asty.org – Page 6 – the homepage of Chris Allegretta

My Hands are Declaring War on Wide Phones

Posted on November 5, 2019November 5, 2019 by chrisa

I’ve had it with wide phone screens. I tried to adapt, I’ve reached, strained and contorted my thumb to reach the sides and top of my phone. I even tried to chase the trend that people seem to have of slapping rings on the back of their phone to keep their fingers securely on the back of the device.

I found a great ring/stand that works on almost any phone (affiliate link) which I do like a lot and it’s not even pricey. I’ve tried using text to speech, and become exquisitely aware of both how imprecise and vague words in English sound, and how doomed we really are with this technology, unless tech companies secretly employ humans to correct …

Magic Spoon Review from a Regular Dad (Non-Keto)

Posted on November 3, 2019November 19, 2019 by chrisa

Is it worth getting that cereal you’re always seeing on Instagram?

You have surely seen the Magic Spoon ads if you use Instagram in the slightest, especially if you’ve ever followed someone (or some brand) in the food industry. Their claims are bold to be sure: a very low net carb (total carbs minus protein) cereal with good taste. At $10 per box it was clearly not in the “too good to be true” category, but I was still apprehensive…

Well I did my research and it seemed like something I wanted to try, so off to the Magic Spoon website I went to get the variety pack. The ordering process was smooth, but at this point in my life …

Apex Legends’ ShadowFall Shows How Great Battle Royale Can Be with a few Tweaks

Posted on October 30, 2019October 30, 2019 by chrisa

But why no Team Deathmatch mode?

I adored Apex Legends when it first came out, and I even frequently defended a lot of Respawn’s intentional but controversial choices, like not having a solo queue in favor of getting folks to team up with strangers. Unfortunately after many matches with mic-less team members who immediately dove into the water, others who repeatedly tried to shoot me and gave away our position, and more than one terrible dad who had set up a separate account for their child who was too young to speak poly-syllabic words let alone effectively play an FPS, I’d had my fill. The Shadowfall event has really shown how to do a Hallowen-themed event in a multiplayer game, …

Remnant: From the Ashes is on sale!

Posted on October 28, 2019October 28, 2019 by chrisa

That’s right, my favorite game of the last 3 years is on sale right now! This amazing game will run you only $32 on Xbox and $28 on Steam. I will not link to the PS4 version as unfortunately I had not tried it, before posting my original review. I have since tried it and have had some extreme slowdown issues with the game, so I can no longer recommend it for that platform.

I’ll throw out some more tips for new players since I’ve been playing it a lot recently:

If you’re rolling a male character, select Voice 1. Do NOT select Voice 4, no matter how good the preview sounds.
Disable Camera Bob. Your stomach will thank

…

Echelon Fit app and membership: barriers limit its appeal to newbies (thoughts from a casual spinner)

Posted on October 23, 2019November 4, 2019 by chrisa

and the barriers aren’t just about cost…

Like many Americans I am chronically over-pressed for time. I have the desire to get in shape but critically lack the sustained motivation needed to ensure that my earnest beginnings solidify into a consistent regimen. When the pinch happens and I have to choose between a required customer teleconference, or needing to leave work early and fight traffic for 1.5 hours to see my child’s choral concert, that 30 minute exercise block I had scheduled is always going to be the first casualty.

I don’t regret this either – in order for an exercise routine to work it has to make a person want to return. In my case that means enough …

Remnant: From the Ashes is my Favorite Game of the Last 3 Years

Posted on October 17, 2019October 17, 2019 by chrisa

I am not sure when I realized I didn’t ever want to stop playing this game. Remnant: From the Ashes has hooked me like no game since Destiny really hit its stride in 2015, but Remnant hooks you not by being an MMO looter-shooter “live service”. Instead it’s a fantastic game with a Dark Souls-esque structure and procedural generation to keep the experience fresh, adds great gunplay, and enough story to keep you interested in trying to piece together the details of its world. It also sports better drop-in online co-op than many of the bigger-budget titles I’ve played in the last 5 years.

I think the game had fully hooked me when, after playing around in my own …