Two For One
Some of us make trading items in MMORPG's for real cash come off as utterly ridiculous. $100 for a pair of boots that grant you doulbe movement speed? $250 for some funny red hat that happens to be unique? Seems outrageous. However, it does seem the future as people can tap into two markets instead of one.
A system where people buy stuff with real world money for their virtual counterparts enables everyone to make money off of nothing, literally. The funny unique red hat is nothing more than a collection of 0'a and 1's, translated in a bunch of pixels. Once the operator closes the servers off of which the game runs down it is lost, and so is your investment. Still it is generating billions per year. People pay for entertainment, and basically that is what it is. Entertainment, only purely in virtual form. That is the danger of it, at the same time.
Money is a clever human invention. It shows how much you are worth. In terms of credits: If I'd buy a VCR from you for 50 credits, I'm telling my bank to transfer 50 credits to you. I'm worth 50 credits less, and you're worth 50 more. The 50 credits are my payment for the service you have provided, that is how money works. When the service is a virtual service it basically does not exist. I'm paying money for something you're technically not doing, I'm giving you money instead of paying. This whole system is very prone to collapsing as one day people can collectively decide to not spend money on stuff that is not there. Most economic collapses are caused because people don't pay for things they don't have, instead they choose to save it up. When there are billions going around it's quite a impact it will have.
The money transferred in virtual worlds is referred to as a 'shadow economy' most of the time, but in reality it isn't. You are using real world money to get funny hats and expensive virtual swords. The grocer on 7th Av. spends his hard-earned cash virtually, meaning there is something else he's not spending it on. Hypothetically speaking: If something like this really takes off there will be a devaluation of real world goods, people are isntead spending it on virtual property, property that doesn't exist. Once they decide to not spend it on virtual property there's an inbalance. The virtual economy will collapse, putting people out of work while real world industries are hardly making a profit because they cannot sell their stuff.
Don't get into this thing. Ultimately it is dangerous to spend money on things that are not there. It's a bottomless pit you're pouring money in and while that is very promising from out of a raw economical perspective it's also something that's bound to collapse. First it is entertainment, second it is of no actual value at all as it is non-existent. In the end you'd rather spend your money on a new TV, believe me.
Share some opinions, I'm curious as to what you guys are thinking.
Mystikvm Blog
Thought Machine
by Mystikvm on Comments
Keyword: Short
I'm doing everything in my life in short bursts nowadays, it must be because I have more disposable time on my hands, I can now differentiate more between what I do. I thought I'd fire some short thoughts at you, things that have been going on in my life.
I'm anticipating Christmas, not because of the presents, but because of the fact that it's supposed to be a fun period in the year, and my experience learns me that most of the time it is. This will be my first Christmas living away from my parents, so I even have more choices as to where to spend the days. Yes, it will be fun, even though there won''t be any presents involved this time around.
I've also been wondering where the word 'Christmas' originated. I'm particularly puzzled about the 'mas' in 'Christmas'. What the hell does it mean? Anyone who can fill me in on this?
I also said there won't be any presents, but that is not entirely true. The David Hasselhoff fetishism reached new heights yesterday when Pauline and I went out in bad weather to check on the good deal that store was having. I was right, David didn't sit on that shelf anymore. Devastated we returned home, where Pauline ordered it online. Within 5 workdays David will be delivered to my door. I wonder with what car they will come....and if they will be driving at 400 mph.
I have been thinking about what new game to get next month. I'm severely budgetting on entertainment and it isn't doing me any good. I find myself wandering the house often now, not knowing what to do with my time. Usually I'd use games and things like that to fill up those holes, but now I feel I should be more responsible as far as money goes, seeing how Pauline lost her job. But well, there's not much good in being bored out of your mind either, so I cannot figure out what to get. I was thinking of something for the DS as there are quite a few games that suit my interest, but that is not really a system you use at home. On the console front there doesn't seem to be much that interests me, even though this is Christmas. I'd thought there would at least be one or two games I wanted this time of the year, but it is zero, unfortunately.
I've been discussing virtual economies a lot the past week with several friends. I might fill you in on my ideas soon, when I feel like it. This Journal has become way too chit-chatty anyway, I don't want to come off as the whiner king. It needs some intellectual impulses. But that's something for later. For now this pretty much wraps it up.
I'm doing everything in my life in short bursts nowadays, it must be because I have more disposable time on my hands, I can now differentiate more between what I do. I thought I'd fire some short thoughts at you, things that have been going on in my life.
I'm anticipating Christmas, not because of the presents, but because of the fact that it's supposed to be a fun period in the year, and my experience learns me that most of the time it is. This will be my first Christmas living away from my parents, so I even have more choices as to where to spend the days. Yes, it will be fun, even though there won''t be any presents involved this time around.
I've also been wondering where the word 'Christmas' originated. I'm particularly puzzled about the 'mas' in 'Christmas'. What the hell does it mean? Anyone who can fill me in on this?
I also said there won't be any presents, but that is not entirely true. The David Hasselhoff fetishism reached new heights yesterday when Pauline and I went out in bad weather to check on the good deal that store was having. I was right, David didn't sit on that shelf anymore. Devastated we returned home, where Pauline ordered it online. Within 5 workdays David will be delivered to my door. I wonder with what car they will come....and if they will be driving at 400 mph.
I have been thinking about what new game to get next month. I'm severely budgetting on entertainment and it isn't doing me any good. I find myself wandering the house often now, not knowing what to do with my time. Usually I'd use games and things like that to fill up those holes, but now I feel I should be more responsible as far as money goes, seeing how Pauline lost her job. But well, there's not much good in being bored out of your mind either, so I cannot figure out what to get. I was thinking of something for the DS as there are quite a few games that suit my interest, but that is not really a system you use at home. On the console front there doesn't seem to be much that interests me, even though this is Christmas. I'd thought there would at least be one or two games I wanted this time of the year, but it is zero, unfortunately.
I've been discussing virtual economies a lot the past week with several friends. I might fill you in on my ideas soon, when I feel like it. This Journal has become way too chit-chatty anyway, I don't want to come off as the whiner king. It needs some intellectual impulses. But that's something for later. For now this pretty much wraps it up.
David Hasselhoff
by Mystikvm on Comments
Turbo Boost
I was browsing a few stores looking for some good deals, mainly for games of course. However, apart from these "Get these 2 crappy games for the price of 1" deals there wasn't much of interest, except for one offer that knocked me off my socks. A Knight Rider DVD box set, selling for 30 Euros.
Who could refuse a whole season of David Hasselhoff goodness crammed on 6 DVDs? Well, I just barely could, after deciding a computerized Corvette-modeled car that runs at 400mph in a backstreet alley was too much of a luxury for now, but now I'm blaming myself I haven't closed the deal right away in that store. I bet someone now snatched it, because any box featuring David Hasselhoff isn't likely to be sitting around on that shelf for more than 30 minutes. Still, my love for series like Knight Rider exemplifies the fact that I see the 80's as a lost decade in my personal history.
It's more the feeling of having lost the 80's due to the fact I was 5 years old when it neared its end. I never consciously moved around in the 80's. I missed Talk Talk's smash hit 'Such A Shame' by a few years. I never saw the message 'INSERT COIN' flashing on the screen of an arcade machine. Well, I did, but not in the 80's, which automatically renders the message on said screen useless. I never ate Raider chocolate bars. Not that I ever would, but it's a missed chance forever. I never wore jeans with gaping holes in it just because it was fancy. If I do it now they either think I'm a car mechanic or just some backstreet couch potato who needs a haircut and a decent job instead of selling stolen TV's to trailer trash. There's something mystifying about things you vaguely remember but never took part in.
Back to David. While most people from my age will mark Transformers or other cartoons like that from the same era as the marking point in their audiovisual history, for me it is David Hasselhoff and KITT. Not even the real David, though, but the German translation. Synchronized of course. On German TV you rarely catch a series in its native language, which is why Germans still cannot speak a decent word of English. In any case, Dutch TV has never been big on imported series, so we had to watch the German channels to catch series like the A-Team and Knight Rider. And while I was way too young to understand one word of German gibberish there was something cool about the series, the attitude of that guy in his leather jacket with a black talking car. And the superb intro music. Just watching the action and listening to the music was good enough for me.
I might be reunited with David one day. It was the season two box set they were selling, but hey, I don't want to know how and why he got that car, I just want to see him push the 'Turbo Boost' button. Turbo Boost is a feature that can only have been invented in the 80's. The 80's is Turbo Boost to me, and I feel like I need to relive the experience I never had at 400 mph. In a backstreet alley, of course.
I was browsing a few stores looking for some good deals, mainly for games of course. However, apart from these "Get these 2 crappy games for the price of 1" deals there wasn't much of interest, except for one offer that knocked me off my socks. A Knight Rider DVD box set, selling for 30 Euros.
Who could refuse a whole season of David Hasselhoff goodness crammed on 6 DVDs? Well, I just barely could, after deciding a computerized Corvette-modeled car that runs at 400mph in a backstreet alley was too much of a luxury for now, but now I'm blaming myself I haven't closed the deal right away in that store. I bet someone now snatched it, because any box featuring David Hasselhoff isn't likely to be sitting around on that shelf for more than 30 minutes. Still, my love for series like Knight Rider exemplifies the fact that I see the 80's as a lost decade in my personal history.
It's more the feeling of having lost the 80's due to the fact I was 5 years old when it neared its end. I never consciously moved around in the 80's. I missed Talk Talk's smash hit 'Such A Shame' by a few years. I never saw the message 'INSERT COIN' flashing on the screen of an arcade machine. Well, I did, but not in the 80's, which automatically renders the message on said screen useless. I never ate Raider chocolate bars. Not that I ever would, but it's a missed chance forever. I never wore jeans with gaping holes in it just because it was fancy. If I do it now they either think I'm a car mechanic or just some backstreet couch potato who needs a haircut and a decent job instead of selling stolen TV's to trailer trash. There's something mystifying about things you vaguely remember but never took part in.
Back to David. While most people from my age will mark Transformers or other cartoons like that from the same era as the marking point in their audiovisual history, for me it is David Hasselhoff and KITT. Not even the real David, though, but the German translation. Synchronized of course. On German TV you rarely catch a series in its native language, which is why Germans still cannot speak a decent word of English. In any case, Dutch TV has never been big on imported series, so we had to watch the German channels to catch series like the A-Team and Knight Rider. And while I was way too young to understand one word of German gibberish there was something cool about the series, the attitude of that guy in his leather jacket with a black talking car. And the superb intro music. Just watching the action and listening to the music was good enough for me.
I might be reunited with David one day. It was the season two box set they were selling, but hey, I don't want to know how and why he got that car, I just want to see him push the 'Turbo Boost' button. Turbo Boost is a feature that can only have been invented in the 80's. The 80's is Turbo Boost to me, and I feel like I need to relive the experience I never had at 400 mph. In a backstreet alley, of course.
It's All Working Again
by Mystikvm on Comments
I Have Returned
You might have been wondering what has happened. Don't worry, I'm physically alright and my mental state hasn't deteriorated much either over the past 3 weeks.
The thing is: Pauline sold her laptop before we had our own connection ready, leaving us without internet at all, even the wireless connection from the company next door. It turned out that getting our own conenction ready was quite the complicated task, so complicated that it even left the phone company puzzled. A few minutes ago the repair man left after having spent a good 90 minutes working on the connection. Things are working again.
The past 3 weeks were quiet and boring over here, as you might have imagined. No TV, no internet...The world seemed to revolve without getting me involved at all. Planes crashed, people died and I knew nothing about it.
On top of it all Pauline lost her job, they are not renewing her contract after this year's end. She worries about it of course, but I'm fairly confident she'll find a job eventually, having so much work experience. And if she doesn't or if she has to give in a lot financially I can jump in and work too. If I join the workforce our monthly disposable income will be doubled....A tempting thought....
I have also been gaming, Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance has pitted me against some sheer unbeatable enemy, I'm slowly unlocking everything in Meteos and Gran Turismo 4 and except for one commercial I have seenm on TV the whole Xbox 360 hype has been flying past me. Good thing, because I want the machine and I cannot have it when the media is burying me under a pile of hyope and information. I even sold my computer to Pauline to get some extra money to get the machine in a month or 2. I'm fine without a computer of my own, my days of computer pimping and tuning are over, I'll be doing fine with an old laptop which I'll eventually get.
So far the update. It's hard telling people about your life when you haven't had the chance to do so for 2 weeks. In any case I'll be updating this thing regularly again now that the connection is up and running. Finally.
You might have been wondering what has happened. Don't worry, I'm physically alright and my mental state hasn't deteriorated much either over the past 3 weeks.
The thing is: Pauline sold her laptop before we had our own connection ready, leaving us without internet at all, even the wireless connection from the company next door. It turned out that getting our own conenction ready was quite the complicated task, so complicated that it even left the phone company puzzled. A few minutes ago the repair man left after having spent a good 90 minutes working on the connection. Things are working again.
The past 3 weeks were quiet and boring over here, as you might have imagined. No TV, no internet...The world seemed to revolve without getting me involved at all. Planes crashed, people died and I knew nothing about it.
On top of it all Pauline lost her job, they are not renewing her contract after this year's end. She worries about it of course, but I'm fairly confident she'll find a job eventually, having so much work experience. And if she doesn't or if she has to give in a lot financially I can jump in and work too. If I join the workforce our monthly disposable income will be doubled....A tempting thought....
I have also been gaming, Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance has pitted me against some sheer unbeatable enemy, I'm slowly unlocking everything in Meteos and Gran Turismo 4 and except for one commercial I have seenm on TV the whole Xbox 360 hype has been flying past me. Good thing, because I want the machine and I cannot have it when the media is burying me under a pile of hyope and information. I even sold my computer to Pauline to get some extra money to get the machine in a month or 2. I'm fine without a computer of my own, my days of computer pimping and tuning are over, I'll be doing fine with an old laptop which I'll eventually get.
So far the update. It's hard telling people about your life when you haven't had the chance to do so for 2 weeks. In any case I'll be updating this thing regularly again now that the connection is up and running. Finally.
University: On Hold
by Mystikvm on Comments
The last week has gone by without updates. A lot has happened in my personal life in the meantime, but that hasn't been the reason for not updating. There are some problems with the incoming DSL line in this house and until they have been sorted out by the phone company we won't have a DSL connection of our own. It's a good thing the wireless connection has been surprisingly stable over the past few days, even in the living room so we haven't been completely cut off from the outside world.
Worn Out
That's how I feel right now. The funny thing is that it is not the new situation I'm in now, but more the things that have stayed the same.
Our friends did have a hard time accepting the new situation. Pauline's past hasn't been entirely clean as far as relationships go, so a few of our friends didn't want to believe that the basis on which we are sharing a house would turn out to be a good one. However, we've had a few talks and they've calmed down now. While they would never stand in between me and whatever I choose to do, I cannot talk to them openly knowing they have a problem with the way I'm living now. Thank God we were able to take away a few of the doubts they had concerning Pauline's past. While it certainly isn't pretty what she's done, things do have changed. It only takes a house to live in with her to notice. :)
So I feel somewhat relieved now. Unfortunately now my studies are holding me back. I don't know how many of you guys are in university, but I'm hating it more and more.
The subject of my studies is absolutely great. I love the language, the culture and the topics I'm taking classes in. However, it's the fact the whole system resembles highschool so much that I'm slowly becoming hesitant about keeping up.
I had a blast during highschool, don't get me wrong. Socially it must have been my Golden Age, but unfortunately highschools aren't blessed with a good system of learning. I hated the fact that I had to do this, and then had to do that. I had to do things I did not particularly wanted to do, and I also needed to do them whenever my teacher wanted me to do them.
Well, I'm intelligent enough to reason why this had to be done. The info I picked up during highschool sure does come in handy from time to time so I'm glad I did not miss out. I had only hoped university would be different somehow, but it turned out I couldn't be more wrong.
I feel like a couch potato who bought into the hype of Ab-Trainers on homeshopping channels. They make something come off as exceptionally good, like a dream coming true. When you get it delivered to your door you find out that while it does the job it is far from a satisfying product. It's not comfortable, it runs out of batteries soon etc. etc. University now feels quite the same for me. While I'm doing something I really want to do, the way I'm doing it is far from satisfying. There's still this highschoolish pressure on my shoulders, pressure to perform whenever the university wants me to, and not when I'm up for it. I certainly do have the discipline to learn Japanese, I'd only rather learn it at my own pace, not at the murderous pace the university thinks is suitable. I've always said I was doing this for fun and not to ensure myself of a good job sometime in the future. However, the fun is being taken away rapidly with all the deadlines and the 'have to's'. I have to, but I don't want to.
There's a dilemma of course. I could pull out. I'd have to pay back a lot of money to the government since I leeched off of their money but didn't finish my studies...But that is not the biggest problem, the rates at which you have to pay back the money are so laughable that even unemployed have a good time paying it back. No worries there. It is more the future I'm worried about. Most of the joy in my life I'm getting out of the way I'm spending my free time. Friends, family, silly trips to silly places and also games and music. Quitting university wouldn't change any of that, I'm sure. The point is that I won't have any papers to prove I'm capable of doing more than factory work. Without degrees and proper papers there's not much you can do over here, other than packing cookies in a huge distributional center.
I could survive a few months of doing such retarded work. But from the looks of it I might be stuck there forever, should I give up studying. However, university's certainly not making me happy right now. I guess I have to be on the look-out for a nice job and in the meantime proceed with my studies. But I'm pulling out as soon as I get a chance on a good job. Sometimes I'm envious of Pauline. While her educational level is (in society's opinion) way below mine she's got a nice job at the municipal government. I'd kill for that spot, even though she makes the job come off as boring and tedious. Well, anything's better than packing cookies for a lifetime, now is it?
Hype
I'm on track again to get myself an Xbox 360. I wanted to get one before I got the offer to move into this place, so understandably I had to use some of the money for more important purposes than gaming. However, seeing the machine is action (and due to queues I couldn't get some playtime with it) and thanks to the launch hype in the US I want to get one more than ever. The machine is capable of quite a lot and I want to experience it first-hand. So I'm saving up again. I can save up about 50-100 Euros a month. Taking 50 as a basis it would take me a month or 10 to get 500 Euros, which would be the Premium Bundle + VGA cable + game. However, I was discussing the machine with Pauline yesterday and she offered me 100 Euros. She said she wanted to chip in since she'll most likely also use the machine from time to time. It is a generous offer and while I have to wait and see if she has the money when I'm needing it and while I don't want to push her into chipping in I'm already counting on the money, the greedy bastard that I am.
Current Xbox 360 Funds: 150 of 500.
Worn Out
That's how I feel right now. The funny thing is that it is not the new situation I'm in now, but more the things that have stayed the same.
Our friends did have a hard time accepting the new situation. Pauline's past hasn't been entirely clean as far as relationships go, so a few of our friends didn't want to believe that the basis on which we are sharing a house would turn out to be a good one. However, we've had a few talks and they've calmed down now. While they would never stand in between me and whatever I choose to do, I cannot talk to them openly knowing they have a problem with the way I'm living now. Thank God we were able to take away a few of the doubts they had concerning Pauline's past. While it certainly isn't pretty what she's done, things do have changed. It only takes a house to live in with her to notice. :)
So I feel somewhat relieved now. Unfortunately now my studies are holding me back. I don't know how many of you guys are in university, but I'm hating it more and more.
The subject of my studies is absolutely great. I love the language, the culture and the topics I'm taking classes in. However, it's the fact the whole system resembles highschool so much that I'm slowly becoming hesitant about keeping up.
I had a blast during highschool, don't get me wrong. Socially it must have been my Golden Age, but unfortunately highschools aren't blessed with a good system of learning. I hated the fact that I had to do this, and then had to do that. I had to do things I did not particularly wanted to do, and I also needed to do them whenever my teacher wanted me to do them.
Well, I'm intelligent enough to reason why this had to be done. The info I picked up during highschool sure does come in handy from time to time so I'm glad I did not miss out. I had only hoped university would be different somehow, but it turned out I couldn't be more wrong.
I feel like a couch potato who bought into the hype of Ab-Trainers on homeshopping channels. They make something come off as exceptionally good, like a dream coming true. When you get it delivered to your door you find out that while it does the job it is far from a satisfying product. It's not comfortable, it runs out of batteries soon etc. etc. University now feels quite the same for me. While I'm doing something I really want to do, the way I'm doing it is far from satisfying. There's still this highschoolish pressure on my shoulders, pressure to perform whenever the university wants me to, and not when I'm up for it. I certainly do have the discipline to learn Japanese, I'd only rather learn it at my own pace, not at the murderous pace the university thinks is suitable. I've always said I was doing this for fun and not to ensure myself of a good job sometime in the future. However, the fun is being taken away rapidly with all the deadlines and the 'have to's'. I have to, but I don't want to.
There's a dilemma of course. I could pull out. I'd have to pay back a lot of money to the government since I leeched off of their money but didn't finish my studies...But that is not the biggest problem, the rates at which you have to pay back the money are so laughable that even unemployed have a good time paying it back. No worries there. It is more the future I'm worried about. Most of the joy in my life I'm getting out of the way I'm spending my free time. Friends, family, silly trips to silly places and also games and music. Quitting university wouldn't change any of that, I'm sure. The point is that I won't have any papers to prove I'm capable of doing more than factory work. Without degrees and proper papers there's not much you can do over here, other than packing cookies in a huge distributional center.
I could survive a few months of doing such retarded work. But from the looks of it I might be stuck there forever, should I give up studying. However, university's certainly not making me happy right now. I guess I have to be on the look-out for a nice job and in the meantime proceed with my studies. But I'm pulling out as soon as I get a chance on a good job. Sometimes I'm envious of Pauline. While her educational level is (in society's opinion) way below mine she's got a nice job at the municipal government. I'd kill for that spot, even though she makes the job come off as boring and tedious. Well, anything's better than packing cookies for a lifetime, now is it?
Hype
I'm on track again to get myself an Xbox 360. I wanted to get one before I got the offer to move into this place, so understandably I had to use some of the money for more important purposes than gaming. However, seeing the machine is action (and due to queues I couldn't get some playtime with it) and thanks to the launch hype in the US I want to get one more than ever. The machine is capable of quite a lot and I want to experience it first-hand. So I'm saving up again. I can save up about 50-100 Euros a month. Taking 50 as a basis it would take me a month or 10 to get 500 Euros, which would be the Premium Bundle + VGA cable + game. However, I was discussing the machine with Pauline yesterday and she offered me 100 Euros. She said she wanted to chip in since she'll most likely also use the machine from time to time. It is a generous offer and while I have to wait and see if she has the money when I'm needing it and while I don't want to push her into chipping in I'm already counting on the money, the greedy bastard that I am.
Current Xbox 360 Funds: 150 of 500.
Net Troubles
by Mystikvm on Comments
WiFi, DS and Crappy Connections
I'm on the 'borrowed' WiFi connection again. It appears the company right next to us is the proud owner of the connection. However, thanks to all the walls and the distance between the two buildings our connection is highly unstable, especially with moisty weather like we're experiencing now.
Downstairs where the entrance is the signal is weak, but constant nonetheless. Our good friend German recommended us a WiFi Repeater. This is a device which picks up the WiFi signal and amplifies it so that you can reach bigger areas using the same wireless router you used to have. Ideal to leech some more off of these guys in our house, if it weren't for the steep price of a $100+ of such a repeater.
Our own DSL connection we ordered is a load of trouble too. We were assured the preparations were done and we only have to wait for our modem. However, Frank was visiting us yesterday and he knows quite a big deal about cables and telephone lines. When we checked out the incoming phone lines we noticed there was no signal whatsoever on any of them, making it impossible for us to use the internet. The question now is whether this is a case for the phone company which is basically responsible for the well-being of the lines, or if this is something our landlord should take care of as the line is in his house. Either way, we don't have our own net connection right now, while we should have one ready by now. Bummer.
Where to spend money on?
I checked out the gamestore yesterday to check on some prices and figure out what game I'm going to get next week when my monthly payment arrives. Now that we have settled more or less and the financially tight times are nearing their end I can spend money on games again. I was doubting getting either Advance Wars DS or Fire Emblem for the GC but browsing the PS2 shelves I found a beautiful boxed edition of Xenosaga II. I know the game is somewhat crappy and seeing how we never got part 1 in Erope there's not much sense in picking up the 2nd installment, but this box is so beautiful and its contents look so nice that it would look great in my collection. Normally there's no way I'd settle for something which will cost me 60 Euros while I'm sure I'll only moderately enjoy the game at best, but this is very, very tempting, just because it looks so cool. Well, probably I'll go with Fire Emblem. Winter's nearing, which means I have the time and opportunity to kick back on the couch and play RPG's. Great way to kill some cold wintery hours.
I'm on the 'borrowed' WiFi connection again. It appears the company right next to us is the proud owner of the connection. However, thanks to all the walls and the distance between the two buildings our connection is highly unstable, especially with moisty weather like we're experiencing now.
Downstairs where the entrance is the signal is weak, but constant nonetheless. Our good friend German recommended us a WiFi Repeater. This is a device which picks up the WiFi signal and amplifies it so that you can reach bigger areas using the same wireless router you used to have. Ideal to leech some more off of these guys in our house, if it weren't for the steep price of a $100+ of such a repeater.
Our own DSL connection we ordered is a load of trouble too. We were assured the preparations were done and we only have to wait for our modem. However, Frank was visiting us yesterday and he knows quite a big deal about cables and telephone lines. When we checked out the incoming phone lines we noticed there was no signal whatsoever on any of them, making it impossible for us to use the internet. The question now is whether this is a case for the phone company which is basically responsible for the well-being of the lines, or if this is something our landlord should take care of as the line is in his house. Either way, we don't have our own net connection right now, while we should have one ready by now. Bummer.
Where to spend money on?
I checked out the gamestore yesterday to check on some prices and figure out what game I'm going to get next week when my monthly payment arrives. Now that we have settled more or less and the financially tight times are nearing their end I can spend money on games again. I was doubting getting either Advance Wars DS or Fire Emblem for the GC but browsing the PS2 shelves I found a beautiful boxed edition of Xenosaga II. I know the game is somewhat crappy and seeing how we never got part 1 in Erope there's not much sense in picking up the 2nd installment, but this box is so beautiful and its contents look so nice that it would look great in my collection. Normally there's no way I'd settle for something which will cost me 60 Euros while I'm sure I'll only moderately enjoy the game at best, but this is very, very tempting, just because it looks so cool. Well, probably I'll go with Fire Emblem. Winter's nearing, which means I have the time and opportunity to kick back on the couch and play RPG's. Great way to kill some cold wintery hours.
Getting Things In Order
by Mystikvm on Comments
Moving....It's best you don't.
Have you ever experienced the horrors of moving? Now that all's been done, more or less (there's still a huge load of small things to be sorted out, though) I can look back on an experience that I do not wish to repeat very soon. Sure, it was great that our friends helped out and all, and the result is surely something to be proud of and happy with, but getting there was a pain.
The worst thing is, Pauline loved it. She loves moving (and she's done it a lot in her life, too) because it gives her a chance to close another chapter in her life and start anew. She also loves browsing and thumbing through her old papers, letters and other small things. Very female indeed.
I'm afrtaid she wants to move again very soon. This place is managable financially, but still on the expensive side. To be honest, I'd rather not go through all this stress and horror again within now and 18 months. The problem is that she's moved a lot in her life and has become depandant on it more or less, I fear. I don't move often and now I know why exactly that was. I hate it. I'm doing fine here and unless there's some financial misfortune awaiting us I don't see any reason to want to get out of here soon. I hope she thinks the same.
Cat
We picked up an older cat (11 yeas old) last Saturday. Pauline loves animals and hates being lonely, so she insisted on having a cat (or maybe even two) in this house. I don't care either way, I enjoy animals so I was perfectly fine with that. We deliberately chose to have an older cat since these don't last that long anymore, bluntly put, and they're used to being alone (most of the time) and are not as rampant as younger cats tend to be, like the cat of a friend of ours.
Might as well show you a picture, aye? Well, his is her:
She looks quite happy. I'm sure she'll have a nice remainder of her life with us.
I wish I could show you some more photos of the cat and the house, but the connection's very unstable at the moment so I'll be rounding this thing up for now. Free net connetion is fun and all, but I have to check where in this house the connection is best, because in the living room it is on and off.
Have you ever experienced the horrors of moving? Now that all's been done, more or less (there's still a huge load of small things to be sorted out, though) I can look back on an experience that I do not wish to repeat very soon. Sure, it was great that our friends helped out and all, and the result is surely something to be proud of and happy with, but getting there was a pain.
The worst thing is, Pauline loved it. She loves moving (and she's done it a lot in her life, too) because it gives her a chance to close another chapter in her life and start anew. She also loves browsing and thumbing through her old papers, letters and other small things. Very female indeed.
I'm afrtaid she wants to move again very soon. This place is managable financially, but still on the expensive side. To be honest, I'd rather not go through all this stress and horror again within now and 18 months. The problem is that she's moved a lot in her life and has become depandant on it more or less, I fear. I don't move often and now I know why exactly that was. I hate it. I'm doing fine here and unless there's some financial misfortune awaiting us I don't see any reason to want to get out of here soon. I hope she thinks the same.
Cat
We picked up an older cat (11 yeas old) last Saturday. Pauline loves animals and hates being lonely, so she insisted on having a cat (or maybe even two) in this house. I don't care either way, I enjoy animals so I was perfectly fine with that. We deliberately chose to have an older cat since these don't last that long anymore, bluntly put, and they're used to being alone (most of the time) and are not as rampant as younger cats tend to be, like the cat of a friend of ours.
Might as well show you a picture, aye? Well, his is her:
She looks quite happy. I'm sure she'll have a nice remainder of her life with us.
I wish I could show you some more photos of the cat and the house, but the connection's very unstable at the moment so I'll be rounding this thing up for now. Free net connetion is fun and all, but I have to check where in this house the connection is best, because in the living room it is on and off.
I Survived
by Mystikvm on Comments
Moving, Boredom, Freedom & Sweet Surprises
Well, I'm still alive. Pauline and I have been busy moving and getting everything in order and we've been living happily in our new house for a week now. We have been hooked up to central heating last week, but we still have no gas and warm water, this due to some complications with the plumber and the work he did, but we have been promised it will be fixed Monday, so until that time we'll just have to use the shower at Pauline's old place, where her mother still resides.
First thing I noticed while living on my own is how you have less free time, but for some reason it seems like you have loads. While we've been busy everytime Pauline got back from work (unpacking, reorganizing etc.), during the day when I'm at home alone I can do everything at my pace, and that is very, very relaxing.
BTW, a funny story as to why the heck I'm online. At this moment I'm in my new house on Pauline's laptop. We still have not been hooked up with our newly ordered DSL connection, though. Then how can we use the internet? Well, since there's a small factory below us you might have guessed we're in some kind of industrious area. That's true, and while it's nothing serious with chimneys and such there are a number of big companies around here. Big companies use wireless networks, and there's always some kind of fool who's not securing his connection well enough. So we opened Pauline's laptop this morning and found out the machine had connected to a network in some of the nearby buildings. This is great, don't you agree? I hope this will keep working until we have a connection of our own.
But well, a life without internet is boring, especially when there's no TV to waste time on either. Even though this month is financially straining for both of us we did pick up Civilization IV to get addicted to. While Pauline doesn't seem to like it very much, expecially since my PC has a hard time handling the game (which is stupid, I have a good rig) I'm absolutely loving it. I've also been able to make a lot of progression in SMT: Nocturne and Pauline an I are over the halfway point in FFX. I wouldn't know what to do without games, they've helped me to fight the boredom over the past week.
Also the absence of warm water, gas and internet doesnt make this place feel quite like my home. These three things are all services you use without thinking about their relative availability. When they are not there and when you have to resort to other places to get your online kicks, a nice fresh skin or good food you're still feeling like you're staying over at someone else's place.
On the other hand, after a night in the pub it really feels like home. Your own bed, your own pace and your own little things to worry about.
Well, that's it for now, I guess. Sorry if I've been a little incoherent, but a lot has happened and I haven't been able to update you guys regularly. However, with this connection which suddenly became available to us I just might be able to squeeze out a few more updates in the coming week(s) until we have our own connection ready. A least for a few hours my life's less like a hermit's life :) God bless the internet.
Well, I'm still alive. Pauline and I have been busy moving and getting everything in order and we've been living happily in our new house for a week now. We have been hooked up to central heating last week, but we still have no gas and warm water, this due to some complications with the plumber and the work he did, but we have been promised it will be fixed Monday, so until that time we'll just have to use the shower at Pauline's old place, where her mother still resides.
First thing I noticed while living on my own is how you have less free time, but for some reason it seems like you have loads. While we've been busy everytime Pauline got back from work (unpacking, reorganizing etc.), during the day when I'm at home alone I can do everything at my pace, and that is very, very relaxing.
BTW, a funny story as to why the heck I'm online. At this moment I'm in my new house on Pauline's laptop. We still have not been hooked up with our newly ordered DSL connection, though. Then how can we use the internet? Well, since there's a small factory below us you might have guessed we're in some kind of industrious area. That's true, and while it's nothing serious with chimneys and such there are a number of big companies around here. Big companies use wireless networks, and there's always some kind of fool who's not securing his connection well enough. So we opened Pauline's laptop this morning and found out the machine had connected to a network in some of the nearby buildings. This is great, don't you agree? I hope this will keep working until we have a connection of our own.
But well, a life without internet is boring, especially when there's no TV to waste time on either. Even though this month is financially straining for both of us we did pick up Civilization IV to get addicted to. While Pauline doesn't seem to like it very much, expecially since my PC has a hard time handling the game (which is stupid, I have a good rig) I'm absolutely loving it. I've also been able to make a lot of progression in SMT: Nocturne and Pauline an I are over the halfway point in FFX. I wouldn't know what to do without games, they've helped me to fight the boredom over the past week.
Also the absence of warm water, gas and internet doesnt make this place feel quite like my home. These three things are all services you use without thinking about their relative availability. When they are not there and when you have to resort to other places to get your online kicks, a nice fresh skin or good food you're still feeling like you're staying over at someone else's place.
On the other hand, after a night in the pub it really feels like home. Your own bed, your own pace and your own little things to worry about.
Well, that's it for now, I guess. Sorry if I've been a little incoherent, but a lot has happened and I haven't been able to update you guys regularly. However, with this connection which suddenly became available to us I just might be able to squeeze out a few more updates in the coming week(s) until we have our own connection ready. A least for a few hours my life's less like a hermit's life :) God bless the internet.
3 Weeks Off
by Mystikvm on Comments
Taking a Leave
An involuntary leave, that is. My computer will be moved first thing tomorrow morning, along with all the other stash I have so this is my last day online for now. In a week or three I hope to have my new connection ready and then I'll be back in action.
It's strange how reliant I've become on internet. While I don't have stuff I need to do daily online there's so much you do when bored or when you just want to keep up with things. I have to miss it for 3 weeks. The most inconvenient thing is that I have to send a few e-mails for studying purposes to professors and other people, I now have to send these to Pauline so she can forward them to the people who need to receive these mails at her work. Well, at least she's not completely without net connection for those 3 weeks.
Seeing how we won't have TV either I still have to figure out how the hell I'm going to keep up with what's happening in the world. You could basically say that for a few weeks my new place is like a hermit's hub with no connections to the outside world. Argh, that sounds so depressing.
At least I got some games to play. I want to pick up Civ IV at all costs as that game will keep me busy for many hours. I also have a few unfinished games lying around that I can finish, like SMT: Nocturne. And without things like TV and internet to distract me I also might be able to pour some extra time into my studies. I have a paper due by the end of this month and as you might know I'm not quite the reader. This might change when there's nothing else to waste time on. Maybe this is all for the better in the end.
I also thought the actual leaving behind of the house I've spent so many years in would be hard. Usuaully I grow easily attached to places, but now I have no regrets whatsoever, nor do I feel the need to say 'goodbye' to this god-forsaken outback. While I certainly have made good memories in this house I don't feel like reminiscing at all. Very strange, as even places where I worked for just 2 months hold some special value to me. I even feel a little disrespectful for caring so little about this house and town.
Well, that's all for now. I don't think I'll be updating before we have net connection in the new house. Or maybe I might, at my parents' place in case I need to get something off my chest, or whenever I have happy or sad news to tell you.
Until then, take care. I'll talk to you in 3 weeks or so.
An involuntary leave, that is. My computer will be moved first thing tomorrow morning, along with all the other stash I have so this is my last day online for now. In a week or three I hope to have my new connection ready and then I'll be back in action.
It's strange how reliant I've become on internet. While I don't have stuff I need to do daily online there's so much you do when bored or when you just want to keep up with things. I have to miss it for 3 weeks. The most inconvenient thing is that I have to send a few e-mails for studying purposes to professors and other people, I now have to send these to Pauline so she can forward them to the people who need to receive these mails at her work. Well, at least she's not completely without net connection for those 3 weeks.
Seeing how we won't have TV either I still have to figure out how the hell I'm going to keep up with what's happening in the world. You could basically say that for a few weeks my new place is like a hermit's hub with no connections to the outside world. Argh, that sounds so depressing.
At least I got some games to play. I want to pick up Civ IV at all costs as that game will keep me busy for many hours. I also have a few unfinished games lying around that I can finish, like SMT: Nocturne. And without things like TV and internet to distract me I also might be able to pour some extra time into my studies. I have a paper due by the end of this month and as you might know I'm not quite the reader. This might change when there's nothing else to waste time on. Maybe this is all for the better in the end.
I also thought the actual leaving behind of the house I've spent so many years in would be hard. Usuaully I grow easily attached to places, but now I have no regrets whatsoever, nor do I feel the need to say 'goodbye' to this god-forsaken outback. While I certainly have made good memories in this house I don't feel like reminiscing at all. Very strange, as even places where I worked for just 2 months hold some special value to me. I even feel a little disrespectful for caring so little about this house and town.
Well, that's all for now. I don't think I'll be updating before we have net connection in the new house. Or maybe I might, at my parents' place in case I need to get something off my chest, or whenever I have happy or sad news to tell you.
Until then, take care. I'll talk to you in 3 weeks or so.
It's Official
by Mystikvm on Comments
The Big Move
You guys already congratulated me, thanks a lot. But now you can officially congratulate me as we received confirmation today. They want us in there, we received the contract today for review and only have to make an appointment to sign it. We plan to that that either tomorrow or Wednesday and if all goes well we'll be moving this weekend.
Words cannot describe my incredible happiness. Not only is Pauline the best person I could wish for as far as living together is concerned, I'm also able to finally shake off the depressing coil of this backward town and move into the city. Freedom awaits me, without huge financial strains. Finally.
I'll miss this place, though. My parents have been so good to me and if it weren't for our crappy location I doubt I'd have considered moving out at all. However, I feel I'm needing it. I'm 20 years old now, responsible enough to stand on my own two legs and above all: I want it.
I'm not looking forward to the actual move, though. I like the thought of moving and I like the thought of a satisfying result, but I hate calling around to get all financial and administrative things in order. And I hate packing the most of all, I'll be happy when everything is done.
My student allowance by the government needs to be raised as I'll be living on my own. Generally this works pretty fast as most student movers switch places within a few days, so I'm hoping I'll be getting my fair and raised share by the 25th of November when they'll be depositing money into my bank account.. I need to get my insurance in order and make sure they'll be taking it off of my bank account instead of my mom's. I'll have to send out the mandatory change of address cards and call several institutions to tell them my place of residence has changed. And of course I have to stop by the city hall to tall them I'm now a resident of their county. All formalities, but they have to be done.
And the worst of them all is internet. Amidst all this official business and bantering you'd think internet connection is not such a big deal, but it really is. I have DSL, which runs via telephone lines. As I'm happy with my current connection and provider and as I'm wanting to keep my mail address etc. etc. I want my subscription to be switched from my parents' house to my new place. For those who don't know, we have two connections in this house, DSL for me and cable for the rest of the family.
Normally you'd call the company that takes care of the telephone lines and tell them I'm moving and want them to switch my net connection from my old address to my new address. Consequence is that this house will be left with no working telephone line. As I'm the only one moving and my parents will be staying that is not an option. There's only one option left, according to the webstie of my provider. I have to cancel my subscription at my current address, tell them to save my username and mail aliases etc. etc. and then when I'm disconnected here I have to subscribe again at my new address.
Canceling subscription takes 3 weeks. Ordering a new one takes 4. Two months without internet is too much and completely ridiculous as something as futile as cable TV takes 24 hours to be installed and activated. In today's world a person is relying more on internet than on TV, I can tell you. I can live with a week or 2 without internet, but 2 months is ridiculous. I'll be checking whether there's a way around this.
Speaking of cable TV, I have some great news. There's no cable connection in the apartment. The company who's renting it to us (which is also the company that owns the building, their activities take place right below us) feels our pain and they will be hooking us up with a satellite connection and receiver. Just like that. It'll remain theirs and the subscription costs are ours, but we can watch a whole lot of TV for 20 Euros a year (approx.) and we don't have to spend a dime on installing it. That surprised me and such kind gestures always give me a good feeling. I'm sure these guys are honest and mean no harm.
I hope to shoot some pictures shortly after we have signed the contract as the apartment is then officially ours to live in. Stay tuned, it's a nice place.
Happiness factor as of now on a scale from 1 to 10:
25
Note: I'm aware it's not all about roses. But Pauline and I talked this over endlessly and we're ready for it.
You guys already congratulated me, thanks a lot. But now you can officially congratulate me as we received confirmation today. They want us in there, we received the contract today for review and only have to make an appointment to sign it. We plan to that that either tomorrow or Wednesday and if all goes well we'll be moving this weekend.
Words cannot describe my incredible happiness. Not only is Pauline the best person I could wish for as far as living together is concerned, I'm also able to finally shake off the depressing coil of this backward town and move into the city. Freedom awaits me, without huge financial strains. Finally.
I'll miss this place, though. My parents have been so good to me and if it weren't for our crappy location I doubt I'd have considered moving out at all. However, I feel I'm needing it. I'm 20 years old now, responsible enough to stand on my own two legs and above all: I want it.
I'm not looking forward to the actual move, though. I like the thought of moving and I like the thought of a satisfying result, but I hate calling around to get all financial and administrative things in order. And I hate packing the most of all, I'll be happy when everything is done.
My student allowance by the government needs to be raised as I'll be living on my own. Generally this works pretty fast as most student movers switch places within a few days, so I'm hoping I'll be getting my fair and raised share by the 25th of November when they'll be depositing money into my bank account.. I need to get my insurance in order and make sure they'll be taking it off of my bank account instead of my mom's. I'll have to send out the mandatory change of address cards and call several institutions to tell them my place of residence has changed. And of course I have to stop by the city hall to tall them I'm now a resident of their county. All formalities, but they have to be done.
And the worst of them all is internet. Amidst all this official business and bantering you'd think internet connection is not such a big deal, but it really is. I have DSL, which runs via telephone lines. As I'm happy with my current connection and provider and as I'm wanting to keep my mail address etc. etc. I want my subscription to be switched from my parents' house to my new place. For those who don't know, we have two connections in this house, DSL for me and cable for the rest of the family.
Normally you'd call the company that takes care of the telephone lines and tell them I'm moving and want them to switch my net connection from my old address to my new address. Consequence is that this house will be left with no working telephone line. As I'm the only one moving and my parents will be staying that is not an option. There's only one option left, according to the webstie of my provider. I have to cancel my subscription at my current address, tell them to save my username and mail aliases etc. etc. and then when I'm disconnected here I have to subscribe again at my new address.
Canceling subscription takes 3 weeks. Ordering a new one takes 4. Two months without internet is too much and completely ridiculous as something as futile as cable TV takes 24 hours to be installed and activated. In today's world a person is relying more on internet than on TV, I can tell you. I can live with a week or 2 without internet, but 2 months is ridiculous. I'll be checking whether there's a way around this.
Speaking of cable TV, I have some great news. There's no cable connection in the apartment. The company who's renting it to us (which is also the company that owns the building, their activities take place right below us) feels our pain and they will be hooking us up with a satellite connection and receiver. Just like that. It'll remain theirs and the subscription costs are ours, but we can watch a whole lot of TV for 20 Euros a year (approx.) and we don't have to spend a dime on installing it. That surprised me and such kind gestures always give me a good feeling. I'm sure these guys are honest and mean no harm.
I hope to shoot some pictures shortly after we have signed the contract as the apartment is then officially ours to live in. Stay tuned, it's a nice place.
Happiness factor as of now on a scale from 1 to 10:
25
Note: I'm aware it's not all about roses. But Pauline and I talked this over endlessly and we're ready for it.
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