January 2025
GOG New Year Sale 2025
Jan 30 2025
First off, things to take off the wishlist because I already got them through Steam or Epic:
Beholder
Coffee Talk
Crying Suns
Realpolitiks
Sunless Skies: Sovereign Edition
Superhot One of Us Bundle (have base game)
Second, looking at GOG Preservation Program tagged games (ones they pledge to keep compatible forever with current OSes) that have macOS versions:
The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings Enhanced Edition ($3, 85% off) - third person view fantasy RPG
GOG Preservation Program for Windows:
Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines ($10, 50% off)
Other discounted macOS games:
Scarlet Hood and the Wicked Wood - Deluxe Edition ($2, 90% off) - looks like a cute point-and-click adventure game
Deep Sky Derelicts: Definitive Edition ($3.75, 85% off) - science fiction card-based rogue-like
Warhammer Quest Deluxe ($2.75, 85% off) - Turn-based Fantasy tactical combat game. I have this on Steam but there is no 32-bit Steam client so can't install on older macOS that supports the game
Beholder
Coffee Talk
Crying Suns
Realpolitiks
Sunless Skies: Sovereign Edition
Superhot One of Us Bundle (have base game)
Second, looking at GOG Preservation Program tagged games (ones they pledge to keep compatible forever with current OSes) that have macOS versions:
The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings Enhanced Edition ($3, 85% off) - third person view fantasy RPG
GOG Preservation Program for Windows:
Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines ($10, 50% off)
Other discounted macOS games:
Scarlet Hood and the Wicked Wood - Deluxe Edition ($2, 90% off) - looks like a cute point-and-click adventure game
Deep Sky Derelicts: Definitive Edition ($3.75, 85% off) - science fiction card-based rogue-like
Warhammer Quest Deluxe ($2.75, 85% off) - Turn-based Fantasy tactical combat game. I have this on Steam but there is no 32-bit Steam client so can't install on older macOS that supports the game
CBR+PNK Bundle
Jan 28 2025
This small set-price ($6) bundle for the rules light cyber punk RPG CBR+PNK.
CBR+PNK 1.5E (7 pages) - Augmented Edition
Cyberpunk Hunters (2 pages) - add elite operatives to your campaign
+Weird (2 pages) - add Magic to your campaign
The Ghost of Adelaide, Mind the Gap, Mona Rise Megalopolis, PRDTR (9 total pages) - four adventures
Dark City, Netscape, Tremont Plaza, Wonderland (10 total pages) - four 3rd party adventures
I guess for $6 is worth trying out especially since there are 8 small adventures.
CBR+PNK 1.5E (7 pages) - Augmented Edition
Cyberpunk Hunters (2 pages) - add elite operatives to your campaign
+Weird (2 pages) - add Magic to your campaign
The Ghost of Adelaide, Mind the Gap, Mona Rise Megalopolis, PRDTR (9 total pages) - four adventures
Dark City, Netscape, Tremont Plaza, Wonderland (10 total pages) - four 3rd party adventures
I guess for $6 is worth trying out especially since there are 8 small adventures.
Diary - Jan 18 to Jan 24 2025
Jan 25 2025
Sat Jan 18 2025
Sleep 0500 to 1330 (8-1/2 hours)
Sun Jan 19 2025
Sleep 0900 to 1500 (6 hours)
Mon Jan 20 2025
Sleep 0815 to 1445 (6-1/2 hours)
Sleep 0015 to 0545, 1300 to 1400 (6 hours)
Wed Jan 22 2025
Sleep 0130 to 1030 (9 hours)
Thu Jan 23 2025
Sleep 0145 to 0945 (8 hours)
Fri Jan 24 2025
Sleep 0330 to 0830, 1515 to 1745 (7-1/2 hours)
Sleep 0500 to 1330 (8-1/2 hours)
- Oops. Missed out on the Night’s Black Agents bundle. Guess I calculated ending date wrong. It’s because they never have the ending date, just the time remaining. Not like I really needed it anyway.
- Kansas City defeats Houston as expected. Washington upsets Detroit. Detroit had lots of turnovers but were only like 10 points behind at the half. Then more turnovers and they couldn’t close the gap.
- DDO with Dave S and Dave W. Did the last two Sands of Menechtarun walkups then the first two Attack on Stormreach. Had a bit of trouble with the latter two at R5 then R4. Used two spirit cakes.
Sun Jan 19 2025
Sleep 0900 to 1500 (6 hours)
- After gaming I was up a few hours and then waited another 1-1/2 hours for the 0900 STFC daily events.
- With the second half of my property tax due at the end of the month I’ll be fairly close to running out of cash. Most likely need to sell stock of which it’s almost all Oracle stock that I can sell like normal, everything else being 401K or Roth IRA. After they missed their target last quarter the stock went back down so I can gamble and see if they make their target this quarter.
Mon Jan 20 2025
Sleep 0815 to 1445 (6-1/2 hours)
- Second night going to sleep way late. This time I was trying to get to sleep earlier but couldn’t make myself sleep.
- Martin Luther King holiday. Also Presidential Inauguration.
Sleep 0015 to 0545, 1300 to 1400 (6 hours)
- Last night when I got tired about 2200 still took me a couple of hours to get to bed and sleep.
- A bit surprising how much memory VLC uses (almost 1 GB) even though it’s idle.
- Got a haircut at All Star Barber Shop. Today I wasn’t in the mood to eat out afterwards and I forgot to bring a bag so didn’t stop my the Spanish market.
Wed Jan 22 2025
Sleep 0130 to 1030 (9 hours)
- Dinner at C3. Deliver from Thai Charm.
- Christopher and I started playing on DDO Cormyr server. This is their first 64-bit server and for now (maybe for always) is VIP only, but from today until mid April it’s free for all. So a good way to get 1000 favor bonuses.
Thu Jan 23 2025
Sleep 0145 to 0945 (8 hours)
- Spent the day prepping for HOA meeting. The meeting went well.
Fri Jan 24 2025
Sleep 0330 to 0830, 1515 to 1745 (7-1/2 hours)
- Got a bit of prep for D&D.
- We played about an hour of Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands but we’re kind of tired so ended early. Dave W was late and we ended before he showed up.
Guest Parking Monitoring App
Jan 23 2025
We have five guest parking spaces that I check nightly and if a car is there 4 nights in a row they get a warning. I track by taking a photo and then I can check in Photos app if I recall a car has been there too long.
I was thinking making an iPhone app for this. I checked App Store and didn't find anything that fits. There are parking monitoring apps which work with real-time monitoring systems. Parking management apps for issuing parking permits. And of course parking apps to find and pay for public parking spots.
So right now this app would be something that doesn't seem to exist, or perhaps it's part of a bigger app that I don't need.
Basic Features
I was thinking making an iPhone app for this. I checked App Store and didn't find anything that fits. There are parking monitoring apps which work with real-time monitoring systems. Parking management apps for issuing parking permits. And of course parking apps to find and pay for public parking spots.
So right now this app would be something that doesn't seem to exist, or perhaps it's part of a bigger app that I don't need.
Basic Features
- Take photo
- Scan license plate and record it with photo - alternatively allow entering license plate
- Scan parking spot number and record it with photo - also allow entering parking spot since often number is covered by car
- Highlight/report on violations
Witchblade & Darkness 2025 Bundle
Jan 21 2025
Witchblade & Darkness 2025 Comic Bundle is $18 for:
Witchblade 2024 #1-6 - this is the current series currently at issue 8
Witchblade #1 - this is Witchblade (1995) which ran 185 issues
Witchblade #2-30
Witchblade #31-100
Artifacts #0 - this is Artifacts (2010) which ran 40 issues
Artifacts #1-10
Artifacts #11-24
Darkness #1 - this is Darkness (1996) which ran 40 issues
Darkness #2-20
Darkness #21-50
These are all individual issues, not trade paperbacks.
Turns out I have all these in complete series (except for Witchblade 2024). Guess I got them from previous Humble Bundles. Since this bundle doesn't include any complete series I wouldn't recommend it.
Witchblade 2024 #1-6 - this is the current series currently at issue 8
Witchblade #1 - this is Witchblade (1995) which ran 185 issues
Witchblade #2-30
Witchblade #31-100
Artifacts #0 - this is Artifacts (2010) which ran 40 issues
Artifacts #1-10
Artifacts #11-24
Darkness #1 - this is Darkness (1996) which ran 40 issues
Darkness #2-20
Darkness #21-50
These are all individual issues, not trade paperbacks.
Turns out I have all these in complete series (except for Witchblade 2024). Guess I got them from previous Humble Bundles. Since this bundle doesn't include any complete series I wouldn't recommend it.
Diary - Jan 11 to Jan 17 2025
Jan 18 2025
Sat Jan 11 2025
Sleep 0615 to 1415 (8 hours)
Sun Jan 12 2025
Sleep 0730 to 1430 (7 hours)
Mon Jan 13 2025
Sleep 0045 to 0845 (8 hours)
Tue Jan 14 2025
Sleep 1145 to 1745.
Wed Jan 15 2025
Sleep 0215 to 0845 (6-1/2 hours)
Thu Jan 16 2025
Sleep 0430 to 0830, 0930 to 1330 (8 hours)
Fri Jan 17 2025
Sleep 0400 to 0715, 1100 to 1515 (7-1/2 hours)
Sleep 0615 to 1415 (8 hours)
- Houston Texans won at home vs Los Angeles Chargers. They were doing nothing offensively for most of the first half but the Chargers still only up 6-0 when Houston finally got going and they won by a couple of scores. I’m pleased Houston won.
- In the second game Baltimore Ravens demolished Pittsburgh Steelers. Steelers defense got some turnovers but couldn’t hold up and the offense looked bad until halfway through the third quarter. Mixed feelings about this one.
- We played some DDO while Christopher and Corina were at a company dinner. Three of the Sand of Menechtarun walkups. Then Christopher joined us and we finished Mists of Ravenloft - Sunrise.
Sun Jan 12 2025
Sleep 0730 to 1430 (7 hours)
- My Hue living room Switch fell off because the glue I guess wore out. Then it wouldn’t work but deleting it from the app and re-pairing got it working again. So, still works fine for clicking (which is supposed to last 50k clicks) but the glue not as long lasting.
- Buffalo Bills beat Denver Broncos fairly convincingly although the Broncos scored first. Later Green Bay Packers lost to Philadelphia Eagles. Both Bills and Eagles look very strong. In the last game of today Washington Commanders win with a FG as time runs out versus Tampa Bay Buccaneers. I like this win.
Mon Jan 13 2025
Sleep 0045 to 0845 (8 hours)
- Came to mind today that maybe I should move my computer desk to the studio/guest area since I don’t expect Kooma to visit me here. I would then be close to an outside window which is nice in the daytime though I’d also have more street noise and maybe a little colder in Winter. I already get some noise from the neighbor when she watches television starting about 21:00.
- Los Angeles Rams beat Minnesota Vikings 27-9 in Arizona (game moved due to Los Angeles fires). Vikings QB Sam Darnold looked like his bad old self getting sacked 9 times mostly because he was waiting too long for someone to get open.
Tue Jan 14 2025
Sleep 1145 to 1745.
- Couldn’t sleep all night until the next day.
- Netflix subscription inactive again.
- Signing up to Viki (Asian tv shows and movies streaming service). Verify email on my iPaid goes from Mail to Safari to Viki app and then fails. On my Mac it went from Mail to Safari then login to Viki and verified.
- Today in Star Trek Fleet Command I finally achieved 10M reputation with Federation and with Romulan factions. That’s the first lock, in that your reputation can’t fall below 10M. So now I concentrate on Klingon faction which went to -2M but cashing in all my saved mission rewards I got it to -1.1M. Once I have Klingons locked I can go back to Fed/Rom. The next lock is at 1B so that’s going to be a while even though you do get more daily and task reputation rewards as you go up in levels.
- Parallels tech preview supports x86 operating system running on a host Apple Silicon Mac. Although currently really slowly and probably won’t get that much better. The problem is the guest OS assumes it has good hardware and as new versions come out they use more and more resources so you never get to the point where you can comfortably run the latest guest OS, at least not for games.
Wed Jan 15 2025
Sleep 0215 to 0845 (6-1/2 hours)
- I have a week to sign up for AppleCare+ coverage for my MBP. I used to do this but didn’t on the last one and probably won’t for this one, mostly because it’s kind of expensive ($100 per year or $280 for 3 years). It’s at home almost all the time so damage is less likely than usual. Note that it will have standard AppleCare for a year from activation (which makes the first year of AppleCare+ more expensive than further years)1.
- Similarly for my replacement iPhone SE I have 20 days to sign up for AppleCare+. $4 per month or $7.50 per month adding loss/theft protection. It’s more worth it since I drop my iPhone a lot. But then again in a couple of years I’ll buy a new iPhone and at that time willing pay the $100 for 2 years AppleCare+.
- Another factor is that AppleCare+ is priced by device type. I think all MBPs cost the same and if I had spent a bunch more on my MBP the price of AppleCare+ might be justified.
Thu Jan 16 2025
Sleep 0430 to 0830, 0930 to 1330 (8 hours)
- I hate that Star Trek Fleet Command sometimes grabs my AirPods audio output even though I’ve disabled music and sound effects.
- Power outage this morning. UPS woke me up because it does a beep-beep every 15 seconds. Power came back about 1230. PG&E pretty good sending out email updates.
- Nemo did a stream at 0730 my local time with an hour’s warning. I wish she’d give more like a day or at least 12 hours warning.
Fri Jan 17 2025
Sleep 0400 to 0715, 1100 to 1515 (7-1/2 hours)
- We played some online Gloomhaven. This scenario Dave S had to survive 10 rounds (though it turned out to be 9 rounds or maybe the counter didn’t increment until the end of the round so we were off by 1). I got myself exhausted late in the scenario mostly because I burned cards to protect myself. Then it was trying to keep Dave S invisible while the other two ran away from the monsters.
Designers, Dragons, and More Bundle
Jan 16 2025
Designers, Dragons, and More Bundle features Shannon Applecline's current second edition of Designers & Dragons.
Designers & Dragons: The 70's
Designers & Dragons: The 80's
Designers & Dragons: The 90's
Designers & Dragons: The 00's
Family Games: The 100 Best
Hobby Games: The 100 Best
40 Years of Gen Con
Hmm, I already all these on PDF at DriveThruRPG so I guess I've bought a similar bundle. I don't know when and searching my web site I didn't find any reference… Ah, found it my checkbook app. Bought this bundle Jun 2020 so the bundle has been offered at about 5-year intervals. I'm pretty happy with these books.
Designers & Dragons: The 70's
Designers & Dragons: The 80's
Designers & Dragons: The 90's
Designers & Dragons: The 00's
Family Games: The 100 Best
Hobby Games: The 100 Best
40 Years of Gen Con
Hmm, I already all these on PDF at DriveThruRPG so I guess I've bought a similar bundle. I don't know when and searching my web site I didn't find any reference… Ah, found it my checkbook app. Bought this bundle Jun 2020 so the bundle has been offered at about 5-year intervals. I'm pretty happy with these books.
Setting Up Dynamic DNS
Jan 14 2025
My router has dynamic DNS support through three services:
I used TP-Link provider:
Now if you do a DNS lookup:
In your web browser if you go to https://www2.tgd-inc.com:
I rebooted the router, which picks up a new IP address. It took an hour or so for dyn-tgd-inc.tplinkdns.com to reflect the new IP address — you'd think the router knows the IP address changed so it should update immediately but still fast enough for home use.
- DynDNS - Now owned by Oracle and a paid service.
- No-IP - It has a free tier with 1 hostname but sends you a confirmation email every month to make sure you're still using the address (which they can tell anyways if record is accessed and by pinging the IP so it's more like they want send you a monthly marketing reminder).
- TP-Link - This is the router company's one. You need a TP-Link ID which you have if you want to remote control your router.
I used TP-Link provider:
- Login toTP-Link account then add a domain (enter anything, though it rejected my first couple of suggestions with invalid term and maybe it doesn't like www2 in www2-tgd-inc): dyn-tgd-inc.tplinkdns.com.
- Delete the current A record for www2.tgd-inc.com.
- Add a CNAME record for www2 that points to dyn-tgd-inc.tplinkdns.com.
Now if you do a DNS lookup:
% nslookup -debug www2.tgd-inc.com
Server: 192.168.0.1
Address: 192.168.0.1#53
------------
QUESTIONS:
www2.tgd-inc.com, type = A, class = IN
ANSWERS:
-> www2.tgd-inc.com
canonical name = dyn-tgd-inc.tplinkdns.com.
ttl = 7200
-> dyn-tgd-inc.tplinkdns.com
internet address = 192.184.151.221
ttl = 900
AUTHORITY RECORDS:
ADDITIONAL RECORDS:
------------
Non-authoritative answer:
www2.tgd-inc.com canonical name = dyn-tgd-inc.tplinkdns.com.
Name: dyn-tgd-inc.tplinkdns.com
Address: 192.184.151.221
In your web browser if you go to https://www2.tgd-inc.com:
- Your computer does a DNS lookup for www2.tgd-inc.com
- That response says lookup at dyn-tgd-inc.tplinkdns.com
- Your computer does a DNS lookup for dyn-tgd-inc.tplinkdns.com
- That response gives an IP address
- Your browser goes that IP address and in URL bar it still says https://www2.tgd-inc.com so SSL certificate still works.
I rebooted the router, which picks up a new IP address. It took an hour or so for dyn-tgd-inc.tplinkdns.com to reflect the new IP address — you'd think the router knows the IP address changed so it should update immediately but still fast enough for home use.
Diary - Jan 04 to Jan 10 2025
Jan 11 2025
Sat Jan 04 2025
Sleep 0500 to 1330 (8-1/2 hours)
Sun Jan 05 2025
Sleep 0530 to 1200 (6-1/2 hours)
Mon Jan 06 2025
Sleep 0415 to 1315 (9 hours)
Tue Jan 07 2025
Sleep 0415 to 1215 (8 hours)
Wed Jan 08 2025
Sleep 0530 to 1330 (8 hours)
Thu Jan 09 2025
Sleep 0430 to 1030, 2 hour nap (8 hours)
Fri Jan 10 2025
Sleep 0445 to 1315 (8-1/2 hours)
Sleep 0500 to 1330 (8-1/2 hours)
- Was doing a big network sync and from my MBP M4 to the AX55 to Airport to Mac mini throughput was about 10 MB/s which is much slower than before. Plugged in Mac mini directly to AX55 and throughput went to 30-40 MB/s and that’s good. Also I mistakenly used the Hue hub Ethernet cable (which is short and convenient) and throughput went back down to 10 MB/s so that’s not a high speed cable. Think I should buy a couple of 10gb Ethernet cables just to make sure both Macs connected to the AX55 have the highest bandwidth.
- We received our EV incentives rebate from Peninsula Clean Energy. For me it was $3841 for installation and the charger (about $650) plus $411 for the legal stuff (we modified property rights to account for charger) which HOA paid for and get reimbursement from the PCE fund. Rebate is $2470 so my out of pocket turned out to be $3841 - $2470 = $1371. BTW there is also a WiFi network we installed but that’s all covered by HOA since it also helped with our AT&T VoIP lines and maybe we can use the network for security cameras or something.
Sun Jan 05 2025
Sleep 0530 to 1200 (6-1/2 hours)
- macOS started verifying my video files when I opened them. This took a few minutes and macOS would say it couldn’t verify so it wouldn’t open the file. Go to Security settings and click Open Anyway and it’ll go through verification again and this time when it fails the dialog allows you to open anyways. Obviously this is very unworkable. Searching the web I found this article “Fix: macOS Verifying every video file” which basically tells you to turn off LSQuarantine which is GateKeeper. I think that turns off application checking too. Not sure this is the best solution but for now I’ll keep it.
- At the same time the default app for opening video files became TV.app. I could set the app to VLC on an individual basis but when I tried to set it or all documents it would revert to Books in the UI though in reality it was TV. I ran Disk First Aid which didn’t find anything. Eventually I moved VLC into the regular Applications folder and now I can set it as default app.
- Perhaps both of the above are from installing and uninstalling Samsun Magician software since that tried to make system changes. Don’t recall doing anything else unusual.
Mon Jan 06 2025
Sleep 0415 to 1315 (9 hours)
- One thing about my TP-Link router is that on reboot it picks up a new DHCP IP address. My Airport would reuse the same address if available so rebooting was no problem and I’d see a changed IP address if there was a general power outage. Since I have a DNS record, www2.tgd-inc.com, that points to the router I have to update it when TP-Link reboots. TP-Link does support Dynamic DNS with three different providers and that’s good for most home users. I suppose there may be a way to point www2.tgd-inc.com to an external DNS record. I’ll have to research.
- I bought Return to the Keep on the Borderlands. I noticed that the outdoor map now shows that the Cave of the Unknown is Quasqueton, though no details in this module. I also made it Quasqueton — the fortress of module B1 — in my D&D campaign.
- Doing my rounds and found someone who is getting ready to sleep in the recreation room. Apparently he is from unit #111 and was had a fight with his wife and he has a suitcase so I guess it was serious. I let him sleep there tonight.
Tue Jan 07 2025
Sleep 0415 to 1215 (8 hours)
- Got a text message about the guy in the rec room. Went out about 2 PM and talked to him and we agreed he could leave after dinner. Later that night when I went to lock up the rec room he was gone. Hopefully his home situation improves but it did look like he’s not working which may be a contributor to their domestic issue. Checked later that night and he’s gone.
- Went to Trader Joe’s for some groceries. Again remembered that I need to sticker my license plate so during my rounds tonight I took my license plate back to my apartment.
Wed Jan 08 2025
Sleep 0530 to 1330 (8 hours)
- Dinner at C3’s. Simple spaghetti with green or red sauces.
- Evening walk with CSr. Somehow brought up if I’m going to start looking for a job and now I’m a bit depressed.
- CJr has not been doing his chores so Netflix subscription will probably lapse.
Thu Jan 09 2025
Sleep 0430 to 1030, 2 hour nap (8 hours)
- Mobile notary came by and Steph, David (for the HOA board), and I signed the EVCS agreement. It’s neat she had an app to record our signature and a little fingerprint scanner to record that too. Friendly gal. Claudia Paez, Notary Public.
- Which reminds me that I’m probably not ever using A+ Mailboxes & More again since their notary was unhelpful when there was a problem with his stamp. Our lawyers wanted him to fill out a certain Illegibility form and he refused hence why we needed to re-sign today.
- TT called me about how things are with Stifel. She wants to call them tomorrow to talk to them. I told her sure but let me in on the call. Which reminds me I haven’t advanced it any further so I shot Nathan an email to warn him about the possibility (so that he has information ready) and to ask if any of the other two board members have signing authorization. Mostly I’d rather not have their names on checks since it’s TT and I that approve invoices so it’s like them signing for checks without even knowing what they’re for.
Fri Jan 10 2025
Sleep 0445 to 1315 (8-1/2 hours)
- Went to Safeway for fried chicken. They didn’t have any fresh so I bought one of the ones earlier in the day that it’s the heated foods section. Wow that’s so bad even microwaves a bit to make it hot. Just very dry after it’s been under a heat lamp for several hours. Also they mislabeled it as dark meat when it’s the mixed white/dark meat.
- Trying out macOS Dock on the left. Bottom is nice but I hate it when I go too far down on the second monitor and the Dock moves there which also makes the windows resize (and DuckDuckGo browser resizes to whole field). At least on the left it doesn’t move around though it’ll take getting some used to.
- Tiny Tina’s. After a couple of hours I started to get nauseous so wasn’t into it for the last half hour. Was nauseous for a couple of hours afterwards.
NFL 2024 Playoff Predictions
Jan 10 2025
With the playoffs starting this weekend it's time for predictions.
First is personal picks. For champions the #1 is omitted because that's too easy.
AFC Champion: Buffalo Bills.
NFC Champion: Philadelphia Eagles.
Picking the #2 seeds is still predictable. For Buffalo I don't see any other teams other than Kansas City that can beat them. In the NFC Minnesota I'm still not that confident in them and they'll have to go through Detroit.
For upstart picks these have to be a wildcard team that will upset a team or two.
AFC Upstart: Pittsburgh.
NFC Upstart: Green Bay.
No particular reason other than I like those two teams.
Now we go for Super Bowl preferences which follow the usual formula: teams that won recent Super Bowls rank last and teams that haven't won a Super Bowl rank first.
It's interesting that the top pick is also probably one of the favorites to win it anyway.
First is personal picks. For champions the #1 is omitted because that's too easy.
AFC Champion: Buffalo Bills.
NFC Champion: Philadelphia Eagles.
Picking the #2 seeds is still predictable. For Buffalo I don't see any other teams other than Kansas City that can beat them. In the NFC Minnesota I'm still not that confident in them and they'll have to go through Detroit.
For upstart picks these have to be a wildcard team that will upset a team or two.
AFC Upstart: Pittsburgh.
NFC Upstart: Green Bay.
No particular reason other than I like those two teams.
Now we go for Super Bowl preferences which follow the usual formula: teams that won recent Super Bowls rank last and teams that haven't won a Super Bowl rank first.
- Detroit Lions (0 SB appearances, founded 1928)
- Houston Texans (0 SB appearances, founded 1999)
- Los Angeles Chargers (played in 1 SB)
- Minnesota Vikings (played in 4 SBs, not as recent as Buffalo)
- Buffalo Bills (played in 4 SBs)
- Baltimore Ravens (won 2 SBs)
- Washington Commanders (won 3 SBs)
- Green Bay Packers (won 4 SBs)
- Pittsburgh Steelers (won 6 SBs)
- Denver Broncos (won SB 50)
- Philadelphia Eagles (won SB 52)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (won SB 55)
- Los Angeles Rams (won SB 56)
- Kansas City Chiefs (won SB 58)
It's interesting that the top pick is also probably one of the favorites to win it anyway.
NFL 2024 Regular Season
Jan 08 2025
The 2024 NFL regular season just ended. San Francisco 49ers had a really bad year ending 6-11, often being ahead in games but then losing the game in the second half.
AFC
NFC
I was rooting for Cincinnati Bengals to get in because I like QB Joe Burrow and they had a bad 4-8 start and won their last 5 games to almost make it.
AFC
- Kansas City Chiefs (15-2) - They looked great all year and I saw way too many last possession they drive down the field and get the winning Field Goal or Touchdown.
- Buffalo Bills (13-4) - Josh Allen is a great Quarterback and the Bills can challenge the Chiefs in the AFC title game.
- Baltimore Ravens (12-5) - RB Derrick Henry is a great free-agent signing though at times the Ravens did not play as well offensively as I thought they could.
- Houston Texans (10-7) - 2nd year coach DeMeco Ryans and 2nd year QB CJ Stroud get a second playoff appearance. Texans started hot (6-2) then cooled the rest of the season so unlikely to get far.
- Los Angeles Chargers (11-6) - Jim Harbaugh returns to NFL coaching after getting Michigan a title and NCAA sanctions. I'm not really enamored with this team though.
- Pittsburgh Steelers (10-7) - QB Russell Wilson is not great anymore and was injured some but backup QB Justin Fields showing he's capable. They also started ok and faded.
- Denver Broncos (10-7) - Rookie QB Bo Nix is entertaining and has played better than expected.
NFC
- Detroit Lions (15-2) - I totally doubted them through most of the season and they winning and winning. An impressive home win against the Vikings to secure the #1 seed and this is the team to beat.
- Philadelphia Eagles (14-3) - Started out slowly and ended strong. Once again looking like a team worthy of going to the Super Bowl.
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (10-7) - QB Baker Mayfield doing well in his second year with the Bucs.
- Los Angeles Rams (10-7) - NFC West was so bad this year but it came down to the Rams or Seahawks and the Rams won 5 games late to win the division. Backup QB Jimmy Garoppolo got the week 18 start in a meaningless game in which he showed his usual can-play-well-and-lose-the-game-in-the-4th-quarter style.
- Minnesota Vikings (14-3) - The rpg.net NFL thread for this year started out subtitled the Sam Darnold revenge tour and it was. Certainly a candidate to upset the Lions or Eagles.
- Washington Commanders (12-5) - A surprisingly good start (7-1) then three loses then five wins to go into the playoffs like a team that can go into Tampa Bay and beat the Bucs.
- Green Bay Packers (11-6) - Like QB Jordan Love so I like this team but they dominate so don't see them upsetting any other team.
I was rooting for Cincinnati Bengals to get in because I like QB Joe Burrow and they had a bad 4-8 start and won their last 5 games to almost make it.
Diary - Dec 28 to Jan 03 2025
Jan 04 2025
Fri Dec 27 2024
Sleep 0330 to 1045, 1 hr nap (8-1/4 hours)
Sleep 0530 to 1230 (7 hours)
Sun Dec 29 2024
Sleep 0530 to 1130 (6 hours)
Mon Dec 30 2024
Sleep 0245 to 1045 (8 hours)
Tue Dec 31 2024
Sleep 0700 to 1300 (6 hours)
Wed Jan 01 2025
Sleep 0530 to 1230 (7 hours)
Thu Jan 02 2025
Sleep 0130 to 0830 (7 hours)
Fri Jan 03 2025
Sleep 0300 to 1130 (8-1/2 hours)
Sleep 0330 to 1045, 1 hr nap (8-1/4 hours)
- We played some Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands. Wish I could set up a VPN so we can do LAN play without me booting into Windows but Open VPN free account only supports two external connections (I could have the server connection be on my local network so I wouldn’t need VPN myself).
Sleep 0530 to 1230 (7 hours)
- We played some DDO.
Sun Dec 29 2024
Sleep 0530 to 1130 (6 hours)
- Bought Humble Comics Bundle: Hellboy Universe Megabundle ($18).
Mon Dec 30 2024
Sleep 0245 to 1045 (8 hours)
- Hit this issue with Epic Games Store where it says your account is not allowed to get a copy of a free game. Apparently free games are per IP address so if you’re using a VPN (e.g. iCloud Private Relay) then you might hit this.
- Just saw that New Amsterdam is leaving Netflix Jan 15. I have season 4 and 5 to watch but should be doable at two episodes per day.
Tue Dec 31 2024
Sleep 0700 to 1300 (6 hours)
- Darn. Castle no longer on Disney+. If I had known I’d have watched more.
- Finally setup my new router, TP-Link Archer AX55. Took a couple of hours. I used WPS to setup the printer connection and that was easy especially compared to using the 5-button 1-line LED UI on the printer (theoretically you can also connect a Windows computer via USB).
- MBP M4 connected with 802.11ax upload/download speeds are about the same so I guess I was already maxing out the Internet bandwidth with 802.11n. We’ll see if at least computer to computer transfers are fast.
- I slightly regret not getting the Ethernet version of my printer since the WiFi it supports (802.11b with WPA2 encryption) is a bit old and less secure.
- Downloading some stuff at 0200 and I did see it go to 60 MB/s which is maybe twice as fast as before, though I guess in the day you’re not going to see much of a difference.
Wed Jan 01 2025
Sleep 0530 to 1230 (7 hours)
- Turned on Open VPN server on my TP-Link router. Pretty easy: tell it if you want clients to access internal network or internal network + Internet, generate certificate (it uses external facing IP address, I assume I can’t change it to a domain name like www2.tgd-inc.com, export config file which you can then import to an Open VPN client. No passwords or login though so it’s a home network solution not an enterprise solution. The router also supports PPTP, L2TP/IPSec, and WireGuard servers all of which you can add clients with passwords.
Thu Jan 02 2025
Sleep 0130 to 0830 (7 hours)
- Went to Trader Joe’s about 3 PM. Quite full of people with all registers fairly busy. Besides the usual they had 1 lb. bags of shelled sunflower seeds for $3 which seems quite cheap.
Fri Jan 03 2025
Sleep 0300 to 1130 (8-1/2 hours)
- TT objected to providing so much info to our Reserve Fund bank just so she can have signing authority. I will probably need to have RB be co-signer on checks which is not ideal since TT is co-approver in our AP app. Feel a bit uncomfortable having a co-signer who is not approving the same expenses.
- I didn’t realize you can change your computer/device name in Settings > About > Name. Only became a problem when my new MBP’s default name of Kevin’s MacBook Pro kept confusing me since I have two MBPs. Also don’t like Kevin’s xyz I’d rather it be Kevin xyz without the ’s.
- Oh, I did get charged $99 for the iPhone “screen replacement” which is fine since I got an (I assume) refurbished iPhone SE out of it. Only I’m worried about is if the battery is old but still normal or if it’s a newer with less wear and tear.
The Complete Night's Black Agents & Dracula Dossier Bundle
Jan 02 2025
The Complete Night's Black Agents & Dracula Dossier Bundle from Humble Bundle is $18 for
Already Own
PELG-N01 Night's Black Agents (2012)
PELG-N05 The Dracula Dossier: Director's Handbook (2015)
PELG-N06 Dracula Unredacted (2015) - Bram Stroker's Dracula novel with a lot of "redacted and unpublished" additions.
PELG-N07 The Dracula Dossier Deck (2016) - card deck with NPCs, Nodes, Locations, Objects, and Opponents
PELG-N08 EDOM Field Manual (2016)
PELG-N09 The EDOM Files (2016) - compendium of eight adventures
PELG-N10 The Hawkins Papers (2015) - handouts
PELG-N11 The Thrill of Dracula (2016) - review & analysis of Dracula tales and stories + adventure seeds
Don't Own
PELG-N02 The Zalozhniy Quartet (2012) - 4-mission campaign
PELG-N03 Double Tap: The Night's Black Agents Companion (2013)
PELG-N04 Dust and Mirrors - Music for Night's Black Agents (2013) - MP3 album
PELG-N12 The Dubai Reckoning (2016) - 25-page adventure
PELG-N13 Looking Glass: Hong Kong (2017) - generic supplement usable with various Pelgrane RPGs
PELG-N14 The Persephone Extraction (2018) - 5-adventure campaign
PELG-N15 Night's Black Agents Director's Screen & Resource Guide (2019)
PELG-N16 The Dracula Vector (2020) - 29 page 2-session adventure
PELG-N17 Find Forever - one-shot adventure
GUMSHOE Zoom: Mind Control (2014) - 12-page article from Ken Writes About Stuff monthly series
Lilith (2014) - 9-page article from Ken Writes About Stuff monthly series
Free Stuff
The Dracula Dossier: Cuttings and New Additions - 65 pages of extras
The Dracula Dossier: Orchestral Theme Music - bonus from KS
Perveniet Calix (2015) - 7-page bonus item from Dracula Dossier KS
These can be downloaded from the Pelgrane's Dracula Dossier Resources.
I bought the Dracula Dossier Bundle which is all of the Already Own items. The rest is still a good buy for $18.
Already Own
PELG-N01 Night's Black Agents (2012)
PELG-N05 The Dracula Dossier: Director's Handbook (2015)
PELG-N06 Dracula Unredacted (2015) - Bram Stroker's Dracula novel with a lot of "redacted and unpublished" additions.
PELG-N07 The Dracula Dossier Deck (2016) - card deck with NPCs, Nodes, Locations, Objects, and Opponents
PELG-N08 EDOM Field Manual (2016)
PELG-N09 The EDOM Files (2016) - compendium of eight adventures
PELG-N10 The Hawkins Papers (2015) - handouts
PELG-N11 The Thrill of Dracula (2016) - review & analysis of Dracula tales and stories + adventure seeds
Don't Own
PELG-N02 The Zalozhniy Quartet (2012) - 4-mission campaign
PELG-N03 Double Tap: The Night's Black Agents Companion (2013)
PELG-N04 Dust and Mirrors - Music for Night's Black Agents (2013) - MP3 album
PELG-N12 The Dubai Reckoning (2016) - 25-page adventure
PELG-N13 Looking Glass: Hong Kong (2017) - generic supplement usable with various Pelgrane RPGs
PELG-N14 The Persephone Extraction (2018) - 5-adventure campaign
PELG-N15 Night's Black Agents Director's Screen & Resource Guide (2019)
PELG-N16 The Dracula Vector (2020) - 29 page 2-session adventure
PELG-N17 Find Forever - one-shot adventure
GUMSHOE Zoom: Mind Control (2014) - 12-page article from Ken Writes About Stuff monthly series
Lilith (2014) - 9-page article from Ken Writes About Stuff monthly series
Free Stuff
The Dracula Dossier: Cuttings and New Additions - 65 pages of extras
The Dracula Dossier: Orchestral Theme Music - bonus from KS
Perveniet Calix (2015) - 7-page bonus item from Dracula Dossier KS
These can be downloaded from the Pelgrane's Dracula Dossier Resources.
I bought the Dracula Dossier Bundle which is all of the Already Own items. The rest is still a good buy for $18.