Half-assed coding

A fundamental rule of the Internet:

Trying stuff is cheaper than deciding whether to try it. (Compare the cost of paying and feeding someone to do a few weeks of [Perl or PHP] hacking to the full cost of the meetings that went into a big company decision.) Don't overplan something. Just do it half-assed to start with, then throw more people at it to fix it if it works.

(Via kottke.org)

Hero's Rest progress report

You may have noticed I promised an update in the form of a new area -- Hero's Rest -- that hasn't arrived yet. There are a couple of reasons of this, the main one being laziness. I've drawn most of the new images needed, done some of the back-end database stuff, and have ideas for the new mechanics that are being implemented, so it's not like I've done nothing, it's just I haven't finished it yet, and should have.

One of the main problems I'm having is working out how to lay out the area's map. I just can't get it to look right, and I can't decide if it's the graphics I've drawn, or the layout of the map, or some combination of the two which is putting me off. I'll get some liquor in for the weekend and have another good go at it: all my best code changes and design decisions are made while drunk ;)

Christmas in libraries

Posted to library_mofo:

"Where's your Christmas music!?"
"Did you want it on cassette or CD?"
"No, I mean why aren't you playing any?"
"This is a library."
"Yeah, but everyone looks so down, and Christmas music always perks me right up!"

Please go away and die.

FreeRice vocabulary game

I found a great vocabulary testing game called FreeRice, via a post on Gamers With Jobs. It gives you a word, and you have to pick it's synonym from a multiple-choice selection. Each correct answer donates twenty grains of rice to the United Nations World Food Program, who in turn give to the people who really need it.

It's a really nice idea, well implemented, and has a simple levelling mechanic, so words get harder as you keep playing. The FAQ has more on where the rice comes from, and how the levelling system works. It says there are fifty levels, with it being rare to go about 48. I'm hovering around 46, so I need some more practice :)

In Flames - The Jester Race (live)