Last night I took a flight from San Diego to San Francisco and noticed they had free entertainment available. I was on one of those small regional jets and so there wasn't a screen embedded in the seat in front of me. They simply had a video server on the plane with a number of movies or shows that you could stream to your electronic device. This is something that Southwest has provided for a number of years but I have never bothered taking advantage of it. I was on a different carrier last night and wanted to make sure I wasn't bored so I gave it a look.
The flight attendants were kind enough to let me know that I needed to download the latest app from the airline carrier while we were still at the gate. I pulled out one of my smartphones, the one with the largest screen, and downloaded the app. It was rather large but finished a few seconds after they closed the front door. Once it was done installing, I put my phone in airplane mode in order to comply with the flight attendant instructions. This automatically turns off WiFi capabilities which I could over-ride and turn back on. Nothing really worked until the plane got above 10,000 feet. Then I could browse the available movies and television shows.
At first glance I thought I would have plenty to keep me entertained. Then I realized the flight was only an hour. That means a movie was out of the question. I didn't want to start a movie only to have it stop as we dropped below 10,000 feet to land. So I started looking at television shows. I actually stopped watching television a while ago and so nothing looked interesting. Eventually I forced myself to pick something and tried to watch a single episode. I was instructed to turn off USB debugging on my device or the video wouldn't play. I browsed a few menus on my phone but ultimately decided that I really wasn't that interested in watching the show. Instead I picked up a paper ham radio magazine and read during the flight. Before I knew it the flight was over as was the need to entertain myself.
I think it is great that airlines have started including video servers on their flights and am glad they allow us to bring our own electronic devices to use. No matter how large the seat in front of me is, my laptop or tablet has a screen that is significantly larger. This is even true with a larger number of smartphones. While I didn't bother with a movie or television show on this flight, I'm sure others took advantage of it.
Wednesday, September 30, 2015
Sunday, September 27, 2015
Video Game Review: Far Cry 4
Last night I found myself at home with nobody around and 4 hours of uninterrupted "Me" time. As someone who spends 3 to 4 days a week away from home, I have no shortage of "Me" time and I would have much rather been spending the evening with my wife. However as she had plans to spend time with our 2 daughters, I took advantage of the situation and sat down in front of my television. I recently purchased a bunch of PlayStation 3 video games but also have a number of PlayStation 4 video games that have yet to have the wrappers removed. It probably took too long deciding which game to play but I settled on "Aliens: Colonial Marines."
Hey wait, that isn't the title of this review. Well it had been a while since I had turned my Utah PS3 on and so there was an update required. I then turned on my PS4 and figured out where I last left off in my game of Far Cry 4. It was not my intent to play it all night though. When my PS3 finished updating, I needed to download an update for the Aliens video game. Naturally I went back to the PS4.
Everyone had told me that "Aliens: Colonial Marines" was a waste of the $1 I paid for the game (wrapper still on the package) but I wanted to test it out for myself. I settled in to play the game with a nice refreshing beverage handy as I was ready for a workout. Oh was it a workout. I discovered I really suck at certain video games. It became painfully clear that I have no dexterity when it comes to proper use of the controller. I figured out that I can't fire and move at the same time. While I enjoy playing first-person shooters like Aliens, I am not very good at them. After restarting at the same point for like the 20th time, I turned off the game and went back to my PS4. I am probably done playing Aliens unless I want to work on my hand/eye coordination, which I may. I would like to add that it was well worth the $1 I paid for it so if you can find it cheap, it is entertaining.
Before continuing I have to give the following disclaimer: I met one of the developers of Far Cry 4 at a video game developers conference and he provided me with a code to download the game for free. I would have been willing to shell out $60 for the game as the trailers and reviews made it look that good.
I am only a few hours into the game and will continue playing it to completion. Yes, it is that good. The visuals are very stunning as you run through a beautiful alpine setting in the fictitious country of Kyrat. This is my first Far Cry game and so I am probably unaccustomed to the game mechanics familiar to long-time franchise players. Even then there are plenty of helps along the way and so it is fairly easy to pick up. There are a number of gun battles and my aforementioned controller deficiency doesn't keep me from enjoying the game.
Far Cry 4 is rated "M" for mature and definitely lives up to the rating. While the gun battles are not overly grotesque, there is a lot of strong language and I understand there is some nudity in the game. I have not gotten to that part but understand if I stay true to my morals, I shouldn't come across it in the game. I would recommend the game to college-aged or older guys looking for a visually stunning video game.
Hey wait, that isn't the title of this review. Well it had been a while since I had turned my Utah PS3 on and so there was an update required. I then turned on my PS4 and figured out where I last left off in my game of Far Cry 4. It was not my intent to play it all night though. When my PS3 finished updating, I needed to download an update for the Aliens video game. Naturally I went back to the PS4.
Everyone had told me that "Aliens: Colonial Marines" was a waste of the $1 I paid for the game (wrapper still on the package) but I wanted to test it out for myself. I settled in to play the game with a nice refreshing beverage handy as I was ready for a workout. Oh was it a workout. I discovered I really suck at certain video games. It became painfully clear that I have no dexterity when it comes to proper use of the controller. I figured out that I can't fire and move at the same time. While I enjoy playing first-person shooters like Aliens, I am not very good at them. After restarting at the same point for like the 20th time, I turned off the game and went back to my PS4. I am probably done playing Aliens unless I want to work on my hand/eye coordination, which I may. I would like to add that it was well worth the $1 I paid for it so if you can find it cheap, it is entertaining.
Before continuing I have to give the following disclaimer: I met one of the developers of Far Cry 4 at a video game developers conference and he provided me with a code to download the game for free. I would have been willing to shell out $60 for the game as the trailers and reviews made it look that good.
I am only a few hours into the game and will continue playing it to completion. Yes, it is that good. The visuals are very stunning as you run through a beautiful alpine setting in the fictitious country of Kyrat. This is my first Far Cry game and so I am probably unaccustomed to the game mechanics familiar to long-time franchise players. Even then there are plenty of helps along the way and so it is fairly easy to pick up. There are a number of gun battles and my aforementioned controller deficiency doesn't keep me from enjoying the game.
Far Cry 4 is rated "M" for mature and definitely lives up to the rating. While the gun battles are not overly grotesque, there is a lot of strong language and I understand there is some nudity in the game. I have not gotten to that part but understand if I stay true to my morals, I shouldn't come across it in the game. I would recommend the game to college-aged or older guys looking for a visually stunning video game.
Tuesday, September 22, 2015
Software Development Trends
Today I had an experience at work that underscored the evolution of software development. When I was in school working on programming assignments for various classes, there really wasn't a need to use a formal methodology. I looked at the problem, sketched out my algorithm, sat down and coded it. Life was pretty easy but so were the assignments, relative to the projects I am involved with now.
I got out into the software development field and had a team that kept up on all of the latest software development methods and we were one of the leaders in implementing the capability and maturity model (CMM). It worked for us and we were able to create some pretty amazing computer software that was on time and under budget.
Fast forward a few years and I found myself doing consulting for various organizations. As I was a lone coder working on projects, there really wasn't a need to completely embrace CMM. Instead I took what felt good and coupled it with what worked in college. Once again life was easy but my projects were rather small and not very complex.
Eventually I found myself working for a very small software organization in Southern California and was introduced to agile software development. My first thought was that "agile" must have been developed by 3M because you use a lot of sticky notes. It felt like the next evolution of software development and seemed fairly efficient.
Then "the cloud" comes along and the next bit of evolution is needed so DevOps is born. DevOps doesn't replace "agile" but becomes coupled with it. In addition to creating software, a group of software developers gets tasked with writing tools to deploy the software. This isn't a large task for small and simple programs. However bigger software projects requiring large numbers of computing nodes or instances running on such services as Amazon Web Services (AWS) or Goole's Compute Engine (GCE) require a lot more care to ensure the code gets deployed correctly.
In my meeting today we discussed DevOps and whether it should be done by a specific team. The group consensus is that each developer should have a hand in the deployment process and understand DevOps. I wouldn't say we are ready to disband the DevOps team yet as each project needs at least one person responsible for architecting the entire deployment system. However this is a shift from how we have done things in the past and seems to be the next step in the evolution of software development. Of course, now that I have written this down it is obsolete. Tomorrow there will be yet another twist.
I got out into the software development field and had a team that kept up on all of the latest software development methods and we were one of the leaders in implementing the capability and maturity model (CMM). It worked for us and we were able to create some pretty amazing computer software that was on time and under budget.
Fast forward a few years and I found myself doing consulting for various organizations. As I was a lone coder working on projects, there really wasn't a need to completely embrace CMM. Instead I took what felt good and coupled it with what worked in college. Once again life was easy but my projects were rather small and not very complex.
Eventually I found myself working for a very small software organization in Southern California and was introduced to agile software development. My first thought was that "agile" must have been developed by 3M because you use a lot of sticky notes. It felt like the next evolution of software development and seemed fairly efficient.
Then "the cloud" comes along and the next bit of evolution is needed so DevOps is born. DevOps doesn't replace "agile" but becomes coupled with it. In addition to creating software, a group of software developers gets tasked with writing tools to deploy the software. This isn't a large task for small and simple programs. However bigger software projects requiring large numbers of computing nodes or instances running on such services as Amazon Web Services (AWS) or Goole's Compute Engine (GCE) require a lot more care to ensure the code gets deployed correctly.
In my meeting today we discussed DevOps and whether it should be done by a specific team. The group consensus is that each developer should have a hand in the deployment process and understand DevOps. I wouldn't say we are ready to disband the DevOps team yet as each project needs at least one person responsible for architecting the entire deployment system. However this is a shift from how we have done things in the past and seems to be the next step in the evolution of software development. Of course, now that I have written this down it is obsolete. Tomorrow there will be yet another twist.
Thursday, September 17, 2015
Investing in a Video Game
Recently I finished playing a video game after about 40 hours of total game play time. I have to admit that I was sad when the game ended. It is not that the game had a bad ending. In fact, the ending made perfect sense and perfectly matched the game. After 40 hours of game play, I felt connected to the character I was playing. He was a part of me in that the choices made during the game were mine. I felt very invested in the character as well as the entire video game.
Once finished with the game, I started to think about where else I felt such a connection with a fictitious person. I love watching movies but they are usually only a few hours long. Sure there are sequels and prequels, but The Lord of the Rings trilogy maxes out at 9 hours, while the Harry Potter movies total around 19 hours.
Thinking about Harry Potter reminds me that the story started as a book series. My children grew up with me reading them the books at bedtime. The time it took to read those books easily surpasses the 40 hours of game play, yet I still don't feel invested in the characters the same way I do with those in my recently completed video game. With a book, all you can do is read about choices the author makes for the characters. My kids would often scream at the stupid choices certain characters in the book would make. With a video game, you get to make your own choices. As a result, you are much more invested in your character.
I am now ready to start my next video game adventure and picked up a dozen games at a recent clearance sale. I set aside 3 different games that came highly recommended and have them stashed by my video game console on my boat where I spend most of my weeknight evenings. Sure I could relax and read a good book or watch a few movies. Instead I plan to get wrapped up in another video game character and chart my own story. I'll let you know how it goes.
Once finished with the game, I started to think about where else I felt such a connection with a fictitious person. I love watching movies but they are usually only a few hours long. Sure there are sequels and prequels, but The Lord of the Rings trilogy maxes out at 9 hours, while the Harry Potter movies total around 19 hours.
Thinking about Harry Potter reminds me that the story started as a book series. My children grew up with me reading them the books at bedtime. The time it took to read those books easily surpasses the 40 hours of game play, yet I still don't feel invested in the characters the same way I do with those in my recently completed video game. With a book, all you can do is read about choices the author makes for the characters. My kids would often scream at the stupid choices certain characters in the book would make. With a video game, you get to make your own choices. As a result, you are much more invested in your character.
I am now ready to start my next video game adventure and picked up a dozen games at a recent clearance sale. I set aside 3 different games that came highly recommended and have them stashed by my video game console on my boat where I spend most of my weeknight evenings. Sure I could relax and read a good book or watch a few movies. Instead I plan to get wrapped up in another video game character and chart my own story. I'll let you know how it goes.
Wednesday, September 16, 2015
Troubleshooting an Internet Connection
I am in Japan this week because of the Tokyo Game Show. That means I am using Skype to talk to my wife every day instead of running up a huge phone bill. I went to call my wife today but couldn't get through to her home computer. When I used Skype to call her cell phone she answered and said that our home Internet was down. Naturally she was rather frustrated. I asked her to reset our cable modem to see if that helped. Nope, it didn't. There was not much else I felt I could do to help as I am over 5,000 miles away.
Later in the day I got a text from her saying that not only was the Internet down, but also the cable television connection. A few minutes later she said that the soonest the cable company could get to the house wasn't for 2 days. I thought about it for a few minutes and remembered a similar problem several months ago. So I called my wife and had her check a few things for me.
I used to get a really strong cable signal and then my cable company did something stupid. Since then I have to have a signal amplifier inside my house. That amplifier requires power and I had my wife check to make sure the power was still on. Nope, it wasn't. I had her check the circuit breakers and they were all set correctly. The power for the amplifier comes from a single outlet in the basement that is tied to a GFCI outlet in my main-floor powder room. I had her reset that and power was restored. Once the signal amplifier had power, the cable television connection started working as did the home Internet connection.
I'm glad I was able to help my wife get our home Internet connection restored without requiring the help of the cable company. I know I feel really stupid when they come out and it is as simple as a power connection.
Later in the day I got a text from her saying that not only was the Internet down, but also the cable television connection. A few minutes later she said that the soonest the cable company could get to the house wasn't for 2 days. I thought about it for a few minutes and remembered a similar problem several months ago. So I called my wife and had her check a few things for me.
I used to get a really strong cable signal and then my cable company did something stupid. Since then I have to have a signal amplifier inside my house. That amplifier requires power and I had my wife check to make sure the power was still on. Nope, it wasn't. I had her check the circuit breakers and they were all set correctly. The power for the amplifier comes from a single outlet in the basement that is tied to a GFCI outlet in my main-floor powder room. I had her reset that and power was restored. Once the signal amplifier had power, the cable television connection started working as did the home Internet connection.
I'm glad I was able to help my wife get our home Internet connection restored without requiring the help of the cable company. I know I feel really stupid when they come out and it is as simple as a power connection.
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