"I find myself alone on a strange world..."

There probably isn't a worse time to buy an complex open-world computer game set in near-infinite space than the middle of moving to a new apartment.  Nonetheless, Steam had one on sale, an ex-coworker had raved about the game in question, and after all, it's not like it was going to disappear if I didn't play it right away.

All that taken into account, I decided to go ahead, and invested $33.24 CAD in No Man's Sky, a combination survival simulation/space exploration game first released by indie developer Hello Games in 2016.

No Man's Sky relies upon an elaborate procedural generation algorithm that has the capability to create over 28 quintillion unique planets, each with its own unique ecosystem and environment.  (Presumably the algorithm also has the capacity to name them all.)  Apparently players operate in a shared universe, although with that many planets available, it's difficult to imagine that you would ever stumble across another explorer. Through the course of the game, players survive, explore, trade, and, when necessary, fight for their lives.

In some ways, the initial portion of the game is reminiscent of The Long Dark in that your character, the Traveller, is introduced into a hostile environment where they must locate the resources necessary to stay alive as their oxygen supply creeps downward and their exosuit's armour and shielding degrades under the assault of corrosive gases, radiation, storms, and predatory wildlife.  Robotic Sentinels, large or small, may also assault the Traveller in order to protect the planet's resources from their depredations.

However, the initial survival-oriented gameplay is just a gateway into a larger experience.  Once the Traveller has located and repaired their damaged starship using local resources and salvaged technology, they can leave the planet and begin to explore the universe.

Each solar system has a space station, where the Traveller can upgrade their equipment by trading for additional technology and blueprints, and interact with the three main alien races that share the universe:  the Vy'Keen, the Gex, and the Korvax.  Unfortunately, the Traveller must first learn to communicate with the aliens in order to avoid misunderstandings and possible attacks in transit by aliens fleets. 

In addition to trade, credits can be earned by exploring planets and uploading the results to the Atlas, an enigmatic cosmic entity with interfaces scattered through the universe.

Alien bases, either occupied or abandoned, may also be discovered on planetary surfaces, and players can build their own base, giving them a secure location from which to operate.

After downloading the game, I took a break from packing boxes in order to quickly try it out, and quite liked the look and feel of the game, although it took me some time and experimentation to determine how to make use of the interface.  I also realized immediately that the complexity of the game would require more of an investment of time than a quick visit - there are a lot of options and capabilities available to the player. 

To be honest, I actually feel more than a little overwhelmed by the possibilities presented by No Man's Sky. Faced with infinity, where do you begin?

- Sid

Legendary Face Mask - ADDED TO INVENTORY.

As it turned out, following my previous posting I broke under the pressure and placed an online order for the Storm Crow Legendary Face Mask.  I also decided to buy a Storm Crow Alliance t-shirt - for a long time, they weren't available online, but when I saw that they were now in stock on their site, I jumped at the chance to add one to my wardrobe.

I received my shipment today, and I have mixed reviews for the mask.  On the plus side, I like the adjustable earpieces - on the minus side, it's not a perfect fit for my face (Not to mention that nagging typo, which I hope they fix in future print runs.) However, I may try it out with a clip connecting the two earpieces rather than looping them over my ears, they're quite long and that may work out more efficiently.

The t-shirt is excellent quality and and a perfect fit, I'm pleased that I decided to get one when I had the chance. (I'd also like to think that hopefully I'll be wearing that t-shirt long after the mask has become an odd collectable rather than a daily necessity.)

Regarding packaging for the t-shirt, full points to the Storm Crow for their strong awareness of what it's like right now to receive a delivery.

- Sid

Joy.

DOCTOR: Thank you. Thank you so much. 

(He kisses Missy gently.) 

DOCTOR: I really didn't know. I wasn't sure. You lose sight sometimes. Thank you!

Death in Heaven, Doctor Who

Having finally found a new place to live, Karli and I are faced with the consequences:  boxing up all of our earthly possessions and either moving them ourselves or leaving them for the movers.

Packing is always an opportunity to purge, and if something has languished untouched and unneeded in storage for over a decade, the decision to sell it, donate it to a good cause, or trash it is an easy one to make.

However, some of those decisions are more of a challenge than others.  As per Marie Kondo, sometimes the question is whether or not the object sparks joy - or, more accurately, whether it still does so.

I haven't been consciously conducting this kind of analysis, but there have been things that I looked at and wondered if I only kept them out of habit, rather than any actual continued interest.  For example, I have a shoebox full of postcards from all over the world - my mother's relatives in England would send her postcards, and when they found out that the 8-year-old me kept them, they began sending them to me directly. 

Over the years, I've continued to collect post cards, asking people I knew socially or professionally to send me one when they travelled, and faithfully adding the ones I received to my little collection.  When I got to that point in the packing process, I took a long, long look at that shoebox. 

In the short term, I found a place for it, but it was a near thing.  Not all my possessions were so lucky - it was a little surprising, not to mention liberating, to see how many things failed the test.

The good news? My books spark joy.

It's more of a relief than you would think. As the 12th Doctor so aptly puts it, you lose sight sometimes. It's easy to take things for granted, but as I've started to pack up my little library of science fiction and fantasy, book after book has made me stop and smile appreciatively.

In many ways, my humble collection of dog-eared newsprint and worn 4-colour covers is my life.

It has been my inspiration, my teacher, my doorway into a more enlightened point of view, and, more times than I care to think, it's been my final refuge from the challenges and disappointments of the real world.

In fact, when I think about it, joy hardly seems to be a strong enough word.

- Sid