bradbice

[bradbice]

Concerts I've Attended

<p>I’ve collected concert and tour posters from all of the concerts I’ve ever attended - a remarkably pitiful list!</p> <p>As a part of my recent efforts to expand my <a href="https://www.bradbice.com/library">Library</a>, I’ve added all of the <a href="https://www.bradbice.com/library/activities/concerts">concerts</a> I’ve ever attended, and also collected tour posters from many of them to display as well. Some didn’t exist or couldn’t be found, so the next best things were included instead.</p> <p>I’m using my Library to help collect information that I can refer to as a personal wiki of sorts. It’s been a fun personal project.</p>

[bradbice]

Resident Evil 4

<p>To celebrate the new release of the remake of my favorite video game ever, here’s a bit about RE4.</p> <p>I don’t like horror movies.</p> <p>It doesn’t entertain me to be jump-scared. However after buying a Nintendo Gamecube, I noticed a remake of the original survival-horro game - Resident Evil - that looked quite intriguing. The graphics were so good, it looked truly creepy, and the game was being praised as one of the greatest remakes of a classic of all time. So I bought it and enjoyed being scared for the first time.</p> <p>In 2005, the latest in the series was being releaased: Resident Evil 4, exclusively on the Gamecube. I was primed and ready to go with this, and was pleasantly surprised at the quality and innovation of the game. When the Nintendo Wii version came out, coinciding nicely with my newly solo lifestyle and move to the Chicago area, I played it over and over again until I had utterly mastered every part of it.</p> <p>Subsequent reissues of the game have been enticing enough for me to purchase as well, despite being almost direct re-releases of the same exact game (the Playstation 3 version introduced new HD graphics, at least).</p> <p>Here is a breakdown of every re-release I’ve purchased and played through on my systems over the years:</p> <div class="blog-ratings blog-ratings--games"> <div class="blog-ratings__item"> <a href="/library/ratings/games/residentevil4"> <figure class="blog-ratings__poster"> <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/bradryanbice/image/upload/games/residentevil4.jpg" alt="Resident Evil 4"> <figcaption class="blog-ratings__title">Resident Evil 4<br> gamecube</figcaption> </figure> <div class="blog-ratings__rating bb-ratings__ok">83%</div> </a> </div> <div class="blog-ratings__item"> <a href="/library/ratings/games/residentevil4wii"> <figure class="blog-ratings__poster"> <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/bradryanbice/image/upload/games/residentevil4wii.jpg" alt="Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition"> <figcaption class="blog-ratings__title">Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition<br> wii</figcaption> </figure> <div class="blog-ratings__rating bb-ratings__ok">90%</div> </a> </div> <div class="blog-ratings__item"> <a href="/library/ratings/games/residentevil4ps3"> <figure class="blog-ratings__poster"> <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/bradryanbice/image/upload/games/residentevil4ps3.jpg" alt="Resident Evil 4"> <figcaption class="blog-ratings__title">Resident Evil 4<br> ps3</figcaption> </figure> <div class="blog-ratings__rating bb-ratings__ok">69%</div> </a> </div> <div class="blog-ratings__item"> <a href="/library/ratings/games/residentevil4ps4"> <figure class="blog-ratings__poster"> <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/bradryanbice/image/upload/games/residentevil4ps4.jpg" alt="Resident Evil 4"> <figcaption class="blog-ratings__title">Resident Evil 4<br> ps4</figcaption> </figure> <div class="blog-ratings__rating bb-ratings__ok">80%</div> </a> </div> <div class="blog-ratings__item"> <a href="/library/ratings/games/residentevil4switch"> <figure class="blog-ratings__poster"> <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/bradryanbice/image/upload/games/residentevil4switch.jpg" alt="Resident Evil 4"> <figcaption class="blog-ratings__title">Resident Evil 4<br> switch</figcaption> </figure> <div class="blog-ratings__rating bb-ratings__ok">73%</div> </a> </div> <div class="blog-ratings__item"> <a href="/library/ratings/games/residentevil4ps5"> <figure class="blog-ratings__poster"> <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/bradryanbice/image/upload/games/residentevil4ps5.jpg" alt="Resident Evil 4"> <figcaption class="blog-ratings__title">Resident Evil 4<br> ps5</figcaption> </figure> <div class="blog-ratings__rating bb-ratings__bad">0%</div> </a> </div> </div> <p>The Playstation 5 version I have yet to play through. It is a complete rebuild and reimagining of the game from the ground up, but with the vision and atmosphere of the original respected. I’m anticipating harkening back to 2005 and the fun I had in exploring a new world and a new game - and new scares.</p> <hr> <p>For reference, here is a list of ratings for the other Resident Evil games I’ve owned and played (I couldn’t get through more than a few minutes of Resident Evil 6 without giving up on that one):</p> <div class="blog-ratings blog-ratings--games"> <div class="blog-ratings__item"> <a href="/library/ratings/games/residentevil"> <figure class="blog-ratings__poster"> <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/bradryanbice/image/upload/games/residentevil.jpg" alt="Resident Evil"> <figcaption class="blog-ratings__title">Resident Evil<br> gamecube</figcaption> </figure> <div class="blog-ratings__rating bb-ratings__ok">75%</div> </a> </div> <div class="blog-ratings__item"> <a href="/library/ratings/games/residentevil5"> <figure class="blog-ratings__poster"> <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/bradryanbice/image/upload/games/residentevil5.jpg" alt="Resident Evil 5"> <figcaption class="blog-ratings__title">Resident Evil 5<br> ps3</figcaption> </figure> <div class="blog-ratings__rating bb-ratings__ok">58%</div> </a> </div> <div class="blog-ratings__item"> <a href="/library/ratings/games/residentevilrevelations"> <figure class="blog-ratings__poster"> <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/bradryanbice/image/upload/games/residentevilrevelations.jpg" alt="Resident Evil: Revelations"> <figcaption class="blog-ratings__title">Resident Evil: Revelations<br> ps3</figcaption> </figure> <div class="blog-ratings__rating bb-ratings__ok">56%</div> </a> </div> <div class="blog-ratings__item"> <a href="/library/ratings/games/residentevil7"> <figure class="blog-ratings__poster"> <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/bradryanbice/image/upload/games/residentevil7.jpg" alt="Resident Evil 7: Biohazard"> <figcaption class="blog-ratings__title">Resident Evil 7: Biohazard<br> ps4</figcaption> </figure> <div class="blog-ratings__rating bb-ratings__ok">88%</div> </a> </div> <div class="blog-ratings__item"> <a href="/library/ratings/games/residentevil2"> <figure class="blog-ratings__poster"> <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/bradryanbice/image/upload/games/residentevil2.jpg" alt="Resident Evil 2"> <figcaption class="blog-ratings__title">Resident Evil 2<br> ps4</figcaption> </figure> <div class="blog-ratings__rating bb-ratings__ok">90%</div> </a> </div> <div class="blog-ratings__item"> <a href="/library/ratings/games/residentevil3"> <figure class="blog-ratings__poster"> <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/bradryanbice/image/upload/games/residentevil3.jpg" alt="Resident Evil 3"> <figcaption class="blog-ratings__title">Resident Evil 3<br> ps4</figcaption> </figure> <div class="blog-ratings__rating bb-ratings__ok">77%</div> </a> </div> <div class="blog-ratings__item"> <a href="/library/ratings/games/residentevil8"> <figure class="blog-ratings__poster"> <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/bradryanbice/image/upload/games/residentevil8.jpg" alt="Resident Evil Village"> <figcaption class="blog-ratings__title">Resident Evil Village<br> ps4</figcaption> </figure> <div class="blog-ratings__rating bb-ratings__ok">86%</div> </a> </div> </div> <p>And just because it’s fun to look at, a list of the main games in order:</p> <div class="blog-ratings blog-ratings--games"> <div class="blog-ratings__item"> <a href="/library/ratings/games/residentevil"> <figure class="blog-ratings__poster"> <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/bradryanbice/image/upload/games/residentevil.jpg" alt="Resident Evil"> <figcaption class="blog-ratings__title">Resident Evil<br> gamecube</figcaption> </figure> <div class="blog-ratings__rating bb-ratings__ok">75%</div> </a> </div> <div class="blog-ratings__item"> <a href="/library/ratings/games/residentevil2"> <figure class="blog-ratings__poster"> <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/bradryanbice/image/upload/games/residentevil2.jpg" alt="Resident Evil 2"> <figcaption class="blog-ratings__title">Resident Evil 2<br> ps4</figcaption> </figure> <div class="blog-ratings__rating bb-ratings__ok">90%</div> </a> </div> <div class="blog-ratings__item"> <a href="/library/ratings/games/residentevil3"> <figure class="blog-ratings__poster"> <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/bradryanbice/image/upload/games/residentevil3.jpg" alt="Resident Evil 3"> <figcaption class="blog-ratings__title">Resident Evil 3<br> ps4</figcaption> </figure> <div class="blog-ratings__rating bb-ratings__ok">77%</div> </a> </div> <div class="blog-ratings__item"> <a href="/library/ratings/games/residentevil4"> <figure class="blog-ratings__poster"> <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/bradryanbice/image/upload/games/residentevil4.jpg" alt="Resident Evil 4"> <figcaption class="blog-ratings__title">Resident Evil 4<br> gamecube</figcaption> </figure> <div class="blog-ratings__rating bb-ratings__ok">83%</div> </a> </div> <div class="blog-ratings__item"> <a href="/library/ratings/games/residentevil5"> <figure class="blog-ratings__poster"> <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/bradryanbice/image/upload/games/residentevil5.jpg" alt="Resident Evil 5"> <figcaption class="blog-ratings__title">Resident Evil 5<br> ps3</figcaption> </figure> <div class="blog-ratings__rating bb-ratings__ok">58%</div> </a> </div> <div class="blog-ratings__item"> <a href="/library/ratings/games/residentevil6"> <figure class="blog-ratings__poster"> <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/bradryanbice/image/upload/games/residentevil6.jpg" alt="Resident Evil 6"> <figcaption class="blog-ratings__title">Resident Evil 6<br> ps3</figcaption> </figure> <div class="blog-ratings__rating bb-ratings__bad">0%</div> </a> </div> <div class="blog-ratings__item"> <a href="/library/ratings/games/residentevil7"> <figure class="blog-ratings__poster"> <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/bradryanbice/image/upload/games/residentevil7.jpg" alt="Resident Evil 7: Biohazard"> <figcaption class="blog-ratings__title">Resident Evil 7: Biohazard<br> ps4</figcaption> </figure> <div class="blog-ratings__rating bb-ratings__ok">88%</div> </a> </div> <div class="blog-ratings__item"> <a href="/library/ratings/games/residentevil8"> <figure class="blog-ratings__poster"> <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/bradryanbice/image/upload/games/residentevil8.jpg" alt="Resident Evil Village"> <figcaption class="blog-ratings__title">Resident Evil Village<br> ps4</figcaption> </figure> <div class="blog-ratings__rating bb-ratings__ok">86%</div> </a> </div> </div>

[bradbice]

I added an archive of all of my Twitter posts from 2012-2022 at https://www.bradbice.com/library/twitter/.

<p>I added an archive of all of my Twitter posts from 2012-2022 at <a href="https://www.bradbice.com/library/twitter/">https://www.bradbice.com/library/twitter/</a>.</p>

[bradbice]

Goodbye Twitter, on to Mastodon

<p>Where I say goodbye to a now horribly run company, steered into the ground by yet another horrible rich person.</p> <p><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/bradryanbice/image/upload/v1674417807/goodbye-twitter.png" alt="Goodbye Twitter, I&rsquo;m moving to Mastodon"></p> <p>Twitter as a service had become my go-to tool for collecting news over the past 5-10 years. I quickly learned that following select resources that deliver consistent value - and eliminating any “fluff” accounts that I don’t <em>really</em> care for or follow - is the best way to get the most value from the service.</p> <p>I <em>also</em> quickly learned to download a 3rd-party app to access Twitter, and found Tweetbot by <a href="https://www.tapbots.com">Tapbots</a> to be the cleanest, best experience for me.</p> <p>I also learned to use Lists - groups of related Twitter accounts - to consume news and info. I had lists for News, Sports, Weather, Apple news, Entertainment, and more. This way I could read only targeted information on what I was interested in at the time.</p> <p>Life was good.</p> <hr> <p>In October 2022, the world’s richest person (that is, before he lost more money than anyone ever, due to his horrible decision making) acquired Twitter and took it private, and subsequently began firing many of the executives and teams that he deemed were no longer needed. His decision making is covered in the excellent <a href="https://twitterisgoinggreat.com">Twitter is Doing Great!</a> blog, highlighting what an absolute dumpster fire it has been, and showcasing how arrogant, inept, childish, and insecure the new owner really is.</p> <p>Among terrible decisions including allowing anyone to buy a blue Twitter “verified” checkmark (leading to multiple account impersonations, many fooling news organizations with their fake announcements) and forcing employees to buy in to a toxic and intimidating culture of working harder and for longer hours, Twitter devs were instructed to cut off 3rd party access to Twitter data.</p> <p>Cutting off 3rd party access meant that apps like <a href="https://tapbots.com/tweetbot/">Tweetbot</a>, <a href="https://twitterrific.com/beyond">Twitterific</a> (click through to see their eulogies) and many others are unable to exist. As alternatives to the official Twitter app, they did not have ads and operated under their own subscription fees. On a random Thursday evening, access was cut off without any notice or terms. A tweet from the Twitter Dev account mentioned cutting off access for breaking rules, and then subsequently invented and added those rules in the following days.</p> <hr> <p>All to say, I’m leaving Twitter. I will not be posting there, I will not be following anyone there that I can not elsewhere, and my use of the service will be relegated to emergency use for checking updates by local and national accounts that have yet to get their act together and move to a reputable service.</p> <p>The current, most popular alternative is <a href="http://joinmastodon.org">Mastodon</a>. Mastodon is a Twitter-like activity posting service, but differs in that it is federated: no one person, company or server owns all of Mastodon’s posts or foundations. Anyone can be followed - just like Twitter - by any other user. It’s free from ads and algorithms that tell you what you want. Probably 80% of the people and companies I followed at Twitter are on Mastodon, and roughly 60% of them have moved there exclusively.</p> <p>Tapbots have developed a Tweetbot-like app named <a href="https://apps.apple.com/us/app/ivory-for-mastodon-by-tapbots/id6444602274">Ivory</a> that is very well done, and allows me to seamlessly transition to Mastodon without skipping a beat. Ivory is in the early stages still - with some bugs and features yet to iron out - but it is very much functional and worth every penny of the subscription fee ($25/year).</p> <hr> <p>I’ve also taken the opportunity to own more of my own data. I post as many “micro posts” here on my website as I can, instead of directly into Mastodon. This way I keep my data, and it gets shared to <a href="https://micro.blog/bradbice">Micro.blog</a> (another Twitter alternative) and to <a href="https://mastodon.social/@bradbice">my Mastodon account</a>. Micro.blog also cross-posts to my Twitter account, but I think I’ll be turning that off (Edit: turned off).</p> <hr> <p>This is kind of a template now, similar to my <a href="/blog/goodbye-facebook/">Goodbye, Facebook</a> post in 2018 (now updated).</p> <p>Blindly following tyrannical and in-compassionate people and their causes is a pet peeve of mine. Not having the decency to respect those that have stood by and for something enough to give them the time of day is another. Twitter is a dumpster fire that will surely consume itself over time - if not within the year then surely over the next 5. And I’ll be happy to post all about it over on Mastodon.</p>

[bradbice]

Wow, definitely never moving to Florida. What an absolute sinkhole of progression or just decent human standards. https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/19/politics/ron-desantis-ap-african-american-studies/index.html

<p>Wow, definitely never moving to Florida. What an absolute sinkhole of progression or just decent human standards. <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/19/politics/ron-desantis-ap-african-american-studies/index.html">https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/19/politics/ron-desantis-ap-african-american-studies/index.html</a></p>

[bradbice]

Twitter has ended API access for all 3rd-party apps that exceed 100k users. The latest in petty tactics by their new petulant dictator. Mastodon is a much better place to be.

<p>Twitter has ended API access for all 3rd-party apps that exceed 100k users. The latest in petty tactics by their new petulant dictator. Mastodon is a much better place to be.</p>

[bradbice]

New job: Principal Designer at Pluralsight

<p>I’m happy to announce I have started as Principal Product Designer, Design System at Pluralsight!</p>

[bradbice]

New ratings, April 2022

<p>Newly added ratings for TV and Movies</p>

[bradbice]

Winter Cleaning, 2022

<p>It was time for some cleanup around these parts, so here’s a list of what was fixed.</p>

[bradbice]

More Movie Ratings Groups

<p>Rating groups of movies, just for fun.</p>

[bradbice]

I was fairly behind Bernie going into last night, but Elizabeth Warren may have swayed me. She’s a little more genuine, convincing, and has much more of a stage impact which will play better this Fall. Will support any Dem candidate obvi, but Warren has my vote thus far.

[bradbice]

Introducing Dark Mode

<p>I’ve added a dark mode to bradbice.com, as well as some quick and simple ratings comparisons.</p>

[bradbice]

Duke is definitely the most boring G.I. Joe #waitingforpizzathoughts

[bradbice]

Apple event hot take: The always on Apple Watch looks great. This might be the first year where I skip out on the newest iPhone (my XS camera is fine). TV+ is a no-brainer at $4.99/month and Arcade is worth a try.

[bradbice]

iPhone 7 iOS home button

iPhone 7 iOS home button

At first I went in and changed the setting for the iPhone 7 home button to unlock my phone by testing my finger on the Touch ID sensor. It more closely resembled how I used my iPhone 6s with the mechanical home button. Now, after a few weeks of use, I have reverted that setting, requiring a “push” of the button to unlock the phone. This is because I use Notification Center much more now. I pick…

[bradbice]

Why and How I Use Twitter

I use Twitter every single day of my life, and have my live stream of tweets open on either my computer when working or at home, or on my phone when I’m commuting or waiting in line somewhere. A lot of people ask what Twitter is used for, and why they…

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[bradbice]

Reverted back to @Spotify from @Rdio.

Rdio had too many UX annoyances that just didn’t work for me. Miss the design though.

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