Wargame Construction Set

This is classic. Really. If you value hardcore computer wargaming, this is one game that you want to get your hands on.

Wargame Construction Set, by SSI, was the first computer game that I got. And it was because I love wargames. So, rather than buy different ones, my first thought was to buy something to make my own. I guess SSI must have the same idea too.

The only problem with this game is that it is very tedious to set up your own scenarios. Yes, the game comes with some scenarios, but you can always make your own. That is what this game is for, to make your own scenarios. You can adjust the firepower and survivability of units, change their graphics, modify the terrain, etc.

So the game is totally replayable. Even with the same scenario, you can always change tactics. Or modify the terrain to make the scenario more challenging. It is all up to you. That's the beauty of this game.

I don't think it is easy to find this game anymore, if you can find it, do let me know!

Neverwinter Nights 2

Yes, I know. Neverwinter Nights 2 (aka NWN2) has been out for some time already. So yes, I am a bit slow. But I got it today, even though I don't think I have the time to be playing. Why? Because I am a fan of Dungeons and Dragons, I have been interested in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting since the days of the Gold Box series of games. Not to mention that the time spent playing Forgotten Kingdoms (a MUD set in the Forgotten Realms campaign world) only made me more interested.

So after years of playing (and not playing) Neverwinter Nights, when NWN2 was out, I thought I would be there to grab it. Instead, I was busy with life and didn't have a chance to get it until now, and even then, I don't have the time to spend looking at it. So it will probably sit around collecting dust for a while before I get to completing it... probably by then, the expansion would be out...

Kings and generals

What is the difference between a king and a general?

A general is a leader of men.

A king is a leader of leaders.

Which do you want to be?

Trust

It is always hard to place your trust in someone.

But sometimes, we just have to. We need to put our trust in people, to believe that they will do what needs to be done, without us having to constantly remind them to, without us having to constantly watch over them. We must learn to have faith in the people around us.

To want to be in control means we don't trust. We must learn to let go. There is only 24 hours in a day. Time can always be spent in a better way than making sure someone else is doing what needs to be done. Time should be spent doing what you need to do.

Trust. It requires faith. Faith in people. Life is too short to be spent second-guessing other people, life is too short to be spent making sure others are doing what they need to do.

Trust in others. Then will others trust you.

Management - An issue of responsibility to the managed

I see the role of management as being responsible to those whom they manage.

People join an organization and work for it, with the tacit understanding that the organization will take care of them and reward them for their efforts. The organization's management must then look at itself and ask if it is doing what it can to take care of those working in the organization, to see that their needs are being addressed, that they are suitably rewarded for their efforts, and that they are being treated fairly.

One of those is working overtime.

While there are always periods of time in which workload may surge, due to unforeseen circumstances, when you start to see people working late consistently, the management must then reflect. Why are people working late? Is it because they are inefficient in managing their time? Or are they being given too heavy a workload? Or are they being asked to do too much, way beyond what should be expected of them? Is there so much red tape that they cannot work efficiently? Are they being asked to do things unrelated to their job scope, detracting them from doing their jobs in the first place? All these are failures on the part of the management.

The job of the management is to set clear directions for work, to create an environment in which those doing the work can have free rein to carry out their work to the best of their abilities. It is to manage the expectations of the bosses so that unreasonable demands are not made on those on the ground. It is to pace the work in the office so that all workers are treated fairly, so that they feel adequately rewarded for the amount of work they put in. And when subordinates cannot manage their time, those managing them must step in to give them the training and guidance to groom them.

Talking about it is always easy. Doing it is always the hard part.

Presence

Sometimes, we make our presence felt by the way we do things... such that even when we are not around, the things left behind by us still make our presence felt. My home is such a place. My wife put so much into the design and placement of everything inside, that even when she is not around, her presence is felt in the way things are placed, the general feel of the design of the place. The way the clothes are folded, the way things are stored in the fridge, the way the teddy bears are placed on the sofa, all these make her presence felt even when she is not in the house.

Or am I just simply missing her? It has not even been 24 hours since she returned to Japan to help her sister with wedding preparations. But to come back to a house so filled with her presence, yet knowing that she is not around... the sense of loneliness this creates can be suffocating.

Rechargeable... but...

The whole thing about reuse and recycle and reduce is great. I mean, I am totally in for the idea to save the environment. But I think industrial standards have some catching up to do.

With the message of reduce-reuse-recycle in mind, I went out to get myself a set of rechargeable batteries and a charger, simply because I foresaw the need for it. I am using a wireless keyboard at home, and I saw the need to have a constant supply of batteries so that I can continue to use my keyboard. What better way to do this than to use rechargeable batteries? Everytime I run low on battery, I will simply recharge them. That way, I don't need to buy new ones. I reuse existing batteries, I reduce the amount of batteries that I use.

Imagine my surprise when I try to use those batteries... firstly, I found out that they won't fit into the keyboard. Somehow, they are slightly fatter than normal batteries. The bottom line is, they won't fit. Or even if they do, they fit so snugly, it was a challenge trying to get them out. And even if they do fit in, I found out that these rechargeable batteries are not the correct voltage. Normal AA-size batteries are 1.5V, but rechargeable ones are 1.2V...

So yes, the idea is there, to reuse and reduce, but until the industry can get its act together to make sure that these rechargeable batteries are a perfect replacement for the normal ones, we still have some way to go.

Dune, Dragonlance and Harry Potter - Tests

I overheard over the radio about the new Harry Potter movie. Something about the students at the wizard school having to take a difficult exam in their 5th year of study. This sounded so familiar to me...

Anyone read the Dragonlance series? If you recall, the wizards of the Dragonlance world have to take the Test of High Sorcery before they are able to become a Wizard of High Sorcery and join one of the three Orders (White for good, Red for neutrality, Black for evil). This test is difficult and challenges the apprentice to see if he has the capacity for attaining power in wizardry. Potentially, the apprentice may die during the test as it may expose him to dangers that requires him to use both mental, physical and magical abilities to his limits and even beyond.

In Dune, the Bene Gesserit also puts their acolytes to the test, in order for them to attain the status/rank of Reverend Mother. They are put through the Spice Agony, which involves taking a toxic substance and then changing it internally so as to remove the toxicity. Failure means death for the acolyte. This is a selection process to ensure that only the able remain within the order to lead and to train future acolytes. Just like the Wizards of High Sorcery. And maybe, just like the wizards in Harry Potter's world.

Slaves to our machines

In a way, we have become slaves to our machines.

Modern day technology has made life convenient for us. And we have grown to rely on that same technology so much, that we can't live without it. Technology sets the pace of our lives, and it is hard to keep up with things that move at the speed of light.

It is hard to find someone without a cellphone, and we expect to be able to contact anyone, anywhere, anytime. Computers have allowed us to save our work, so that we no longer have to retype the whole 200-page document just for minors changes on each page. E-mail has made time zones irrelevant; people can pass information to each other anytime of the day, and expect the other side to get it.

In short, technology has increased our work efficiency. They have either made the mundane tasks easier or irrelevant, or they have made communications time shorter so that more time can be put into productive work.

In effect, they have tied us to them. We are now stuck at our desks because people send emails expecting them to be answered immediately. we are tied to our phones because people expect to be able to contact us on a whimp.

Maybe we will become something as depicted by Frank Herbert in his Dune universe. Before the Butlerian Jihad, machines ruled the world, not humans. Machines control the lives of humans. Frank Herbert probably had a lot more foresight (or maybe even prescience, the central theme of his Dune books) than most of humanity heading down this road of enslavement to machines.

Machines need not rest. They can work 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. But we humans cannot go on without rest. When our tools were simple, we set the pace of work. Now that our tools have moved on to become so much faster, can we keep pace with them? And when machines set the pace, who is the real master now?

Transformers (2007 movie)

Finally, after more than a week since it was released, we have watched the action movie "Transformers". Before watching it, my colleague told me that if I am a fan, I would be disappointed. So it was with a bit of apprehension that I went to watch the film, not wanting to waste good money and time on something that cannot live up to my expectations.

Well, not to say that my colleague is wrong, but the movie didn't disappoint me. Maybe I am not enough of a Transformers fan. Or maybe Transformers has grown since Generation 1. After all, it has been more than two decades since Transformers was first aired. And while it has stopped showing in Singapore for a long time, apparently, Transformers has continued to evolve in Japan, with new subseries appearing.

So while I was a bit upset that Bumblebee is no longer a Volkswagen Beetle, or that Jazz lacks the racing decals, or that Starscream is now a F-22 Raptor, and that Megatron doesn't transform into a cannon, these are just minor details. The important one is that Transformers stuck to the same concept. That these robots are able to take the form of common, everyday objects. And that is what they did. They took the forms of items common in 2007, rather than 1984.

One thing though, is that the transforming took a lot more time... Well, with the amount of time and effort spent on creating the computer animations for these robots, I guess the producers want to go into details and spend some time on showing the robots transform. That can be forgiven, I guess.

The plot was similar, sticking to the original. The war on Cybertron was brought to Earth because the Transformer were searching for something (energy in the original series, the All Spark, which is a form of energy, in the movie). The Autobots got help from humans, and the Decepticons were out to destroy. "No sacrifice, no victory" is something that kids must learn, so the movie, like the cartoon, does have some message to teach the kids watching it.

So yes, if you are expecting a remake of the original cartoon, you will be disappointed. But if you are willing to accept a few changes (evolution?) to adapt the movie for the modern day setting, then the movie won't be a disappointing experience for you.

07/07/07

Today is 7 July 2007, or 07/07/07. As part of the effort to go green and save the Earth, there was a concert today held worldwide to bring about awareness. And over TV, people were urged to wear green on this day.

Well, we did our part. I wore a polo-shirt with some green on it (I don't own any full green shirts or anything), while my wife wore a half-sweater top with green and white stripes. But looking around, we didn't really see many people out there wearing green. Guess the message being passed around on TV didn't really sink in.

As I write, the concert is still ongoing.

My wife and I are actually environment-conscious people. That was what prompted me to write to the papers in the first place. And we practice recycle-reduce-reuse at home too. We reuse any paper that is printed only on one side (all those property agents sending us flyers to sell our home...), we sort out our trash so that we dispose of those that can be recycled separately. We don't use the air conditioner as much as we would like to, instead using the ceiling fan, or just bearing with the heat a bit more. There is the rule of "no air conditioner before 10pm" and "setting the air conditioner to turn off 1 hour after we sleep". Saving electricity saves us money from a high utilities bill, that's for sure. But it also helps to save the limited resources we have on this Earth.

Now, if only the agencies involved can actually put more effort into this. In Japan, people are made to recycle because they are forced to. The rubbish truck only collects trash put into clear plastic bags, so that their contents can be seen. And if you throw away the wrong type of trash, it won't be collected. For example, if Monday is "plastic bottles day", if you leave your paper trash out, the rubbish truck won't collect it.

We Singaporeans are so concerned about efficiency, though, that we have grown impatient. It will be hard to convince Singaporeans that their trash can wait. I don't think we will understand. At the end of the day, people will just leave their trash out there, and if it isn't collected, they probably won't care, even if the smell affects everyone else. If we don't get what we want the moment we want it, we deem it as inefficient. Are we right? Or are we simply impatient, lacking the patience that comes with the civility of first world status?

I think we have a long way to go, before we Singaporeans as a nation can fully embark together on the path towards environment-consciousness and the real effort to go green.

Sick!

:(

Feeling sick today... caught a cold a few days ago, and still pressed on with work because there was an important event yesterday. The result? I woke up today feeling really sick, with my nose running away, my throat all sore, and having a slight cough. Not to mention the lethargic feeling. I went to see the doctor and got 2 days of medical leave. Apparently, the symptoms are getting worse, so the doctor told me to stay at home and have a good rest.

Calligraphy piece - 親

This piece of simple calligraphy was written by me, and given to my alma mater on the 10th anniversary of my class' graduation. Due to work commitments, I was unable to attend the function, where my fellow classmates managed to meet up with most of our former teachers. As a show of our appreciation, on behalf of the class, I wrote this piece.

Transformers - More than meets the eye

I wonder how many of you still remember this screen? This is actually the starting screen of the TV series (cartoon) Transformers, which starter airing in 1984. The tagline "More than meets the eye" best describes the robots' ability to shapechange themselves into everyday objects, such as cars, planes, etc. There is a whole line of Hasbro toys linked to this animated series. Not to mention lots of fond memories, spent in front of the TV screen watching the Autobots fight the Decepticons.

Right now, a movie has been made about the Transformers, though I have yet to catch it. While an animated movie was done in the past, only with the recent advances in technology is it possible to created a movie where cars and planes can transform into robots and back. The advances in computer graphics and animation has come a long way since the days of Tron.

"Autobots, transform and roll out!" We all remember Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots, giving this order. Or the muffled, electronic voice of the Decepticon Soundwave. Well, it seems that we get to relive our childhood again, with the new film. And the animated series (seasons 1 to 4) have actually been released on DVD. Yes, I am going to the local video shop later to see if I can find myself a set.