Why I adore my new iPad

I've joined the ranks of iPad owners and I adore my new iPad. I have a 32GB 3G iPad. I opted for the 3G version because I wanted the flexibility of having access to "the cloud" when not in a WiFi zone. Of course my access is limited to AT&T's coverage area which can be problematic at times.

I've had my iPad since Monday. Three full days with it so far. It is already changing the way I interact with "The Cloud".

I have an iPhone and like it a lot. But the screen is just too small for easy viewing when reading RSS feeds, Twits, e-mail etc. It's possible to do all of that, but not always comfortable. The iPad is changing all of that. The screen is large enough to comfortably view most data without need to modify (i.e.., enlarge) it. Already the way I read Twitter posting is changing. On my iPhone, I would see a Twit with an interesting link and I would mark the Twit as a favorite so I could go back and view the link later on my computer. The iPhone's screen is too small to comfortably display standard web pages. But with the iPad, I can now follow the links directly and comfortably view the results.

I don't like to sit at the computer and read a lot of text, or long articles. For me, reading is not something I do on the computer. Of course I read while on the computer, but only as much as I need to accomplish whatever task I'm working on. Reading for entertainment or education is not something I like to do on the computer. Maybe it's because I spent so many years pre-computers reading books, that I find the task of doing a lot of reading on the computer to be uncomfortable and boring. The iPad is changing all that. I already read books on a Kindle or the iPhone. With the iPad I can continue to read books but I can now also comfortably read newspapers, magazines, comic books and just about anything else that requires reading for long periods of time. Now that I think about it, it might have something to do with screen orientation. When using an iPad (iphone or Kindle), I hold the device below me, looking down to read, as I would if reading a book. With a computer, it is always in front of me, with the screen at or near head height, so I'm always looking "forward" and now down. Perhaps the reason I don't like reading on the computer has more to do with this (display orientation) than anything else.

In any case, I'm already reading more, now that I have an iPad, than I was before having the iPad. I'm also reading a larger variety of content than before.

Because of my age and deteriorating eye site, I can no longer comfortably read most comic books. The text tends to be too small to easily read and glossy pages can make reading difficult as well. Comixology has come out with a comic book reading app that opens up access to comic books again. While the app is available on the iPhone, once again the screen is too small, for me, to comfortably view the content. But with the iPad, I can once again comfortably read comics and it's great to be able to do so.

This is just tip of the iceberg, I'm sure. I expect the iPad will continue to change the way I interact with the world around me. I simply adore my iPad and it is quickly becoming my primary computing device. Of course I'll keep my desktop computer for various functions that work best on a desktop, but the iPad is rapidly becoming my day-t0-day "go to" device.

Combat Commander: Europe

Happy New Year!

Got a new GMT game in mid December: Combat Commander: Europe.

This is a game of Squad Level combat in the same vein as Squad Leader (and ASL), Up Front! and similar games. It is a "card-driven" game. Cards are needed for all actions in the game. The cards add a level of chaos to the game that do a good job, in my opinion, of re-creating the chaos of battle. I've played the game six times now and Combat Commander is currently my favorite game and I'm looking forward to playing it a lot more.

Which Super Villain Are You?

Your results:
You are Dr. Doom

Dr. Doom 90% Juggernaut 84% The Joker 80% Lex Luthor 80% Apocalypse 80% Magneto 77% Mr. Freeze 70% Venom 64% Dark Phoenix 61% Kingpin 54% Green Goblin 52% Catwoman 50% Poison Ivy 45% Two-Face 36% Riddler 28% Mystique 28%

Blessed with smarts and power but burdened by vanity.

Click here to take the Supervillain Personality Quiz

Which Superhero are you?

Your results:
You are Superman

Superman 90% Spider-Man 75% Robin 60% Supergirl 50% Hulk 45% Green Lantern 40% Batman 40% Catwoman 35% Wonder Woman 20% The Flash 20% Iron Man 10%

You are mild-mannered, good, strong and you love to help others.

Click here to take the Superhero Personality Quiz

Looking at the Numbers

I have created my own database of boardgames using mysql and php. This database duplicates the collection i still maintain on BGG but it allows me to "slice and dice" the numbers more easily and to examine some trends. What I found might be considered disturbing...

I got back into gaming, in a big way, in 2004. While I had a significant number of games prior to 2004, I have more than doubled that number since then.

Game Collection by Year

2003 - 471 games. This represents games acquired between 1968 and 2004.
2004 - Added 57 titles to the collection
2005 - Added 284 titles to the collection
2006 - Added 245 titles (so far!) to the collection

I have played (at least once) at least half of the games in my collection. The division is very close however:

Played - 535
Not Played - 522

To put the "not played" number into context, 210 of the 522 unplayed games were added to my collection before 2004. Roughly half of my pre-2004 collection was unplayed. At least the percentage of unplayed games is remaining relatively constant. Also, of the 522 "not played" games, 308 are wargames. Wargames are hard to play due to difficultly in finding opponents and time to play them. I still enjoy wargames and will continue to add them to my collection. But it should be understood that most wargames will probably not be played.

BGG.CON 2007!

Space Dealer was the darling of BGG.CON which I am attending for the second year in a row.

Do You Worship Cthulhu?

Oh, I do! I do!

Do You Worship Cthulhu? is a game I just gotta have and gotta play! The Cthulhu Mythos is a perfect topic for a what is really nothing more than a retheme of the classic social (or party) game, Werewolf. Wow... Who says theme isn't everything? My interest in playing a game of Werewolf is mild at best. My interest in playing Do You Worship Cthulhu is very high! Theme makes all the difference! The game is due to be released sometime in November. I can't wait! I must have this game!

Shear Panic

I read that Barnes & Noble Bookstores were participating in National Games Week by setting up a display of games in the store. The games on display are not normally carried by B&N and so I stopped by the local store to see what was on display. There was a mix of games, including standard family fare, but there were also other games of interest like Rheinlander, Settlers of Catan and Shear Panic.

Shear Panic is a game I have had some interest in since it debuted at Essen in 2005. The original printing of the game sold out even before the Essen show opened in 2005, so getting a copy was a forlorn hope. I did see the game at BGG.CON in November of 2005, but didn't get a chance to play the game. Then Mayfair announced they would produce a version of Shear Panic and the game was again available. I picked up a copy from Barnes & Noble paying full retail price. I hope buying games from B&N will encourage them to carry more games of this type.

The bits of the game (the sheep) are cute. Very tactile. I can see this game will be the favorite of eye candy lovers everywhere.

Hopefully I'll get a chance to play this game, for the first time, on Wednesday night.