January 07th, 2008
Why so silent as of late? Here’s why.
(Warning: Contains much bitchy-ness, reflection, and general morose.)
more…
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