COFFEE: Nora Bean Coffee Roasters

- July 18 2021
I used to like coffee a lot, then I grew up and drank tea. But my favorite tea was basically leaf-coffee. So now I drink coffee again. The coffee world has exploded since I was a young man and there's too much choice now. I've been jumping onto indie roasters for about a year now and I figure it's time to solidify my thoughts on them. Nora Bean is the first, because I am drnking it as I write.

Avernum: My Childhood RPG

- May 4 2021
When I was growing up, my father had a big, beige Macintosh computer running MacOS 9. Entertainment options on this computer were mostly shareware demos of Spiderweb Software games. Nethergate, Geneforge, and Avernum provided me with many hours of enjoyment as a kid. It was many years until I played any other role-playing game and this very strongly colored the way I saw all subsequent RPGs. With such hazily positive memories I don’t know if the rarity of different games living up to the example set by Spiderweb Software is realistic. In my mind, Avernum is an excellent video game. In my mind, Avernum is the distilled essence of what it means to be a computer role-playing game. It is peak RPG. But is it?