Posted by Ben at 5:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Over the summer I decided it would be fun to write a game using Ruby. The work I do at Amex as a Ruby on Rails developer is for web stuff but I wanted to try building a computer game using the Ruby language and I was able to find a framework called Gosu with which to do it.

The result was this: Snack Attack

I dunno how I went so long without mentioning it here but now you know. I've been meaning to update it so you can play without creating an account but I haven't been able to find the time amidst all the other projects I'm working on.

In other news...

After a couple months of commuting to work by bike, my casual riding has blossomed into a full blown obsession and I can say with some confidence that Werner is one of the best purchases I've ever made. As long as there's not any rain expected that day I now bike and, as a result, I've started to really lose patience with the subway system in the cases I do ride it. Standing still on a train just can't compete with weaving in and out of New York City traffic, even if the trains actually move faster.

I've found that despite the train's much higher top speed, in many cases I've found biking to be a faster way to get around, mainly because you can always take a much more direct route and there's not as much stop and go. My commute takes anywhere from half an hour to an hour by subway and is consistently about 45 minutes when I bike. Not too shabby. The winter here might be a little rough but I'm going to try to ride at least once a week. I'll be sure to keep everybody updated on how that goes...

Posted by Ben at 10:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

John McCain clearly stole a page straight out of Admiral James Stockdale's playbook. Stockdale was Ross Perot's running mate in 1992 and appears to have been quite the character.

Posted by Ben at 11:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Despite what you might think of Nike, these two commercials that they released this past summer were just brilliant pieces of filmmaking. The montage they put together to celebrate the olympics is sure to put a knot in the stomach of any sports fan while Guy Ritchie's Nike soccer commercial made for the Euro Cup is by far the best thing he's ever done.

The version of Ritchie's commercial that I've embedded is the directors cut which I don't think was ever aired on TV. It's a little over three minutes long and worth watching even if you've seen the shorter versions.

Posted by Ben at 12:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

A food lover's meme I came across via Serious Eats that originated at the blog Very Good Taste:

(the ones I've tried are bolded)

1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu or shaojiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake

Posted by Ben at 2:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)