Welcome to iceplug.us!

Iceplug elsewhere on the world wide web

XVBT
X.NT
VGM
Google
YouTube
SMW Central
OpenIRCNet
AtmaWeapon
raocow.com
Facebook
Minecraft

Iceplug Downloads

Power II: The Island Demo (VB.NET 2003)

Jump-Cross (VB.NET 2003)
Syntax Highlighter (VB.NET 2003)
Blocks: Extended Renderer Version (VB.NET 2003)
Platform Tour (VB.NET 2003) NEW!

Quadrill 3 full version (VB6)
Quadrill 3 map editor. (VB6)
See Projects page for Quadrill 3 for more details.

Iceplug News

Jan 30 2012, 22:21
Quadrill 5 section has been updated. The updating is going very smoothly - a little bit of planning goes a long way. Now, it's time to get some z's.

Jan 29 2012, 22:46
I have updated the Music section with some new tunes. As you can see, I've got up to half of them as original, with more on the way. Most of them are for Quadrill 5, but some are not. I have quite a few old songs from 2011 that I didn't upload. Some may have been uploaded with the Top 10 of 2011 list. I'm listening to some original music called "Investment" right now, but it's not ready yet. But, when it is, it will be super epic!
I should *really* be asleep right now getting ready for tomorrow. So, next time, I'll have an update for Quadrill 5 for you all. I'm working on adding sprites to the map.

Jan 26 2012, 21:29
Getting ready for another one of those busy weekends. You can never have too many of them.

Jan 20 2012, 19:50
Yesterday, I took a quick drive to Best Buy around 3 PM and realized something: there are too many speed traps between here and downtown Waikiki. Nothing says love quite like turning around a corner and seeing a cop on a motorcycle pointing a speed detector right at you. Instantly, you get put on edge because of how menacingly they perch on their bike with that thing, how they hold it with the zeal of taking down the greatest scumbags that are driving cars (the zeal that you conclude is the same that they would use to solve other job-related demands), and how they always seem to concentrate in the areas with the lowest numbers on the speed limit signs. And before you ask what I mean by that whole 'how they hold it' thing - let's just say that you hope that thing isn't a pistol, not that you would have that much time to react to it if it were. So, I'm heading to Best Buy minding my own business (that's a lie, because I constantly have to drive around people who are) and driving through a tunnel. As I reach the exit of the tunnel, I see some shadowy figure pointing something at me. Instantly, I think, "Oh, no, quick, get in the other lane. Oh, there's someone in that lane." (Why do I think that? I really don't know other than I hate seeing something pointed/focused/aimed at me.) One bad/failed lane change later, I then realize that it's a cop on a bike and think, "Nevermind, it's a speed trap." Every speed trap isn't complete without the requisite car that's already been pulled over and the cop also on the shoulder who's probably been handing out tickets like we were just grabbing numbers at the DMV and waiting in line. Anyway, about 5 miles down the road was another, more classical speed trap: a policecar on the side of the road with another speed detector poking out of the window. This guy appeared to be alone and I'm sure he wasn't catching *that* many speeders, seeing as how there was already a speed trap set up further back that I just went through. Regardless, I thought to myself that it must be Speed Trap Thursday and that I've never had to go through two speed traps set up on the same road.
So, I go to Best Buy and buy some music CDs, stop for something to eat, and head back home on a different street: Interstate H3 - yes, there are Interstates on Hawaii which are, essentially, highways with exit ramps. There's another tunnel on the H3 which is followed by a sudden drop in the speed limit - a prime place for a speed trap. However, the speed trap was merely further down the highway underneath a bridge. Fortunately, this time I was already expecting to see a police motorcycle setup, so the only thing I had to worry about was making sure I was at the speed limit. I couldn't help but notice that that was the third speed trap that I drove through. Maybe I should stay off of the roads for the remainder of the day.

Jan 18 2012, 5:48
Well, I have returned from DC and I have passed the Engineer's Examination. Now, back to business. I've got loads of pictures to share with you. Capitol Building from a position where other people taking pictures of Capitol Building are not visible Washington Monument, named after Washington, DC The Lincoln Memorial from the outside The closest I will ever get to meeting the President..
Secondly, if you haven't heard of the SOPA and PIPA, I recommend you do a Google search because I don't have the capacity (mental) to discuss it here. Some sites have put up banners and some sites have temporarily went down to protest. But, a beneficial side effect is that Wikipedia is down. Well, it's only for one day. Maybe people will actually use the Internet to browse for correct answers from the experts and not for useless junk written by someone who thinks they know the facts.
Well, maybe I am a *little* rough on Wikipedia since there are actual experts who post to Wikipedia and some of the articles are tolerable. Just remember that the experts and the newbies all look the same on public posting sites. And, if I follow that line logic, I can just note that a "renowned expert" recently said, "There does not seem to b a function within 2005 express to create an .exe file. So i can't distribute my soon to b award winning ;] software." But, I digress....
Third, we've found the Lady Gaga of Egypt! What? Another hilarious and ridiculous article to look over. The article says the singer (presumably, the Egyptian one) sang "for a revered deity who was buried some 3,000 years ago". When you think of a singer for a revered deity, does Lady Gaga come to your mind? Apparently, the Swiss archaeologists who discovered her thought so. The article doesn't say if the Egyptian singer wore meat dresses and horned outfits, but it looks like she's got a Poker Face like no other *groan* . Not to be outdone, we've also found the Beyonce fly! What? So, we found a fly 30 years ago with a golden backside and we've decided to name it after Beyonce (the "Scaptia beyonceae horse fly"). If you were Beyonce, would you be flattered that you have an insect named after you? Especially a fly that is "widely considered a pest". But, since "the insect's behind made it the 'all-time diva of flies'", that kind of fits with the "pest" part... sort of. "The CSIRO has contacted Beyonce for a response but is yet to hear back." - that sentence reminds me of the kid in school who tries to impress a girl by giving her some insect and she instantly freaks out. In addition, a reader on 'teh internets' was surprised to note that the animal names such as "Scaptia beyonceae" are just made up. Perhaps he/she thought that every animal in the wild has a little post-it note with the animal name on it. "HELLO! My name is Scaptia Beyonceae."

Jan 8 2012, 14:22
I will be headed to Washington, DC on Monday for the "exciting conclusion" to my Engineer's Examination and I'll be there all week (or at least until Friday). Hopefully, I'll be able to provide some pictures of DC when I'm done. Also, the big thing that I am worried about in going to DC is how cold it will be. I've gotten use to Hawaii being at or near 76 degrees year round and I'm sure that, in DC, it won't be. So, I'll have to break out my winter apparel, bundle up, and drink lots of Orange Juice.
I've been plugging away on Quadrill tile information and I wanted to have an update for today or tomorrow, before I leave.
And, in less than a month, we've suddenly found ourselves in the midst of another one of those real-life horror movies again: Devil Inside - and that movie poster totally looks like it's conveying a concept that it wasn't intending to. Just remember: if the video footage was actually real, you wouldn't be seeing it in movie theaters. It did, however, place as the highest grossing movie of last week according to IMDb with low ratings across the board. No worries, there'll be another similar movie out in about 8 months.

Jan 1 2012, 9:57
Happy New Year! And as per tradition, I've updated the Music section with my top ten. As a double treat, I've updated the Quadrill 5 section as well. Now, before you say anything, I know that I need to make more original songs and I've already got a plan. Currently, I have two computers that both work - one is great for making music, and one is great (well, it's the only one that works) for making Quadrill 5. So, I went to Best Buy and bought a KVM Switch (lets you operate two computers with one mouse, one keyboard, and one monitor). Now, I can make music AND work on Quadrill 5.

Dec 28 2011, 23:35
The Power of IMDb (and I'm about to spoil some Horror movies that have been released, so if you don't like spoilers, skip today's update): so, I watched Apollo 18, which is listed as depiction of actual events behind a super secret moon mission that took place in 1974, where the video shows the real reason that we've never made anymore trips to the moon. I was intrigued at the concept while looking at the advertisements for it a while ago, but my natural resistance to any movie that is listed as a 'Horror' kept me from watching it alone (much like Paranormal Activity and Fourth Kind, more on those later). I did a quick IMDb of it and I quickly got the impression that the movie isn't real. Hmm.... So, I watched it, feeling about 80% that the movie isn't real (which didn't make it any less creepier) and I felt glad that I watched it. Like any movie or video of moon footage, the physicist in me immediately takes over and starts pointing out things such as "Well, the gravity on the moon is 1/6 the gravity of earth, so it should be fairly easy to lift and throw things around..." and "There's no air on the moon and therefore, no wind resistance or sound." Then, I went to IMDb... and IMDb pointed out exactly what I was just saying to myself. However, the interesting thing is that, while you're watching the movie, you think that the movie has a chance of being real and that these events actually happened... except the question is, if we've never gone back to the moon, how did we get the video? Other stuff: those guys that got killed on live footage? Why are they starring in TV series released two years ago?
Okay, so maybe they're actors. I then decided to IMDb Paranormal Activity. Remember that update from about two years ago?: I watched Paranormal Activity - that movie is pretty weird and I heard rumors that it was doctored, but I don't know... have plans that will keep you up until the next morning . Apparently, the couple is alive and well, and here they are on a morning talk show, talking about how they filmed Paranormal Activity. OMG! You're supposed to be deceased! At any rate, my mind is slightly unsettled, thinking that these people were dead, when they're alive (even worse, they used their actual names in the movie). I also find myself slightly enchanted and intrigued by these people, only because I thought they were dead. You can't believe everything you see on TV!
So, I then went to IMDb Fourth Kind (I apparently never posted this update back in 2009) and, although there's apparently less credibility in Fourth Kind than the previous two movies, there also doesn't seem to be any actors with exception of the obvious ones. For a little background, when I initially went to see Fourth Kind, I went with only seeing one preview and feeling that this movie has about a 90% chance of being real. After watching it, I felt that it was only about 50% chance of being real. How strange that the movie that I was most skeptical of is suddenly the most realistic movie so far (mind you, I'm at about 5% right now, only because I keep remembering oddities from the movie).
Anyways, I hope you enjoyed my little 'come-clean' on actual event horror movies.

Dec 19 2011, 17:50
I stumbled upon an interesting article today about shoplifters getting robbed while they were stealing from a grocery store. I initially rolled over it thinking "another story about shoplifters" before I realized what it actually said. But, it gets better...
Upon actually following the link to the article (which, mind you, if you mouse over the link, you'll see that it is approximately 200 characters long for some unknown reason), you get instantly treated to a picture of the personnel involved... namely the completely normal looking man and the ... well, the woman. Maybe she's never seen a camera before?
Of course, 'teh internets' didn't let me down here - scrolling through the comments, you get some great captions for the couple's photo. So, if you haven't clicked the link already, one comment says, "I think that websites should issue a warning when graphic images are posted because I nearly fell out of my seat before I began reading the article from that woman's mugshot.", another "When I saw the pics I didn't even read the story... I went directly to the comments lmao!!!", and "They told her she wouldn't be able to smoke crack in jail right as they snapped the mugshot.".

Dec 17 2011, 7:07
So, after a little fiddling with the new old computer (yes, that's my name for it), it works great. I set up a donation button over in the navigation toolbar, so if you have some money you are willing to donate to my website, click.
Second news: It's the holiday season and I hope you all have great plans to celebrate. My holiday season will be filled with work - hopefully, this will be so that someone else can enjoy theirs.

Dec 5 2011, 21:35
The new old computer is installed and ready to go! No problems noted during initial startup. The only issue left is to consolidate the new files on New Old computer and the Old New computer, then I'll be ready for development once again.