Yeah, I keep rereading all the books every time a new one comes out. I might have to stop doing that soon, don't have as much free time as I used to!

I haven't gotten around to reading the character specific novellas. I'm not sure why, so I guess I'll have to put it on my to-read list :)

I just finished A Slow Death: 83 Days of Radiation Sickness. The book is the more in-depth version of the Japanese documentary (according to the author, can't seem to find the documentary itself anywhere). It's about the first worker (Hisashi Ouchi) who died 83 days after receiving higher than lethal dose of radiation and the uphill battle he and the medical workers had to face trying to keep the man alive.

It was a short read, but it's definitely worth it. It made me consider and appreciate the dilemma medical workers have to face when they're confronted with a terminal case as severe and relatively unknown (at the time) as this one. It's definitely one of those situations where if I had to make the decision to keep the man alive or let him pass away, I honestly wouldn't know what I would choose. Needless to say, I'm glad I'm not a doctor. I'm not sure I could handle the stress of such a decision (and I stress out real easy).

I've also started on Voices of Chernobyl and finishing Leviathan Wakes (this is my fifth time reading it). I'm probably going to focus on Leviathan Wakes first. My boyfriend is almost done with Abaddon's Gate. I have some catching up to do before he reaches Nemesis Games!

Have you tried DraftSight?

There's also a list of alternatives to AutoCAD you can go through here: http://alternativeto.net/software/autocad/?license=free&platform=windows

Fallout 4, Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, Mass Effect: Andromeda, Uncharted 4, No Man's Sky and the FF VII remake.

Out of all of them, I'm most excited for Fallout 4. I'll probably spend an obscene amount of time in character creation, sculpting faces and taking screenshots of them for character ideas. Of course, there's the weapon customization (and actually seeing your choices reflected visually) and the ability to build your own settlement. I also like the fact that the game would start off chipper. It's quite different than what I'm used to from Bethesda (at least with the games I have played from them). The fact that this game is coming out this year really helped push that excitement to the level it's at.

The N7 Paladin is a variant of the Sentinel class, but he's more tech inclined than biotic. Honestly, I'm a big fan of the Vanguards myself :) Especially in ME3, where you get to charge around into people and blast them off their feet >:D

The Expanse series by James S. A. Corey (I'm rereading Leviathan Wakes for the fourth time!). I've actually talked about it here:

Currently, I'm re-reading Leviathan Wakes for the...fourth time. I'm pretty much going to re-read The Expanse series every time a new book comes out. I'll probably keep re-reading them after that. I like that it feels like a mix of everything on top of the scifi backdrop. It's by no means a literary masterpiece, but I love the series. Also looking forward to the show and also trying to curb my expectations for it :)

I'm also a fan of John Scalzi's books. I can't remember how many times I've read The Android's Dream and the Old Man's War series. I enjoy Scalzi's humour and the fact that he normally writes sci-fi basically sealed the deal for me :)

I actually heard about this, but I never took the time to check it out :x *shame*

Thanks for the reminder! :D

I would love an omni-tool. I'm especially partial to the ME3 Co-op class, N7 Paladin, which gets an Omni-shield. I love that thing (I like playing as a tank :) ).

Garrus is kinda the coolest

Only kinda? ;)

I remember reading that Star Wars was one of the influences for Mass Effect when they wrote it.

The effort and level of detail they put into the lore of the game made me want to live in it, LOL. I think the last time I felt that kind of attachment to a universe was Star Wars and it wasn't even on the same level.

It was the only video game franchise where I read the novels and the comics written based in the universe. Hell, I'm even tempted to write stories that simply takes place in the universe (but it'd probably be labelled as fan-fic anyway). I haven't felt that desire since I was in high school.

The trilogy has a special place in my heart and I have to say I'm relieved they're going to another galaxy with the next installment :)

I haven't been as captivated by any movie until I watched Interstellar. The visuals and the music are stunning. I was almost disappointed when I realized the game I've been playing, Elite Dangerous, don't render black holes the same way as Interstellar did.

I also loved District 9. I'm a sucker for a good transformation story and that was it. And I don't mean just the physical transformation either. Seeing someone step up to the overwhelming odds stacked against them is a lot of fun.

I read The Martian. I blew through it within a week, which is amazing because I don't often make time for reading since I've moved out with my boyfriend. I thought it was a ton of fun. Never thought reading someone's thought process on surviving on Mars would be that entertaining. Personally, I can't wait for the movie but I'm trying to curb my expectations of it as much as possible.

Currently, I'm re-reading Leviathan Wakes for the...fourth time. I'm pretty much going to re-read The Expanse series every time a new book comes out. I'll probably keep re-reading them after that. I like that it feels like a mix of everything on top of the scifi backdrop. It's by no means a literary masterpiece, but I love the series. Also looking forward to the show and also trying to curb my expectations for it :)

I've played the flute, a little bit of violin, piano, alto sax, bass guitar, ocarina and cello.

Out of all of those instruments, the cello is my favourite. The deep warm sound it generates when you play it properly really endeared it to me. I've wanted to try it for a long time, but Apocalyptica really cemented that desire into a goal. They demonstrated the range a cello was capable of and that's where I fell in love with the idea of playing a cello. At the time I didn't have a job so no money for the instrument and lessons. About a year or two ago, I finally got a job that paid well enough, so I rent-to-own a cello and started taking lessons.

Moving to another city made time and energy scarce, so I had to stop :( I plan on taking it up again in the future though.

You're right. They're more supplementary problems than anything, but I considered it as an opportunity to improve on one's understanding of the fundamental concepts of programming. It's really a step behind solving real world problems.

Also, I thought providing something up the poster's alley might help the learning process as well. It's definitely by no means the end-all be-all of their learning process, though. Having gained (and still gaining) better understanding of programming through solving problems at work, I still strongly recommend the real world problem solving approach.

Yikes, I know that feeling. I have an obscene amount of games but some days I just don't want to play a single one of them. It usually happens when I'm too tired and/or it's too late to commit to one.

Anyway, I'm currently playing Elite: Dangerous (Solo) with The Witcher 3 sprinkled in between :)

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People say Elite: Dangerous is like a vast ocean with the depth of a puddle. I don't disagree with that assessment, but it didn't stop me from enjoying the game either. I think what appeals to me is the flight model. Of course I haven't played many space/flight sims long enough to say that ED's way is innovative, but the ones I have tried don't have quite the visceral experience that this game has. It's not just the way the game portrays the physics, it's the sound design too. Hearing your ship whine, groan and rattle during various maneuvers really sell the idea--the feeling that you're flying a spaceship...and having a HOTAS (hands on throttle and stick) helps too ;)

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As for The Witcher 3, I found I enjoyed it more than I initially expected. Almost everything I do in that game is interesting, including side quests and sailing in a little boat :) The side quests seem more interesting to me because it feels more dynamic. It's not straightforward. While it still have fetching and escort tasks, it's not the main attraction for these quests. Side quests in this game feel like short stories you're embarking on that takes place in the same world.

Its combat mechanics is similar to Assassin's Creed's combat mechanics, but there's more variety through the use of signs (basically quick cast magic spells), bombs, potions, etc. I find myself using almost everything available to me during a fight. There's definitely strategy involved in the combat as well. In the end, when I win a fight I feel like I accomplished something.

This game doesn't make you grind for potions and oils (weapon damage buffs based on the enemy type). Most of the time when I harvest plants, it's to make a new potion/oil (or upgrade them). They have a system where replenishing them doesn't involve going back and forth to look for specific ingredients. If you're the kind of person that tries to loot every container you see, you're pretty much set.

This is a game that felt like it was designed by thoughtful gamers. Of course that's just my experience with it and your mileage may vary.

Like a few that have commented, I strongly recommend you try and learn by having a problem to solve...but in case you can't think of one, there are a few sites that poses programming challenges. Here are the two that I know of off the top of my head:

- Codewars

- Project Euler

Have fun :)

It's pretty jarring to see this process explained. It made me realize how damaging reddit's karma system can be [to discussions] :(

I agree with your assessment of voat. I tried it and it felt kind of like 4chan. Of course the fact that it was mentioned a lot during the FPH ban didn't help its image. Hell, reddit's started resembling 4chan in some parts for me.

What sold me on Hubski though was its stance on personal content, on top of the general lack of hostility.