From 2005 to 2016 there have been over 100 posts on this forum referring to the casual flash game review site JayIsGames.com.
During the heyday of casual flash games -- before mobile phones took off like a rocket and flash fell out of favor - JayIsGames was one of the very best places to discover new fun games playable in the browser.
They will be missed 

Here's the announcement:
http://jayisgames.co...il-we-meet-again.php

Neat little video on the video url ids that youtube uses, with side discussions on base64 and why not to use incremental numbering for online url ids:


from waxy.org

Anyone in the area is welcome to join us for board game night at my house (in Champaign, IL) on Saturday, April 9th starting at 5pm. [won't technically be many DC folks but that doesn't matter, you are still welcome.]

I will be running a 10k in the morning nearby (http://www.allertonraces.com/) -- if you are interested in participating in that as well i'd be happy to give you a lift from my house.

There will be food and snacks.  Message me for directions.

One of the first games ever discussed on this forum, back in 2005, was Samarost -- a truly beautiful, different, charming, relaxing, hand-animated point-and-click adventure game about a little fellow who traveled in space.

Samarost 3 became available today and it looks like it's going to be another charmer.

Rock Paper Shotgun says: "Samorost 3 is so bursting with life, so lovingly crafted, that it’s impossible not to adore. I cannot think of a game whose soundtrack comes close to this, and few that are so pretty. Gnome’s yelps of delight, or enthusiastic dances, or the way he sometimes says, “Hop!” when he jumps, are idiotically adorable. It’s so alive, so intricate, and so graceful. I wonder if the difficulty will see it be a less celebrated game than the last two, but it really is a thing of beauty."



http://samorost3.net/

Samarost really does feel different than most of the point and click games you see on the internet.. it feels like you are experiencing a game from a different culture.. or a different planet..  I can't wait to try it.

Pandemic Legacy: My Favorite Board Game Experience Ever



Pandemic was a groundbreaking cooperative board game that was released in 2008.  Players work together to cure diseases that are spreading around the globe.  It's a wonderful game, and ushered in the modern era of cooperative board games.

The game has seen many expansions, but in late 2015, the creator of Pandemic released a very different twist on the game called Pandemic Legacy.

The "Legacy" term was first used in a game called Risk Legacy (2011), where new rules and pieces are unveiled (and old ones destroyed) as you play a series of games.  Stickers or writing is applied to the board as you win or lose, etc.  It was quite a radical idea.

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Last week I had the opportunity to play 7 games of Pandemic Legacy with a good friend -- half the campaign.

It was the most compelling board game experience I have ever had.  The fact that each game was a continuation of the next, with true consequences to the outcomes, gave the entire experience a completely different weight.  Decisions suddenly mattered more than in a normal board game.  Having new surprises after every game was amazing.  My heart was literally racing and i had to get out of my seat often out of nervousness.  I've never taken as much care in weighing my options in a board game.

It was, for a board gamer like me, heaven -- the best board game experience I have ever had.

This is not a game for casual gamers -- but for anyone who is looking to have a unique board game experience that spans a dozen games -- who loves thematic elements, I cannot recommend Pandemic Legacy any more highly.  If this is the future of board games we are in for some amazing times.

10 of 10.

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More on Pandemic Legacy at board game geek: https://boardgamegee...emic-legacy-season-1

Nice little tutorial on how you can make a custom usb keypad with 20 custom keys to do whatever you want for $10.

The trick is to use a generic cheap external usb numpad but then use some clever software that can be told to only respond to certain keys pressed on a certain keyboard.

Neat stuff.

http://www.instructa...keypad-for-less-tha/