Humble Indie Bundle 7

The Humble Indie Bundle 7 has just been put on sale. As I've posted before that I'm a big fan of this program that gives customers the opportunity to pay what they want for the games and decide how much of the purchase price goes to the developers, the Electronic Frontier Foundation or Child's Play charity. The Humble Indie Bundle includes:

• Snapshot
• Binding of Isaac
• Closure
• Indie Game: The Movie (the movie)
• Shank 2

And if you pay over the average you also get:

• Dungeon Defenders +DLC
• Legend of Grimlock

Humble Indie Bundle 7 also includes the soundtracks for all the games. 

All DRM Free. Proceeds go to charity. 

More info here:

Link to get buy here: https://www.humblebundle.com/

Have fun all!

-Joe

Some Much Needed Downtime and a Note for Slackers

I just wrapped up another semester of classes and I'm two-thirds of the way through my BS in Business Management program at Northeastern University. Forty-four weeks of classes in a year along with work and raising a family is a grind and I need a mental holiday. I'll be taking it easy for the next few weeks to give my brain some rest and recharge my batteries for the the last 6 months left of classes starting in January. Now it's time to spend some more time having fun with my kids, enjoy some more time with my wife, catch up on some games, maybe read a book I don't have to cite for a report, not have to worry about homework deadlines and heck, I may even get some sleep for a change. I'll also be taking a look at what I've been doing and make sure its the right thing for my family.

It's important to stay productive but it's also important that we slow down from time to time. Take some time to look at what you are doing and ask yourself if you're on the right path. These little lulls in life are the best time to take a step back and assess where you can improve your life and the lives of your loved ones. It's hard to get a grasp on where you are in life when you're up to your eyebrows with work. Some of you reading this may be taking some time off for the holidays and amidst all the merriment take a pause and ask yourself if you're on the right path. Ask yourself, "Can I be doing better?", "Do I really need to work 80 hour weeks?", "Do I really need a 400 calorie coffee every morning?" Your answers are your own of course, you may be completely content and more power to you.

On the other hand if you've been spending all your time sitting around blaming others for your lack of success, get of your ass and make it happen now. Don't wait for the New Year, don't wait until Monday, and don't wait for tomorrow. None of things are promised, success isn't guaranteed but only you can maximize your potential through effort.

Have a super day/week/year/life,
Joe

The Humble eBook Bundle

UPDATE: 5 Web Comic Collections have been added to the Humble E-Book Bundle:

• xkcd - Randall Munroe
• Save Yourself, Mammal! - Zach Weiner
• The Most Dangerous Game - Zach Weiner
• Attack of the Bacon Robots - Jerry Holkins + Mik Krahulik (Penny Arcade)
• Epic Legends of the Magic Sword Kings - Jerry Holkins + Mike Krahulik (Penny Arcade)

You will get these extra 5 if you spend more than the average (which at the time of this posting is $12.65).

If "WHAA?!" just came out of your mouth, you're probably already familiar with the Humble Indie Bundle and hopefully you've kicked in some of you hard earned dough to help out indie developers and more importantly help out the great charity Child's Play. And for that, mad props to you my friends and you may simply scroll down to the video below for an opportunity to help out some more.

For those of you that are asking, "What are you talking about Joe and can you please explain it to us?" Well, the Humble (insert digital media nomenclature here) Bundle has historically been a group of game developers that put up their (DRM Free) games for sale in order to raise money for charity and perhaps get a little cash for themselves. The purchase price of the items are determined by the purchaser and the purchaser also decides how much of the money goes to the developers or the Child's Play Charity. The site has been hugely successful raising funds selling games and now it appears they have moved into E-Books. I could explain it all to you but I think this video does a better job. Dim the lights please... a little more.. yup you got it:

So yeah, buy some E-Books for a good price and help out charity. Writers get their stories out, sick kids get games to play, you look really smart and hip reading an E-book and possibly get noticed by someone you fancy and they think you're awesome for helping out sick kids and then one thing leads to another... well you get it, everybody wins. I suggest you check out www.HumbleBundle.com for more information and sign up for their E-Mail list for future bundles.

If you are sitting there asking "What's an E-Book?" go back into your cave and wait for the next ice age.

Humbly,
Joe

Canobie Lake Park Halloween Pictures

I just wanted to share some pictures I took at a near by amusement park, Canobie Lake. They are in full Halloween swing with all the monsters out. Unfortunately, one of them got my wife.

Later,
Joe

P.S. This is a mobile post so I'm not sure how the formatting will come out.

My New Camera: Panasonic Lumix GF3

A couple of weeks ago I decided that the point and shoot camera that my wife had didn't quite suit my photo taking needs. I knew I wasn't quite ready or willing to slap a wad of cash down for a high end dslr but I did want something that had much better image quality and some manual controls. I've read quite a bit about micro 4/3rds cameras and after watching a few episodes of DigitalRev TV I decided to get the Panasonic Lumix GF3. I've had the camera for a few weeks now and I've been experimenting with the settings and looking for good shots. Please don't judge the quality of the camera solely on my shots, I've still got a lot to learn. If you have any suggestions please comment below. I will post some more pictures from time to time.

If anyone is interested, this is the video that helped me make my final decision on the Panasonic Lumix GF3. Enjoy!

iPad to Nexus 7: My Transition

Sorry, I couldn't find iPad 1 images.

A little over two years ago I won an Apple iPad (Gen. 1) from an online contest run by App A Day TV. Prior to this I was skeptical how a device like this would fit in to my lifestyle. I had already purchased an iPhone 3GS so I had some idea how the iPad would function but I was unsure how useful a larger size would be and if it was worth the extra dough it cost. Luckily, I didn't have to make the decision because fate, or dumb luck, struck and I was on my way to becoming an iPad owner simply by retweeting the promotion for a show that I really liked.

The first thing I did when I opened the box and powered it up was download Sketchbook Pro. A brilliant drawing app along the lines of Adobe Photoshop, just a lot cheaper and lower resolution. While initially thinking it was great I had difficulty drawing with the same accuracy as I had with a pencil and paper. I gave it about 18 months and finally decided that the iPad wasn't for creating content.

After so long of trying to make it a creation device I realized it's strengths lied elsewhere. It was great for reading books, reviewing PDFs for work, keeping up with email & calendar and of course I found a handful of very good games. I became much more efficient (and greener) at work having all the documents I needed in a small form factor and it was easy to access my online course work through Northeastern University. While a lot of people I knew bought their iPads as a toy or a shiny new bit of kit, I was using mind to kick ass and take names. To me, it was a life changer. It is the reason why I will always have a tablet and the reason why I now own a Mac.

Google Nexus 7 from ASUS

After a while though, I had a problem, the iPad just too big for what I needed. I'm constantly reassessing my needs and what I need my tech to do. The iPad is a rather awkward to read on and trust me I read all of the Song of Ice and Fire and Steve Jobs biography on it. While it was a lot lighter than lugging around all those books I found it difficult to hold it while reading. At work I was constantly getting asked "oh, is that an iPad? How do you like it", there was just no way to hide the thing and just do my work. I flirted with the idea of just getting an iPad 2 to cut down on weight but I just stuck with the 1st gen hoping to find a smaller form factor that didn't skimp on the functionality (yes, I'm talking to you Kindle Fire 1). I still loved what the iPad did but I need something that was a lot less ostentatious.

So I waited and waited and the Google Nexus 7 was released. It was the form factor I'd been looking for and after I heard some initial reviews I knew it was what I needed. Something that I could use as an e-reader, web browser, calendar and E-Mail device (and of course some games). I did get some dumb questions like, "Well, don't you miss all the apps?" Nope. All the apps I used on a regular basis, Evernote, Google Drive, Kindle, Pulse, Instapaper and Battleheart (great game) were already on the Google Play store. It was really a no brainer to trade in my aging iPad 1 for the Google Nexus 7. I got the size that I wanted without any loss of productivity.

My Nexus 7 Homescreen

The form factor of the Nexus 7 is perfect for my needs. I can hold it easily with one hand and read while I'm doing things around the house. Automatic app updates is a great benefit that doesn't currently exist on iOS. Furthermore the notifications are better; they are less obtrusive and more intuitive to go through. The YouTube app is fantastic and combing that with the Nexus' widescreen orientation has made me a fan of the site for the first time. Lastly, Google Now is a great feature. It keeps track of where you are and where you go to help you with your commute, it updates sports scores and calendar dates in a slick user interface that also includes voice commands. Overall it is the perfect fit for my needs and there hasn't been a moment where I've missed my iPad.

Some people will argue that the iPad is a much better device and I won't argue with them. But, what is the best device for you isn't always written on the spec sheet. It's about your day to day work, how you consume your content, how much you are willing to spend and if you have some kind of bizarre brand loyalty. A lot of people ask me what tablet they should get and I often ask them a bunch of questions first. Below is a list of questions you should be asking yourself if you are in the market to buy a tablet.

1. Do I really need a tablet?
2. What do I need it to do?
3. How often do I want to have it with me?
4. How am I going to carry it?
5. Do I need a data package or will Wifi only fit my needs?
6. How much am I willing to spend?
7. Do I really need a tablet?

Honestly, don't get one because you think it's some kind of social requirement. It's a good policy not only for tablets but for everything you buy, just buy stuff you need.

Until next time,
Joe Martin

Should I Really be doing this?

Should I just go to sleep? I have a full-time job to show up to tomorrow morning, in the afternoon I will be taking care of my 3 kids as my wife heads off to work then I will be working on my bachelor's degree in business management. After that I will probably be where I am right now, lying in bed thinking about what else I could be doing, besides sleep of course. I've been having this increasing feeling that I should be writing more. I have a lot of interests and knowledge in a lot of areas that I think I should be sharing with the world. I also have some odd opinions that I often wonder if others share. I've tried to connect with like minded people through Facebook, Google+, and twitter but the conversation gets drowned out by all the background noise. Maybe I just need a simple platform and workflow to get my ideas out there. I can't promise that they will be profound in any way but I can promise that they are mine. This blog is about whatever the hell I feel like sharing, whether it's my drawings, my photography or my thoughts. Seems simple enough, let's see how it goes.

With that, I'm going to sleep now.

Until next time,
Joe Martin