Jump to:
About
This page collects stuff I want to show others, but which I don't feel deserve a page of its own. As the name implies, here is where I offload random stuff. If something here grows to insane proportions, I will most likely give it its own page.
Fun
These are items that get their own page for various reasons. Why the heading name Fun? Firstly because it's true, and secondly because I can't come up with a better name; it does not imply that this is the only fun part of my site.
- Insignia — Warning! Contains ridiculously huge images that will devour your CPU and defenestrate your RAM! Enter at own risk.
- Trace Elements — An attempt to explain the references in a song about science.
Invented words and phrases
| Phrase or word | Inventor | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| A highly trained professional | Håvard | One who isn't. An indirect reference to the fact that NPCs in computer games are indifferent to actions that the player can make that would turn heads and gather comments from the general public in real life (such as frantically jumping, trailing people so close that they can smell your aftershave, and running in circles around old ladies). A direct reference to Half-Life where the line “Gordon doesn't need to hear all this, he's a highly trained professional” is given, during which it is possible to perform goofy acts. |
| Emotiologic | shoofle | Emotion is the grease on the wheels of human logic! |
| Fits under the bed | Niels-Henrik | A reference to the show What is Scientology? where the host, Ed Clark, has a tendency to act like those goofballs you see on infomercials (leading the guests on, overly praising them, and using convoluted language), implying that the only thing missing from the show is that phrase. |
| Glory Device'd! | Håvard | Someone who commits a suicide bombing has been Glory Device'd (ranging in orders of magnitude from petty market place bombings, making stars go supernova, through destruction on a galactic scale). A reference to the Shofixti race in the computer game Star Control 2. |
| Memulation | Niels-Henrik | Emulation through memes. For instance, if you don't have an MP3 player on you, you could have someone hum a song and let the meme infect your brain, thus allowing you to emulate the song. |
| Puzzle mashing | Even | A play on the gaming term button mashing, puzzle mashing means playing puzzle games unthinkingly (by overly using a hints system, randomly trying to fit pieces together in match-three games, or otherwise). |
| Star Wars | Niels-Henrik | A verb meaning to shoot directly at an enemy while moving rapidly towards it, timing it so that when it explodes, you go straight through it. A reference to the Star Wars series, where X-wings sometimes perform the same maneuver on TIE fighters. |
| Stlash | Håvard | A portmanteau of the words stab and slash. What happens when you apply first an inward thrusting motion and then a sideways pulling motion with a bladed weapon. |
| Survival of what fits best | Niels-Henrik | Natural selection of clothes. When deciding which clothes to throw away and which to keep, only what fits best survives. |
| Technological sexularity | Seiun | The point where interfacing between human minds can produce sexual euphoria beyond an orgasm. |
Project Euler
mathschallenge.net's Project Euler is a set of mathematical problems that are designed to be solved with computer programming. It's very fun and challenging, and I think it's a great way to hone your programming skills. Here's a list of the problems I've solved so far:
- 1: Add all the natural numbers below 1000 that are multiples of 3 or 5.
- 2: Find the sum of all the even terms in the Fibonacci sequence below one million.
- 4: Find the largest palindrome made from the product of two 3-digit numbers.
- 5: What is the smallest number divisible by each of the numbers 1 to 20?
- 6: What is the difference between the sum of the squares and the square of the sums?
- 7: Find the 10001st prime.
- 8: Discover the largest product of five consecutive digits in the 1000-digit number.
- 10: Calculate the sum of all the primes below one million.
- 11: What is the greatest product of four numbers on the same straight line in the 20 by 20 grid?
- 12: What is the first triangle number to have over five-hundred divisors?
- 13: Find the first ten digits of the sum of one-hundred 50-digit numbers.
- 14: Find the longest sequence using a starting number under one million.
- 16: What is the sum of the digits of the number 21000?
- 17: How many letters would be needed to write all the numbers in words from 1 to 1000?
- 20: Find the sum of digits in 100!
- 21: Evaluate the sum of all amicable pairs under 10000.
- 22: What is the total of all the name scores in the file of first names?
- 25: What is the first term in the Fibonacci sequence to contain 1000-digits?
- 28: What is the sum of both diagonals in a 1001 by 1001 spiral?
- 30: Find the sum of all the numbers that can be written as the sum of fifth powers of their digits.
- 34: Find the sum of all numbers which are equal to the sum of the factorial of their digits.
- 35: How many circular primes are there below one million?
- 36: Find the sum of all numbers less than one million, which are palindromic in base 10 and base 2.
- 37: Find the sum of all eleven primes that are both truncatable from left to right and right to left.
- 42: How many triangle words can you make using the list of common English words?
- 48: Find the last ten digits of 11 + 22 + ... + 10001000.
Xbox Live Arcade scores
Xbox Live Arcade is a very neat feature of the Xbox 360; it's a convenient way for game creators to get small, arcade-like games out, and it's great to have every one of these games in one box. I use this feature excessively. In fact, I own many more XBL Arcade games than I do normal ones. Some of these I'm very good at, and this section is a way for me to brag about my high scores. Remember, every game has its own online leaderboard, so I can't effectively lie here.
| Game | High score/rating |
|---|---|
| Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved | 24,937,870 |
| Marble Blast Ultra (Single Player) | 1,247,610 |
| Marble Blast Ultra (Multiplayer) | 196,677 |
| Mutant Storm Reloaded (Singe Player Adventure Mode) | 7,972,660 |
| Mutant Storm Reloaded (Single Player Tally Mode) | 20,342,880 |
| Mutant Storm Reloaded (Two Player Adventure Mode, with Aemanther) | 8,902,120 |
| Mutant Storm Reloaded (Two Player Tally Mode, with Aemanther) | 23,740,560 |
Elasto Mania
These are my records in the 2D computer game Elasto Mania. They're not so good, but I believe they're above average.
| Level | Time | Replay |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1, Warm Up | 00:14:34 | pho01.rec |
| Level 2, Flat Track | 00:17:57 | pho02.rec |
| Level 3, Twin Peaks | 00:23:46 | pho03.rec |
| Level 4, Over and Under | 00:35:81 | pho04.rec |
| Level 5, Uphill Battle | 00:25:76 | pho05.rec |
| Level 6, Long Haul | 00:52:21 | pho06.rec |
| Level 7, Hi Flyer | 00:46:93 | pho07.rec |
| Level 8, Tag | 00:23:96 | pho08.rec |
| Level 9, Tunnel | 01:18:82 | pho09.rec |
| Level 10, The Steppes | 00:32:73 | pho10.rec |
| Level 11, Gravity Ride | 00:32:38 | pho11.rec |
| Level 12, Islands in the Sky | 00:25:40 | pho12.rec |
| Level 13, Hill Legend | 00:19:93 | pho13.rec |
| Level 14, Loop-de-Loop | 00:20:86 | pho14.rec |
| Level 15, Serpents Tale | 01:14:79 | pho15.rec |
| Level 16, New Wave | 01:48:30 | pho16.rec |
| Level 17, Labyrinth | 01:03:88 | pho17.rec |
| Level 18, Spiral | 00:51:82 | pho18.rec |
| Level 19, Turnaround | 00:53:35 | pho19.rec |
| Level 20, Upside Down | 01:18:06 | pho20.rec |
| Level 21, Hangman | 00:22:34 | pho21.rec |
| Level 22, Slalom | 00:47:77 | pho22.rec |
| Level 23, Quick Round | 01:02:96 | pho23.rec |
| Level 24, Ramp Frenzy | 01:32:40 | pho24.rec |
| Level 25, Precarious | 00:32:00 | pho25.rec |
| Level 26, Circuitous | 00:35:82 | pho26.rec |
| Level 27, Shelf Life | 00:53:13 | pho27.rec |
| Level 28, Bounce Back | 01:06:37 | pho28.rec |
| Level 29, Headbanger | 01:17:57 | pho29.rec |
| Level 30, Pipe | 00:38:40 | pho30.rec |
| Level 31, Animal Farm | 01:56:25 | pho31.rec |
| Level 32, Steep Corner | 00:47:78 | pho32.rec |
| Level 33, Zig-Zag | 02:22:06 | pho33.rec |
| Level 34, Bumpy Journey | 00:52:14 | pho34.rec |
| Level 35, Labyrinth Pro | 04:12:16 | pho35.rec |
| Level 36, Fruit in the Den | 01:23:93 | pho36.rec |
| Level 37, Jaws | 01:36:40 | pho37.rec |
| Level 38, Curvaceous | 00:36:59 | pho38.rec |
| Level 39, Haircut | 00:56:41 | pho39.rec |
| Level 40, Double Trouble | 02:16:85 | pho40.rec |
| Level 41, Framework | 00:45:10 | pho41.rec |
| Level 42, Enduro | 01:07:45 | pho42.rec |
| Level 43, He He | 01:19:12 | pho43.rec |
| Level 44, Freefall | 00:35:44 | pho44.rec |
| Level 45, Sink | 00:34:43 | pho45.rec |
| Level 46, Bowling | 01:45:82 | pho46.rec |
| Level 47, Enigma | 01:06:28 | pho47.rec |
| Level 48, Downhill | 01:33:67 | pho48.rec |
| Level 49, What the Heck | 01:18:10 | pho49.rec |
| Level 50, Expert System | 01:30:64 | pho50.rec |
| Level 51, Tricks Abound | 01:24:70 | pho51.rec |
| Level 52, Hang Tight | 00:36:75 | pho52.rec |
| Level 53, Hooked | 00:23:39 | pho53.rec |
| Level 54, Apple Harvest | --:--:-- | -- |
| Total | 01:04:30:58 | All recs |
Minesweeper
I'm fairly good at Minesweeper. Here are my records, accompanied by recordings:
| Level | Time |
|---|---|
| Beginner | 3 sec. |
| Intermediate | 30 sec. |
| Expert | 103 sec. |
Fictional heroes
Here's a list of my favorite fictional heroes. The ranking is tentative; evaluating the coolness of each against each other is hard.
| Rank | Hero | What | From | Played/voice-acted by | Why | Image |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ryu Hayabusa | Ninja | Ninja Gaiden series | Hideyuki Hori (original Japanese), Justin Gross (English dub) | Ninjas are always cool, but this one beats all. |  |
| 2 | J. C. Denton | Nanotechnologically augmented badass | Deus Ex series | Jay Anthony Franke | He knows how to solve practical problems. |  |
| 3 | Gordon Freeman | Theoretical physicist | Half-Life series | No one (he never speaks) | He saves the world. |  |
| 4 | Neo | The One | Matrix series | Keanu Reeves | He saves humanity. |  |
| 5 | Sam Fisher | A terrorist's nightmare | Splinter Cell series | Michael Ironside | He makes terrorists pay. |  |
| 6 | Karan S'jet | Neuroscientist, Fleet Command | Homeworld series | Heidi Ernest | She volunteers to hardwire herself to a huge ship to act as its living CPU, taking her race across the galaxy to their homeworld. And she has the cutest voice. |  |
| 7 | John-117 | Cyborg | Halo series | Steve Downes | Defends humanity against the Covenant. |  |
| 8 | Max Payne | Framed cop | Max Payne series | James McCaffrey | He describes his world in the most clever metaphores. |  |
| 9 | The Prince | Noble and acrobatic prince | Prince of Persia series | Yuri Lowenthal (The Sands of Time, The Two Thrones), Robin Atkin Downes (Warrior Within) | He's a Persian ninja, the second-best kind of ninja. |  |
| 10 | Frank West | Photojournalist | Dead Rising | Terence James Rotolo | He saves people. Ordinary people. |  |
| 11 | Cortana | Powerful AI | Halo series | Jen Taylor | Witty and helpful personality. |  |
Noun of Plural Noun
I found the title of Iain M. Banks' book The Player of Games hilarious, so I invented some others:
- The Bringer of Swift Wrath
- The Buyer of Merchandise
- The Drinker of Liquids
- The Kicker of Ass
- The Percolator of Myths
- The Procrastinator of Work
- The Pwner of N00bz
- The Reader of Books
- The Scratcher of Itches
- The Singer of Songs
- The Spewer of Filth
- The Thrower of Rocks
- The Weaver of Ideas
- The Wielder of Weapons
Suggestions by Alex Spurling:
- The Hacker of Code
- The Proliferator of Ignorance
- The Purveyor of Prudence
- The Turner of Cogs
Origami
I made these shapes following the instructions on Stephan T. Lavavej's Origami Polyhedra page. From left to right: a cube, an octahedron and an icosahedron. I'm still in the process of making the stellated truncated icosahedron (aka Epcot ball), but it requires 270 pieces, so it'll take some time.
Ninja Gaiden miscellanea
Here's a table comparing various features of Ninja Gaiden, Ninja Gaiden Black, Ninja Gaiden Sigma, and Ninja Gaiden II.
| Ninja Gaiden | Ninja Gaiden Black | Ninja Gaiden Sigma | Ninja Gaiden II | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| In HD? | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Playable Rachel? | No | No | Yes | No |
| Camera rotation? | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Charging without Essence? | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Interruptable 1st level charge? | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| More save points than in previous game? | N/A | Yes | Yes | N/A |
| Uniform Reverse Wind animation? | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| Can fire bow in mid-air? | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Can pick up Essence singly? | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Has the Lunar? | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Has the Dragon's Claw & Tiger's Fang? | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Has Mission Mode? | No | Yes | Yes | Downloadable |
| Has Survival Mode? | No | No | Yes | Unknown |
| Ice shattering guard break? | No | No | Yes | No |
| Shortcut to items? | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Continuous running on water? | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Must tap jump to run on water? | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| Has chargable projectile weapons? | No | No | No | Yes |
| Has Ninja Cinema? | No | No | No | Yes |
| Has Obliteration Technique? | No | No | No | Yes |
Bored?
Watch:
Movies
- 12 Monkeys (1995)
- 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
- 2010: The Year We Made Contact (1984)
- Amelie (2001)
- Animatrix, The (2003)
- Before Sunrise (1995)
- Behind Enemy Lines (2001)
- Black Hawk Down (2001)
- Bowling for Columbine (2002)
- Core, The (2003)
- Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)
- Cube (1997)
- Cube 2: Hypercube (2002)
- Cube Zero (2004)
- Cypher (2002)
- Dogma (1999)
- Equilibrium (2002)
- Groundhog Day (1993)
- I, Robot (2004)
- Jackie Chan: Accidental Spy (2001)
- Jackie Chan: Dragons Forever (1987)
- Jackie Chan: Drunken Master (1978)
- Jackie Chan: Gorgeous (1999)
- Jackie Chan: Legend of Drunken Master (1994)
- Jackie Chan: New Police Story (2004)
- Jackie Chan: Operation Condor (1990)
- Jackie Chan: Rush Hour (1998)
- Jackie Chan: Rush Hour 2 (2001)
- Jackie Chan: Shanghai Noon (2000)
- Jackie Chan: Shanghai Knights (2003)
- Jackie Chan: Snake in Eagle's Shadow (1978)
- Jackie Chan: The Medallion (2003)
- Jackie Chan: The Prisoner (1990)
- Jackie Chan: Twin Dragons (1991)
- Jackie Chan: Young Master (1980)
- Jet Li: Fist of Legend (1994)
- Jet Li: Hero (2002)
- Jet Li: Hitman (1998)
- K-Pax
- Magnolia (1999)
- Matrix, The (1999)
- Matrix Reloaded, The (2003)
- Matrix Revolutions, The (2003)
- Shaolin Soccer (2001)
- Starship Troopers (1997)
- Team America: World Police (2004)
- Windtalkers (2002)
Series
- Coupling
- Family Guy
- Futurama
- Red Dwarf
- Simpsons, The
- Space: Above and Beyond
Play:
- Abe's Oddysee (1997)
- Abe's Exoddus (1998)
- Alien vs. Predator (1999)
- Alien vs. Predator 2 (2001)
- American McGee's Alice (2000)
- Battlefield: 1942 (2002)
- Black & White (2001)
- Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Knights Templar (1996)
- Broken Sword 2: The Smoking Mirror (1997)
- Broken Sword 3: The Sleeping Dragon (2003)
- Doom 3 (2004)
- Elasto Mania (2000)
- Deus Ex (2000)
- Deus Ex: Invisible War (2003)
- Far Cry (2004)
- F.E.A.R
- Full Spectrum Warrior (2004)
- Heavy Metal: F.A.K.K. 2 (2000)
- Half-Life (1998)
- Half-Life: Blue Shift (2001)
- Half-Life: Opposing Force (1999)
- Half-Life2 (2004)
- Halo (2001)
- Halo 2 (2004)
- Hitman: Codename 47 (2000)
- Hitman 2: Silent Assassin (2002)
- Kingpin: Life of Crime (1999)
- Mafia (2002)
- Max Payne (2001)
- Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne (2003)
- MDK (1997)
- MDK 2 (2000)
- No One Lives Forever: The Operative (2000)
- No One Lives Forever 2: A Spy in H.A.R.M.'s Way (2002)
- Painkiller (2004)
- Prince of Persia (1989)
- Prince of Persia 3D (1999)
- Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2003)
- Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones (2005)
- Quake (1996)
- Quake 2 (1997)
- Quake 3: Arena (1999)
- Red Faction (2001)
- Splinter Cell (2002)
- Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow (2004)
- Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory (2005)
- System Shock (1994)
- System Shock 2 (1999)
- StarCraft (1998)
- StarCraft: BroodWar (1998)
- UFO: Aftermath (2003)
- Unreal (1998)
- Unreal: Return to Na Pali (1999)
- Unreal 2: The Awakening (2003)
- Unreal Tournament (1999)
- Unreal Tournament 2003 (2003)
Do you have any items you think I would like to play/watch? Tell me.
Web comic pipeline
Here are the web comic that I'll eventually churn through. Note that this list is temporary and items will be removed without any notice when I'm finished with the comic. If you want to recommend a comic that you think I'd like, contact me.
Cool words
Here's a list of words I think are cool, in the order that I think of them (or discover them), with a definition from dictionary.com following each one.
- idiosyncratic — A structural or behavioral characteristic peculiar to an individual or group.
- bastardization — To lower in quality or character; debase.
- esoteric — Of or relating to that which is known by a restricted number of people.
- quixotic — Caught up in the romance of noble deeds and the pursuit of unreachable goals; idealistic without regard to practicality.
- defenestrate — To throw out of a window.
- campus — The grounds of a school, college, university, or hospital.
- chassis — The framework to which the components of a radio, television, or other electronic equipment are attached.
- amalgamation — A consolidation or merger, as of several corporations.
- quincunx — An arrangement of five objects with one at each corner of a rectangle or square and one at the center.
- electroencephalograph — An instrument that measures electrical potentials on the scalp and generates a record of the electrical activity of the brain.