Monthly Archives: October 2005

Pregnant

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Note: This is not actually a photo of Annie. But it is what she's going to look like in about six months.

Two weeks ago, Annie and I found out that we’re pregnant!

The Big Details
The doctor says that we got pregnant the first week that Annie was in Portland. That means we’re just over seven weeks right now, and puts the due date on June 6th or 7th. (There’s a chance our kid will be born on 6/6/06, so if you see horns or a cute little forked tail in the first photos, you’ll know why). Obviously, we don’t know if it’s a boy or a girl yet, but we’re going to find out once we can. If it’s a boy, we’re planning on John Henry (after our grandfathers), and if it’s a girl, Zoe Middle-name-to-be-determined.

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Insomnia

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For the past several weeks, I’ve been having trouble sleeping. This varies from slight restlessness before I fall asleep to being completely unable to relax, even though I feel tired and my eyes are “sticky”. Tonight, after heading to bed around 2am, I tossed and turned for about an hour, before I gave up and read a book for awhile. When that didn’t work, I came out and watched some TV. When that didn’t work, I decided to try to get some web developement done, but on a whim, I looked up insomnia on wikipedia.

I’m hardly the hypocondriac type who reads pages on diseases and convinces himself that he’s sick. I’m pretty much the opposite, in fact. So I was expecting to find that insomnia is different (and more severe) than what I’m experiencing. I was right, but imagine my suprise when I read this on the list of types of insomnia:

Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS) and Periodic Limb Movement (PLM) – The symptoms of RLS and PLM are often described as a tingling and creeping sensation in the legs which creates a powerful urge to move them. The individual continually moves in bed in an attempt to relieve these unpleasant sensations, resulting in restlessness and consequently lack of sleep. Fortunately for sufferers of the condition, current treatments for this disorder are effective in over 90% of those treated.

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Xbox 360 Save Games

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Xbox 360 in black

Don’t get too excited – this is just a render a forum-goer made after seeing a photo of a black 360 devkit. The initial launch will probably be white, though there are rumors everywhere that at some point, they may also sell a black and silver version of the 360.

I emailed Daniel about this article which is claiming that there’s going to be huge problems with transferring saved games from Xbox 1.0 to Xbox 360. I wasn’t sure what to think of the article. On the one hand, it’s written in an alarmist fashion, as Daniel pointed out to me, but on the other, it’s easy to believe given the existing save game situation.

Currently, you can only transfer saved game file from one Xbox to another using the “memory unit” (sold separately) that plugs into the controller. This wouldn’t be bad except not everything is transferable – unlocked costumes in Dead or Alive 3, for instance. Some files are too large to fit on the memory unit, such as Knights of the Old Republic save games, or ripped music. It’s a frustrating experience replacing your Xbox as is, which means it’s no stretch of the imagination to think that it would be the same way with the new Xbox.

However, Daniel pointed out that the only source this article cites is a single entry in a FAQ file. Since the 360 hasn’t been released yet, it’s possible this could change. Also, not everything in the article seems accurate. Daniel was on the dev. team for Whacked!, which is one of the games the article cites as having “locked” saved games that can’t be copied. He hasn’t heard anything about this, and finds it unlikely. (Edit: See the comments for further discussion on this – turns out that the saved games can be locked.)

So, I’m not sure what to think. Daniel’s right that we shouldn’t get alarmed by a single article with weak sources. But I think it’s a valid concern, given the existing problems with transferring files between two Xboxes. Hopefully this is one of those things that will prove to be a non-issue once the 360 finally arrives. And I have to admit, that this is the first real negative I’ve seen for the 360, while the positives form a list as long as my arm. I’ll be getting one no matter what.

You know, as soon as I get a job and have some disposable income again… *sigh*

Update 11/15/06: I now have a 360 and can confirm that there’s no method provided (by MS) to transfer your saved games, music, or downloaded content to your 360. Lexx has a comment below which suggests a method to do so, but I haven’t tried it. Personally, I’ve found this isn’t a big deal, because I’m not playing any of my original xbox games other than Halo2, which I’m willing to play through again.

Productivity Is Up

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productivity chart

Gentlemen, as you can clearly see from my chart, productivity is skyrocketing here at Space Ninja Design. Our chief web producer has dramatically improved his output with the clever use of to-do lists, sleepless nights, and unemployment. We firmly believe that this three-fold strategy will catapult us to the top and make our brand a household name. Soon, children everywhere will be asking their parents for Space Ninja brand cereals and novelty items. Husbands will purchase Space Ninja window decals for their automobiles. Housewives will bring home Space Ninja infused cleaning products. Teachers will use Space Ninja approved textbooks.

In short, we’re headed for the big time, and it’s thanks to the work of one man: Scott Vandehey. Why, his work in the Personal Archive Project alone has already safeguarded dozens of early designs for future generations to marvel at. He increased efficiency in our Hatelife & KMorg Archives Department threefold. And, well, I shouldn’t be mentioning this, because it’s on a strict need-to-know basis, but I can assure you that he’s even accomplished some very nice programming work on unannounced project.

Rest assured, gentlemen, that your money is safe in our hands.

What’s that? Don’t be absurd, what do you mean you haven’t given us any money?

Well, how did you get past the armed guards and the dogs?

My God, we’ve got a real crisis here! Security! Detain these men! Have them strip-searched!

And for heaven’s sake, someone destroy that chart before anyone else sees it!