One of the things that StreamElements did ,in addition to a chatbot, was keeping track of emoji usage in chat, as well as hashtags. It was fun to go back and review from time to time to see what was on the leaderboard for the last 90 days.

But StreamElements removed the hashtag tracking, probably due to limitations or restrictions from Twitch. Additionally, StreamElements offer things called Stream Overlays. These are basically overlays you can embed on your stream for alerts (subscriptions, follows, etc.) They also had a credits overlay in their gallery. This would display a set of rolling credits of everyone who was subscribed or followed etc.

But since starting six years ago, the features for StreamElements have pretty much remained the same. The customization was limited, and Twitch started offering their own alert overlays (which are easier to work with). I wanted to do more with the credits.

Could I keep track of hashtags again? Could I keep track of who chatted for this stream? Could I make it more dynamic to show engagement from the chat? Yes. But… no one made such a thing. At least not on MacOS or Linux.

I had come across awesome software projects like Social Stream Ninja which I was using for my chat overlay. But Social Stream Ninja offers a robust… cosmically robust amount of customization and integration via API. Seriously. Steve Seguin the one guy who makes it along with lots of other useful things, is super engaged with his users, and offers all of this free. Best yet, it runs locally² on your computer.

After many vibe coding sessions, I created my own software tailored to my needs. It keeps track of every chat, every activity, hashtags, emojis, etc. It allows customization of rolling credits (you can time them to your outro music).

I started adding other features like other overlays that show the hashtags from the stream in an old school hashtag cloud.

I’ve used it for a few months and it remains pretty stable. But it’s nice to keep track of who donated bits, raided, etc. It keeps track of a lot of stuff, and the data is all in one place on my computer.

It’s not for everyone, but I’m pretty happy with it and decided to publish it as open source on GitHub. You can check it out here: https://github.com/jarbochov/StreamPulse

So give it a look if you want. I made sure the documentation on how to set it up was comprehensive. I’m not sure what other things I would want to add into it. It does have a dependency on SocialStream since it’s already capturing chat information, I didn’t want to reinvent the wheel on that one.

1. LED lighting, youth-trends, “Like, subscribe, follow, ring the bell” but like too much. ↩︎
2. I tend to operate on a local first philosophy these days. ↩︎

Here’s what I consumed in 2025 and I’ll note a few of my standouts as well.

TV

This year I decided to watch Twin Peaks. I never watched it before. I can legitimately say that there’s nothing like it. I watched “The Return” series as well, which has a massive 25 year gap. I could try to explain it, but that would be doing it a disservice. I now see the influence it has over the Alan Wake video game series, more than I did before. It was weird, unsettling, and I enjoyed it quite a bit.

Andor Season 2 did not disappoint and provided hope in these dark times. “Rebellion’s are built on hope”.

Also Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-man was a good surprise return to a street level Spider-man, with some fun twists and turns along the way within the greater Marvel universe.

Movies

Superman redeemed the character for me in many ways, and James Gunn delivered a great story about kindness and doing the right thing despite everything. Kindness is the new punk rock.

And obviously KPop Demon Hunters was fantastic.

Books

So bad news, I didn’t get as many books read as I would have liked, but the good news is that it was more than last year.

Video Games

On to the main event.

I began the year playing all the Donkey Kong Country games, only to be surprised when the Switch 2 games were announced a new game Donkey Kong Bananza would be released. Donkey Kong Bananza was fantastic, I loved it, it felt like DK was finally back to kick some tail. Also… the moment where the true villain awakes during the classic fake credits¹ … gives me chills every time. No notes.

DOOM: The Dark Ages came and went. I really liked it, not as much as DOOM: Eternal, but I thought it was a fun heavy metal demon destroying romp through and through. id Software stands out as a developer that seems to know what they are doing amongst the monolith that is Bethesda/Microsoft. I am awaiting the DLC to get back to it.

Alan Wake II is really a standout game for me in 2025 (despite being released in 2023). I love these games, I love this universe and I can’t wait for Control: Resonant. I highly recommend playing either Control or Alan Wake II and going in blind.

Kirby Air Riders is everything I wanted out of a modern iteration of this game. The online mode is fantastic because I rarely have the chance to play this game with friends who would be interested in playing. Thank you, Sakurai!

I played my second Yakuza game, and need to start playing the rest of these in 2026².

2025 was a year for me: A new Donkey Kong, a new Tetris, Geometry Wars (Sektori), Katamari, Mario Kart, DOOM, Tony Hawk, Tribute Games beat-em-up (Marvel Cosmic Invasion), the Nintendo Switch 2,and so much more. I really liked everything I played on my list.

A standout for me this year was Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. A game that I feel deservedly took GOTY at the Game Awards. I loved this game, and I would highly recommend it to nearly anyone. It felt like a peak RPG from the 90s, but modernized. The story was engaging without relying on tropes, and the voice acting was exceptional. The battle gameplay was fun and engaging, expanding on RPG strategy by allowing character customization and discovering effective synergies and strategies. Each character plays uniquely, and the music was top-notch.

Finally, we arrive at my most anticipated game of 2025, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond. Metroid is a series I love, despite its imperfections. Replaying Metroid Prime Remastered in 2023 really made me wonder what a ‘modern’ Prime would look like. There was an 18-year gap between Corruption and this release.

Ultimately, Metroid Prime 4 isn’t what I imagined. I know it’s been divisive among fans, and while I think it might be a great entry point for someone who has never played a Metroid game, the design feels stuck in the past with little to surprise. For a game released in 2025, it seems like it ignored the design evolutions found in modern heavyweights like Hollow Knight. The game had a troubled development after essentially being restarted. I appreciated almost every aspect of the game, including the setting, music, Samus’ suit, art direction, and even the NPCs. However, the gameplay felt overly linear. Additionally, the main antagonist, who has been anticipated for over 18 years, had a rather disappointing origin story. While Metroid isn’t known for its engaging storyline, it often benefits from fans filling in the gaps. Although it’s not a bad game, and I may be an overly critical fan, I remain hopeful for as a strong foundation is laid for the next Metroid Prime.

There You Have It

Overall 2025 from a media standpoint was a was a standout. I think part of what I want to do with 2026 is go back and play some older games I never played or haven’t revisited in a decade or two. I am excited to be surprised with what I don’t know.

What were some of your favorite games you played this year? I want to know. Also let me know if you need any recommendations.

1. I’ve tried to avoid spoilers with this game, but if you’re an old school DK fan, you will not be disappointed. ↩
2. Kiryu-chan!!! ↩

Prepare for me to become an old man and shout at a cloud.

I am increasingly perturbed at the placement of ads in streaming services. Now I get it, you have an ad tier, and ad free tier. That’s not what I’m complaining about.

The pause screen is no longer sacred.

Perhaps you wanted to pause the screen to look at an easter egg, identify an actor, etc. NO. You must take this SPONSORED PAUSE break to CONSUME.

I know this isn’t new, but I’ve noticed it becoming more pervasive on services¹ . I’m seriously wondering who is pausing their show then sees an ad for the delicious taste of Lay’s Potato Chips², and scans a QR code to see how they can be the ideal sidekick for any meal.

I’ve also noticed it if you want to scrub or fast forward through an episode of something being forced to sit through multiple ad breaks just to get to the end of an episode. How at all is this user friendly?³ The sad part is people have just accepted these things as reality instead of getting vocally upset. Corporations are slowly boiling us alive with ads. I’m still not over the fact that Microsoft put ads in the Start Menu of Windows⁴. I think we can blame this on the Kindle placing ads on the sleep screen⁵.

Anyhow, I’ll now go back into my old man cave, and continue consuming my stories. I’m getting a bit hungry, I wonder if there was some snack that would pair well with binge watching.

1. I’ve noticed specifically on Peacock and Paramount+ but I’m sure there are other examples. ↩︎
2. I’ve been binge watching Twin Peaks lately and enjoying it. I had never seen it before. ↩︎
3. Spoiler: It’s not. ↩︎
4. Also before anyone responds with well that’s just how it is. No, it’s not. Apple does not forces ads down your throat nor Linux. Android does to a degree from my experience. ↩︎
5. I will never buy a Kindle ever again, and neither should you. They suck compared to most other competitors. ↩︎

As we’ve seen this year, there’s been much a hubbub about autism and how some people view it as something to be cured. All I can offer is my experience. I don’t view this is an ailment, but just a different neurotype. I feel the need to reiterate, if you’ve met a person with autism, then you’ve met one person with autism. Experiences are different for every autistic person as it’s a spectrum (not less autistic to more autistic). I certainly don’t speak for anyone apart from myself.

Observations

As an autistic person, I’ve been adopting the phrase “Don’t hear what I didn’t say” to emphasize that I meant what I said literally. After reflecting on it, I’ve noticed how many neurotypical conversations rely on body language and other ritualistic norms to be understood. I’ve observed people repeatedly venting their frustrations to friends, colleagues, and family. To me, these conversations seem repetitive without taking steps to change the outcome. However, people don’t seek advice; they vent as an outlet. I recall a friend asking me before starting a conversation, “Are you looking for guidance/advice, or do you just want to vent?” This is a helpful opener for many conversations, and for me, it’s usually both. Now that I’ve been in therapy for a while, I’ve noticed that people often use their support systems as therapy². However, this approach may not always be effective because everyone’s experiences are unique, and what works for one person may not work for another. I used to respond to conversations as a problem solver, which is a built-in natural part of my personality. But that’s generally not what people are seeking. I’m actively working on elevating my listening skills and expressing that my perspective is personal and may not apply to everyone. Now that I know I’m autistic, I know my perspective is statistically not relatable, and that’s okay.

Now that I’ve mostly treated my ADHD⁴, my need for conversational stimulation has decreased, meaning I’ve become even more of a hermit. Contrary to what people might think of me, I consider myself to have vampire autism⁵, meaning if you don’t invite me into a conversation, ask me a question, or an event, I’m not going to invite myself in⁶. Trying to find a proper entry point INTO a conversation is excruciating, and I make the assumption that most of the time, people don’t really care what I have to say⁷. I don’t like talking about myself, but if you ask me a direct question about myself, I won’t avoid it. That’s something I am working on⁸.

Being misinterpreted is something I’ve had to deal with for a very long time, and now I know that’s not an uncommon experience with autistic people. I communicate with a different communication style compared to neurotypical people. I remember a situation when I was pretty young where my cousin had a break-up with her boyfriend, and I asked “where’s your boyfriend been?” or something to that nature, and I got told “you can’t ask that”. I had no context as I didn’t know. I’ve asked pretty direct questions to people. I am a direct communicator, but I’m still misinterpreted.

It’s clear in my mind, but translating that into clear and concise speech can be challenging. I often feel that people have an exaggerated caricature of me, lacking nuance⁹. Perhaps everyone struggles with this? One common misconception is that I dislike people, which isn’t entirely true. I’m simply very selective about whom I associate with, a result of decades of having my trust broken, being misinterpreted, and navigating life in a neurotypical world as a neurodivergent person without realizing it. I like conversing with people, but not generally in a group of people in a loud space. Those times when I get to talk directly to someone are a vastly different experience to me. Another misconception is that I’m very opinionated and thrust my opinions onto others, when in reality I’m not concerned about what people think about things. If you ask for my opinion and then disagree, is it my fault?

Recently, I’ve noticed the subconscious draw to many neurodivergent individuals over the course of my personal history. Many people don’t usually ask clarifying questions; they hear one thing, draw conclusions, and move on. I’m not claiming to be immune to this myself; I’ve done that too. This isn’t a vague post or a response to anything specific. Don’t hear what I didn’t say. I just wanted to follow up on my last post on this subject.

Future

While my diagnosis was genuinely reassuring, it didn’t necessarily provide me with a clear roadmap for my next steps in life. However, one thing I’ve been quite firm about since then is that I don’t want to conform to neurotypical standards. So much advice given to neurodivergent individuals is “have you tried not doing that?” which essentially means “please conform.” I don’t believe that’s a unique experience to only neurodivergent individuals. I think it applies to a significant portion of American culture, particularly corporate culture. I counter with “How ‘bout no?”

I’ve been trying to figure out how I can function without everything being a life draining experience. I think I mentioned in birthday post that I’ve noticed a boost in energy comparatively to my years not accommodating myself. That means giving myself grace when I’m not feeling productive, and planning buffer time before and after time around social engagements¹⁰. Unfortunately, that’s not how many corporate jobs work. I don’t know where I fit into things still. I still have a lot of uncertainty of what I’m supposed to be doing. I’m trying to break out of the mindset that I’m in a sunk cost fallacy. The future is of my making, and I know that, but I’ve got to find a trailhead first.

Some of this is just breaking out of my thoughts, and just doing things, which I’ve been able to do this year. I am also working on to better promote myself and expressing my talents. What I do have are a very particular set of skills, skills I have acquired over a very long career. Skills that make me a nightmare for people like you.

And That’s a Wrap (Sort Of)

I’m not trying to portray myself as an impeccable individual who has never made mistakes or who will only do things my way. I’m quite aware of my flaws¹¹. However, I’m committed to continuously learning and adapting to become a better person. I try to avoid overthinking the past, which is different from reflecting on it. I believe reflection involves some form of growth or change over time. On the other hand, overthinking involves dwelling on the past and contemplating everything I could have done differently. I need to understand that I can simply exist, and if people don’t like me, that’s not necessarily my responsibility to bear. I will continue to write here, to at very least express myself in a way I feel comfortable, which is writing a long overly verbose blog post instead of just saying “I’m fine.”

1. and confusing people to when my actual birthday is. Hint: it’s not today. ↩
2. I’ve also had a pretty positive experience with therapy but I understand that it can be a mixed bag. ↩
3. Also, it’s hard not to interpret many Vulcans as autistic coded. ↩
4. That’s a whole OTHER topic and I am working on it continuously. ↩
5. “Vampire autism” is a lighthearted, informal term used within autistic communities to describe an autistic trait related to social communication. It refers to the need for explicit verbal invitations in social situations, drawing an analogy to the fictional myth that vampires cannot enter a house without being invited inside. ↩
6. Obviously there’s a lot of nuance to this depending on the context of who I’m with, where I am, topic of conversation. ↩
7. Unless they tap into a piece of my hyperfixated obscure knowledge ore from the mines of my mind. ↩
8. Like right now in this high quality, locally sourced, brain to table blog post. ↩
9. Sometimes I go along and play into the bit too. ↩
10. Now that even means stepping away during social functions just to get a moment of respite. ↩
11. QUITE aware. ↩

It’s weird thinking about it now. Erica encouraged that I should try streaming in 2020. It quickly became a way to connect with friends during those oh-so unprecedented times. Part of that was playing party games and part of that also became me playing games I wanted to play… in front of people. In October of 2020, I became an Affiliate on Twitch¹. This was due to several friends following and chatting during those early days².

I will tell you for those first… three or so years, I did not have a lot of confidence in myself to be entertaining. I also worried a lot more about what I looked like to the audience than enjoying myself. I did have moments of fun. However, I remember a lot of energy and feelings determined by being “on” so to speak³.

As time went on, I found it rewarding to tinker. I enjoyed doing the tech side of things. I also liked going through histories of older games with people. Many memes were created during the stream due to running gags with my chat⁴. Much of what I did and learned then contributed to planning for Meal-Morial Madness. I’m way more proud of it than my personal streaming.

As of now, I do enjoy streaming a lot. I think I’ve found a balance of interaction. Some great friends have shown up to support me, troll me, and often it’s both. I see part of my streaming as keeping the 4Score7Pongs community alive and well. If you can call it a community?

A side effect of my streaming is my gaming habits are very intertwined with streaming both for better and worse. As an actual ADHDer, I would start some games. Then I would stop due to some frustration or the new hotness. I finish playing through many more games now in quick succession. Part of the fun is me bashing my head against a wall. But I have also stopped gaming as much when I’m not streaming. The good thing is, I’ve balanced it so it doesn’t feel like work.

One of the hardest things to do is stream when no one is there, or when people are just lurking. It’s awkward at times. It can be easy to get trapped in your own head. I can lose confidence that this is anything anyone would ever want to spend time watching. I’m not the most charismatic person and on low energy days I can simply not talk as much. I want to stream more often, but it’s all an energy trade off.

With all that said, these past five years have been a rollercoaster of emotions. I started trying something I initially had no confidence in. Today, I feel pretty confident turning up the light and hitting “Go Live.” Then I end up dying 15 times or so in a Mario game. I have fun creating bits, new content or features, and lately video packages. I have regulars who show up for most streams, and people that pop in now and then. If it weren’t for the support of my friends that show up I’m not sure I’d keep doing this. Erica has been incredibly supportive of this thing. She’ll be the first to tell you that this streaming idea was hers in the first place.

With that out of the way enjoy a bunch of clips we’ve gathered over the last five years streaming weirdness.

Thank you everyone. Say “goodnight chat”.

1. Basically this meant I could start earning money. ↩︎
2. Have I said “Thank You!” enough? ↩︎
3. Also being unmedicated. YAY! ↩︎
4. Say “hi chat!” ↩︎
5. Oooh fancy? What’s in this thing? ↩︎

We’re past the first 100 days of the Switch 2. So far it’s been the same as any launch period: okay but lacking¹. I loved Donkey Kong Bananza, it was a great collect-a-thon that didn’t feel tedious and had plenty of fan service for long time DK fans. I think everyone should spend 10 minutes just playing with the movement in that game, it’s a barrel o’ fun². Mario Kart World is great (not perfect), and it feels uniquely different from Mario Kart 8 and will hopefully be around to last years³.

But outside of some first party releases we’ve got the launch of Hollow Knight: Silksong & Hades II for some good indie releases, but these are both launching on Switch 1 as well.

The Switch 2 is a great upgrade, even more powerful than the Steam Deck⁴. Seeing games that have been upgraded to 4K 60fps has been really awesome for the post HD Nintendo era. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom both seem like new games. But these upgrades have been few an far between. Some first party games have received paid upgrades (like the Zelda games⁵), and other upgrades have been free updates. But one thing is severely lacking, and that’s third party support for updates.

I noticed this most recently playing both the original Hollow Knight and Hades. Both these games are still in 1080p. There are articles about how Nintendo has been holding back devkits for developers. The two games I listed were also developers working to get their new games launched, so it they could be coming.

But this also exists for first party games like Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, Astral Chain, and Bayonetta 3. These are still limited by the Switch 1 hardware. Action games like these could definitely get a boost in improvement for Switch 2.

I hope we’re not going to see another influx of paid upgrades like PS4 -> PS5. I don’t know the behind the scenes details but from what I’ve read it doesn’t seem like a large amount of effort to unlock resolution and frame rate on Switch 2 (textures are another deal).

People always complain about Nintendo charging money for their old games. This week’s release of Super Mario Galaxy 1+2 is another example of that. But there have been a good number of games that have been patched for free to get performance bumps. Prices are only getting higher in the video game industry (regardless of system), and where there’s money to be made… I hope that’s not the case and updates will be coming once the userbase becomes larger. There’s still not many reasons to upgrade to a Switch 2 yet, but hopefully this will be a selling point.

1. And anyone prescribing this is unique to Nintendo and not other consoles is delusional. ↩︎
2. hehehe see what I did there? ↩︎
3. Where’s my DLC Nintendo? ↩︎
4. No, I’m not going to buy a ROG Ally at double the price. ↩︎
5. These don’t deserve to be paid updates. ↩︎

The Nintendo Switch & Nintendo Switch 2 are getting Virtual Boy games added to Nintendo Switch Online. The catch: You need an accessory to play them.

Surprisingly, this was the thing most people were discussing after the Direct. I think there are both bad things and good things with this announcement.

The Bad

• The accessories needed to play are either a $25 cardboard accessory¹ or a $99 full sized Virtual Boy replica that houses the Nintendo Switch. Games cannot be played without these.
• The games are tied to a subscription service
• The library will trickle with releases like the other systems on NSO
• These games will not be able to be captured or streamed with this setup
  

The Good

• Nintendo is finally acknowledging and making available Virtual Boy games for the first time since the release of the OG
• They are preserving the format for how the games were meant to be played
  

The Reasonable

• The $99 option is a collectable, and is way more affordable than getting an actual Virtual Boy and games
• This only appeals to a small audience. The vast majority of people will play these games once, and then never again.
• If you really want to play the games… there have been and will always be ways to play them in a better format than this².
  

Like many things, people overreact to the smallest things. I think the one thing Nintendo could do to improve this is just making these games playable in 2D like they were displayed during the Direct. It may not be the original intended gameplay experience in 3D, but if you’re already paying for Nintendo Switch Online, why not. The accessories just are additive to that experience.

As for the prices, we live in the timeline where Sony is charging $80 for a disc drive for a PS5. Please don’t act like Nintendo are the only one fleecing their customers. That’s almost every large company in 2025.

1. Very similar to the Nintendo Labo VR headset. ↩
2. See my other post about Red Viper. ↩

Welcome Lindsey! Soon we can get our webring started and start talking in the forums.

Lindsey’s inaugural post is about where she was during 9/11.

Well, Where Was I?

My memory is blurry but, I remember being home, I was about to start as a Freshman at OSU commuting from my parent’s house. I don’t think classes had started yet or they were about to shortly³. I think I woke up after the plane hit the first tower. My mom must have woken me.

This was at the point where I had broadband internet (and free cable from the aforementioned broadband internet). I think I tuned into CNN to watch the subsequent attacks in realtime. I don’t remember much else from that day other being somewhat scared and watching the news. No one knew exactly what was happening. It was all speculation for a while. This was also well before you could follow events like this reliably on the internet. There was no social media. This whole time period for me is a blur mostly because I was already deeply overwhelmed about college.

I do remember the subsequent weeks where it seemed like that an almost propagandized sense of patriotism became true. A moment of mass trauma response where people seemed to care about one another. That quickly subsided as American muslims were targeted and things like the Patriot Act⁴ were put into law.

I do remember starting to follow politics a bit more (as I really hadn’t while I was in high school).

I do think of it as a milestone moment in history, much like the COVID-19 pandemic is in the most recent past. Things were different after that. Hard to detail specifics, but things were definitely just different culturally after that moment.⁵

1. As we’ve definitely not committed any crimes yet. ↩︎
2. That can’t be right. ↩︎
3. Back when OSU was on quarters, not semesters. ↩︎
4. Which I do believe is a turning point to how we got to NOW. ↩︎
5. For example how everyone noticed films or TV shows that featured the Twin Towers, or how they had to change things like the Spider-Man movie in response. ↩︎

In other words, after more than a decade of Web 2.0 bliss, everyone has gone back to … lurking.

Source

Basically the gist is that we went from a time of blogs, and even social media conversations to now most people interacting with memes, or direct messages. Meanwhile I’m out here posting on a blog in 2025 and creating little niche websites².

I contemplate that some of us are living in a time where we’re more guarded. Maybe the millennial culture around posting things has died down as we’ve aged, or the walled gardens of social media sites dictated by the a̬̞͈͔̬l͔̰̖̰̖͂̏̂ͨgͤ̾ó͖̆̇ͨ̚r͚͎ͭ̓ͮ̀ì̦ͩ͛̇t̀̿͐̓̑h̜͇̥ͣͩͫ̈́̚m̜̥ͫ̚ just hide those little things we used to share. I kind of hate tracking everyone’s life updates through Facebook or LinkedIn.

Maybe everyone just values their privacy more, which is ironic because… of the aforementioned walled gardens that track literally everything about you. At this point, you might as well put up a website for an AI scrapper to pillage.

1. You should totally subscribe to it, it’s good. ↩︎
2. Someday I’ll create a way for you to find them. ↩︎

I never had a Virtual Boy growing up. I remember seeing it in a Best Buy and thinking: NEAT. It started at a retail price of $179 ($370 adjusted for inflation). A bit pricey and there weren’t many games available.

Only 22 games were ever released for it, and only 14 in North America. Commercially it was a flop. It was developed by Gunpei Yokoi, the same designer of the original Game Boy. The Virtual Boy was never really meant to be a mass-produced product, mostly functioning as a tech demo, but Nintendo was set on sending it to retail.

“Even Mr. Yokoi admitted that he himself felt uneasy during development. He described it as a kind of ‘hiri-hiri’ feeling. This is an onomatopoeia that only exists in Japanese, but think about it as the sort of feeling you would get when being cooked slowly over a frying pan.”

Source: https://www.polygon.com/nintendo-virtual-boy-30th-anniversary/

The Virtual Boy employed stereoscopic via a rotating mirror, well before stereoscopic 3D became more mainstream.

Nintendo was poised to reattempt 3D one more time before it became a success. The GameCube was prototyped with an LCD screen that was handsfree.

“Yeah. We tried fitting the Nintendo GameCube with a small, roughly four-inch, LCD that allowed you to enjoy Luigi’s Mansion in glasses-free 3D.”

Source: Hideki Konno via an Iwata Asks Interview

It wasn’t until 2011 when Nintendo launched the 3DS that their vision of 3D was fully released and became a success (albeit through a rocky launch period).

Nintendo even employed VR via Nintendo Labo on the Nintendo Switch and made VR modes for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

The Virtual Boy in 2025

The Virtual Boy remains a very niche, memorable, meme product of Nintendo. But it does have its supporters. New homebrew games are being developed for it. There have been mods to output the display via HDMI for streamers.

By far, the best support it’s received has been an emulator you can load on a hacked 3DS¹. The emulator is called Red Viper, and allows the ability to load Virtual Boy games on a 3DS and play them in handsfree stereoscopic 3D in a way that almost fulfills the vision once set out in 1995. Most recently, the emulator added multicolor support so you can change the original monochromatic red² to something that helps distinguish foreground objects from the background.

There are some actual unique good games for the Virtual Boy such as: Virtual Boy Wario Land³ and Jack Bros. Along with 2 different versions of Tetris which comprises nearly 10% of the Virtual Boy catalog⁴.

So I salute you Virtual Boy, a unique flop much like the Wii U that paved the way for the future of 3D and trying something different. Happy Birthday!

1. You should both have a 3DS, and hack it. ↩
2. Something I call “eye bleeding red”. ↩
3. A novel unique elements from this game at the time involved jumping from the foreground to the background, and games much later like Kirby Triple Deluxe, and Super Mario Bros. Wonder have employed since. ↩
4. Which of course I own BOTH versions. ↩

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Navigating the Dark Side: My Journey from ‘Choose Happiness’ to ‘Choose Medication’

I haven’t talked about it in a long time publicly, but I’ve suffered from depression and anxiety for my entire adult life. Depression that’s put me in pretty dark places like suicidal ideation. Now, don’t worry, I’m not in that place right now, and I’m not looking for sympathy. In fact, I’m doing better than I have in quite some time. I’ve tried all the stereotypical things you’ve heard about handling depression: journaling, exercising, thinking about good things in my life, getting more rest², etc. But I decided to take the plunge and sought professional help. I started therapy and was treated with medication for my depression. And after working a few months, I can say it’s been really good on that front. Part of me wishes I would have had the courage to do it a lot sooner.

Unfortunately, we still don’t discuss mental health well as a society (at least here in the US). Some people perceive it as a weakness or a taboo, while others are confronted with social media posts about mindfulness or simply need to focus on the positive aspects of their lives. The worst I’ve heard is that happiness is just a decision: CHOOSE HAPPINESS³. For me, when I was in a depressive episode, thinking about what good things I had going on my life worked against me. I would be like yeah, I have no reason to be depressed, which made me feel worse. But emotions aren’t rational, and often times they cannot be defeated with rational thought, which works wonders for a rational minded person like myself. Even more concerning, when I felt depressed, I would self-isolate which compounded the issue. I chose medication, and I’m not embarrassed by that fact.

ADHD, Autism, and the Pandemic’s Surprise Plot Twist

The pandemic brought about a significant shift for everyone, and for many of us, it provided an opportunity to experience life differently than ever before. This unexpected catalyst led me to see myself in ways I really hadn’t focused on. There was a boom in online content on TikTok and Instagram, and some of that content was from people who had been either self-identified or were formally diagnosed with ADHD. At some point, the algorithm caught that I was watching these posts more, and with each one, I would be like “oh, I identify with that”, or “oh, that’s not normal?”. As time went on, I started collecting these reels in my notes to see what I identified with.

With all things posted on the internet, there does need to be some caution before you take things as completely factual or just people’s personal experiences. So, I started looking for resources and listening to podcasts about ADHD. I came to the conclusion that I did, in fact, have ADHD. It also explained things like in 2021 I had hyper fixated on a note taking program called Obsidian, and was literally going in deep with it⁴. Over the last few years, I started viewing things I did with an ADHD lens, how I was able to think about connections, or go down rabbit holes on Wikipedia, etc. I also looked at the negative things for myself, like not being intrinsically motivated by things that I had no interest in, or having difficulty finishing large projects or starting things and never coming back to them. A long time ago I was criticized by a friend that I would start a video game, but then never finish it or come back to it. I joked about having “gaming ADD”… turns out, I had actual ADHD. I used to beat myself up about that, thinking if I just tried harder, or pushed through I should, in fact, finish a video game before starting a new one.

But wait, there’s a twist. In addition to identifying with a lot of content from folks with ADHD, I also identified with things from autistic folks. There is indeed a lot of overlap with ADHD and autism. Initially, I wasn’t certain if that was the case, but as I mentioned earlier, the pandemic brought about a shift, and I had the opportunity to live life differently. During this time, I identified that I had some sensitivity to certain sounds and noises, take things literally, have trouble maintaining friendships, along with other traits commonly associated with autism. Additionally, I found great enjoyment in working from home and noticed a significant increase in my energy levels after a day’s work. I used to come home from work and need a good hour or more before I could do anything else. The same applied for social functions. My weekends were generally for rest.

Another example: a few years ago, Erica and I attended a concert, and I was thoroughly miserable and sensory overloaded. While I’ve attended concerts before, some experiences have been enjoyable, while others have been unpleasant⁵. I’ve always been overwhelmed when multiple people are speaking simultaneously. The most significant aspect that resonated with me was a clear and straightforward communication style that is often misinterpreted as rude or confrontational. When asking questions, particularly in professional settings, I was perceived as challenging authority. In my mind, I seek context and details to better comprehend and subsequently communicate my thoughts. I say what I mean.

The thing here is, Reader, I couldn’t be autistic because I have been able to work and hold down a job quite successfully, or that I’m just introverted, or I am just different. How would I not know?

In truth, I had once questioned myself if I was autistic about 7 or 8 years ago. I was reacting to something at work quite differently than everyone else. I was often told that I wore my emotions on my sleeve, and that I needed to stop doing that, as part of a professional review (otherwise I was a star employee). I even stated multiple times that I need time to process bad news (or stupid decisions)⁶. But I dismissed it back then, because of how autism is portrayed in media, as well as numerous misconceptions perpetrated by the internet. I thought I just needed to be better, and adapt.

Why am I sharing this with you at all? Well, for starters, I recently received a formal diagnosis of both ADHD and autism. I had been contemplating whether to disclose this publicly. The current political climate is not ideal, given the ongoing hysteria surrounding the alleged link between vaccines and autism. The general public seems to believe that disabilities should be eliminated or cured, rather than accommodating individuals with unique needs. It’s disheartening to see the lack of understanding and empathy among people. Additionally, the criteria for autism are mostly identified in male children, while it presents differently in girls and women. It doesn’t always get detected and as a result people have to adapt to a world that really works against them even though they are trying harder than anyone. Add to all of this with people throwing around statements like “isn’t everyone a little ADHD or autistic?” or “autism is a superpower”, or people “suffer from their autism”. Autism is called a spectrum disorder, but most people imagine a straight line of not autistic to very autistic, when in reality it’s multidimensional. People have different needs. I’m fortunate that I don’t have many support needs. However, I realize that things could have been different for me if I was identified earlier. Having both ADHD and autism makes it even more FUN⁷ and complex.

I’m writing here, mostly for myself. I don’t expect anyone to see or treat me differently. I’ve often been told as part of professional advice, “you need to get out of your comfort zone”. That’s my secret Cap, I’m always outside of my comfort zone. I think we really need as a society to reconsider how we treat people with ADHD, autism, and other neurodivergent conditions. We treat people with challenges as if it’s a moral failing on their part. We need to provide resources (especially to those with greater needs). It’s not a fad that more people are being identified later in life. I don’t want to be autistic. I wish I could turn off my brain and go on autopilot and “not care”⁸. I can’t tell you how many times I wish I could just relate to other people easily. People have shared their stories, and people feel more comfortable talking about it, which is why we’re seeing it more. The same way we used to think people that were left-handed were demons⁹, but actually, nope, we just identified it and studied it and it became normalized, and it turns out it’s a steady percentage.

I can assume that this is probably true of several neurodivergent conditions¹⁰, but we live in a society that again treats these things as a strength of character, rather than people just being different. A popular quote in the autism community: “When you meet one person with autism, you’ve met one person with autism”. People are built differently. People are different from one another. I was always taken aback when people would be disgusted at other people’s favorite foods or colors. Like, yeah, we’re different. Our differences are what allow for so many wonderful things in this world to be represented.

(anyhow, I’m getting off topic… let’s blame that on the ADHD)

I write here mostly so I can be true to myself. I am who I am, and I need not be afraid of that any longer. I will continue to better myself, and work on things, and understand myself. I will also go easier on myself, and stop beating myself up about expectations about how things should be. “Comparison is the thief of joy.” It’s taken me forty-three years to reach this point. While I can empathize with Past Jared, who yearned for understanding and feel sorry for him, I remain optimistic about Future Jared and believe that things will improve. I write for those who have experienced negative feelings of depression, anxiety, or other challenges, so they know that they are not alone. Remember, advice from others may not always be the best fit for you. It wasn’t for me. I’ve been doing things on hard mode forever.

1. Instead of doing new year’s resolutions, I have been employing a theme for each year. This allows some freedom in how you approach it, and can help with how you think about the year by seeing a mindset. ↩
2. Paradoxically when I’m depressed, sleep comes MUCH more easily as I’m generally exhausted and sleep more than I should. ↩
3. Fuck anyone that’s ever said that without consideration of other people or what is going on in their life. ↩
4. Also, for me, I realize now that Obsidian is great for me personally with ADHD because it allows for a lot of fragmented thoughts to be captured. ↩
5. I’ve since worn earplugs and it was transformative. ↩
6. People who deliver bad news on Friday deserve their own circle in hell. ↩
7. translation: not fun ↩
8. Also professional advice I’ve been given in my career. ↩
9. Seriously, people thought it was wicked to be left handed and were disciplined for who they were. ↩
10. As well as transgender and nonbinary people too. ↩

I’ve been a proponent of Mastodon and related fediverse apps since Twitter banned third-party apps.

Why does this matter? Is social media just inherently trash? Shouldn’t you just spend your time away from your phone or computer?

The point of the internet, the point we’ve lost our way on is connection.

The early days of the internet were optimistic. We weren’t locked into a platform. Social media made sharing open to friends and family alike without being subscribed to a mailing list.

What if I told you could follow people regardless of what platform they chose, using an application of your choice? Just like email or podcasts¹. Not driven by advertising or the whims of venture capital? That’s the promise of the Fediverse. Open protocols² not in control by a large corporation.

The only thing it needs is you. The more people who join the Fediverse the better. Some large companies have pledged support the Fediverse such as Threads from Facebook³. But understanding what it is important, and giving it support, is what’s required. That requires you. We can take back a small part of the Internet with your help.

My Experience With Mastodon

Mastodon offers a timeline, non-algorithmic experience similar to early Twitter. Many tech/security focused people were already here, or moved here after the API to Twitter was closed.

So far, I’ve truly enjoyed the experience. I don’t see accounts from those I don’t follow and some have even found my account and replied in fun ways (such as talking about my love of the Game Boy Camera).

What Mastodon lacks is discoverability and the many celebrities, journalists, and sports accounts people like to follow outside their friends. But, since Threads has been turning on support for federation, it’s possible now to follow those accounts ad free, if they’ve opted in for federation on their accounts.

One of the big complaints is moderation control, so I imagine if you are famous and have a large following, the ability to quell or parse out junk is still a problem. Coupled with discoverability, the Fediverse is still young. But, these were difficulties back when I was user #683 on Twitter in 2006⁴. I’m just here to inform you that there is another world out there, of which you should at least be familiar with.

I understand not wanting to join another social network. But it’s unlike what social networks are today and within your full control to see what you want to see.

Lastly, if you’re still reading this and want to dip your toes, I run my OWN Mastodon server. That’s right, you can join my server and start using it right now for free if you’re interested. Just get in touch with me.

1. Have you ever noticed you can use whatever app you want for many of your favorite podcasts? Thank the open web for that! ↩
2. ActivityPub is what runs the Fediverse. It’s similar to open technologies like RSS. ↩
3. But it’s opt in. So if you have Threads please opt in and activate it. You open up the possibility of connections outside the Facebook ecosystem. ↩
4. Yeah, I’m still proud of that fact. ↩

While I was streaming one night², I saw several social media posts of people right here in Columbus, Ohio posting pictures of the aurora. I got mad FOMO and bailed on my stream and recruited some friends to head up north where there’s less light pollution to see them.

While I did see them, they were faint to the naked eye. Using just my basic human eyes, it almost looked like light pollution. But when a modern-day camera on a phone or fancy mirrorless camera, and they really did pop.

My only regret is that I didn’t bring my intervalometer³ to capture a timelapse. I did manage to make a three frame animation that really captures the movement.

The next day, the aurora forecast for the next night was optimistic as well, so I was ready to scout a location and bring multiple cameras. However, it didn’t pan out, and I wasn’t able to capture a cool timelapse.

While it was on my bucket, and I did technically see it, I’m not marking it off yet. I would love to see the aurora with my special eyes⁴ and not primarily through a camera. I’m delighted I’ve experienced both this, and a total solar eclipse in 2024. What’s next? The apocalypse? I’ll make sure to have my camera ready.

1. Technically it was a field up near Delaware, OH ↩
2. Shoutout to the real Jarbochov fans. twitch.tv/jarbochov ↩
3. A device which you can set the frequency, duration, and number of intervals on a DSLR or mirrorless camera. Some cameras have a timelapse mode built in, but often they automatically compress the pictures into a video and not at the highest quality output of the camera. ↩
4. MY BRAND! ↩

Erica and I started planning for this year’s eclipse right after we experienced the one in 2017 in Nashville. During that trip, I didn’t know what to expect, and while I was able to get some photos of the event, I wasn’t really prepared. This year, I really had one goal, and that was to get a superb fancy shot.

The Premonition Of Trouble

We travelled to Port Clinton, OH with some friends. I hadn’t been up this way in over a decade. I think after the 2017 eclipse, the news media made it sound like this was going to be a massive disruption. Schools cancelled, government services warned to have preparations in a car such as water, gas, etc. We arrived and found while there were some people traveling for the eclipse, it wasn’t like the nexus of Nashville in 2017.

In 2017, Nashville was one of the few major cities in the eastern United States. Many people travelled from the north, it was the first total eclipse in North America since 1991, and as we experienced, there were few major routes back north as people made an exodus from Nashville resulting in a 14-hour trip home³.

My Prep

I had seven years to think about what I wanted to do differently to capture the eclipse. I had better camera gear, along with more cameras to take video. I bought a fancy filter so I could point my camera directly at the sun without it bursting into flames and damaging the sensor. I would only have three minutes, give or take to actually capture totality. I needed to be ready.

Waiting

We actually planned to stay in Port Clinton a few days along with an extra day after the event in case there was a mass migration. We enjoyed some time at local restaurants and walked around up at Crane Creek State Park. Unbeknownst to me, there was a bald eagle nest! Following the adventures of the bald eagles at Big Bear Lake in California has been a winter hobby of mine, thanks to a live cam. I actually got to see one of the eagles in the nest, and walk directly underneath. It was huge. My mind still only thought of one thing: totality.

The Sun Totally Mooned Us

We fortunately had a nice little area right next to the lake where we could camp out and watch the sky. I set up my cameras, attached my fancy neutral density filter and was able to take a direct picture of the sun.

Then the moon started to jump in front and say “hey look at me!”

And then I went into frantic capture mode, looking through my camera, and through my glasses. While a partial eclipse is neat, nothing prepares you for totality. I only had my memories to draw upon from 2017. The temperature drops rapidly, all around you is sunset/sunrise, and the eeriest⁴ image of our sun totally blocked with a faint rim sits in the sky. The seagulls near us started squawking frantically as they don’t have calculators and maps to prepare them for these things. As I was capturing photos, Erica kindly reminded me to look not through the lens but with my own eyes, and I am eternally grateful for that. Even though I have photos to share, the experience is not remotely captured. It’s a glimpse and a reminder that as we live in a state of perpetual photography and sharing, simply experiencing things in the moment is better than any photograph.

The Goods

Here are some of my favorite shots.

I captured a time-lapse of totality. You’ll notice how the camera has auto exposure on and has to readjust as the sun is blocked, and as it reemerges.

I had another camera up to capture real-time video at the horizon without auto-exposure during totality; however, I forgot to reset my focus when I moved my camera⁵, so it ended up blurry. I was really bummed about this the day after because I will have to wait to 2045 to have another shot at this. I’ve compressed this video into a time-lapse so you can see the difference.

No Trouble Home

Fortunately, the warnings of travel delays did not manifest. All roads were relatively clear across all the major cities in the path of totality. We decided to head home early and sleep in our beds, as we didn’t have plans otherwise.

I saw so many posts of people sharing their experiences, which made me delighted because I think some people thought Erica and I sounded like lunatics⁶ when we tried to convey our experiences in 2017. I saw so many wonderful photos from professionals and friends alike.

Then I woke up the morning after and was met with this headline “Solar Eclipse Will Cost America Almost $700 Million in Lost Productivity” in which I thought, we’re doomed if this is news⁷.

The Cosmic Ballet Goes On

Erica and I joked since 2017 that “Path of Totality” would be a wicked heavy metal band name. So I made this tour poster, it’s been rattling around in my brain for a while.

I’m lucky I’ve experienced this twice in my life. The only word I’ve ever used to describe it is “otherworldly” but.. it’s happening right now on our world. I hope you got to experience it as well, and if you haven’t… it’s time to start planning.

If you’d like to see more photos, head on over to my Flickr page⁸. If you’re friends with me there, you’ll see some exclusive⁹ photos.

1. Sorry flatearthers, the Earth is round. Get a calculator. ↩
2. Actually we all know the real truth. The Earth is hollow, and inside the hollow Earth there exists a duplicate “hollow” version of every person. It’s rumored some of the “hollows” have replaced their topside counterparts. I’ve already said too much. ↩
3. The average time is around five hours. ↩
4. eeriest on Lake Erie… heh ↩
5. I was managing three cameras… things happen. ↩
6. … heh … actually that fits. ↩
7. Voting Day, and total solar eclipses should be paid holidays. CHANGE MY MIND. ↩
8. Yes, I’m still posting to Flickr in 2024. It’s the best site for actual photography. DEAL WITH IT SIMPLETONS. ↩
9. sluscys! ↩

Email

I switched back to Apple’s native mail application last year using IMAP, and finally achieved #InboxZero. After living over a decade on the more and more bloated Gmail site, I was surprised how much faster it was to easily sort, unsubscribe, delete, etc. Gmail has been steadily adding features, but it was almost like my brain had forgotten what a simple native app can do to streamline an experience. It’s email, it doesn’t need to be convoluted with chat integrations, calendar integration, etc.

Note-Taking

By now, I’m sure I’ve shared my love of Obsidian. After being a longtime Evernote evangelist, Obsidian has done something most note-taking apps can’t/won’t do: scale. My need in note-taking is being able to capture information, so that whether if I need it in the future, it’s available and easily searchable. Note-taking was something that I found to be a superpower once I developed methods that worked well for me. There are several applications, and methodologies that will force you into a particular pattern for note-taking, and none of them are wrong per se. Some can be good starting points, such as the PARA method. The best practices are the ones that work for you because usually, you’ll be taking notes for yourself.

The silly thing about Obsidian is it strips out most features of big name note-taking software. Every note is just a simple txt file using Markdown. Markdown has been very effective for me because it strips out formatting and focuses on content. Content is ALWAYS key¹. When I fled Evernote, it became apparent to me that the format my notes were in was not sustainable for the long term², and good notes are the ones that you’ll be holding on to a long time.

RSS – Feeds

RSS never died. RSS is one of the backbones of an Open Web. Google Reader died, but the social web took over. RSS is how I still keep up with multiple news sites, blogs, etc. Many services filled the void when Google Reader was murdered in cold blood in a dark alley. But today, you don’t even need to rely on a service and can just pull feeds directly to your device, and keep them in sync between devices using cloud storage such as iCloud. The advantage here is that many feed reader services poll certain sites more frequently based on how many of their users subscribe to a certain feed. But you can cut out the middleman now. So now I just pull feeds directly using Reeder, but there are several options available.

Summary

As the subscription model of web services continues to increase and applications get bloated with features you’ll never use. You’d be surprised that if you go outside the mainstream, there are many enthusiast apps out there that will streamline and simply your technology usage, keeping things focused. That’s how I’m viewing my journey.

1. Watching people spend more time on formatting a document rather than filling it with relevant information makes my skin boil. ↩
2. Especially in a proprietary format. ↩

A Brief History

I started my web journey back on America Online (AOL). AOL introduced a way for users to upload their own webpages called AOL Hometown. Back with whatever version of Microsoft Office I had, complete with Microsoft Frontpage, I began WYSIWYG-ing into web design.

I remember setting up a forum, a Shoutcast radio station, and even a cupholder feature where an exploit in Internet Explorer allowed a web button to open the end users’ CD-ROM tray.

Even though I didn’t have the domain name until 2001, I’ve been on the web a long time. And I’ve always had my look nook/corner carved out in it. I’m not going to say I’ve ever posted anything profound. My love of the personal web and just being goofy has shown me that I’ve learned a lot in time as things evolved, and I’m actually impressed with my younger self for taking that plunge all those years ago.

Back to Now

While this website hasn’t always been a WordPress site, it has for almost been for almost 20 years.

There has been a lot of change, and I think the last time I updated my website was in 2016.

WordPress has updated its capabilities for visual-based design without having to manage a bunch of custom CSS with Gutenberg and Full Site Editing, which basically means I’m not as limited by the template.

I’ve replicated much previous theme because I liked it, so if you’re here, and you’re like “what’s changed?”: not much.

But I have some more flexibility now, and I’ve shaved off many rough edges for some cleaner pages¹.

So if you’re here again in a long time: welcome back. Here’s to another decade on the what’s now being called the IndieWeb. I bet you’ve never even heard of this website.

1. Maybe I’ll starting writing more again? ↩

“Many core social-platform functions, such as the hashtag, reblog, and retweet, were not invented by Silicon Valley tech geniuses. Instead, they were pioneered by enthusiastic users who loved the products they were using, and they were only later formalized into the apps themselves.”

“Elon has these really strongly held personal views on what the internet should look like, which aren’t really shared by most internet users,” Rocky Cole, a former online-harm researcher at Google in New York City, told me. “He forces his worldview on the Twitter community, and I think the result is why you’re seeing people leaving.”

I’ve broken out my list between websites that are open for everyone and apps (some of which may require subscriptions).

Let me know if you know of any other resources you use in the comments.