Words On Wednesday

I'm not a weeb , but I think everybody should keep a bottle of sake on hand. Name: Sake Gekkeikan Source: Gekkeikan Style: Sake ABV: "15% to 16%" Price: $5.99 Volume: 750ml Price per oz: $0.24 Sake is a very... specific drink, for lack of a better term. I'm not opening up the liquor cabinet and arbitrarily landing on sake. And honestly, I don't ever get a craving out of the blue for sake. However, if I'm at a ramen shop? Sake hits the spot. Getting hibachi with the family? Sake would be great right now. It is very much associated specifically with Japanese cuisine for me. Truthfully, I don't even really like sake all that much. As a rice wine, it sits with most other wine in my opinion: below most beer and FAR below most distilled spirits. I couldn't tell you why, but wine isn't really my bag. But something about the combination of sake AND Japanese food is just appropriate. I listed $5.99 for a fifth because that's what Total Wine had availab...

Leaks are starting to come out about the Steam Deck 2, but there are also theories about a potential home console running SteamOS. As much as this was tried in a similar way in 2015 with the Steam Machines , I think now is a perfect time to give it another shot with the widespread adoption of SteamOS and the compatibility that Proton offers. I love my Steam Deck . I maintain that it is probably the best gaming-related purchase that I've ever made. It is the most powerful gaming hardware that I own, and I have played SO many games since I bought it. It's just an incredible device and an EASY recommend for anyone who wants to get into PC gaming. I bought the Steam Deck KNOWING that it was slightly outdated. When I bought my 512 GB Steam Deck LCD, it was already three years old. That's ancient in computing hardware. A lot of people recommended getting another PC handheld, either a Windows machine or another SteamOS device, with better specs and newer hardware. That was an opt...

I've been going through manager training at work and for our next training session, we were asked to read 1 book from a list of options prepare three takeaways. I ended up reading "The First 90 Days," and it seemed like the best way to really internalize the content would be to write a book report about it. The list was standard fare management topics from well-known authors. Any one would have been adequate, and I could probably even have suggested " The Five Dysfunctions of a Team " or " Extreme Ownership " if I didn't want to read a new book, but I figured it would be more true to the spirit of the assignment to read something unfamiliar to me and try to gain new skills and understanding. From Bud to Boss: Secrets to a Successful Transition to Remarkable Leadership – Kevin Eikenberry The First Time Manager – Jim McCormick Leadership is Language: The Hidden Power of What You Say and What You Don’t – L. David Marquet Primed to Perform: How to Buil...

“ Axiom Verge ” is a Metroidvania released on the most platforms in 2015. Frequently listed on the best Metroidvania games ever, and especially lists of those released this century, it certainly has a following among indie fans and more mainstream gamers alike. I love a good Metroidvania and I was looking for something short to play after finishing Oblivion Remastered and Wind Waker HD . The last Metroidvania I played was Astalon: Tears of the Earth , and I really enjoyed it. Maybe it was worth checking out a few more of these indie favorites on Steam. Axiom Verge was on sale for $3.99 at 80% off. I figured at such a low price for such a well-received game, it was worth a shot. It's very clear from the beginning that Axiom Verge is a love letter to the original Metroid and other games of the era. Even beyond retro graphics and gameplay loop, there are references that most people would only get if they physically played a Metroid cartridge on original hardware. In particular, the ...