Tranquil waves rhythmically resound upon the lava seashore. 🏝️ Coral rock and broken seashells line the beach sands. 🏖️ The cirrus clouds float gently upon the afternoon trade-winds. 🌤️ The stoic palm trees rise high above the sands, slowly swaying in the breeze. 🌴 Peaberrys are coffee beans that have been compressed at the center of supernovae. ✨ Resulting in a super abundance of flavor and coff-ee-nicity. ☕
Characteristics: The rich red earth of the volcanic islands mixed with sunny beach breezes. This coffee provides a definitive cornerstone of the Kona region; delivering a sublime coffee experience. Coupled with Hawaiian steel guitar music and the morning breezes of the Kona area of the Big Island, it produces a tranquility akin to floating among the clouds. 🌺 Now with island emoji.
The snows of winter are fast approaching the higher elevations of Idaho. We've already had two brief snowfalls that resulted in the construction of several snowmen. The ensuing sunshine and warm temperatures melted the snowmen.
Yesterday, we went woodcutting to prepare for the cold weather. It was a nice day, and we got some 'pre-burnt' wood. Now to split it and stack it, before the snow arrives to stay.
We are moving to the woods for a few weeks. With the result that we will be able to endure some quality stargazing. To assist in that pastime, I bought a Dobsonian telescope off of craigslist. I am hoping to get a DSLR to telescope mount and see what the universe looks like.
Report: Telescope initial response: It was a very hazy evening with light clouds, but you can easily make out the craters on the moon. This was on my smartphone (with limited white balance) which turned out acceptable for the hazy weather.
Today we had the 2017, August 21st Solar Eclipse, which crossed most of the continental United States. It was a great time to be had by our attendees! We saw the solar bands, and it got dark outside, and the temperature dropped noticeably!
Kool Kats with front row seats to the 2017 eclipse theatrics.
duct tape + tripod + binoculars + paper + tape + diaper box + solar eclipse
Back at the 2012 Transit of Venus, I fashioned a solar funnel to see more detail on the surface of the sun. However, for today's eclipse, the binocular/tripod combo seemed to be an ideal setup.
Such a great work! This dictionary has three main sections. The first is composed of several articles and essays on the understanding, use, and place of biblical theology. The second section walks through the various parts/books of the bible, and the content found therein. The third section develops biblical themes.
The themes section is especially helpful in getting some wide angle views on themes presented in scripture. This book is really helpful if you are interested in getting to know the material of the Christian scriptures better. Specifically how the different books relate to each other.
Over a decade ago, I picked up a DVD of docu-drama Luther (2003). I took it to Nigeria with me, and left it with some friends to enjoy there. In celebration of the 500th anniversary of the posting of Luther's 95 theses and the beginning of the Protestant Reformation, I picked up another copy. The movie is a decent rendition of a compelling story.
Volunteering information about Hot Springs is a tough proposition. The springs listed in this guide are generally public record.
Doug Roloff has put together what I would consider the definitive guide to Hot Springing in the state of Idaho. The book lists over a hundred Hot Springs in Idaho (and a few in Oregon). Having visited 44% of the Hot Springs listed in the book, I can attest to its accuracy (at least for the ones I'm familiar with, and having researched most of the others).
This book is packed full of helpful information. An insightful introduction to various factors of Hot Springery is featured at the beginning of the book. Roloff then cordons off Hot Springs by geographical areas. He has included maps, Global Positioning coordinates (sometimes approximate), hiking information, pool temps, and a wealth of information.
Idaho has over 224 Hot Springs, so this book is not exhaustive. It doesn't feature commercial or privatized Hot Springs (though some closed/privatized ones, like Last Chance/Krigbaum). The content of the book seems to be aimed mostly at unimproved Hot Springs (though the pools at Sharkey or Baumgartner would be exceptions). I think it is generally aimed at unimproved or free Hot Springs. Some of the Hot Springs are probably less than soakable, as they don't all feature pools (such as Ninemeyer, etc on the road to Atlanta). The book features black and white photographs of almost all the springs (Mormon Ranch Hot Springs featured a nice vista).
The Hot Springs chosen evidence thoughtful insight in the presentation of excellent spring choices. One of the bonuses that come with this book is camping information near the various springs. I wish that I'd found this book long ago. It would have saved me from traipsing up a creek in the dark (probably more than once).
Important aspects of this book:
Idaho focused
Generally unimproved or non-commercial springs
Navigation and hiking directions as well as Global Positioning coordinates
Black and white photos of almost all of the springs
Here are a selection of books that I found helpful in finding and enjoying Idaho's Hot Springs:
A staple of the arcade was the game Xevious. In the game, you piloted a futuristic space-plane outfitted with guns and bombs. Your plane is on an ever rolling forward mission, but you can move it side to side and up and down, evading enemy craft, gunfire, and flying sky parallelograms. All manner of enemy craft would continually try and destroy you, with aerial fire, ground fire, and perhaps a mid-air collision. There were bosses at the end of the rolling stage, and after defeating the boss, your plane would casually fly onward, transitioning immediately to the next level.
One of the most distinct parts of this game was the somewhat-trilling, rather intense background music. The slightly obnoxious music created suspense as careened your futuristic dog-fighting space-plane left around the screen, evading gunfire and obstacles.
I grew up with computers, when I was very young, we had an Apple ][, and I would watch my brothers play games on it. As Personal Computers expanded beyond Apple, so did the games. We had an Apple ][gs, and there was a blight of retail games available for that computer. On visiting the local software store, they had a game for the ][gs, Pool of Radiance. It looked intriguing, and though I was eleven or twelve, I bought it. I didn't end up playing it much initially, but eventually when I figured it out, I spent many long hours cleaning the streets of Phlan and beyond, listening to 'alternative music.'
This game was the first stand alone, retail, boxed game that I remember buying for the Apple ][gs. It was the first outing of the D&D ruleset to a computer game, and was set in an somewhat paned 3D city, with top view isometic battlefields, and also a rarely used map screen.
The most important thing I remember about the game itself was getting silver weapons, and how they made a considerable difference in fighting the nasties early in the game. The game also featured a paper decoder wheel ring to unlock the copy protection.
I detested piano lessons. I was enrolled (somewhat involuntarily) into lessons for several years growing up. At one point, I was making remote control airplanes, and glued some of my fingers together with superglue. That did not deter my piano teacher from having our lesson. I was not a fan of piano. I once printed off the music from our IIGS and demanded that my piano teacher play some of the following music; proving she was piano worthy. The following year, I was under a different piano teacher, but my enthusiasm had already waned.
I remember my piano teacher playing some of Frédéric Chopin's Fantaisie-Impromptu in C Sharp Minor, Op 66. This was the versions from Will Harvey's Music Construction Set. It's much easier for a computer to rip through some proto-midi than for a human being to learn some Chopin. She deserved much credit for a ornery pupil.
I spent much time playing with the Music Construction Set: not really composing music, as that was beyond a untrainable ten year old. Rather, soaking in the synthesized notes and early electronica.
The great videogame craze of the 1980's was perhaps started by Space Invaders, but Pac-man was the avalanche that brought arcade games and arcades to pizza restaurants, grocery stores, and t-shirt shops everywhere.
The player drove Pac-man, navigating through a maze, being chased by ghosts. The purpose of the game was to clear the maze of pacs (pellets). When the ghosts were closing in, Pac-man could eat the power-up pac, and then turn the tables on the ghosts temporarily. Occasionally, fruit would float through the maze, and if gobbled by Pac-man, it would give extra points toward your high score. My favorite part of the game was the 'tunnel,' which would allow Pac-man (and the ghosts), from one side of the screen to the other.
I've been reading many, many books. Most for the two courses I've been taking this summer. This is the reading on the docket for my Judaism course: Introducing Judaism, by Segal, Eliezer. Our Father Abraham: Jewish Roots of the Christian Faith, by Marvin R. Wilson. Jewish Living: A Guide to Contemporary Reform Practice, by Mark Washofsky.
For my Isaiah course, these are the required texts: A commentary on Isaiah, by John Goldingay, Robert Hubbard, Robert Johnston. An Introduction to the Study of Isaiah, by Jacob Stromberg. And The Book of Isaiah and God's Kingdom: A Thematic-Theological Approach, by Andrew Abernethy.
I also picked up One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish, by Dr. Seuss, for some variety.
A strong contender for my favorite arcade game of all time is the unassuming Time Pilot. We used to have an arcade in Boise called Pojo's Nickel Palace. They had a swath of older arcade games which you could play for a nickel (or two). They had newer, more expensive games also. For ten dollars worth of nickels, you could play Time Pilot for a long time.
In the game, you command a fighter jet, equipped with a time travel device, and guns. The game is a multi directional scrolling shooter, where your jet is positioned in the middle of the screen, and you control the direction of movement with a joystick. The jet is always moving, like an airplane does to stay in the air. There is one button, for shooting your guns. And the game requires shooting continuously.
You must fight your way through different eras of aerial combat. From biplanes, to fighters, to helicopters to jet fighters, to UFOs. As you progress in each level, you eventually destroy enough of the little planes to summon the boss airplane. After destroying the boss, your time travel equipped jet is warped to the next era. After the UFO's you warp back to WWI and the biplanes, but with harder combat. Occasionally, you can pick up a parachuting ally for bonus points. As well, squadrons will appear, and destroying the whole will grant bonus points.
I've been quite busy reading for my courses this spring. For one course, Understanding Biblical Theology, I've been reading several books about Biblical Theology. Among the many books are the New Dictionary of Biblical Theology,Christ-Centered Biblical Theology by Graeme Goldsworthy, Biblical Theology in the Life of the Church by Michael Lawrence, Understanding Biblical Theology: A Comparison of Theory and Practice by Edward W. Klink and Darian R. Lockett, and God’s Kingdom through God’s Covenants, by Peter J. Gentry and Stephen J. Wellum. All of the books for this course I went Kindle/digital with, except the dictionary.
For the other seminar course that I am in, Biblical Theology of Worship and Ministry, there are many books as well. Engaging With God: A Biblical Theology Of Worship, and Encountering God Together: Leading Worship Services That Honor God, Minister to His People, and Build His Church by David G. Peterson, Christ-Centered Worship by Bryan Chapell, True Worshipers: Seeking What Matters to God by Bob Kauflin, Recalling the Hope of Glory by Allen Ross, and For the Glory of God: Recovering a Biblical Theology of Worship by Daniel I. Block. For the seminar course, I went physical paper, as we are required to bring our books with us to the class (and it's nice to have paper to share a reference).
One of the earliest games for the Apple ][ that I remember playing by myself was the game of Sabotage. After a fair bit of training, I loaded the 5 1/4" floppies into the machine and turned it on, listing to the clunking of the drive heads in the floppy disk drives, as they read data.
The game of sabotage was relatively simple, you operated a canon. You could pivot the canon left or right, and shoot. The game used either the keyboard, or the analog input from the apple paddle controller. The less rounds you shot, the higher your score. The goal was to defend your base from incoming paratroopers. You could shoot the paratroopers, helicopters, jets, and even bombs. But when four paratroopers landed on a side of your canon, they would jump up and demolish your canon.
The game did have an alternate play mode, where pivoting the canon would also cause the bullets to steer. This was helpful as shooting the parachutes off of incoming paratroopers, plummeting them to the ground, sometimes smashing troops below.
Shooting off the parachutes of the incoming paratroopers may be some type of virtual war crime. .
On of my all time favorite games is the arcade masterpiece Moon Patrol. Moon Patrol brought together good music, interactive side scrolling parallax game-play with multiple areas of focus, and driving a moon buggy. A six wheeled moon buggy with loaded guns!
There were two main areas of concern in the game. One area was the terrain, which featured craters, rocks, mines, boulders, and speeding alien ships. The other area was the skies, which featured an array of different bomb laden spacecraft. The spacecraft came in stages, with the grape looking craft launching bombs that created craters.
The player controlled the speed of the moon buggy with a two direction left/right joystick. You also could make the buggy jump, and fire its guns (which fired unlimited shots both forward and upward). The player progressed through checkpoints, from A towards the goal of the letter Z. After the first course (blue), the player then progressed to the challenge course (pink), with a repainted red moon buggy. Always a fun game to be had driving the moon buggy through alien landscapes!
Moon Patrol had an awesome soundtrack for the golden age of arcade games.
One of the best two player games of the golden age of the arcade was the game of Joust. Joust put the player (or players) against wave after wave of flying knights armed with lances. The players rode an flying ostrich or a flying emu. The computer players rode upon buzzards. The players could attempt to work cooperatively, but had to take care not to dismount the other player; which then may escalate into a discordant spiral of retribution between the players.
The game had relatively simple input controls. There was a joystick that allowed for left and right movement, and a button that would flap your mount's wings. It took great practice to be able to hover your mount effectively.
If you wren't fast enough in dispatching the computer enemies, the screen would be invaded by speedy and near invincible pterodactyls. There was the lava troll, that would attempt to reach up and snag you into the lava. You could attempt to break free, by feverishly pound the flap button. As well, after every few levels, a platform would disappear until you were left with a laissez-faire aerial melee. The enemies got faster and more adept as the levels went on. This game kept its players on their toes.
In the History of video games, Castle Wolfenstein and Beyond Castle Wolfenstein, marked the first time I remember of a computer making somewhat analog voices. We used to play the games on the Apple II, and the shouting of the guards over those apple speakers was something else. In the first game, Castle Wolfenstein, you were to escape from the Nazi prison, Castle Wolfenstein. In the second game, Beyond Castle Wolfenstein, you were to infiltrate the Fuehrer's underground bunker, find a hidden briefcase bomb, find the secret conference room, set the timer, and escape! You have to use security passes, bribes, gunfights, elevators, alarm tool-kits, and your memory (to remember your way out). All of which make for an exciting game on the first personal computer, the Apple ][!
Early arcade games had different genres of input methods (such as: buttons, paddles, steering wheels, joysticks, pedals). The arcade version of Missile Command used a giant trackball to move around your cursor, which would direct and range the flak cannon anti-ballistic missiles. In the game Missile Command, the player commanded a battery of defensive missiles. The player directed the launch of a limited set of defensive missiles against incoming ballistic missiles (raining down from above), hoping to save their six protected cities. The game was intense, as the pace quickened, defenses were limited, and the number of incoming missiles increased. On occasion, the would be cruise missiles, which may sidestep your defensive missile's explosion, and could only be stopped by a direct hit. The Atari 2600 version didn't have the giant trackball, but it did have a frenetic pace!
One of the first mouse based games that I got to experience was the very appropriately titled, Your Tour of the Apple IIGS. This introduction/game was designed to usher the user into the era of graphical based computing. The tour was essentially and introduction to using the computer mouse. The early Apple mice had a single button (until eons later, when Apple went with non-mechanical touch pads, and eventually decided multi-touch was the future). Your Tour of the Apple IIGS was not much of a game, but it was an experience using the mouse to interact with the computer. Analog input had come a long was from the paddles of the Apple ][, and the Apple ADB mouse was a well designed peripheral.
Battle against the robots in some distant future! Bezerk, for the Atari 2600 was a bit of a nightmare scenario, where the player is stuck in a maze battling robots, and being chased by an invincible bouncing smiley face robot.
There were different versions of the robots. There were apparently different versions of the game, with different versions of the robots. The game version we had only had four types of robots:
Malicious
Malicious and armed with some type of gun
Malicious and armed with two guns
Bouncing and invincible
Oh, and lest I forget, the walls of the maze were electrified. Our hero could only shoot one bullet at a time, so if he missed, he might not have another chance. Yikes!
One of the more memorable aspects of Bezerk was the stark and intense sounds effects of the game.
Pitfall! The game that took Atari's everywhere by storm. The must have console game of 1982! Pitfall was a one player game that had you tromp-sing through the jungle, finding gold bars and swinging from vines. You could match your reflexes against snakes, crocodiles, scorpions, logs, tar, and quicksand. With subterranean caves and underground brick walls. And a race against time, no less. All in the quest for the Inca gold/high score! Pitfall is the ancient prototype of the side scrolling adventure genre (albeit in a side-panning method).
Actual gameplay may or may not feature rainbows.
One of the most memorable aspects of Pitfall! was the monophonic Tarzan yodel while swinging on the vine.
Possibly my favorite game for the Atari 2600 was Combat. A two player competitive game. You could compete against you component with tanks. There were more options as well, such as: tanks with barricades, tanks with more barricades, tanks with bouncing bullets, invisible tanks, biplanes with clouds, biplanes without clouds, bomber and planes, jets with clouds, etc.
Eons later, the Nintendo Wii had a remix of the concept with tank combat on Wii Play, albeit with much better graphics and controls.
One of the best parts of the Atari games were their picturesque manuals. The graphics were so rudimentary, the game left much to the imagination. And the manuals and comic stoked the fires of the mind!
