Zdeněk Gromnica aka FutureMillennium

Making a video game is a lot of work. Turnip Boy clearly had a lot of effort put into it.

And yet.

It has virtually no ideas, no story, no gameplay to speak of. Everything the game does has been done elsewhere, better.

The game consists of running around, talking to NPCs, and combat.

But moving from screen to screen isn’t fun. The NPCs have nothing to say. The combat is utterly basic and less engaging than even the original NES Legend of Zelda from 1986.

The good:

After stumbling around nonsensically for the first hour, the story then looks like it could go somewhere, with nuclear waste giving life to vegetables and mutating wildlife, and post-human apocalypse. (But it doesn’t go anywhere.)

The mysterious 3-eyed cat thing in a weird cave is pretty cool. (But it goes utterly nowhere.)

The game explicitly telling you which paths you’ve missed is nice.

The bad:

The “humour” is entirely anachronistic references, internet memes and lame predictable jokes.

The “secret” boss fight is so secret that I reached him by playing the game normally.

Tacky “mafioso” tropes that, like pirates and ninjas, have been done a thousand times. It adds nothing to the story to such a degree that if you replaced mafioso with pirate or ninja, nothing would change.

There are only 3–4 usable tools in the game. A gamepad has about 12 buttons, a keyboard dozens. Yet the game requires you to switch tools to use them. Ironically, 3 buttons are used for item switching, instead of being able to access the tools directly.

I didn’t think the “Commits Tax Evasion” part would play a serious role in the story, but they lean so heavily into it that one would think they’re trying to present some form of commentary. But no, it doesn’t go anywhere. Taxes are only referenced in text, and could be replaced with almost anything without changing the meaning of anything.

Humans are made to be a big deal in the story, but when you finally meet and fight one, nothing happens. It doesn’t go anywhere. The remaining 2 humans are never seen again.

References to gamer tags, streaming, and tier 3 subs get a groan from me and I sincerely wish all current fiction didn’t take place in a world where people just stay at home, play video games and make Tiktok videos.

The weird:

Having to tear up/destroy every document you come across seems like a “wouldn’t it be funny if” one-off joke that never goes anywhere and doesn’t make sense.

Turnip Boy is presented as mentally deficient (doesn’t speak, only emotes in question mark and exclamation points, can’t read, tears up every paper he encounters, other characters call him stupid…), but the story does nothing with it.

Why am I collecting hats? Is this just what gaming has become?

Why are the path-blockers so obvious? One lamp shade is enough. Is this the best the devs could come up with?

The usual argument for frameworks and libraries: “Should every programmer have to write their own <whatever> from scratch?!”

Actually, yes. Yes, they should.

Every programmer should be capable of writing a slider, drop-down, lightbox, carousel, user log-in system, etc.

And once you’ve written your own, you can just use and re-use that one.

There are exceptions to this. Compatibility (e.g. polyfills) and interfacing (APIs / SDKs) come to mind. Even if they could be made better, it’s usually not feasible, or excessively time consuming.

It’s fine to use a library or framework if you literally cannot do it yourself. But in that case you’re a beginner.

Sadly, it seems a lot of people never move out of the beginner phase.

Figuring out even a basic toolchain for OS development on Windows is a nightmare. Thankfully, I’ve gone through it so you don’t have to.

The code of the actual OS comes from the Bare Bones tutorial on OSdev.org. Give it a read.

You’ll need these 3 tools:

1. MinGW

Download and run the MinGW installer. The installation directory defaults to C:\MinGW\ – it doesn’t matter what it is as long as you can find it later.

None of the other installation preferences matter—you’re free to leave them as they are. Besides creating shortcuts and downloading files, the installer doesn’t mess with the system or registry.

After finishing downloading, the installer will launch the MinGW Installation Manager.

It should already be on the Basic Setup page. Right click on each of the 7 packages presented and mark them for installation. (You will need to do this individually. Yes, it’s stupid.) After that, choose Installation → Apply Changes from the menu, and wait for it to finish.

2. i686-elf targeting GCC

Download and extract a prebuilt i686-elf targeting GCC for a Windows host. In this example, I've extracted it to C:\software\ghost-i686-elf-tools – it doesn’t matter where it is as long as you can find it later.

If this link goes dead, try finding another at the OSdev wiki. If there's none to be found, you will need to build your own GCC cross-compiler (Good luck!).

3. QEMU

Download and install the latest QEMU for Windows installer – usually in C:\Program Files\qemu – again, it doesn’t matter where it is as long as you can find it later.

The actual OS code

Using code from the Bare Bones tutorial on OSdev.org, I’ve organised the files thus:

/build/linker.ld

/ExampleOS/boot.s

/ExampleOS/kernel.c

Getting it to build

The tutorial uses commands, so we’ll be using a batch file: build.bat

Instead of editing your global Windows PATH var, you can just set it for the current batch file:

SET "minGW=C:\MinGW\bin" SET "gcc=C:\software\ghost-i686-elf-tools\bin" SET "qemu=C:\Program Files\qemu" SET "PATH=%minGW%;%gcc%;%qemu%;%PATH%"

Compile the assembly and C code into objects, as in the tutorial:

i686-elf-as ExampleOS/boot.s -o build/boot.o i686-elf-gcc -c ExampleOS/kernel.c -o build/kernel.o -std=gnu99 -ffreestanding -O2 -Wall -Wextra

Link the objects using the linker.ld file:

cd build i686-elf-gcc -T linker.ld -o ../bin/boot/exampleos.bin -ffreestanding -O2 -nostdlib boot.o kernel.o -lgcc cd ..

Here, the tutorial goes on to create a bootable ISO with GRUB and grub-mkrescue, but it’s nigh impossible to get the GRUB binaries on Windows. Thankfully, QEMU can boot directly from the .bin ROM file:

qemu-system-i386 -kernel bin/boot/exampleos.bin

Then, run the batch file and you’re in kernel world!

Why do I need MinGW?

GCC needs it.

I don’t like that. How do I remove MinGW?

You can just delete the folder (and shortcuts). Thankfully it doesn’t change your PATH variable or mess with the system besides just downloading files.

Can I use Bochs or VMware or whatever?

Maybe. I’ve only been able to find out how to launch and boot a VM with a ROM from command line in QEMU.

tl;dr

A lesson we can take from Fitts's law:

A button that's closer and bigger is faster to access.

“Fast to access” may also correlate with “easy to use”.

One non-obvious conclusion from this is that the easiest and fastest button is the one you’re already pointing at, because it’s the one that’s always the closest.

This is extremely important in desktop UI design, where you use a pointing device (mouse, touchpad, trackball) to move a cursor around the screen. Even if you move your hand away from the pointing device, the cursor stays where it is, so you can always immediately use a button that appears under the cursor.

When the cursor reaches the edge of the screen, it stops. This effectively means that buttons on the edge of the screen are infinitely tall or wide and thus always easy and fast.

Furthermore, if you move the cursor diagonally, it will get funnelled into one of the four corners of the screen, making them effectively have both infinite width and height, which means that a button placed in one of the corners of the screen is always the 2nd fastest place to reach, after the one under the cursor.

The short version: The story is crap. The music is awful. Not recommended.

Spoilers ahead. Go ahead and play it if you like. I'll wait. It literally takes 6 minutes. 15 if you want to be really thorough.

Finished? Yes, as it turns out Ai is indeed an AI. Apparently, some people found this revelation to be shocking. This is a mystery to me, because that was an assumption I went into the game with. Wasn't it stated in the short description of the game, even? But no, I guess I just assumed Ai to be an AI. After all, her name is Ai, for Christ's sake.

This is the only choice in the game.

Right off the bat, both the protagonist and Ai rub me the wrong way, as they seem to be walking caricatures of anime stereotypes. Ai is tsundere, expects to be excused just on the basis of being a girl, is bad at cooking, likes shopping for clothes, doesn't understand electronics, and is bad at video games. The protagonist, on the other hand, is a no-nonsense tough guy who also happens to be a nerd, doesn't understand fashion, hates shopping, and is also bad at video games.

Truly, the blandest of the bland. The only remotely interesting thing about the characters is that Ai thinks spiders are cute, which, on second thought, has absolutely no relation to the story at all.

The music is extremely repetitive and grating even through the very short time spent with the game. The menu music doesn't even loop seamlessly. The visuals are barely worth mentioning. The UI is bog standard for a visual novel. The logo and UI graphics are sub-par but inoffensive. The art isn't awful, but not exceptional either.

At some point in the story, the protagonist mentions needing a hard drive because his recent project has grown to be rather large. Here I was thinking: Aha, what he's working on is an artificial intelligence. She's going to die, and of course, the protagonist was working on an AI of her. Or she's already dead and we are indeed talking to an AI appropriation of her right now. It's all going to be very heartwrenching. But no, no such thing occurred.

At the end of a completely regular day, Ai somehow shortly becomes self-aware, and then her “program” crashes for some reason. That's it. End of the line.

The protagonist is then seen questioning “what he is doing with his life” even though he's apparently singlehandedly managed to create an entire artificial intelligence along with a virtual world she can live in and be interacted with in a completely realistic fashion. Really? I'd say you're doing just fine. Unless the story takes place in some sort of bizarre futuristic world where writing an AI is trivially easy. This, of course, doesn’t get discussed at any point in the game.

The grandiose message of the game? Get this: fictional characters aren't real. I know, right? My mind was certainly blown.

I was hoping something would change after taking a different route, or after taking all the routes, but no, there’s nothing more to the game. And why are there random references to Japanese food items, anyway? Just to keep in with the “weeaboo” theme?

But wait a minute, how does she live in a rundown tenement and worry about her job if she's an AI? Is this a fully fleshed out virtual world with other AIs in it as well? Then how does she know she's “running out of time”? Or is this information mentioned only so that the ending can be all the more would-be surprising? Either way you look at it, there are no satisfactory answers to be found.

Really, everything in the game is of no relation to anything. It's just a sequence of trivialities. Here's a lovely day, go shopping, get something to eat, have fun. Here, watch some fireworks. Bam. She's an AI. Are you shocked yet?

Carpe Diem, 2015

Not recommended. 15/100

Humble Bundle has recently laid off 20% of its staff supposedly following a 'too ambitious' expansion. I don’t think it’s because they’re too ambitious, they’re just doing things wrong.

Look at how many things are fighting for my attention.

Now, I obviously don’t have the analytics for this, but the only response you’re going to get from users from this is them leaving the page. That’s what I’d do.

(Yes, I know #4 is just telling me where I am, but the choice of colour still makes it grab my attention.)

I have to say I wasn’t expecting this. The fact that Microsoft decided to introduce a premium laptop was interesting. The 13.5″ Microsoft Surface Book.

My first thought was that the hinge looks pretty ugly.

And why doesn’t it close all the way? What a weird design for a laptop.

Oh, did I mention it’s a 2-in-1?

My mind was kind of blown at this point. Now that's a whole different story.

I love the concept of 2-in-1s. I think it's the way of the future. I see no reason why any tablet shouldn't be able to become a laptop with the right accessory, whether that's a type cover, a keyboard dock or even just a wireless keyboard and mouse. Especially with touch just really being more pleasant to use for certain type of activities.

Of course, the OS and apps have to handle the different types of inputs, and do it well, but that’s a story for another day.

I do like what they’re doing with the Windows– I mean Microsoft logo. Did I mention I find it stupid that the company and its largest product have similar, nigh identical logos? They should've just stuck with one logo, which is this simpler “Microsoft” logo.

What’s interesting is that the keyboard base contains not only a battery, but also a dedicated GPU (at least in some models).

Microsoft seemed to be on point with its hardware today. Or at least its claims were. While the general opinion of Microsoft hardware is pretty high, it remains to be seen if it’s worth $1499 for the base model.

One outrageous claim was that the device uses zero power when it’s closed, which is not the case at all with Windows devices in standby. In my experience, they lose charge by themselves within 2, 3 days tops, which is just frankly awful. I also believe this is inherent to the OS, and won’t change unless they vastly overhaul how Win32 and native API behaves, thus putting backwards compatibility at risk. But frankly, Microsoft should just cut off backwards compatibility and let businesses keep their old OSs. I want a good experience, everything else is secondary.

They’ve also announced the Microsoft Surface Pro 4.

Not much has changed here. It’s more powerful, slightly thinner. The display is now closer to the glass than ever, is slightly larger (while keeping the same overall tablet size), with pixel density (267 ppi) on par with the iPad (264 ppi).

I’m still not a big fan of the kickstand. It seems inherently “unlappable”, which is pretty crucial for a tablet that’s supposed to replace your lap-top.

This also raises the question of why there are two separate devices. Couldn’t the Surface Pro 4 have been designed so that it could be plugged into a keyboard base with a dedicated GPU? Wouldn’t that be more versatile? Is 12.3″ and 13.5″ really that big of a difference?

I also wish Microsoft would make a 15″ Surface. I really just think big tablets are awesome. Big 2-in-1s even more so.

But $899 for the base model Surface Pro 4? Honestly, I’d be more interested in the non-Pro Surface 4, which was absent. I’ve never had issues with lack of performance on a tablet, and even my MacBook Pro has trouble with games, so I don’t think performance is the way to go with portables.

There’s a new Type Cover. The key layout and dimensions are now seemingly identical with the 12″ MacBook. The touchpad is larger, yet it still seems too small to me. Interestingly, some models include a separate fingerprint reader to allow Windows Hello to function on the older Surface Pro 3. I have to wonder if integrating it within the touchpad wasn’t an option. Windows Hello itself is a nice reaction to Apple’s Touch ID, but it remains to be seen how reliable and convenient it is.

There’s also a new Surface Pen available in different colours. It newly has an eraser, and 1024 levels of pressure sensitivity, although what difference that does make I do not know. It also claims reduced latency. There will also be new replacement tips of different shapes. I’m not too impressed, since one thing I’ve always disliked about digitiser pens is that the tip gives way when you press on it, which seems to be the case here as well. What I’m more concerned with is that the pen seems to lack buttons. The pen also promises a year’s worth of battery life. I hope the implication here isn’t that it’s disposable, that would be pretty bad.

Oh, and the pen can be magnetically attached to the Surface Pro 4 and Book. It looked cute, but I’d probably be worried of it detaching and getting lost.

There’s also a new Surface Dock. I feel like this should be an obvious accessory, but apparently it isn't. I'm glad that at least Microsoft is doing this, since Apple is severely lacking in this regard.

There’s the new Microsoft Band 2, but it doesn’t look like something I’d want to wear at all times. It’s not fashionable, it looks bulky and uncomfortable to type with, and its functions seem dedicated almost solely to fitness. I’d prefer a smart watch.

There was also a Hololens demo, which was super cheesy, in classical Microsoft fashion. You will also apparently be able to buy a dev kit for a “mere” $3000. I sure hope the consumer version is far cheaper than that.

Finally, new flagship phones. The 5.2″ Microsoft Lumia 950.

The looks leave a lot to be desired.

The 5.7″ Microsoft Lumia 950 XL is even worse. Gone are the vibrant colours. Plastic, metal and glass is combined without rhyme or reason. It’s tasteless, and smells of design by committee. This is something I was afraid would happen since the acquisition of Nokia’s mobile division by Microsoft.

The specs are nice, sure, but it’s nothing game changing. The phones boast a 20 megapixel Zeiss optics camera, but that by itself means very little. I find that software determines photo quality far more than camera specs do.

Oh, and Windows Phones now have the Windows “Hero” image as the lock screen. Great. It's only been a couple of months and I already hate the godawful picture with a passion.

There was a lot of emphasis on Continuum with the newly introduced Display Dock, which allows you to connect a monitor and accessories via USB-C and use your phone like a PC. While this isn’t news, it is an interesting idea. I’m just not sure how useful it will be. It’s no good for travelling, and if you have a bigger screen, it might as well be a tablet with its own more powerful processor. This leaves people who don’t have a second device, but how will the price of the Display Dock and a monitor, keyboard and mouse compare to a laptop or tablet?

Also, can I just say how glad I am the Display Dock is just a little box with sensibly arranged ports? Going by the current USB hub designs, you’d think this was a stroke of genius. Sheesh.

The newly announced 4.7″ Microsoft Lumia 550 budget phone is a bit more interesting, if only because it does 4G LTE for only $139. Of course, it’s hard to judge a phone only by specs, but really, a metal logo on a plastic back? Come on, Microsoft, surely you know better. Otherwise, the display and everything else seems pretty nice. Only the 5 megapixel camera and lack of a USB-C port are a bit disappointing.

Tracked is a netlabel focused on lo-fi and chiptune music.

Here's the design process:

The initial idea is sketched on whatever is closest, in my case this is almost always MS Paint with a mouse.

There isn't any concrete inspiration behind this. It was very much designed in my “wireframe logo“ phase.

The symbol is based on a skewed wireframe “TR” merged together, since I deemed just T too unidentifiable. There was some experimentation with the type, but sometimes the first thing you choose just sticks. I was getting a “casette manufacturer” vibe from the logo in combination with the type, which I liked.

In the end, the biggest discussion was about the relation of the type and the logo. There was a bit of a departure at the end, which then resulted in a more traditional “symbol in a circle” logo, which could work on its own in a rather cryptic way.

I’m a little late with this, but I’ve just noticed this today. Here’s the old logo:

The new logo is obviously a change for the better, because the old logo is quite frankly awful. However, it strongly reminds me of a jeans maker logo. I can’t quite put my finger on it. What am I thinking of, Levi’s?

An advertised “feature” of the logo is that you can put anything in the box behind the logo. How novel! Except not really, of course. I’ve seen this a million times already. Not that this in itself is bad, of course, just not nearly as innovative as Lenovo would like you to think.

Even the choice of pictures just gives me more of an impression of a clothes manufacturer, rather than an electronics one.

Of course, since Lenovo is a product company, what’s important is how the new logo looks on products. The only picture of a product with the new logo I’ve been able to find is a tiny picture of a Yoga tablet cover:

This, again, especially with the way it’s printed onto a little sown on label, just drives the point of it looking like a fashion brand home.

The fact that even products announced at the same time as the logo still use the old logo is a little odd. Was this new look a last minute decision?