Fixed the shadow box

After triple checking that all the verts were welded I tried one more thing, I re-cut in the original swiftloop that created the window.  That corrected the mysterious shadowbox.  So then I went ahead and reduced the amount of cuts as far as I could while still fixing the issue.
The wall basically just didn't like having a floating window.

Shack Model

I'm currently learning 3DS Max, and am trying to recreate a concept in Cryengine.  So far I've modeled a shack and I'm working on the textures.

Link to the original concept artist:
http://andreewallin.com/
Check out his portfolio tab for the image titled Swamp Fever

Some of my screenshots.  The last three are highlighting technical issues that I haven't solved yet.

Year End Movie Report 2014

I've been keeping track of every movie I watch since 2007 and this year I transferred the data over to a google doc.  I haven't yet done anything with the data, and I used to have a running list of how many times I've watched each individual movie.  At some point I may put the effort into figuring out how to automatically record that with the google doc.  I also might share the actual document at some point.

But for now, here are a couple raw numbers.  (Keep in mind that I studied film in college and would often watch movies as 'work'.  I try to watch as many movies as possible, but the number has significantly dropped since graduating and entering the work force.)

# of feature length movies watched in 2014, including repeats: 140.  Down 5 from last year.

That brings the total to 1313 since 2007.  Is this a prediction that the game Star Wars 1313 will rise from the ashes in 2015?  I hope so.

I've averaged 164 movies per year.
Unfortunately the last movie I watched in 2014 was the horrible mess I, Frankenstein.

The Kung Pao Test: Jade Dragon Cuisine (Redmond)

After a short break from Chinese food, I think I'm ready to dive back in, at least for a while.

 

Jade Dragon Cuisine 

17181 Redmond Way 700

Redmond WA 98052

 

Kung Pao chicken $10.25? I think

asked for extra spicy

Pork Spring Roll (2) $4.50

Rice $1

Total bill: $17.33

 

Service: friendly. Laid out like a bar/restaurant. Kitchen visible. One guy greeted me and acted as waiter/bar tender. He was very friendly. I think it was just him and one chef there.

No tea.

 

Initial bite of spring roll was alright. They were nothing special. Fried, not very colorful on the inside. There was a pickled item inside that added nice flavor, but otherwise, this was not something I would order again.

 

It was served with a basic chili garlic sauce probably straight out of the bottle.

This got me thinking. Is duck sauce an east coast thing? I don't think I've seen duck sauce at any restaurant in the Seattle area since I moved here. Sweet garlic chili sauce is extremely similar, but not the same.

 

Initial bite of Kung Pao was heavy on the white pepper. White pepper has a pungent taste that might put some people off. The temperature was also very hot. I could taste the spice, I suppose it was a satisfying level. It was nice that this was not sweet at all. This Kung Pao was probably 85% diced celery and water chestnuts and 10% chicken. The lack of chicken was disguised by all the water chestnuts which were the same color. Overall it was not that great.

Let's play a game of, find the chicken.

 

 

Spice level: medium low. There were no dried chilis in it but there was spiciness.

 

Ingredient quality: good. Everything was crisp.

 

Would I come again? I don't think so. Everyone I interacted with there was very friendly. If I came back for anything it would be that.

If you guessed there were two visible pieces of chicken, then you win.

Twice Cooked Pork: Sichuanese Cuisine

I changed it up today and decided to pay Sichuanese Cuisine in Redmond a second visit.

Twice cooked pork is a very good dish that typically consists of thinly sliced pork belly (like bacon), some veggies, and fermented black beans. I wasn't eating it to review it, so this will be brief.

From Wikipedia, "The Sichuan people are said to have a tradition of enjoying a feast every 1st and 15th of lunar months, with this dish as the main course"

This is a tradition I would like.

Sichuanese's twice cooked pork was very good. It's been years since I've ordered this so I don't have much to compare it too but I really enjoyed it. I also ordered steamed dumplings.
It was a stressful day, and although I wasn't planning on it, I ate Everything:

The Kung Pao Test: Rainier Teriyaki

Rainier Teriyaki

3330 Rainier Ave S
Seattle, WA 98118

 

Kung Pao chicken $8.99

Came with rice

I did not ask for extra spicy

Total bill $9.84

 

Service: Fine.  Take out teriyaki style place with plenty of seating if you want to eat there.  They have free egg drop soup if you eat or wait there.  I got my dish to go.

 

Initial bite of Kung Pao was good.  A little sweet, and it seemed like the chicken was ever so slightly breaded.  Not enough for me to actually be certain though.  As expected (coming form a teriyaki place) this was a pretty saucy Kung Pao.  What was not as expected, is this was actually a pretty faithful rendition.  It has the basic veggies you find in a lot of Kung Pao, and surprisingly it tasted as if they actually used Sichuan pepper.  I don't even remember the last time I've had a Kung Pao that uses this ingredient, even though it is considered a distinct feature of Kung Pao.  Import of Sichuan pepper was banned for a long time in the US over fear of a specific plant bacteria.  The ban was lifted in 2005.  Because of this, I think it's safe to say the majority of Kung Pao recipes you'll taste in the US do not include Sichuan pepper.  I can't be certain that Rainier Teriyaki's did have Sichuan pepper in it (I may ask next time I go) but it sure tasted like it, and it was the first Kung Pao I've had on this "journey" that included it.  I am no expert, especially since I've probably only had it a few times in my life, but two things that indicate Sichuan pepper is a citrusy flavor/aroma and a numbing or slight tingling of the tongue/mouth when eating.  The citrus is really quite mild and nice.  It is possible they used an orange juice or something similar (which I typically do not like in a Kung Pao), but if they did I'm not sure how they could have achieved the numb.  I would like to believe...

 

Rainier Teriyaki is an above average Teriyaki joint.  Nothing fancy, but their stuff is good, and probably my favorite in the Seattle area, but I haven't tried many.  I recommend their "Spicy Chicken".  It is prettymuch a normal Teriyaki with vegetables included, instead of just chicken and rice.

 

Spice level: Medium-Low..

 

Ingredient quality: Alright. Chicken was ok.  The ingredients were nothing special, other than the possible Sichuan pepper inclusion I mentioned above.

 

Would I come again? Yes, I've been here multiple times, though this was the first time I've gotten their Kung Pao.