Android Developing: Magic life/poison counter

After years of having a fairly old mobile phone, I got a new one last week; HTC Desire Z. It has a keyboard which is handy (I've tried using the touch screen keyboard too, I prefer the physical one), and is defiantly a step up from the second-hand-off-my-cousin phone I previously had. 


I've spent a minimal amount of time looking over some of the applications on the android marketplace, I looked over some Magic: The Gathering life keeping apps, and eventually found one that was free, and didn't have ads (which apparently a lot of free apps do have): Life Counter. I was extra impressed as it was an open source app, so installed it and used it against a game or so with Liz, and it was quite handy, a low number of features, but all that was needed to help me keep the score. 


Well, almost everything...

Some Mirrodin Besieged first picks

After playing some two person sealed deck with Liz for fun (and getting used to the new set), and after I got easily beaten three times in a row by a super-powered infect deck, we had a look through some packs to see what we would pick first and second, if we were opening them in an actual draft. For three of the packs, I set aside three or four that I would consider picking first, for some further analysis on here (feel free to add any comments about your thoughts!)

Drafting, and the power of infect

On Tuesday me and Liz headed over to Hemel for drafting the new Magic the Gathering set. The drafting format was Mirrodin Besieged, Mirrodin Besieged, Scars of Mirrodin, and was the first time I had drafted with the new set, and the first time Liz had played with it at all. 

Mirrodin Besieged Hemel Release

Went to the Hemel Mirrodin Besieged release last weekend, run by Rob. Had originally planned to go with Liz, but she was feeling unwell, tired and had work to do so stayed home that Sunday instead. 

Copyright in the current age: are we losing our cultural heritage?

For one reason or another, I recently had a few thoughts about copyright. I recall that I started thinking about it a few days ago, started writing this post, then left it for a bit to come back to. Its a subject I have followed in the news for some time (notably with the 'speculative invoicing' that has been in and out of the news sites multiple times in the last few years), and one I was interested in when it was covered in one of the modules I did for my Masters Degree.