Your projects, what are you working on in your free time? Options

[treydog]

Not-So-Secret Writing Project

Book 1- Holding as is- i.e. final draft sitting residing on the computer.

Book 2- 98500 words. First proofread/edit completed. Found two spots
where transition or explanation is needed, plus invented a whole new scene
to "balance" the overall narrative. Still waiting for the "missing" bit.
96%

Book 3- 59000 words. So since it was going so well, I dropped it to go
back and edit Book 2, as that makes perfect sense. 50%?

[Lena Wolf]

I'm building Skyrim. No, it hasn't been built yet - not for Oblivion and not to my satisfaction, that is. In all fairness, TWMP Skyrim Improved is pretty good, but now that we have Skyrim The Game out, some of the areas need updating. Well, may be lots of areas. I am doing Skyrim South first - The Rift and Falkreath Hold.

Have spent the weekend planting trees. In Skyrim, that is. Or rather swapping trees around - it's not The Rift if it's filled with snow-covered white pines, it's got to have birches and aspens in autumnal colours. So I did that. Added grid paths to the land too, so that the roads are now recognised by the AI as well as by the player. Then I extended Riverwood and populated it with familiar characters - just pop in to The Sleeping Giant Inn.

Next on the list is Riften. There isn't a city there, and there needs to be one - because I say so. I've got a plan, now the fun of building can begin.

[Decrepit]

Project: clean myself
Status: done, after a fashion

I'd not showered since preparing for my drive to Urgent Care not this past Wednesday morning, but the Wednesday before that. Now, I've long been tolerant of my own body odor to a point, and living alone need not normally worry about offending others. But even I have my limits. That limit was reached and exceeded yesterday, possibly the day before.

Yet I feared washing. Why, you likely don't care to ask? Because I need to remove my hand brace to do so. Only after my return from Urgent Care did I realize that the nurse who attached the brace never told me how it's done. It looks to be a complicated procedure, especially considering it must be done one-handed. Yet remove it I must. (I was told that it 'can' be returned as needed, just not how.)

I finally drummed up the courage to do so this afternoon. To increase my odds for proper brace reassembly, I dabbed a bit of White-Out around the edges where each velcro strap attaches. I then removed the straps, only afterward realizing I should have removed my clothes first. What's done is done, so there was nothing for it but to shower. I managed it well enough, I suppose, though there are areas I simply can't reach effectively without using my right hand, which I'm not going to do at this stage.

To the plus, I remembered to don my bracer before dressing. I'm not sure it's a good fit. It certainly doesn't fit quite as it did. I just hope it still serves its purpose.

My followup appointment is the eighteenth. By then I hope to have a better feel for how well by hand is healing, if at all.

This post has been edited by Decrepit: Nov 6 2021, 08:33 PM

[ghastley]

I may have started a larger project than I intended. With all my mods removed from the Nexus, I need to host them myself, which means re-writing all the descriptions, and building a new set of web pages for them. I'm trying to do it without using Javascript, just CSS tricks. At some point I'll need feedback, but I'm reluctant to put a link anywhere before it's all in place, or else the google-bot will make it public.

If anyone has the time to look it over, PM me, and I'll provide a link that way.

[Decrepit]

Project: Create new Trainz 2019 video episode
Status: Coming along nicely, all things considered

Began what will become episode 03, my fourth Trainz episode, yesterday after supper. Between then and now I've created a thumbnail, an extensive scrolling next intro, and a rough draft of the entire episode with all narrative text and music in place. I'm sure there' tons of editing work yet to be done, and even then many errors will slip by me to make it into the upload. Such is life amongst the decrepit. I've not yet begun its YouTube episode description or create tags (which seem to serve no purpose).

This episode is an intro to the newly released VR Healesville 1913-1920 route, combined with a steam loco driving practice session. I'm horribly rusty at driving steam in Trainz, having driven nothing but Train Simulator for the past year and a half. To the plus, my many screw-ups made it easy to fill thirty-five minutes with text.

Alas, the episode's still images (seen during intro and outro) are subpar, in that I can't remember how to disable the HUD.

The route's a real eye-pleaser, as of now my favorite Trainz / Train Sim route from a scenic / landscape perspective.

BTW, while my prior three Trainz episodes were driven in EASY mode, this one is driven in ADVANCED mode.

If all goes well, I hope to have the episode published NLT this coming weekend.

[Decrepit]

Project: Create and Publish new Trainz 2019 video episode
Status: Uploaded, now processing

It's currently set to publish this Friday morning, but I might publish sooner once it finishes processing 1440p (which normally takes days). I'm mixed feeling about the uploaded product, but it is what it is.

[treydog]

Not-So-Secret Writing Project

Book 1- Holding as is- i.e. final draft sitting residing on the computer.

Book 2- Approximately 110000 words. First draft finished and in the hands of my "first reader." Huge sigh of relief/accomplishment.

Book 3- 59000 words.

[Grits]

treydog, I lift my coffee cup in celebration, and again to cheer you onward!!!

[treydog]

Writing Project

Book 1- While searching for information (i.e., what I had called things all the way back at the beginning), found a couple of infelicitous phrasing and fixed those. Otherwise, as before- holding until at least 3 volumes are completed and/or my retirement from "real work."

Book 2- First Reader is about 110 pages (of 180) in. Review has been positive so far, with a couple of typos found and flattened.

Book 3- Work continues. Apparently my earlier estimate of word count was faulty; with quite a productive week behind me, the word count is now approaching 58000. Based on the "outline" (a tool I do not use, as it brings back elementary school trauma- and no, I do not wish to talk about it), I think Book 3 is therefore slightly past the halfway point.

Meta

Continuing to update the Glossary (or, as I call the file, "Notes & Stuff") as I invent new character names, locations, fauna, and flora. It also helps me remember what word I used for something 6 or 8 months previous.

Beginning to dip a doggie paw into the waters of "Okay- so you have written a book- now what?" Given that I will be self-publishing ebooks, mostly learning about formatting, promotion, and etc. And of course, almost everything will have changed in the next 2 years (my optimistic timeline for release).

Projected total books in the series is still hovering at... (Magic 8 Ball says)... 5 to 7?

[Decrepit]

Just prepared a gas bill for posting. Gas costs ain't pretty these days! I pad my various monthly utility budgets fairly substantially, so I don't get hit with anything unforeseen I can't handle. Yet these past few months I've not only maxed my gas budget and had to dig into my slush fund to cover the difference. That's what it's for, or course. But I hate having to use it nonetheless.

On a darker note, I spent the bulk of Monday through Thursday working on a new TS2022 video to publish on YouTube. My first publishable video of 2022. I uploaded it yesterday evening. It could stand more polishing, but enough's enough. Its HD component is still processing. Long as it is, over an hour, I suspect HD won't be ready until late tonight at the earliest.

[Decrepit]

Project: e-file Fed and State tax returns
Status: done

I normally prepare and file tax returns late Jan or early Feb. Indeed, both returns were ready to file late Jan. This year, I procrastinated filing due to the small amount of my refund. It quite surprises me. For years I've consistently gotten over a thousand back from the Feds, a few hundred from the state. This year? $291 back from the Feds, with the State refund unchanged. Now, I know why some of my refund was erased. I've two rinky-dink mutual funds that did VERY well last year, increasing total yearly income by some K. Even us, I hoped for a Fed refund drop to circa $800 at worst.

(My 'useable' income doesn't benefit from Mutual Fund interest and dividends, as those are automatically used to buy more shares.)

I double-checked much of my initial TurboTax Fed return multiple times, and even restarted it from scratch once. Same results. An oddity, to me, is that Turbo Tax always shows my refund as being well over a thousand until entering Social Security income, then BAM, $291. This still has me baffled, but I find no flaws in what I entered. That's why I let it sit on my PC so long. But enough is enough. File we must. File I did. If screw-up it be, if found I'll fix it and file an amended return.

[Decrepit]

Project: Prepare and e-file brother's 2021 tax returns
Status: Done, but oh the humanity

This year's Intuit Turbtax is, for me, far less 'intuitive' than in years past. I still harbor doubts about my own 2021 returns being correct, despite having gone over them time and time again. M brother's returns, on the other hand, are normally simplicity itself. I had hopes of a quick and easy preparation. To be on the safe side, I warned him to be prepared for confusions and occasional flared tempers. I was right, on both counts. We were at it for hours. Like with my return, I'm not 100% convinced we got it right. Still, done is done. It's e-filed, me paying the e-file $25 charge Intuit demands for State (but not Federal) e-filing. That $25 is considered a birthday present, his b-day being in April.

[WellTemperedClavier]

I'm teaching myself Python!

I bought a book on the subject, and am almost through it. The most interesting project was the code to make a Space Invaders-style game, which I managed to get working. My goal was to expand on the code given and create a more interesting game, but this a bit tricky. See, what I'd envisioned was more of a Galaga-style game, where ships actually move around. My skill level is not yet at the point where I can figure out how to program that sort of thing on my own.

I did figure out how to change the appearance of the main ship though, so that's fun.

Currently, I'm working on a data generation project but I'm weirdly stymied since the command prompt refuses to acknowledge the module I downloaded. The module shows up when I look for what's installed, and someone else was able to run the code, so I know that's not the problem. My guess is that it has something to do with where the module is installed (though how it ended up in the wrong place, I have no idea).

[mirocu]

Meanwhile we just keep on firewooding

[mirocu]

Tested the riding mower, topped off oil and sharpened the knives; ready to go!



Well.... When the grass starts growing anyway

[WellTemperedClavier]

I'm teaching myself Python.

So far, I've been working from a book (Python Crash Course) and creating the programs in the exercises. Typically, I try to modify the programs slightly to make sure I understand what it was I just created. The book comes with a Space Invaders type game, which I was able to make and run.

My original goal was to modify the Space Invaders game to make it more interesting. Unfortunately, I'm not yet at the point where I can create brand new code to do things like have the alien ships move around in patterns beyond side-to-side and down. I did find a source code for a Python-based Galaga, which I may use as a basis to build on, since that would have some of the more complex work already done.

Previously, I did make a very silly CYOA game on my own.

This post has been edited by WellTemperedClavier: Apr 21 2022, 02:02 AM

[Decrepit]

Project: Resume daily exercise-walks
Status: One down, ???? to go

This was my first exercise-walk since the first of several health misfortunes that beset me beginning late Oct last year (2021). I went the full 25-30mins at more-or-less my normal exercise-walk speed, though I didn't quite manage a strong quasi power-walk at the finish. I felt fine during and immediately after the walk, but am wilting a bit now.

Heart reading taking within a few minutes of my return: BL 105/62, pulse 86. Oxygen level 98.81%.

[Decrepit]

Project: YouTube Copyright Claims Dispute
Status: Initiated

I might have just shot myself through the foot, if not the heart. In the process of publishing a new Train Simulator YouTube episode this morning, I noticed that two previous episodes have been recently hit with copyright claims. I can of course just leave them in place, which has no negative impact on my channel. That's what I did last claim. This time, I decided to dispute both claims, knowing that, despite provably being in the right, the deck is stacked against me, as it is for all YouTubers is this situation.

Spent a good bit of time double-checking the two MusOpen.ORG music selections in question, then writing a rebuttal in LibreOffice, including appropriate links. Summited the dispute minutes ago.

Will it work? In a just world it would, but reality is a chap-shot. If declined, the claimer can choose to simply let the claim stand as is, which is liveable, or issue a Channel Strike, which is scary, especially as there will be two Strikes back-to-back.

Is there hope? Yeah. If there weren't, I'd not bother to dispute. We shall see. <crosses fingers>

[mirocu]

Many youtubers face the same "project" as you, Decrepit. Often for no reason at all.


As I don't see an end to this, might I suggest finding another video platform as your next project?

[Decrepit]

Project: YouTube Copyright Claim Disputes
Status: One down, one to go

"Hi Decrepit Productions,

Good news! After reviewing your dispute, [snipped name of agency claiming video] has decided to release their copyright claim on your YouTube video.

Video title: "Train Simulator ep17: Great North of Scotland Railway, Milk Delivery in Snow – CR 812 class 0-6-0"

- The YouTube Team"