Monthly Archives: December 2008

Inform: Not Ready for Prime Time

Posted on December 31, 2008 by midiguru

I’ve tried. Honestly, I have. My latest project is 95% finished, almost ready for testing. I’ve been at it for several months. And I’m not a dunce. I’ve completed and released three or four other text-based games, written in Inform … Continue reading →

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A Penny Saved

Posted on December 30, 2008 by midiguru

I’ve hit a really annoying pothole in my 95%-finished game. This is my first try at using the Inform 7 programming language. If you’ve just joined the party, Inform 7 is a radical new design tool for writing text-based games, … Continue reading →

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Shake It Up

Posted on December 30, 2008 by midiguru

I grabbed Neal Stephenson’s fat new novel, Anathem, off of the hot-items one-week-loan table at the local public library. I guess I’m just not in tune with modern SF. I waded through about 50 pages and found it extremely dull. … Continue reading →

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Automatic Pilot

Posted on December 29, 2008 by midiguru

I’ve been re-reading a couple of books by neurologist Oliver Sacks — The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and An Anthropologist on Mars. What I get out of Sacks is an appreciation of the stunning complexity (and … Continue reading →

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Cello Lessons

Posted on December 27, 2008 by midiguru

I’ve been posting an ad for my cello teaching business on the local craigslist. Another fellow, Peter Metcalf, is also advertising cello lessons. He may be a wonderful teacher and a fine musician; I’ve never met him or watched him … Continue reading →

Posted in cello, music | Tagged , | 10 Comments

Inform vs. TADS

Posted on December 27, 2008 by midiguru

After writing several text-based games in TADS 3, I decided to try Inform 7. As I roll into the final stages of writing an I7 game, it’s time for me to evaluate the experience. If I should happen to write … Continue reading →

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Steady As She Goes

Posted on December 24, 2008 by midiguru

The shrinking of the global economy has a lot of people feeling gloomy. Today we learned that auto sales are down worldwide by 20%. But you know what? That’s not bad news; that’s good news. Automobiles are a dreadful waste … Continue reading →

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Dead Zone

Posted on December 24, 2008 by midiguru

I’d love to find some good local musicians to play with. Unfortunately, the Livermore/Pleasanton area seems to be pretty much a dead zone musically. The most dynamic venue in the valley seems to be … Borders, the bookstore-with-a-coffee-house chain. Googling … Continue reading →

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Pop Culcha

Posted on December 23, 2008 by midiguru

Just finished reading the new Michael Connelly, The Brass Verdict. It’s as good as his other books. The guy is amazing — he doesn’t miss a trick. The surprises at the end were maybe a little over the top, but … Continue reading →

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The Key

Posted on December 21, 2008 by midiguru

I haven’t been writing much about music technology for the past few months. The magazines are getting skinny, so I haven’t had many calls — but also, I’m feeling pretty bored with the whole subject. Another sequencer? Another workstation keyboard? … Continue reading →

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