For those interested in roll playing game news, I write for Stargazer’s World where I explore Dungeons & Dragons as well as product related to the hobby.
For those interested in roll playing game news, I write for Stargazer’s World where I explore Dungeons & Dragons as well as product related to the hobby.
I used to be one of those people who took really good care of his possessions. Everything I owned had to be cleaned and put away back in its proper place. I was verging on the edge of obsessive compulsive. Then something changed and I am not totally sure what it was.
Reading books like Timothy Ferriss’s The 4-Hour Workweek and David Allen’s Getting Things Done have really changed how I look at life and day to day living. I find myself trying to live more for the now then to save and anticipate for a hard and unknown future. To be honest I feel it has payed off greatly. I am a lot less stressed out and more aware of what is going on around me with family and friends.
I recently purchased a new 15″ MacBook Pro. A computer I use all the time and take with me just about everywhere I go. It truly is a powerhouse work horse for me. When I got the computer I new right away I wanted to sticker it with some cool Transformers art. I had seen a few photos of other Apple users who had put Ironman or Snow White vinyl stickers on their Macbooks. Both stickers are really awesome and I wanted to do something smiler with my Macbook Pro and Transformers.
I ended up searching on Etsy and finding Rob who makes vinyl stickers for MacBooks. I sent Rob an e-mail asking him if he could make me a vinyl sticker for my new Macbook Pro. For the next two weeks we worked together over e-mail to come up with just the right Transformers image I wanted displayed on my computer.
I really wanted to find and image that worked with the Apple logo on my Macbook Pro much like the Ironman and Snow White images did. I was sent a couple mock ups of Optimus Prime with the Apple logo in his hand. It was a great image but I was not happy with that rendition of Optimus Prime. So we both went back to the drawing board. I finally came up with three images I sent in and asked Rob what he could do with them.
The first image was of the Autobot Matrix of Leadership. I was soon sent back a render of the image with the Apple logo in the center of the Matrix. It’s a great graphic and I ended up using it on my older 15″ Apple Powerbook.
The second two images I sent in came from IDW Transformers posters. One of Megatron and one of Optimus Prime. I ended up having vinyl stickers made out of these posters and I ended up placing them on my Macbook Pro.
When I got the stickers in the mail they came in a large envelope between to peaces of cardboard to prevent them from getting bent or damaged. Inside the envelope where some simple instructions on how to apply the vinyl stickers along with a couple of Popsicle sticks to smooth out any air bubbles that might happen to form.
Putting the vinyl sticker of the Matrix on my Powerbook was pretty easy for the most part. I just lined up the Apple logo in the center and smoothed it out. The Optimus Prime and Megatron Vinyl stickers where a little bit harder to apply because they didn’t incorporate the logo. There was a lot of adjustments I made to make to make sure the images where level and centered. Once I had the image placed on my MacBook Pro just the way I wanted them I used a green wet erase marker from my Dungeons & Dragons battlemat to outline the stickers. That way when I picked up the stickers and remove the backing from the sticky side I could align it back up correctly before sticking them to my computer.
I am really happy how this little project turned out. I had a really great first experience with etsy and everything went so well. Rob no longer has a store front on etsy. He does however have an eBay page and he can be e-mailed here. He still makes custom vinyl stickers for computers and he is really great to work with.
I show off my computer every chance I get. You might just catch me with one of my laptops at PAX Prime this year. You never know.
Red Dead Redemption is a great game. When I go and buy a video game it’s normally hit or miss with me. It seems like a lot more misses then hits recently, but with Red Dead Redemption I hit. I bit big.
Red Dead Redemption can be thought of as a western version of Grand Theft Auto. In fact, these two games are made by the same developers. In my option it exceeds Grand theft Auto IV by leaps and bounds. There is something very calming and soothing about the game. I know it sounds weird but to be able to get on a horse in the game and just ride off randomly across the prairie is oddly calming.
Another good thing about this game is unlike Grand Theft Auto with it’s cell phones and text messaging, Red Dead Redemption missions and side quests feel a lot more organically natural because people approach you or your approach them looking for work or asking for help.
I also like how the game plays. It feels like a big budget western movie. When I say that please don’t think I mean this game is like “Heavy Rain” because it’s not. You have more control and freedom like you do in any Grand Theft Auto game.
For those interested in roll playing game news, I am still writing for Stargazer’s World. It’s pretty exciting for me when I see the feed back my posts have been getting. So check it out.