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Facebook just now getting a feature Blogger's had for at *least* a year.

So according to the linked article, Facebook's going to get a bunch of new buttons users can use to rate posts (I'm assuming across the web, not just on FB itself). I'm just going to be a bit of a snob here and point out that not only has Blogger had "reactions" available for users to add to their blogs, but we're able to customize ours. True, I don't think people actually use the feature here (I know when I had mine enabled, almost no one clicked on any of the reactions) but way to catch up, Facebook.

Digital Life - Facebook's 'Like' button gets new friends: 'LOVE!' 'BOO!' 'OMG!' and many more:

'via Blog this'

Silly little additions for SWTOR Early Adopters

Okay, so I'm guessing that I'll get the email mentioned in the fourth bullet point either tomorrow or Saturday; I've done everything else up to the point of "30 days of game time" which should expire tomorrow.

Star Wars: The Old Republic | "Founder" title:

'via Blog this'

Games I Own But Have Never Finished

This list is going to be the start of my "play only games I've never beat" goal for 2012. As of this original posting, this list is based on memory, my Steam library, and my Raptr history. I'll add more games to it as I remember them, or find them in storage, and cross off those items I finish, if I finish any.

• Skyrim
• Pokemon Silver
• Resident Evil (I have 1-3, but will probably only worry with the first.)
• Castlevania SotN
• Breath of Fire III
• Metal Gear Solid
• The Legend of Zelda (The only game in the series I've ever finished was LttP.)
• SW: KotOR
• Alpha Protocol
• The Binding of Isaac
• Deus Ex
• Magicka
• Portal (have almost-finished on multiple occasions, but never got all the way to the end without rage quitting)
• SWTOR (if I manage to finish the class quests for Jahanae, she'll be put into mandatory retirement for the rest of the year and I'll work on another class)
• Torchlight
• Trine
• Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood
• Dissidia: 012 (I'm almost done with this, but not quite)
• Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy in Itadaki Street (PSP import)
• Super Robot Wars (another PSP import)
• Dragon Age Origins: Darkspawn Chronicles (the only DA content I own that I've never finished)
• Fallout 3 (mumblegrumble, hate this game...)
• Final Fantasies 2, 3, 5, 12, 13
• Mass Effect 2 (mumblegrumble, hate this game...)
• Professor Layton & the Curious Village
• Raskulls
• Star Ocean: Second Evolution
• SW: The Force Unleashed 2
• Valkyria Chronicles
• any/all of Brian's Call of Duty, etc games

To say the least, this is more than enough to keep me busy for quite a while, especially when you consider I have book club books to read, other books just for the hell of it, and writing to keep up with. 

New Year Game Resolution?

Toying with the idea of a slightly-different New Year Resolution. I normally don't do them at all, because I feel like people just use them for excuses to say they're going to change when they know they aren't. But as I said, this one's a little bit different.


Last year, a friend said he wasn't going to buy any video games all year, and was only going to play games he'd had in his "archives" for an eternity--by far more than a year's worth of games. He also wouldn't borrow any new games from friends, and if someone gifted him a game, he couldn't play it until 2011 was over. How successful he was depends on who you ask, but that was the overall idea. ^_~


My idea is different, but similar.


Instead of not buying or playing any new games, I'm considering spending 2012 only playing games I've never finished before. This would include games Brian and I already own but I've never finished, new games coming out, and old games bought new. Also, if a game I've already beaten comes out with a new DLC campaign, I'm allowed to get and play the DLC, but not any of the main quest line of the game. This last caveat is my one and only access to anything Dragon Age for the next twelve months if I decide to go through with trying this.


On the one hand, I have both Star Wars: The Old Republic and Skyrim; hypothetically, these two games could get me through the year alone. Other games I have that could qualify are Final Fantasies 12 & 13 (but only barely 13, since I reached the final boss and ended up rage quitting on it), Pokemon Silver or Gold (but not both), some Japanese-import PSP games that I can barely read and as such have never finished, etc. But no Dragon Age aside from the above-mentioned, hypothetical DLC, no portable-console Final Fantasy remakes, etc.


So... what's the general opinion on this? Is it dumb? Am I just kidding myself, saying I'm going to make the (albeit temporary) change when I'm just going to crack in a month or two and go back to my old, Dragon-Age-replaying ways? Or is this something that I could/should actually try for, just to see what I find to play in the meantime?

Leaving GoDaddy

FYI: All domains registered for Blogger pages through Google are actually processed through GoDaddy. I'm assuming most of the people with a custom domain for their blog know this, or at least knew it and forgot it, but it bears saying just in case.

That said:

I don't think it's going to take effect for a few days, but I've submitted everything to switch this domain from GoDaddy to Name.com based on the recent GoDaddy-supports-SOPA news. I haven't gotten my confirmation email from GoDaddy regarding the domain transfer yet, but from what I understand everything else is done. Everything seems to have gone pretty smoothly so far, and if you're interested in switching as well you can get a one year registration from Name.com with WHOIS privacy for $10.64 if you use the promo code NODADDY. ($6.65 for the domain alone with the code.)

If you want to switch as well, regardless of which new registrar you choose, I found the following two links very helpful:
Get your domain's authorization code
To Transfer Domain Names to Another Registrar

Edit: Just adding in this link to the boycott page: http://godaddyboycott.org/

Edit 2: http://www.scribd.com/doc/76259944/SOPA-Supporters Full list of SOPA supporting companies.

(Image via http://www.sitepoint.com/godaddy-supports-sopa-heres-how-to-transfer-your-domains/)

New Dragon Age tomorrow! (plus: games, fics, and other books I'm trying to read)

First and foremost: Asunder comes out tomorrow! I've had the book pre-ordered via Kindle for a bit over a month now, and I can't wait!!! I already know a tiny bit more than I'd planned about the plot, but I'm fairly certain that what I've already learned is just the set-up for the book so it's not terribly spoilerish.

I am a bit nervous to see what Thedas is going to look like after the start of the Mage-Templar War, since from what I understand this takes place after all the events of DA2. Then again, we'll be seeing Orlais for the first time, and who knows what the Orlesian Circle was like before Hawke et al ruined the continent trying to free the mages (in my own canon at least, since Marian was thrust into the role of mage sympathizer). So far I've imagined it as more formal than Ferelden's Circle, but less militaristic than Kirkwall's.


...On the other hand, I'm no where near ready to start reading this, in terms of things I'd planned to have done first to make time for it. Most importantly, I wanted to have Hogfather finished before today, and I'm maybe halfway through that book at most. Some of the fault here comes from writing my fic, some from playing Skyrim, and about twelve hours specifically came from playing Star Wars The Old Republic over this past weekend, since Brian got it for me for Christmas and let me play the early access time. :p

Progress on my fic has been moving along much more slowly since the end of NaNoWriMo. I still write most days, but only about a quarter to half as much per day as I did in November. So far I've tackled the mage treaty, the Urn of Sacred Ashes, most of the set up of Elissa and Alistair's relationship (including hardening his, erm, personality) and am now heading to the Brecilian Forest for the elves.

Let's see, aside from Christmas obviously being less than a week away, what else is going on? That's right, Skyrim! I'm almost to level 20 now, but I've only just made my way to the Greybeards, and haven't decided yet if I'm going to side with the Imperials or the Stormcloaks. I did join the Companions already, and got married and am currently working my way through the beginning stages of the thief's guild. Oh, and while I was in Riften I totally killed that woman at the orphanage, so I'm wondering how long it's going to be until the Dark Brotherhood calls me out for impersonating them.

Anyway, I've got a short but busy week ahead, and today and part of tomorrow are probably the only days that any work is likely to get done in the office. In the meantime, I've got the following to work on around and after work:

• Finish Hogfather
• Read Asunder
• Figure out a Legacy Name for my SWTOR character (Jahanae, a human Sith marauder)
• Go back to and finish reading Clash of Kings before the next season of Game of Thrones starts next month
• Manage not to get sick the week before Christmas (I'm not sure if it's allergies or something more, but I've been fighting off sinus problems and migraines for about a week now)

Wish me luck, and Merry Christmas (or whichever holiday of your choosing) if I forget to make another post before next weekend!