I PASSED!... Now Can I Catch Up On My Reading???

After frequent prayers and nervous twitches, I passed my Illinois Life Insurance Licensing Exam. *WHEW!* With that done, nothing is stopping me from making a career out of this except myself. There will be a lag from now till when I actually get down-n-dirty as the insurance provider I am working with has to get a copy of the license and issue me an agent number. Meanwhile I am going to take a break. I do though have to do something for our next meeting Monday in Quincy.

As an assignment, I had to buy "Think & Grow Rich" and make out my own personal goal statement. AUGH! Yet another book to read!!! Wizard and Glass is now officially going to collect dust. Started on "Settling Accounts: Returned Engagement" by my favorite author, Turtledove. Raymond Smullyan's "Who Knows?" also came in. It is short, so it should be a quick read. Of the three parts (a general look at the existence/non-existence and quality of God and the possibility of an afterlife, a look at hell, and a look on collective consciousness), I already finished the first part. VERY GOOD, filled with his typical humor, as he defends and attacks all forms of believes as he formulates his own: agnostic, belief in an evolving deity, and belief in an afterlife although we don't know what that is. For those unfamiliar with him, here is one of his writings. Don't read the first few paragraphs and assume what he is trying to say via God. You need to read two-thirds of it at least to get the point he is trying to make. Dune: The Machine Crusade will be after those two.

Already made a blog exclusively for my job to help me stay organized and such. ULTRA-PRIVATE!!! Contains phone numbers, client's names, etc. so this is something I really don't want others to see!!!!!

My New Job

I just got back home from my initial training. Sunday there was an ad for a walk-in interview to be done Tuesday. Little did I knew that Monday... my 'Saturday'... will be my last. On Tuesday, I attended and found out the company, American Association of Government and Private Personal, give people 10 year life insurance annuinties. It intrigued me enough that I signed on. What I like about walk-in interivews is that you learn a lot from the meeting and find out if your hired that night. Well, I got the call. Sent a quick e-mail to everyone I know online and prepared to make a trip to Quincy.

So far, that is what I don't like about this job. Quincy is a city roughly hour and a half to two hours west. I used to live there once (planning to do a mindwalk using it to do ruined nostalgia... if I ever!) so the trip over there wasn't too much of a problem... but to go back and forth several times?!?!? Thankfully I have relitives in Hannible, Missouri. Just 15 or so minutes away. I hope that future training days will be consecutive so I can do that again.

When I got there, I had only one word to say about my instructor: filthy rich. Besides living in an upscale neighboorhood a couple miles outside of Quincy, he has his own fishing pond. Oh, and ducks and geese, in the DOZENS. There were other people too, no more than 100 so miles away from Quincy (Springfield is a little more than 100), so Quincy is like a central hub for Missouri, Iowa, and Illinois; Quincy borders Missouri and a short drive from Iowa's border, the center of the 'tri-state' area.

The first day we got the basics and the first few steps of how we should operate among ourselves. We are independent empoyees. This person just trains us and we are our own boss. The second day we got a bit more into the opperation before spending the rest of the day on the test I need to take. All states license insurance agents, and I am going to take my test Tuesday and get my licence. That is expensive! Sum it all up, and I have to spend approximently $350 to the state. If I fail the test, I have to spend that portion of it ($106) again. Don't you see why I am a Libertarian?!?!? And that test will really bore you!

But if your interested in how the insurance work, I'll tell you if interested. For now I will just mention the basics. The client will agree to put in a small, managable amount per month, say, $50 - $100. The product, Freedomflex, uses the most option loaded and flexable system to accumulate tax differed money for whatever he or she wishes. It is classified as life insurance, and does work like life insurance, but can be used for little Johny's college fund, retirement, or just a financial vehical to save money. Tax deffered means none of it goes to taxes, although 10% might go to the government if your under 59 and a half. Find out more about that during future training.

Anyway, that is the jest of my trip. My head right now is woozy over the info-cramming and the long trip. I changed my mind on something. I still like to travel when able, but I don't want to do it alone! And none of those ducks wanted to come along either, or get a hug for that matter!

Introduction to Chrono Trigger

This is an addendum to my intro to ZSNES, since I recommended this game. Fans of role-playing games shouldn't have too much trouble, but those who never played such of a game might, since it is heavy in story compared to most action games, much longer, and requires more commitment. But as RPGs go, Chrono Trigger serves as a reasonable introduction. It isn't as long, the fights not random, and the fights themselves are more animated and involved thanks to how magic and techniques are performed on the screen. I suggest you read this whole thing once before you use it within the game.

That said, start the game. Wait for the clock to stop and wait a short while on this screen to see shots from the game. Press the A button (that is, the key on your keyboard associated with the A button on the SNES controller!) to enter the game select screen. Note: if you don't have any saved games, it might jump you to Battle Mode screen automatically... not sure about this. Anyway, you should now see the Battle Mode screen. Choose 'Wait', since your new at this! You then get a chance to rename Crono, the main character of the game. If you don't want to change it, just press Start twice.

The game itself now officially begins, as you see a community with some sort of celebration going on. The screen blacks out with a bell ringing and someone saying Crono's name. Press the A button to continue the text. After Crono gets out of bed while the cat is leaving the room, you will gain control of Crono. As a RPG, you are Crono in the game. Before going downstairs, let me introduce you to the controls now that we have our first stopping point.

Control Pad: Moves Crono or a menu cursor up, down, left, or right.
A: action button used to do things on screen
B: cancel button in menu selections, dash button when moving Crono around
X: brings up the menu, which I'll explain shortly. Press B to exit.
Select: Shows the map of the world when your outside. Press B to exit
Start: pause and unpause game

The Y button is used when you reach The End of Time! It allows you to exchange characters with those outside of your party, like the Exchange menu screen does.

Okay, now for the menu. You will see 6 icons in a box in the center, each with their own purposes. Select the one you want and press A. When finished, press B to return to this selection window. Here is what they are, from left to right.

Character Screen: Select the character with the up/down buttons to see the character stats. Pressing A will allow you to change weapons and armor.

Item: View, use, and organize your inventory

Tech: Shows what techniques (sometimes called skills) and spells your character knows. After selecting the character and pressing A, you see what it can do. You earn more abilities by gaining Tech points in battle and some techniques can be combined with others to form combinations.

Options: I'll let you fiddle around with this; its mostly self-explanatory. Or just leave it alone.

Exchange: When you have multiple characters, this will allow you to move them around.

Save: Allow you to save at save points or when outside. You can't do it inside!

Side note: remember you can also use ZSNES save states! I suggest having slot 0 for your main one and 2 or 3 others at breaking points for backup.

Okay, move down the stairs. Mom will stop you and say a few words and allowing you to rename Lucca if you wish. Be sure to note what she says! Talk to her again (A button, remember) to get your allowance! Talk to your cat if you wish, and leave.

Your now outside. Press Select if you like to see the map. Don't head toward Leene Square up north yet. All the buildings with green roofs can be entered, and the name of the building is shown on screen. What you want is Mayor's Manor, southwest of your home. Press A to enter.

Talk to EVERYONE here! This is a place for beginners and you'll learn a lot in this place! Besides getting info, you'll also get a few items inside chests. A solder on the top floor will teach you about skills. Be sure to pay attention to him! The first thing he shows you is how Crono's Cyclone attack works, Crono's first technique. Another guy in here tells you that if you press the L and R buttons at the same time during a fight, you'll try to escape.

Exit and check out the other green roof houses if you like. Do not head to Guardia Forest (south of that giant castle) or the bridge south. After wasting time, go to Leene Square. Okay, here is where everyone is celebrating and you can play several mini-games here. There is three main areas. The first main area just skip for now and head north. In this second area, you see a woman in a long white dress. Run into her! Now, talk to her FIRST, and THEN pick up the pendant. Give it back to her. Allow her to walk around with you and she... Marle... will join you. One screen north, the third main area, is where Lucca is building her machine. Two people block the route, so let me take this time to show you how combat works. Exit Leene Square and head to Guardia Forest.

Pause the game and let me go ahead and say a few things. This is where the weakest monsters are, so it shouldn't be a problem. Don't bother taking the northern exit, toward the castle. Just learn how combat works. If a enemy hits you, you loose HP (hit points) and you are unconscious at 0 HP. If everyone has 0 HP, game over. If you fear this would happen (shouldn't... you should have Marle's Aura by then), head to Crono's home, press the A button while facing your bed, and you'll take a snooze. All of your HP and MP (magic points) will be maxed. Sleep does that in RPGs. Now unpause, head north, east, and then south east. You should see three mushroom-like creatures here. (You might want to save via ZSNES save state here!) Touch one and you'll enter a fight!

PAUSE THE GAME!!! Okay, here is how RPG fights work. First you have to wait till one of your characters is ready, like taking turns. That is what the bar next to the MP does... tells you how close the character is to being ready. When you unpause the game, choose 'Att', then one of those monsters. When you finish, you will see how much HP damage you do. Continue doing this till all three of them are gone. After that, the game awards you with experience (gain enough experience and you'll level up, making your stronger and tougher), tech points (which, again, grants you technique skills), and gold. You might also get an item.

Go to the Tech menu. What I want you to do is to get into enough fights till Crono earns his Cyclone technique and Marle earns Aura. Now leave this screen. On the northeast corner of this groove is a shiny spot... a power tab! Use this at any time via the item screen to increase your power stat by one. I tend to save these till I get into a spot I have trouble with and then use them accordingly.

Now find more monsters to fight. If you run out of monsters, leave and come back. When you earn Cyclone for Crono, use it to see how it works. It attacks all enemies near a single enemy you choose. Aura, Marle's first technique, heals HP. Both though uses MP, so if you run out, head to Crono's home. Choose Tech, the technique, and then the target.

When Aura is learned, you will also see you now know Aura Whirl. This is a Dual Tech and requires both Crono and Marle ready. After earning it, go to the Tech screen, press right, and your Dual Techs are listed. Press right again for Triple Techs... techniques requiring three people! What Aura Whirl does is combine Aura and Cyclone into one. Marle casts Aura on Crono and Crono uses Cyclone to 'whirl' it, so everyone in the party gets healed. Be sure to test it out! When both Crono and Marle are ready, 'Tech' becomes 'Comb'. Select Comb, Aura Whirl, and then press A again (to select everyone).

When you earned Cyclone and Aura, and feel comfortable with combat, leave and go to Crono's home to regain lost HP/MP. Now go back to Leene's Square. Despite being gone all that time, Lucca's machine still isn't ready! So waste time / have fun. But behave yourself! If Crono does something naughty (or nice), it well have an effect later in the game! In the first area there is a guy with a white mustache and samurai clothing, Melchoir. Talk to him so I can explain buying and selling. Click buy and you'll see who can use it by the character's animation. If its blue, it is better than what you got. Gray, worse. DO NOT BUY ANYTHING YET! I just want to introduce this screen to you. You'll get a chance to do this later (... in the past... !!!) and you'll get the lode sword for free later. If you move the cursor to a character, you can equip items. Handy to quickly equip and then sell. Oh, and you'll get a chance to be naughty or nice to Marle after shopping.

Okay, go talk to everyone till someone tells you Lucca has set up her machine. To continue the game, head to the third main area, or stay behind and play the games and perhaps perform some naughty or nice actions... one of which will happen right when you are about to enter the third area! Don't forget about save states! Use one for backup just in case!

Be sure to pay attention to what people are saying here. When you are able, talk to Lucca, follow her instructions, watch what happens. Talk to Marle and watch what happens to her instead! After all of that, go to the pendant, pick it up, watch what happens, and get warped from 1000 AD to 600 AD! I just love that music.

And this is where I'll leave you. Get out of the area your in, explore the community in this time, head to the castle via the forest, and continue the game there. Good luck!

The Art of Hacking... to CHEAT!... Part 2

This is the second part on learning how to cheat via hacking. Part 1 dealt with hexadeciamal numbers, which you MUST understand to continue. I will be using ZSNES and PAR codes as an example. The process though is similar for all hack-and-cheat software. For more info on ZSNES, check out my introduction to it and emulation.

Now that is out of the way, I am going to use Chrono Trigger as an example. You may want to use another, but I can't guarantee results. I tried to find a code for keeping the stars in Yoshi's Island at 30, but failed to find it. However, the process is the same. There is two methods in finding a code: exact value search and comparative search. But before we do that, I have to show you how to input a code you already know. If you already know this, skip the next paragraph.

In ZSNES menu, go to Cheat > Add Code. If your not using Chrono Trigger, search for a PAR code. CT fans, I am going to go ahead and give you one. 7E5E3463 Input that in the 'Enter Code' box and press enter. Now input a description. This is the first character's magic (technique) points, so I inputted "char 1 mp" It then moves up to the box. The address and current value (CV) is listed first. This is what you input with the code. PV stands for previous value, the value it was before the code was used. CV and PV well be used again when searching for memory locations. TGL is toggle: double click a code to turn it on or off. The buttons below are self explanatory: Remove deletes a code, Toggle turns a code on or off, Save saves your codes to a file, Load load it, and Fix modifies the code in case it isn't working. I never had to use it.

Exact Value Searching

For Chrono Trigger, go to anyplace you will have a fight... we will search for the first character's hit points and freeze it at a certain value. (This can also be done with any RPG for that matter) Everyone else, find a value who's numerical value you can see, whether it is money, ammo, time left, or whatever. Again, I can't guarantee you'll find it, I can just show you the process. Those programmers may cleverly hide the data!

Okay Chrono Trigger fans, ready? Note the hit points of the first character, which is most likely to be Crono. Go to Cheat > Search. Since the max HP is 999, we want to look for 2 bytes. Choose dec and exact value search if they aren't selected already. Click start. Enter the HP value and click Search or press enter. ZSNES window will change to tell you how many results came back. I got 41 on my first try. You want only one result, or a very small number so that you can test each one to see which is correct. If you click View, you can see them all. Value is the current value, PValue is the previous value.

Now press 'Esc' till your back in the game and enter a fight. Pause the game. Go ahead and repeat the search. Some of those values might have changed, so lets get rid of them. Unpause and pray some foe takes some HP away. Do another search with the new HP. Repeat the process (whenever the first character's HP is changed or is unchanged after a period of time, do a search) till you get one or a very small number of results which you just can't get rid of. With your one memory address selected (or one to test) on the View window, click add. If you get 0 results, whine, do a small fit, and try again. Sometimes it isn't possible to find a code for what your looking for.

A new window appears. Input 999 (the max HP) and the PAR code equilivent is automatically displayed. Give it a description (like 'Char 1 HP) and click add. It is now part of your cheats. Return to your game and see if it worked. On some games, you have to get hit first (or use your ammo, or whatever) for the value to change.

Comparative Searching

Now that you got the general idea, I am just going to explain this process without an example. I don't find a need for this except for bars and when I want to do something really weird, like jumping without going down.

Choose Cheat > Search, select number of bytes (use 1 byte to start with), dec or hex (hmph, dec!), and comparative search. ZSNES then notes all the values in the game's memory from 7E0000 to 7FFFFF. Now go play the game for a while until 1) the value changes OR 2) a reasonable amount of time has passed and the value hasn't change. Now, instead of asking for the new value, it asks if the value is greater, lesser, equal to, or unequal to (that is '!=', for those who haven't seen such of a thing) to old value. Pick which one, click search, and see how many values is left. Repeat till you got down to one or a small number of values. Click View and Add and input the new cheat as before.

That's it! Because you don't know the actual value, this generally takes longer. You might also want to try this if exact value searching does nothing for you.

The Art of Hacking... to CHEAT!... Part 1

Saying that makes some people cry foul (cheating) or scream in terror (hacking). For the first group, your cause is just, although finding those codes can be a challenge by itself. Second group, don't worry, unless you *really* hate math! This, the first part of two, introduces hacking in general. The second part will use this here to show you how to actually make your own codes.

The method of cheating on ZSNES, and similar cheating software, is to change a certain memory address location to a certain value. For the SNES, these codes are usually called PAR (Pro-Action Replay) or Game Genie codes, for they are the ones who first came up with the idea. Game Genie has some limitations and modify the code a bit, where PAR codes are considered better and strait forward. If you have a favorite game, go to GameFAQs.com or do a websearch for those PAR codes. It should look something like this:

7E2042FF

Now what in the heck does that mean? The first six digits is the memory location. The last two is the value you want in that location. So you want a value of 'FF' in memory location '7E2042'.

"Wait!", you might say. "How can 'FF' be a value?" This is what stop many from continuing, and why this part deals exclusively on it: hexadecimal numbers. (Oh I can hear the screams now!) Counting in hex is like counting with our number system except it goes up to 16 instead of 10. Counting from 0 to 9 is as usual. But that is when the similarity ends.

• 10 becomes A
• 11 becomes B
• 12 becomes C
• 13 becomes D
• 14 becomes E
• 15 becomes F

After that comes 16, which is '10' in hex. This is why hexadecimal numbers are called '16-base' and our decimal system is called '10-base'. So knowing how to convert from decimal to hex or hex to decimal is important. I just told you how to count in the 'ones place'. The tens place is now the 'sixteens place'. FF, for example, is in decimal 15 x 16 + 15 = 255. Other example, 63 in hex is 6 x 16 + 3 = 99. All digits when hacking are done in twos. So 15 in decimal is 0F in hex: 0 x 16 + 15 = 15. (Note: I will show you a trick with Microsoft Windows' calculator involving calculating the hex in a moment. I just want you to understand how hex work)

Now let reverse the process, taking a decimal to a hexadecimal. This requires division, using the remainder. Taking 255 as our first example, 255/16 = 15 with a 15 remainder. So it is FF, since F = 15. 99: 99/16 = 6 with a 3 remainder, so it is 63. 15: 15/16 = 0 with a 15 reminder, so it is 0F. Simple, no?

The above is the minimal should understand if you want to hack for cheating. Larger numbers gets more complex, as it takes more memory. Numbers 0 - 255 decimal takes one byte, those two digits. 256 (Hex: 100) to 65,535 (Hex: FFFF) takes up two bytes. The third digit from the right has a decimal value of 256 (FF + 1) and the forth is 4096 (FFF + 1). So ABCD, a 2-byte number since it has 4 digits, equals 10 x 4096 + 11 x 256 + 12 x 16 + 13 = 40,960 + 2816 + 192 + 13 = 43,981. For hacking purposes, all you really need to know is that two bytes is 256 - 65,535 in decimal. And again, three digits has a zero in front to make it four. 256 = 0100 in hex.

Overwhelmed? Okay, start Microsoft Windows' calculator. Click View on the menu and choose scientific. On the top left is choices for hex (16-base), dec (10-base), oct (8-base) and bin (2-base). Make sure dec is selected. Input some number and then choose hex. Now it is in hexadecimal! Now input some new number while it is in hex mode. Go ahead an use at least one of the A-F digits. Choose dec and see what you inputted.

Breathing easier now? If you want to use this, and I certainly don't blame you, just remember to put a '0' in front if there is an odd number of hexadecimal digits and that each two digit equals one byte. Also, there is one more thing I have to tell ya.

As I mentioned, PAR codes are made up of two parts: memory location and the value. If the value you want takes up more that one byte, you will have to modify the hex value a little bit. Lets use 03E7 as an example, which is 999 in decimal, a very common number in several games. Lets say you did a search (which will be explained in part 2) and find the memory location is... oh... 7E0FD2. This is again just the location; the hex value has no significance, although many numbers grouped together in the game is also grouped together in its memory locations. Since this is a 2-byte number, it takes up two memory locations: 7E0FD2 and 7E0FD3. The first byte is the 'E7'. The second byte is the '03'. So the code you should use is:

7E0FD2E7
7E0FD303

I mention this because the two bytes are reversed. The 'E7' comes before the '03', not the other way around. If you do, the game will read it not as 03E7 but E703, or 59,139 in decimal! If 999 is the max number, this could cause it to crash (!!!) or roll it over from 999 to 0 again and again tell it reaches 59,139... which I think comes out to be 139.

Introduction to Emulation and ZSNES

Today gamers have to make a decision: should I play PC games or a certain video game console… or perhaps both? For many it boils down to money. Consoles are cheaper than PCs, but PCs has other usage's and the games usually cheaper. Plus some consoles may go obsolete very fast, like Sega's Dreamcast. Even though older systems, like Super Nintendo all the way down to the classic Atari 2600, can still be used for you old games, frequently they get boxed up and forgotten. But certain people who know how to program computers made a new option: emulation. Emulation is a computer software term: A program that simulates an operating system for software made for that operating system to by run on the operating system you have. For example, ZSNES is a SNES emulator that runs like a Super Nintendo on your PC. This program uses file images of cartage's, known as ROMs. Used together, the game's image is 'fooled' into thinking it is being run on a console system.

Foreign Software => Emulator => PC => User
Nintendo Game => ZSNES => PC => Gamer

This quickly brought up a number of law suits due to piracy. The decision of the courts is the following. If you own the actual game, you may use a ROM image being played through an emulator. It has always been legal to have back-up copies of your software for your own use. However, if you never owned a particular game, the ROM image is classified as shareware. What this means is you may play it up to 24 hours, after which you must delete it. If you play it beyond that point, you are using the image illegally.

Many people do hunt out a legal copy of the game to own, particularly on EBay, even though they will continue playing it via emulator and not on the console system. Many good emulators have additional features that make the gaming experience better than playing it on the console. Plus, many hackers like to make translations of games never released in another part of the world and distribute the translation... but not always with the ROM itself. This enables many people to play games they perhaps never had a chance too. The 24-hour rule still apply, but many either wave it ("I'll delete it when I beat it… they should had released it in the U.S. anyway!") or, if they are more conscious about the law, make a large effort to buy the game in its native language.

When you want to play a game via emulation, you must do three things before you can actually start enjoying it.

1. Find an emulator
2. Find a ROM image of the game
3. Fiddle with the emulator with the game (preference sittings, for example)

After this you may look at any additional features for the emulator and explore what else you can do, like cheating by hacking into the runtime memory, which I will talk about in a latter time. I am going to use ZSNES as an example. A similar process can be done with other console systems.

ZSNES

The first step, find an emulator, may be a simple or hard task. There may not be or incomplete emulators available, or there may be several to choose from. Most are free but some you have to pay for. Finding ROM sights will help in this quest (see below). In the case of Super Nintendo, the most popular is ZSNES.

Go to this website. Here you can download the emulator in DOS, Windows, or Linux, the last I checked. Once you have the emulator, unzip it, and look what you got. You can't actually use it, you need a game first!, but you can examine what it is like. When you unzip it I recommend you create a new folder within your hard drive names 'zsnes', like this:

C:\zsnes

Also, the first time you start it, it will tell you a quick, one-time message.

Super Nintendo ROMs

The next big problem is finding the actual game to play with. Finding a good website that offers a range of ROMs can be a pain. Thankfully SNES games have several. The two I recommend the most is QualityRoms and this Russian site.The first are hosted by ArchNacho and Tortilla Godzilla, two Norwegians. Nerds like give themselves names like that. They review all of their games but are a bit… um… whacked. Also they had to remove many ROMs, but the reviews remain, due to their hosting service policies; the piracy issue. The second has a wide range of games, but no reviews. If you see a removed ROM on AN&TG site, look for it in the other or use a search engine.

Browse around those two sites. Now download any ROM image you think you'll like. If you can't decide, I personally suggest Chrono Trigger, what many consider the best RPG for the SNES. Download your ROM image.

Your First Game

First of all, I recommend putting all your ROMs in a subfolder within the folder your ZSNES is located. Create the folder, name it 'roms', and unzip your game into this new folder. So you directory setup should look something like this:

C:\zsnes
C:\zsnes\roms

Now start ZSNES. Load should already be highlighted, so press enter. Double-click your ROM directory. You might want to choose "SNES Header Name" on the bottom if its available on your ZSNES version. Double-click whatever game you downloaded and the game should start.

Now is a good tome for you to view some ZSNES menu options before actually playing the game. When you are at a good stopping point, press 'Esc' to pause the game and bring up the menu. Go to Config > Input 1 to set your keyboard to SNES controller buttons. Click the box and press the desired key to set. Here is my recommended setup, but feel free to set it up however you like.

• - Up, down, left, and right are the arrow keys
• - Start is the Enter key
• - Select is the Spacebar
• - A button is the X key
• - B button is the Z key
• - X button is the S key
• - Y button is the A key
• - L button is the W key
• - R button is the Q key

I assigned the A, B, X, etc. buttons to be grouped together like that on my keyboard so it would be similar to the layout on the SNES controller.

Also on the Config menu is options, video, and sound, and add-ons. Options have a lot of things a novice shouldn't need to worry about. If curious, check ZSNES documentation. Video changes how the game looks like. I prefer either of the 800x600 resolutions. The sound menu contains some more things a novice shouldn't need to worry about except if they want it on or not and if they want it in stereo. Note that you may have to restart ZSNES to notice any change. Choose add-ons if you downloaded a game that requires the SNES mouse or Super Scope.

The other menu options are more advanced. Check ZSNES documentation if interested. Yes, ZSNES can help you cheat, but I will cover that in the future. The far left arrow shows you the most recent ROMs you played with.

Now get back to your game by pressing 'Esc' again and then press 'F3'. This opens the saved states box. Saved states are moments in the game saved on your hard drive. You can have up to 10 with ZSNES and you select what save state number you want with this box. Press 'Esc' and then 'F2'. You should see "State 0 saved" on the bottom of the screen. Do something, like go someplace else, and press 'F4'. The moment you saved earlier is reloaded. You can still save games like you can if you're playing the game on SNES, but many rather use this since it is more useful and flexible. This can also be done from the File menu.

All keys, F5 on, turns various sound channels off and on. Handy if you are forced to listen to an annoying sound or music. The number keys, 1 to 5, turn different background layers or the sprites, on and off. Pressing 6 turns them all on again. The other number keys do their own thing, which is displayed on the bottom.

There is one optional thing I want to mention, something many are not aware of because it isn't set to anything. One of the menu items is Misc > Game Keys, which displays the above items I just mentioned among others. One is the "Rewind Key", grouped with the "Misc Toggles". I assign this to the Backspace key on my keyboard. Each time you press it, ZSNES backs up to a certain point in the game, sort of like an autosave state. Useful if you do a boo-boo or in a *really* tough area without saving and reloading over and over again your save states, and risk saving something you don't want!

That is all you need to know. Enjoy!

Other Pursuits

How about other console systems? QualityRoms has links for Genesis and NES. You can download the emulator and ROMs on their site. The only other system I am familiar with is Atari 2600. I recommend AtariAge.com. You can download ROMs here. For an emulator, there is StellaX.

As mention before, there are also games never released in the U.S., mostly RPGs. Here is a list of some SNES games never released you can hunt for:

• Final Fantasy V
• Seiken Densetsu 3
• Tales of Phantasia
• Dragon Quest V and VI

Finally, I recommend GameFAQs for seeking helpful guides and cheats.

Future Additions

Later, I don't know when, I want to write up how to cheat with ZSNES. I am holding off on this for it takes a lot of explaining and involves knowing how to hack into the game as it is running. This will be its own document and will not be part of this one.

Mindwalk: Just a Picture

You are in a room alone, waiting for something. You don't have anything and the room has nothing for you to do while you wait. The only thing that catches your attention is a poster with a picture. It is a close up shot of a small number of people, smiling at an angle away from the camera. When and where was this picture taken? Do these people know they are being used for an advertisement? And who are these people? What are they doing now?

Often people pass a picture without giving it a thought. After all the odds of seeing yourself in such of a poster is slim. Yet here is a moment in someone's time... whether important like graduating from college or common like a urban shot of people going here to there... which this person might not know exists, publicized all over the world potentially. Is it a good or bad thing to wonder who this person is? A query on how well the person is doing or an invasion of privacy?

Thanks to the Internet, you can view pictures of all sorts of strangers. Or for that matter, people you know but never seen. They may mean nothing to you, you nothing to them, yet you are seeing part of their lives. For example, look here and ask yourselves those questions. How did I came about this webpage? One of them share my last name. Since Ogans are not common, I automatically wonder who he is. Do you, at times, see a picture of someone and wish they will know you as you know them?

Why is it that sometimes a person is eager to show a picture? "Yeah, I just got some pictures of _____ developed... want to look?" Is it to give a chance to show something good and want to spread it around? At other times, a picture can be harmful. The destruction of a picture that means a lot to you, a captured moment saved for the memories, is lost forever. Or, if it is harmful to you, its destruction is the bringer of liberation. And what if that picture with you in it becomes itself a major news item, like Elian or this picture of the Oklahoma City bombing?

A picture, then, is a personal item for the one in it which isn't private, available to all who happen to see it, whether a person will just passes it by without a care or stop and take a moment to look at it. One day you just happen to see a poster concerning a public event you were in and notice yourself in a picture. Two people walk by, one just gave it a glance, the other slowed down and took the time to view it. What are your thoughts about these people? What if the poster is positive or negative about the event?

Mindwalks

Mindwalks are, initially at least, a bit hard to explain. It is a form of writing which I like, although it is possible to give a mindwalk to a listening audience. Mindwalking is when an author asks the reader to go on an imaginary trip (hence the name) for the purpose of observing something you can't (or perhaps missed) and/or self-exploration. Some examples could be a trip the author has went, making an account of his experiences, to explain how a certain environment is like, or to set up a scenario for the reader to consider. The author could have the mindwalk written either as though the reader is next to him or alone.

Imagine a moment where you are observing a number of people form a distance. From afar you can't tell who anyone is unless you focus in on one of them, missing out on what everyone else is doing, and the potential stories they might reveal. Look over there, at that small group of people who are moving and talking together. What is the thing that they have in common, that makes them a group? Then there is that woman behind them. She appears to be alone, engrossed in her private thoughts, with a wide smile on her face. Aren't you curious what she is thinking? If these people, once away from this crowd, are able to take you to an experience that they had, wouldn't you want to?

That above paragraph is a short example of a mindwalk. It starts out with a quick explanation of where you are and then tells you what you are sensing. Specifics that isn't needed, like what this crowd of people is, shouldn't be stated. This is to permit a wider potential audience, since not everyone has been, say, in a busy subway/stadium/whatever. The reader will just visualize the crowd however he or she happens to visualize it. It is concrete in style. A more abstract style might ask you to be in an empty room, no doors, windows, or other objects, except one... forcing you to notice things about that object.

One mindwalk I read by someone else had you starting out in a house by a forest at night. Again, the house isn't important. It then goes on with you walking into the forest until no sign of human life is noticeable. This done, your able to sense what you might not have noticed before. What struck my is this observation. While the dark forest has no sign of human life, the dark side of the Earth isn't dark because of human life!

It is important to note the difference between self-refection and forcing the reader to do something in the mindwalk. If you are going to do a mindwalk which is about harming someone, you won't get a lot of readers. Rather, asking questions about a certain person which you hate would probably be more appropriate. It is these questions which should lead to your point, if any... not forcing the reader to think or feel something. Say, "What do you think/feel about _____", not, "Do you feel angry about this?" If you want the reader to think/feel something, carefully write it so it seem to come naturally to him. I though don't recommend this.

Mindwalks then do reveal a lot about the author. The author is asking you, the reader, to partake on something with him or do something which he already done. The author of that dark forest do walk into forests at night frequently. If you are creating a mindwalk, then you want your audience to be curious, desire escapism, or learn/consider something. The biggest award for me to receive is to hear a wide variety of 'results' from my audience.

Considering something is not the same as asking someone to change their beliefs. If this is your goal, I suggest doing a mindwalk with someone who can offer an alternative viewpoint. Mindwalks are not argumentative works, but a chance for someone to notice things he never had before.

I wrote this up because I hope to eventually post a few on occasion. I did one sometime ago which I hope to redo this upcoming week if able. I don't write them often because my life is oh-so-boring. But I am open to suggestions!

Music for Cassette

Just putting this here so I have it! After sorting though all my CDs which I like, and deciding which one to include on a cassette, I chosen these. For everyone else, here is an idea of what music I like.

Side A

Papa Can You Here Me/A Piece of Sky

Styx
Crystal Ball
Grand Illusion
Fooling Yourself (Angry Young Man)
Come Sail Away

Celtic
Hills of Mist
Ancient Wisdom
Celtic Nights

Side B
American Pie

The Association
Cherish
Pandora's Golden Heebie Jeebies
Barefoot Gentlemen
Along The Way
Names, Tags, Numbers, Labels

Michael W. Smith
Cry for Love
Rince De'
I Will Carry You
Everybody Free

My Interests

I was asked to list allllll of my interests, besides e-mailling, so here it is in no particular order.

Reading, computer games (including ZSNES), griddlers and other logic problems, music composition, psychology (personality and social psych particularly), music, movies, physics and chemistry, math, programming, web design, how the woman's body work (>*ahem!*<), role playing games, religion, cats, traveling (which I can't do!), and other things I just can't think of!

(This post is subject to change!)