Find A Collection

Rather, start your own. Find something interesting and start snatching these things up for no other reason just to have more of them. Collecting, no matter what it might be, is a great hobby and time waster. Personally, I've gone through several renditions myself.

At one point it was Pokemon, another Yu-Gi-Oh and then it was clocks. Yes, clocks. At a certain time in my life there was a hyper infatuation with time and the need to keep it. However, now I've lost that urge. Not just for clocks but for collecting.

Or so I had thought....

It wasn't but a few minutes ago that I realized I'm still collecting. Now, however, I'm collecting worthless internet stuff and slamming it against this thing called a "blog". How horribly awesome is that!?

Short of this. Collections, got them? Share them. While your at it, check out some other Solve Unamusement Hobbies.

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Plugged Amusement (Will Quilt for Games)

Thanks to this post at He and She Reviews I had come across something very cool. The She of He and She Reviews has herself a nice little business, of sorts, going that I just had to share, eventually.

What I was directed to by this post was Will Quilt for Games and I absolutely loved the idea/concept. "She" takes games, usually of the 8 and 16-bit variety, and makes pillow covers. There is even the possibility of getting custom made ones, if one was inclined to ask.

I take custom orders - If there is a character or design on a pillow you want, just contact me and we will see how it goes. It usually takes me about 2 weeks to make a pillow.

Personally, the only "problem" I see with these are the price tag. I do understand that these take lots of time to make and are hand made but 35 US dollars is kind of a lot with the way things are, currently. This is all before shipping and handling. Now, if the total cost was closer $25 or $30 I'd be finding a way to maybe get one of these awesome things. (Yes, I am that much of a nerd).

Don't let my thoughts on price and economics get you down. If these made you say something similar as myself upon first seeing them, get yourself at least one. Just remember these are pillow covers, and I think for throw pillows.

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On another note, I have decided to participate in something interesting. The act, in itself, is an amusement and the whole thing is generally a good cause. I do hope that they do not mind that, while I do agree with the issue at hand, I generally still have a certain way I do things.


Click for Info

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Go For A Walk

That's right! Stop reading right now and take a quick walk. No need to go to far but it might be nice just to breath in the air. Its a nice feeling, walking. Just minding your own business and enjoying what is around you. Sometimes you might discover something interesting too.

Need encouragement? By a pedometer and make a game out of it. Try and break your old high score of number of steps taken. Do it all with your head held high and your back straight wearing nice comfortable sneakers.

No need to dress up for any reason either. Just put something comfortable on, provided it covers you up, and head on out. Who do you have to impress while your going for a walk?

Know what else? Take your pets! You don't need to have a dog to take the animal for a walk. I've seen plenty of people who take other animals "out". Turtles and tortoises, cats and other felines, even some of the larger rodents. Put a harness or collar on them and try a short trip to the mailbox.

Maybe you'll get to the point where you can participate in one of those walk-a-thons and help cure something! Maybe you'll just feel really good to have done something a little active. Then maybe, maybe you'll just have had a walk. No harm in going, right?

Some take walking as a full on hobby. Some add a bit of technology to their walks by adding GPS and custom made trails. Walking has to be the easiest and least costly amusement I can honestly think of, excluding sleeping.

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I wanna do this! (Monday Artday)

I'm seriously falling in love with Blogs of Note. This is two blogs of epic awesome that it has given me. The first being Stricktly Bangers and now it gives me Monday Artday.

An email, ala Dudel, has been already sent and I will be getting to work on an entry for the weekly challenge. This might get me back into drawing/illustrating regularly and give me something constructive to do other then play video games constantly.

This also means that my own personal DeviantART profile will fill up with lots of cool entries and soon I might even break out some old mediums I used to enjoy.

Yeah, this is a short post but I wanna get to work on my entry regardless of acceptance to Monday Artday or not.

You could always listen to some music or play a flash game.

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NEStopia

Emulating the NES and/or Famicon is something that a lot of "oldies" would love to do and a lot of you already do. The SNES is where I personally stated so not much is known about the system other then the fact that if it wasn't for the NES no other console and games would exist at all. This includes current systems and games. One of the most obvious is one of the "high profile" series that started on this system.

An RPG to literally end all RPGs was the idea behind Final Fantasy. Square, which was the devolper at the time, was going under along with the system it was trying to make games for. So as a "last ditch" they made a game with a literal meaning. This was going to be their last fantasy game, ever. However the game sold and sold and sold so much that demand for a sequal was high. The now very drawn out and over done FF (Final Fantasy) series is due to this one game.

Not to mention a lot of "game standards" started on the NES. The first person RPG, which I am not a direct fan of usually, had its root on PC gaming at the time but the NES, and later the SNES, seemed good fits for the genere. However the type of game is all but phased out in today's world with the, as far as I know, exception of the Elder Scrolls games and some copy-cats, though could be mistaken.

The emulator for the NES that I would suggest is NEStopia and it is the one that many people on a frequented site I visit for ROMs and emulation visit. The emulator works very similar to the VBA with only small exceptions with some small set up "problems". The source folders for save states, cheat codes and other things will have to be "redirected" after download if you do not place the game directly in the documents folder and move on. It is simple to do as NEStopia auto detects where the folders from the unzip (actually the one I found was a .rar file) are. Simply telling the emulator to select defaults will do the trick as most will not use these features anyway. Going into the options tab of the the Emulator it is best to select each item and select the defaults for the program.

Upon fixing these settings and a few others to default all you'll need are the ROMs. I downloaded an NES package of all known ROMs as I've never played a single game on the system so its best to just have the full thousand plus titles available for me. Some are not full games and only demos or prototypes but that is only about a hundred of the thousand so there are still plenty of games with a simple and small download.

Caution: Using emulators and having ROMs without owning the cartridges is technically illegal. Any ESA restricted titles that are obtained are illegal even with owning the cartridge.

Extra Note: Any system that has been deemed as "dead" or obsolete is usually not "watched" to close by authorities and most let infractions slide even on ESA titles but a caution is still needed.

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Treasure Hunting

Something that has been occupying many people sense the very beginning of the civilized world is finding treasure. Whether that be the finding of silver, gems and gold or the discovery of a single artifact. Many men and women, mostly men, have used up their lives in the pursuit of treasure. Some have found grand things and others have been doomed to failure.

Treasure hunting comes in many, many forms and skill levels. They range from the basic hobbyist with a metal-detector who finds spare pocket change to the savvy pirate looking for plunder. The former is the most common and has become a very popular way to spend one's time and money. Personally I find it odd you must spend money to find treasure, especially when there is not much about to be found.

However, there is the middle ground of treasure hunting that consists of ship diving and spelunking. Both require a skill set that is not difficult to learn and a small degree of danger and difficulty but most people can, in fact, do them. These types of treasure hunting are the most profitable but require knowledge of where, what and other variables that a majority of people do not wish to bother with.

Luck is a major playing in treasure hunting as well. Without a map or epic clues leading you to your destination you are basically flying blind, even with hits or tips. Its a matter of "Oh whats over here" and "Lets peek under this rock" which most are not a favor of. Treasure hunting favor's the lucking and the persistent. You can not go out one day and try it then give up because nothing was found. Most treasure hunters go their entire life without so much as a gold coin but it is the adventure they are looking for, not the monetary reward.


I do know that most, if not all, of us wouldn't mind finding a big chest filled with jewels but lets not get our hopes up and have fun with this hobby, shall we?

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Bug Catching

Something that is usually considered a childish or immature hobby can be hours and hours of fun while never leaving your own back yard. While some may look down on this activity it is something keeps the body and mind working together in order to accomplish a goal.

The trick with Bug Catching or "Hunting" is knowledge of what you are hunting. You don't need to know what each insect-oid or "bug" eats, how and/or when it breeds or the specific type you are looking for but only general details. Simple facts about a general type of "bug" you wish to possibly see. This usually can be found on the net, links provided in side bar, or you can by a cheap book on "bugs", "insects" or the specific you wish to find such as "Spiders". Furthermore you could trim it down to your location only to prevent unwanted confusion. Upon catching a insect-oid you should NEVER EVER pick it up with your bare hands without knowing absolutely what you are touching. The insect world can be filled with rather dangerous things that could end wrong if not handled properly.

Some would say that not everyone should go "bug" hunting for previous reason stated and its opposite but I highly disagree. There is a grand enjoyment when you discover something with your own eyes. Image waking up in the morning to go and "check your traps" and finding several little beings all waiting for your eyes. You can then, if you wish, even catalog and diagram and illustrate (great for artists looking for realistic things in the world while still remaining slightly abstract) the things you have found. Sometimes Mother Nature surprises you with something you'd never have thought the time was worth looking for.

Tools of the trade, they range from the drastically simple to the expensively complicated. The choice depends on how serious you take the hobby and how much time you are willing to invest. While the more expensive of the "gear" is the easiest to use it requires the least amount of effort in collecting specimens for whatever reasons you have and in my honest opinion it is lost to fun. Entomologists, mostly, use the "tried and true" bug catching methods that you see children use.

• The Butterfly Net
• The Glass Jar
• The Light
• The Sketch Book or Field Guide

"Bug" catching really has to be the easiest thing to start into. You do not even have to touch anything if you aren't "that type" of person. Its great for artists looking for something strange within his/her own world. Good for the scientific mind who seeks wonder or reason as to what and why. And BEST for those willing to give a simple joy the time to make them smile.

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Hand Held Emulation (VBA)

Emulation is not stuck solely for in home consoles, which is proven with the Virtual Boy Advance. The Virtual Boy Advance or VBA, emulates all Nintendo Game Boy games from the Advance down. Which allows for a vastly extended library of titles. Like the ZSNES the VBA has some interesting features that allow for enhanced play opportunities. Cheatp to play with low system reqs this is for a lot of people who aren't looking for "too much" or need a dose of something they might miss from earlier years.

Core Features
(In No Particular Order)

Windows Windowed. Unlike the ZSNES the VBA opens in an actual windows window which allows for being stretched with the mouse rather then having to adjust settings within the emulator. This is handy considering the base size for the screens is that of the systems they come from. (1 x 2 in and 2 x3 inc are standard)

Run Zip: Like the ZSNES the VBA does not require you to unzip game files in order to play them. The VBA itself must be unzipped. This saves hard drive space, but not much, and also provides simple loading and reloading.

Save States: While common among most emulators and ROM files, the save state is still a core feature to the VBA. This allows to save without the need for in game save options, which is handy.

Recording: As with a lot of emulators recording is slowly becoming standard. This allows you to, simply put, record your game sessions for whatever reason. You may also screen shot/capture.

Ease of Use: The emulator puts everything right in front of you with simple drop down and know how buttons. There is even a help menu for those that may need it.

Among those there are also many options on how to adjust the audio and video so that it will run on any machine. Forcing the frame rate, allowing the audio to adjust, as the Game Boy audio was brutal. My suggestion for options is to mute the audio on the VBA as the horrible music and sounds do not translate well into even low end PC speakers. The video will be a machine by machine base but to improve speed the easiest thing to do is boost or lower the frame rate which can be done simply in the frame rate option.

Most new emulators have these features, but the VBA was one of the first to get it working great before it was all standard. An update for the VBA has not been released sense 2005, do not get your hopes up for one.





Caution: Using emulators and having ROMs without owning the cartridges is technically illegal. Any ESA restricted titles that are obtained are illegal even with owning the cartridge.

Emulation (ZSNES)

Emulation, emulators and ROMs have recently been on my sight for solving the problem. Within the last few months I have played a few SNES games either for the first time, as I was not old enough to enjoy a few to their extent and/or lacked the attention span to finish them, or as a second, third and even fourth run through. The ZSNES is one of the most well founded and stable emulators that I've seen on the net not to mention the most popular. There, really, is no other way to play SNES roms. The major "selling point" for the ZSNES are its simplicity and some key features that everyone should know about.

ZSNES Key Features
(Not listed in particular order)

ROM zip: While the ZSNES is a ziped file, and you will need a program to unzip it, the ROMS can be used within the ZNES unzipped. Provided that the folder/file you saved the ZSNES into is either in the ROM folder or at least next to it, the ZNES will also auto-detect its games.

Controls: Because it is built with PC gaming in mind the controls are 100% customizable and it also works with several controller types, joysticks and game pads. Any hardware that is NOT your keyboard may need additional programing which could possibly be found on the net. Suggest simply customizing your keyboard to fit play style or to obtain a controller adapter to something you've got on hand, already.

Mods/Hacks: The ZSNES itself can't really "get hacked" but the program does allow you to alter somethings within the games it loads. It is simple to do and guides on hacking your ROMs with the ZSNES can be found online.

Low Requirements: This is a BIG selling point with myself. The file size for the ZSNES doesn't break a gig and most ROMS float at about 5 kilobytes. Larger and more involved games will be higher in size but will almost NEVER break a half gig. Not to mention, as you are playing low bit games, the vid and audio found on basic machines will allow for the ZSNES to operate.

Save States: The ability to create a save file at any point and then later to return to that exact point. Commonly used for "amusing" cut scenes, whether trying to avoid seeing them again because of constant death or to view something later. Excessive save stating can corrupt ROM files and save data, so watch out.

Speed Up Frame Rate: Holding down the tilde key causes the ZSNES to speed up its frame rate. This is good for skipping cut scenes, speed runs, or when you may get like me whos attention span may "slip and/or are in a hurry for no good reason. This feature can be adjusted.

Customizable Window: Has many options which include; the ability to play at many different sized windows and resolutions, adjust the color filters on the ZSNES and games it plays for a personal look and options to play full screen or not as well as number of pixels shown. Number of pixels shown may be limited by the "sync to monitor" feature.

Keycode Combos: Initiate a string of key presses without need for other mods and hacks. Works well with customizable keyboards, especially when you have multiples.

It is my full recommendation that anyone looking for free, low system requirement games that are not browser based, download the ZSNES and play the game catalog. Playing NES games would not be a bad idea either as the requirements for this would be even lower. Check side bar for links to emu and ROM sits.



Caution: Using emulators and having ROMs without owning the cartridges is technically illegal. Any ESA restricted titles that are obtained are illegal even with owning the cartridge.

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Roleplaying (PbP)

There are many forms of roleplaying and one of those is known as PbP. Another acronym is being thrown at you here but I will, once again, fully explain. A PbP is simply a shortening of the three words Play, By, and Post. PbPs are commonly done via forums, visa vie threads and posting. Currently I am an active member of a PbP site known as The Roleplaers Guild. For short the comunity calls it RPGuild or just RPG.

Roleplaying in this manner has brought forth many questions with myself and within the community. One of the big ones is a difficult matter for me. Are you just playing a game or are we all writing a story together? In my opinion I see Roleplaying in general as only escapism, regardless of how it is done. A point in time where you may be that epic villein, grand wizard or in my case, the noble thief. This is, of course, a restriction on what PbP truly is as there is more then your typical fantasy.

Current Trends On Site Include: Vampires, Werewolves, High School Stories, Mild Fantasy (Moderately grounded in reality) & Heavy Sci-Fi (Barely grounded in reality). Observation made in personal assessment.

There are also many exceptions to the trends. A great example of this trend breaking is my own RP. It may be bad form to post a post about a post but I have decided to do that very thing anyway.

SNIPPET

Not far down the road from David was a semi-driver named Bob. He was working his second double shift, in less days, and didn't seem to be paying much attention to his surrounding. That was until he saw Evan and the several large monsters that were following. Slamming the brakes to his semi, Bob closed his eyes and prayed to every god he could think off as he heard a very loud SPLAT, "Jesus Buddha Crista please don't say I killed that kid."

Bob opened his eyes to see his windshield covered in red and green slim, "What da hell," Bob questioned as he opened up the cab door, unbuckled his belt and jumped from the high cabin. It took him only a couple of seconds to see what was on the front glass of his large truck but nothing more was seen as he was pounced on and taken away, "DA FUUU-?"

This snippet is from the current game I am GM/DMing (Game Master and/or Dungeon Master), aptly named When Flea F*****s Attack. Click the link to read more of this oddball collaborative writing or join the site and participate in it. Snippet edited slightly as there were/are errors in the original.

PBBGs (An Opinion)

Image via Wikipedia

I play them, I like them and I wanna talk about them!

Now, what IS a pbbg, you ask? Well it is a "persistent browser-based game". These are the MMOs of the cheap encounter! They require NO download, unless you don't have an internet browser in which case you can't REALLY be seeing this unless someone gave you the offline save file, which would be odd.

Nestled in your browser lay a simple game, I play several at the moment they are not so similar as most think but pbbgs still have their positives and negatives.

Positives

Minimal System Requirements: Because a pbbg rests in your browser you do not need more than that and an internet connection. If you are viewing this post, unless you have the offline version (which would be odd), you can play a pbbg. Some may require java or flash but most do not.

Price: 90% of pbbgs are 100% free to play and/or rely on a donation system to survive. This means that unless you WANT TO you do not need to part with your hard earned cash to play these games. It is usually the "hard-core" overly devoted type that pays for some "bells and whistles".

Access: Location is a key feature with pbbgs. Many players have jobs where they are "stuck" in front of a PC all day and in order to amuse themselves they play a game. Now your boss would clearly see a full 3-D game moving about on your screen but would HARDLY notice some links and text. There are even games with "work mode" that actually look like a word document or the like.

Negatives

Get What You Pay For: Not paying has its disadvantages as well as advantages. A free game strickly focues on the donations of others either in time or money. That being said, you are on another human beings time schedule. If the creator of your game goes "on holiday" and the thing crashes you either have to wait for a miracle of god OR him/her to return. Not paying means that, sometimes, you get bad service.

Breaking In: This is common of ALL mmos but it seems the "free kind" are more particular, especially pbbgs. A few games are well known for their "disgruntled" player base and others games are not known at all. This is because there are so many games that a few can "get lost" while others attract EVERY Tom, Dick, and Harry who knows what the mouse button does. Sometimes a community game can be a scary to new comers.

Poor (if any) Graphics: This works on both sides as it was stated in system reqs. The lack of graphics is what makes pbbgs both a BIG TURN ON and TURN OFF. Some players WANT that smearing effect on the ocean and others don't even want pictures on their games. Flash pbbgs and java pbbgs, like RuneScape, are both rather popular because they fix "this problem".