Weird-ass dream (2015-06-22)

PE with the old Holy Angels crew! We were all kids again, except for Abby who I was going to congratulate on her recent wedding (and who I, IRL, was not "friends with" on Facebook and only learned about that fact secondhand from someone who was my friend).. huh.

After a warning about the weather from Coach Rios, we were split up into teams and we did various things. Chris O. was at bat and mostly kept hitting homers. Then it was me playing some shmup, except after skipping through the tutorial screens my time was up and I switched to Justin B.

Next thing I remember, I was all set to go home but naturally certain tech issues -- things that only I knew how to solve -- kept me from doing so. Some guy (not from HA) wanted his picture which was impossible but I remembered there was a video of him and I could take a screenshot from that video.

I guess I was so frustrated I woke up several hours earlier than I usually do...

Goodbye Saturn controller; hello (again) to Mad Catz TE with Kitty

I thought I'd have my brother fix my long-broken Saturn controller by soldering something, and the d-pad worked again... until I dropped the controller four inches onto the hardwood floor. I was starting to think the rubber pads weren't making contact (when I dropped it the first time the little support piece that keeps the rubber pads in place broke off), so I took the controller apart again. And another wire came apart, and I have no idea where that one went. Mind you, these are super-tiny contacts on the Saturn pad, and I wouldn't want to bother my brother again so soon. So now, down and right on the d-pad don't work, the Y button still doesn't work, and now the B button doesn't work either. I figured I'll pay someone $60-80 to fix and rewire when I have some money to burn. Until then, the best controller ever made will have to be shelved.

On the plus side, that same day I figured out how to use my Mad Catz TE (with Toodles TE Kitty) on my PlayStation TV! A bit of history; neither my Hori Real Arcade Pro 3 (stock PCB) nor my Mad Catz TE with Kitty would work. In fact, the Kitty seemed to be broken after I plugged it into the PSTV until I reflashed it. But because of this thread and this YouTube video, I realized I already had the tools.

Kitty > Neutrik > RJ45 to PS2 cable > iNPiN adapter

A bit of copying and pasting from this thread:

I was using my Hori Command Stick just fine with the iNPiN on the PSTV (even programmed some moves right on it), and now I'm using my main stick (Mad Catz TE with Kitty). I tried the TE once before straight into the PSTV and it actually broke the Kitty until I reflashed the firmware. But using the Neutrik > PS2 cable > iNPiN, I'm having absolutely no trouble, and I'm making full use of the features of the Kitty, namely: 

• Button remapping (especially important for Street Fighter because you'd otherwise have to open up your stick and rewire to turn your R2 into L)

• Turbos (because I'm a cheater)

This is a game changer! All those PSP arcade collections and anthologies are finally (what I consider, anyway) legit ports now that I can use an arcade stick. And I don't think I have to tell you I'm displaying the image at 480p via the DVDO Edge and adding scanlines via the HDfury3 and T-SLG, right? So awesome.

Still, the PSTV doesn't play all PSP games, even if you could get them onto your Vita memory card (Genesis Collection, Gradius Collection, Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles), so to use the TE on those games I'll have to put them on the PSPgo and pick up an AXISDapter from Toodles. I already have a UD-USB Decoder. (I think pairing them will work, anyway...)

Man I wish Breaking Bad was on when I was in high school

No doubt it would've reversed my fortunes today. I could've gone into chemistry. Or law... hmm.

No spoilers, now...