ltmon's blog

With a lot more time being spent indoors likely in the coming months, and a big-0 birthday present past due, I’ve finally decided to get a real PC and just leave the Thinkpad for work and stop thrashing it with virtual machines, data crunching, software synths, DAWs and occasional games.

This build is to be a solid mid-ranger, for gaming and music production as well as some software development/virtualisation. It probably will get a CPU upgrade at some point in it’s lifetime, but we’ll see what happens.

I’m also wanting something that looks really clean and neat and it’s going to be a Stormtrooper colour scheme. A few components just might have been chosen for looks rather than value.

Orders have now been placed, so no criticism is allowed or I might feel bad. This is the first time I’ve built a PC in a decade, so hopefully I haven’t stuffed up too badly.

Read on for parts list…

Hi all:

Our new son Alex was born yesterday. He’s perfectly healthy and 3.84kg, so far very quiet and well behaved (for now). Mum is in a bit of pain after the c-section, but should be a bit happier in the next day or so.

See you all back online when I can.

L.

Valve have released a beta of L4D2.

It contains a new scripting/mutation system that allows for new gametypes. Several are included, but the main point is that modders can do much more now.

But it also contains Linux support. Huzzah!

If you’d like to have a shot with me, the beta is available if you own L4D2 already.

The catch? It’s 18 f***ing GB. So hopefully you’re with an ISP that gives you unmetered Steam downloads (like me).

Let me know if you get this version, and we’ll sort out a time to play co-op online.

So Steam is on Linux, and Valve look to be making a “Steam Box” console with a Linux base. So us purist geeks can finally game with the rest of you, sortof.

While I sit here and experience Steam in it’s full glory (i.e. wait for it to update again) I thought I should let you know the games I’ve been enjoying.

So far I’ve tried TF2 long enough to know that I don’t like it. I think I could enjoy the vanilla game with friends, but the pub servers seem to be a cesspool.

Mostly, though, Crusader Kings 2 has eaten up hours of my time. If you’re into some serious grand strategy, then give this a go. This review, although very positive, makes it clear who would and wouldn’t like this game.

http://kotaku.com/5972744/why-crusader-kings-ii-should-be-game-of-the-year

It seems that Norway have found something to be proud of.

NSFW: F-bombs and bad hip-hop.

But watch to the end, and see what it brings them.

(I’ve been spending some time in the “silly” corner of the Internet).