The killer app

It took some time constantly browsing the App store but I finally found something that does pretty much exactly what I would want my iPad to do – Evernote. I basically needed something that would sync on its own anything I was working on without iTunes. Most of what I do is text based and, while Evernote allows for all sorts of rich media, it’s ability to quickly and reliably handle text is a godsend.

The first thing I did was get my D&D notes all put into it; no more having to shift through my notepad to find what I need for the encounter. This isn’t to say that it replaces pen and paper. I like pen and paper and will continue to use them for drafts and ideas. When I like what I’ve done on paper, I migrate that to Evernote so I have it on my PC, iMac, iPad, and iPhone. There hasn’t been anything that beats that.

The more I use it, the more likely I’ll pay for the premium service. As of now, my notes are pretty small and don’t eat up too much space. I definitely see that changing in the future and have no qualms paying.

The iPad

So I bought an iPad on the day it was released. I’m currently typing this on it in an attempt to get better with it’s touch keyboard. First impressions after having used it for a good two days? I like it.

I’m very sure that as more apps come out for it and more books are added to the iBook store, I’ll get even more use out of it. All in all – a fine purchase. I highly recommend it.

QUICK UPDATE: My iPhone is feeling smaller and smaller the more I use the iPad. It’s actually pretty funny how it starts to feel like a prototype compared to the new device.

Estwind. D&D map update

Estwind. Map for D&D4e campaign. WIP

Here, now, and future

Glorious review of events time. I know you are excited. I can feel it.

Currently I’m spending much more time playing WoW then I guess could be considered healthy. Not nearly as much as Xiaorui does but she’s a special beast. I have all these great pipe dreams of leveling an alt for fun but end up spending all my time playing Loannae. This game takes up nearly the bulk of my evenings when I do have other things I could, possibly should, be doing. The other stuff just isn’t as much fun. Besides, being the guild’s best healer is a bit of an ego trip. Still playing around with Loannae’s gear and there are some options I can theorycraft but they will have to remain on paper for the time being as I simply don’t have the gold on hand nor the emblems to procure the materials to really delve into it.

The house is very settled in now. Our belongings have places to go and it does feel like our home. Of course, due to the above paragraph, I have not hung any pictures or shelves yet. I know it really won’t take any time to do and yet, I’m happy being very lazy about it. I’ll have to get it done before the New Year because damnit I’m just that proactive! :D

Speaking of New Year’s, my parents are taking us to Washington D.C., New York, and Baltimore for Christmas. It promises to be a very fun trip with all of us being in Times Square for the ball drop. Ideally I’d like to be able to tour the White House and check out the Smithsonian again and I’ll only have a scant few days to do so.

Been spending a lot of time hanging out with my friend Juan on the weekends and, unfortunately, we’ve had to put our weekly 4e Dungeons and Dragons game on hold due to various reasons. This worked out really well for me because, as our DM, I umm didn’t quite have the encounters and story line completely (or even remotely close) to being fleshed out. It is my first time being a proper DM and none of us (Xiaorui, Andrew, Chad, or Juan) have played 4e before. Juan and I have some experience with older versions of D&D but we’re all learning. This gives me some wiggle room with how encounters work and I’ve house-ruled some things to really keep the focus on the game being fun. I should define fun quickly though – fun is damn near killing the party each encounter, the group seems to like that. I think it reminds us all of WoW with the constant wiping as we struggle to clear new bosses.

Final note: I started drawing a potential iPhone app this morning. Not going to go into to much detail just yet but I will say Moleskins are perfect for doing sketches. Then again, I think you all knew that.