Wow, how long was I out for?

So, since my last post, quite a bit has happened.

On the family side of things: I now have another son who is 9 months old, and he's awesome just like his big brother. My oldest son has almost finished Kindergarten now, and he's doing awesome academically.

I've changed jobs twice, both were professional programmer positions. I'm paid to write code and reports currently, using X++, .NET, and SSRS.

I've also been more into programming indie video games. I'm still working on a game project with Andrew, and it's been fun -- I'm stuck on a spot right now, but it should be fine here soon.

I want to talk about the game industry for a moment. I think we've hit a rough patch as far as the industry goes. Yes, sales and revenues are up, but the industry's output is a mucky blob of mediocrity. The market is flooded with 2 distinct types of titles: the short, lack-of-depth game that appeals to casual gamers and costs nothing to cheap; and the AAA title that is almost CERTAINLY a sequel to some big franchise. We're heading the way of Hollywood, and it stinks. We only pump serious cash into a "sure thing". Games are designed with "add-on revenue" in mind (DLC, in-app purchases, avatars, themes, collector's editions, etc.). Some of these are reasonable, but most are tacky underhanded means of stealing your pennies.

Now, I must acknowledge that the gaming industry is a business and by definition is here to make some money. However, my beef is with the barriers to entry in the market. Steam is a viable option for indie developers, but it is not a channel into every person's home -- potentially it is, but if you take 100 random PC owners and put them in a room, my guess is that 5-10 of them might know what Steam is. To develop for the 360, you can get in on that for $100/year, which is actually the easiest market to get into. It is not completely clear to me how indie developers get in on the PS3/Wii/Wii-U platforms. All of those platforms market "indie games" through their online stores, but nobody ever talks about developing indie software on those platforms. Yes, we can download toolchains for those systems, and if we jailbreak them, sure we can develop our own indie game, but then how do you get it to the masses? I wish there was a legal Cydia for the console systems. You know, an open market where you could sell your stuff for a price that you set?

I'm hoping that Kickstarter will start to make a larger impact on the industry as a whole. I would love, Love, LOVE to see more stuff created in the manner that Double Fine was able to pull off. It was beautiful to see the masses speak directly to a developer of quality content using their hearts and wallets, literally cutting out the big bully publisher that always stands in the way of artistic vision. I kind of think of publishers as somewhat akin to the RIAA. They're money-grubbing leeches, whose only input is to drive up the amount of money that will be captured, with little to no concern about the consumer, thereby increasing their cut.

Long overdue post

No long winded apologies. Just a post.

Yesterday, we took Oliver to the zoo with my brother-in-law, his girlfriend, and her daughter. We literally turned around for one second at one point, and when we looked back, Oliver had fed a giraffe something of unknown origin. We shouted, "What did you do, Oliver?!" And we heard a mumbled "Giraffes eat rocks!". We screamed and looked up in horror as the giraffe struggled with the surprisingly difficult-to-chew 'leaf'. We waited, knowing we didn't have time to get help, hoping that the giraffe would develop a distaste for rocks, and sure enough about 30 of the longest seconds ever, the giraffe managed to spit the rock out from 20 feet in the air. Thank god!

Today, my wife donated one of her healthy kidneys to her father.

He has been suffering from Berger's Disease since he was in his mid to late twenties. The cause isn't really known, but in his specific case, he slowly lost kidney function over the last 30-something years.

He is quite lucky to receive a gift such as this one, and so close to Christmas, too. I don't think her dad will ever receive a gift more practical or useful. My wife has literally put her whole life on hold for this process, as she is a student majoring in Elementary Education at a local university, and scheduled the surgery to take place immediately following finals between semesters.

We have a 22 month old son who may not understand what is taking place, but who certainly understands the character of his mom and grandpa. And if you've ever tried to keep a kid cooped up in a 10' by 10' space (waiting room) for 10 hours, then you would certainly appreciate the good behavior he displayed. I believe he may have inadvertently been crowned the "darling" of the waiting room at IUPUI Hospital in Indianapolis, as he was showered with cute little gifts/distractions all day long (everything from coloring books to die-cast cars).

Our hotel is only 5-8 minutes away from the hospital, but it feels like thousands of miles right now. Please wish for my wife's speedy recovery. Thank you for listening.

Today at approximately 12:30 a.m., my grandpa died. He is the first of my four grandparents to pass away. The most painful part thus far, is that I can't seem to reach any of my immediate family. In other words, my own father doesn't know his dad is gone yet. I tried to call my parents' house--and both cell phones--but I can't get anyone to answer. My cousin called me about a half hour ago, and dropped the bomb on me.

He had beed struggling with cancer, and for a while was on chemotherapy. Eventually, I think he and my grandma decided that he was suffering too much, and they decided that he would stop the treatments. Hospice started visiting him at home, and now a few days later, this.

Went to pickup the laptop from Best Buy tonight. Supposedly, the motherboard AND CPU have both been replaced. This is a pretty serious overhauling. Unfortunately, it didn't fix the problem. During an install of Windows, the system is still locking up. This is getting returned to Best Buy tomorrow for *fingers crossed* a replacement. They have had the laptop since November 14, 2006. So, for over two months now, we have not had a working laptop. The LCD screen has been replaced, the CPU and motherboard have been replaced, hinge covers have been replaced, a battery has been replaced--and all this has occurred in the last two months.

Well, a friend at work and I have begun an exciting adventure down the road of online movie rentals. Netflix was our choice. We contemplated using Blockbuster TotalAccess, but found a couple of hiccups in the way their store-exchange program works. At any rate, we've seen a couple good movies so far, and I've been able to rent some harder to find foreign gems. I'll post back here soon to let you know how it works out.

Finally, an update! I'm sorry, I've really been letting things get stale around here. It's my fault, I don't blame you. I've had a lot of stuff on my mind. Perhaps it's time to let it out.

I've been lost in thought about my role as a dad. It's really important, and hopefully nothing I write in this post sounds like I'm making light of the subject. Obviously, it was the biggest decision of my life. Even moreso than marriage, because having a baby means accepting another commitment. I've never been more excited about anything than my son who is on the way. I dream about what he will look like. I think about what lessons will be important to teach him. I've already promised myself that I will read to him daily until he can read to me. It's undescribable, and he isn't even here yet. I hope that the rest of my family and friends are as excited about his arrival as I am.

Unfortunately, one week will not be enough time for me to spend with him before I have to return to work. This is depressing. Not only that, but I will feel guilty leaving Kristina and Oliver at home while I'm working. I'm worried about Kristina giving birth, and probably moreso about her stress stemming from anticipation of going into labor.

Thanks for listening.