Off-topic: Refugee

refugee, n. One who flees in search of refuge.

refuge, n. Protection or shelter, as from danger or hardship.

The Reverend Jesse Jackson has asked that we not call the people who were driven from their homes by Hurricane Katrina "refugees" because he feels that the term has racist overtones.

Ahem.

This is the worst natural disaster to hit the United States in years. Several hundred thousand people (at a minimum) are without homes and income as a result of this storm. These people are having to make a new life for themselves as a result. Several have given up hope of ever returning to their beloved towns due to the extent of the damage and the horrible memories that lie in wait for them should they choose to return.

We called those who survived the tsunami overseas "refugees." It is an accurate term. Why can't we call American citizens who experience a similar tragedy by the same term? A "refugee" is not a second-class citizen...but a closed-minded preacher who believes that terminology is of high importance during these trying times should be.

DirectX, Installers and D3DX

As you may know, I recently upgraded to a new computer. Before getting this computer, I was participating in an NDA beta-test on a different product. (I'd tell you which, but the NDA doesn't expire for a year, so I'm just going to call it "Game X.")

Anyway, the first thing I did on my new machine was install Visual Studio .NET 2003 and the latest DirectX SDK. I received my gold master copy of "Game X" after I got my new machine, and this weekend decided to install it so I could properly stress-test my new machine, as this game really taxed my old box.

The install goes through without any problem, and I tell it to launch the game. I get a "Missing DLL" error, telling me that d3dx_24.dll was not found.

At this point, it hits me like a ton of bricks. A few versions of the SDK ago, the D3DX DLL's were broken out from the main redists so that breaking changes could be made. Unfortunately, that means that any game that uses D3DX needs to either have their installer force the proper version of the DirectX installer to run, or needs to include the D3DX_??.DLL as part of their installed files to their application directory.

So, if you get a game, install it and get a "D3DX_??.DLL" missing error, all you have to do to fix it is to run the DirectX installer on the installation media.

It doesn't surprise me that this wasn't caught either. When we build and test installers, we test on clean machines to make sure that a machine that doesn't have anything is brought up to the point where it can run the game. We don't usually think to test against newer versions of redists...usually because they don't exist when we are doing our testing.

Anyway, my apologies to the "Game X" development team. I E-mailed the beta lead what I found...I hope you haven't pressed too many CD's...

Off-Topic: Vacation Day 1

First off, I want to send out a big "thank you" to the staff at AnimeFest for their decision to grant the FEMA crews on hand to handle the Katrina refugees free access to the convention. I saw several support representatives from California and Nevada on the show floor, and it was good to see their spirits lifted slightly before having to go back to support those who were displaced by the worst natural disaster in recent history.

I finally got to meet R.K. Milholland, one of my favorite webcomic authors. Admittedly, his artwork may not win awards, but it still looks a helluva lot better than anything I could make. I'm going to see if I can get him some giveaway stuff this weekend. I did my small part to make his trip financially worthwhile by buying a T-shirt.

I tried to manage my money much more efficiently at this con. Half of the money I was going to use at this con I donated to the Red Cross. Even so, I managed to get quite a bit for a small amount of money. I got a pack of "Noir" playing cards, a full set of "Neon Genesis Evangelion" capsule figures, some "Excel Saga" merchandise, I won a DVD from Funimation, my alias done in Chinese calligraphy, and I got a really cute "Serial Experiments: Lain" figurine. All that for under $30.

Anyway, we're going back tomorrow morning, and we'll stick around through the AMV awards. Yvonne wants to go in on Sunday to see if she can get the autograph of Nabeshin (Shinichiro Watanabe), but I intend to spend the rest of the time polishing up my Managed DirectX game. Anyway, back to work...

Off-Topic: I Lost It Tonight...

I feel embarrassed, but vindicated tonight. I'll explain, but my explanation is going to ramble a bit, so please forgive me.

First, it seems like the population of Dallas has doubled overnight with an influx of people from the disaster areas along the Gulf Coast. I started seeing the refugees this morning, and it's a very striking sight. Most of them seem to be walking around in a state of shock, as if they had just seen the wrath of God and lived to tell the tale.

Second, I gave up on giving money to panhandlers about four years ago back when I was working at Microsoft. I gave up because I found that a panhandler who I often saw in Salt Lake City begging for change outside of Temple Square happened to live in and pay for a $235,000 home in Ogden just down the street from me with the money he earned from panhandling. Since then, I donate to support organizations like the American Red Cross (link to Amazon.com donation page), and to local organizations dedicated to helping those in need. If I see someone in need, I'll help by buying them a meal or some food or a blanket...but I won't give money any more.

Third, there is a panhandler that comes out every night near the West End DART Station. He hit me up for the first time about three months ago. He said he had just gotten in via Greyhound from Oklaholma and was out of cash. He asked for a buck so he could get a Big Mac at the McDonald's two blocks away. I said, "You want food?" He said, "Yes." I said, "Okay, let's go." He quickly stammered, "Well, can I just get the cash?" I said, "Nope," flipped the bozo bit, and proceeded to ignore him. Since then, he's hit me up at least twice a week with the same story. Usually, I just ignore him.

Tonight was different, though. He came up to me and told me that he'd just gotten in from New Orleans. I didn't let him finish his spiel. I ripped into him for exploiting their tragedy for his own benefit. I literally yelled at him until I was hoarse. For five minutes, I slowly edged him away from the station while I vented all of my frustration on those who would exploit the kindness of others. I finally told him that if I ever saw him again, I would have him arrested for fraud and panhandling and he ran like crazy.

I will gladly help those who need help. Today, I donated $100 to the American Red Cross. It was all I could afford, but it was a start. That money could feed a Katrina refugee for a week.

If you want to help those whose lives were ruined by Katrina, donate to the American Red Cross. Don't fall prey to those who would exploit this tragedy for their own purposes. Put your money where it will do the most good.

Off-Topic: The Weekend

Well, I was here at the office until 11:45pm last night trying to get a build out. Finally succeeded, so I'm going to be taking the next four days off.

So what are my plans? At least two days this weekend will be spent at Anime Fest at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Dallas...assuming that the Regency doesn't get turned into a refugee center like the American Airlines Center has in Downtown Dallas.

I plan on spending one day getting caught up on my game backlog. I still need to finish "Clock Tower 3" and "Fatal Frame." I haven't even started "Still Life" yet.

Finally, I want to spend one day getting my own little skunkworks Managed DirectX project polished enough to show to the guys here at Ritual. Let's just say that there is more than one way to fight a mutagen...