Half-Life Alyx

I recently got the Valve Index and started playing Half-Life Alyx. Wow! This is an amazing game that happens to be VR. I'm a little over half way through the game and I can't wait to play some more. My legs and feet have been aching from standing for multiple hours playing. Valve have been praised on many occasions for the ground breaking Half-Life series of games. Half-Life Alyx is another game worthy of praise. It feels like a natural fit with the others. But, it also makes VR feel totally normal. The puzzles and fights are all perfectly paced for VR, hard but not impossible. Fun and not frustrating but also not too simple. I have found myself feeling totally immersed in the world. I can't wait to see how the game ends.

Valve Index - First Impressions

I recently got the Valve Index VR Kit. I was on the fence for some time about which PC based VR setup to get. But, I got to try the Index recently and liked what I experienced.

I had spent some time with the 1st generation Oculus Quest and Playstation VR. I used Oculus Link with my gaming PC to try out Steam VR games. The link cable solution is ok, but the quest is just not very comfortable for long term play. The quest shines with wireless play. If only Facebook would keep them as a separate entity. They now require the Facebook login for using the Quest and I have no intention of doing business with Facebook ever again. So I needed something else.

The Index is a higher end premium VR headset with best in class controllers. The kit also comes with two base stations used for tracking you in the play area. I almost just barely enough room to play in my office. I could honestly use a few more feet of clear space to be comfortable. But, it's good enough for now.

The headset is super comfortable and easy to adjust. You can get custom lenses if you need glasses. I'm not sure if you could wear glasses with it. The only downside to the headset is the cable that runs to your PC and to power.

The controllers are fabulous. Best controllers I have used so far. They do reasonably good finger tracking, depending on how the game handles it. The only downside to the controllers I have experienced so far is the system button, its supposed to be harder to hit, but I find it impossible to hit when I need it, and I still accidentally hit it occasionally.

The base stations require power, but connect to the computer wirelessly. They can be mounted to the wall, on stands, or you can just set them on shelves. I have had no issues with them so far. The tracking is great as far as I can tell.

I haven't figured out how to use the passthrough mode with the index yet. I'm sure it won't be hard to figure out, but the Quest was easier to set up and a little more forgiving in many ways. I think Valve should steal a few things from Oculus to make things easier.

Apple M1 Review and Looking Ahead

Apple released some entry level computers this year with their new in-house processor the Apple M1. There have been many reviews on these new machines. I got one of the 13" Macbook Pro and it is amazing. It makes my iMac Pro feel old. If you need a new Mac it would be hard to go wrong by getting one of these entry level M1 Macs.

But, what I'm more interested in is one of the rumored high end Mac Pros, that are likely to get the 2nd version of the new M1, an M1X, or even an M2. If the current Mac Pro had been a little cheaper I may have gotten one, but the price was just too damn high for me. The idea of a smaller Mac Pro with the new processor and even a new Apple made monitor gets me super excited. I just wish it was here now.

Interesting Math Problem

I thought this was interesting. It comes down to order of operations, and how you interpret the equation. Depending on where you learned math, you might get a different answer.

Another headphone stand.

I have been printing some headphone stands. I have a few pair of fairly nice headphones and only one stand. Well I had only one stand. I have a couple now. This latest one is pretty nice.

Headphone Stand on Thingiverse

This one does require some M3-8mm and or M3-10mm screws and some time to print all the pieces. I didn't really have any issues with the prints. There were suggestions on fill ratio and using rafts for some of the parts. Pretty Nice!

Darth Vader Bust

This print took quite a while. The base was around 6 hours, the first attempt at the bust failed after 7 hours. And the second attempt took around 13 hours to complete. I still need to glue the base on, but I'm overall pretty happy with this one.

Latest 3D Print

I still haven't spent much time tweaking the printer to improve the quality. This picture is very zoomed and really highlights the layers. In person you can't see them this plainly. I continue to be amazed by the quality of this printer. I have had plenty of the common 3D printer issues, not sticking to the bed, support falling over and messing things up, having to mess with first layer height, and I'm sure there will be more things that I have to mess with. But, thats just having a 3D printer. It's never as easy and straight forward as you would like. Machines need maintenance, cleaning, and repairs.

Prusa i3 MK3S - First Print

It took a couple of sessions to complete the build of my new 3D printer. It was a pretty easy build with a great manual. The online version of the manual has some additional pictures with more detail. The online version was very helpful in a few spots. The computer component was the the only part of the build that I found frustrating. Lots of wires going into a small box that sits at a weird angle. More cable management and maybe a two sided board and enclosure could make this part easier.

I went through the start up process and calibration with ease. There are some helpful videos on the Prusa site that can help with these steps and show you what you should expect. There is even a whole separate manual that talks about common issues and how to resolve them. I did not have a single issue. I do think I could stand to go through the calibration again. I'm not sure I got the first layer height perfect.

For the first print I went with the Benchy model on the included SD card. I get the impression that my print is far from perfect, though it is better than any printer I have previously owned. Hopefully I'll be able to dial this one in as I use it and get even better results.

Prusa i3 MK3S

I got a new 3D printer to mess with. I went with a kit version to save money, but that means I have to put it together. Not sure I will finish this weekend.

Making myself stop.

I have been struggeling with Facebook and Instagram lately. I like using Instagram. Some of my family and friends are on Facebook, and no where else. But, I jsut can't. Facebook is sketchy. They make their money on our information, on our friends, on our likes. And they have never hidden that. I have been trying to disconnect from it for years. And, it is so hard. There are people that I will no longer get updates from, people that I really like. I won't see their pics. They won't see ours. But, everytime I hear about Facebook, it's some other skeevy weird shit. I'll keep the about page updated with places where you can get updates from us. Send me links to other platforms where you update. Call me, email me, message me. Otherwise, I'll see you around at some point.

I wish there was some other trust worthy service that so many people used.