Introducing the New Gaming Rig

Posted on May 6, 2015 by GamesandGrinds

As a warrior hones and maintains his sword, so too does the PC gamer treat their respective gaming rigs. I recently tried my hand at building my first gaming rig in a few years and the results have been spectacular. Building a gaming computer is a methodical hobby. There’s a special satisfaction that comes with putting together so many parts to make a powerhouse whole, and there’s no better way to know your rig than to build it yourself. It may seem daunting, but all it really takes are patience to prepare, and a steady hand to put it all together.Every build comes with its fair share of instructions sure, but an unforeseeable number of variables makes every build project unique. Here’s the tale of my latest build…

2015-03-03 20.23.24-1

As I hinted at before, the first virtue of PC building is patience. This could not be more true when building a rig all the way out in Honolulu. With no proper PC-component vendors on the island, and exorbitant shipping rates accompanying nearly every online store, my options were pretty much Amazon or bust. It was possibly the longest week and a half of my life, watching those parts arrive one by one in the mail, never knowing if they were going to end up at the bottom of the Pacific, but eventually they all made arrive in my hands safe and sound.

Click the link for the setup’s specs along with some quick thoughts on what I thought of the process.

Continue reading →

Posted in Video Games | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Aspen’s Guide to Avoid a Pintastrophe

Posted on May 5, 2015 by GamesandGrinds

If you’ve been keeping up with our recipe posts, you know that almost all of our recipes come from some kind of online inspiration. Sometimes I’ll go out searching for something specific, but a lot of my ideas come from Pinterest. Pinterest and online recipes are such a double-edged sword… You never know for sure all of the different variables that go into a recipe, and I can say now from personal experience it can be really hard to capture every step in an efficient blog post. Throughout the course of my Pinterest experience I’ve had great recipes and total “pintastrophies.” Here’s 5 steps I’ve learned about how to follow an online recipe with success:

1) Read your recipe all the way through before you commit
Something may sound really simple by reading the recipe name or small description, but often times there are hidden elements that might not be as easy for the novice chef. For example, sadly I do not have a stand mixer (yet), and many times I’m drawn to recipes that require a stand mixer. Sure there are ways to get around this, but you’re taking a risk unless you know your back-up technique is a sure shot replacement for what the recipe calls for. Reading the whole thing will help you avoid getting half-way through cooking and realize there’s a critical component you’re missing.

2) Know your ingredients
Just like reading the instructions, you want to be sure to look at all the ingredients. Sometimes you can substitute things in a pinch (example: greek yogurt for sour cream) but with a first time recipe it’s not always advised (see #5). Be sure you have everything on hand so you’re ready to go in the kitchen. In a worst case scenario though, a quick google-search usually yields good suggestions for substitute ingredients. Also, reading the ingredient list helps you prep ahead of time. For example, some recipes call for room-temperature butter so reading ahead insures you have time to let it sit out.

3) Do your prep work
A pet peeve I have is when recipes list cook times that are completely unrealistic. I’ve fallen victim to jumping into a recipe (and not following the advice from #1) and realizing the prep work will take way longer than the time allows… cut to dinner on a Wednesday night at 10:00 PM! When you’re reading your recipe take note of what you know will take you longer (i.e. chopping a bunch of veggies) or things you need to do ahead of time in general (i.e. pre-seasoning meat or pre-cooking ingredients).

4) Read the comments
You can get so much juicy insight from the comments! You have to take it all with a grain of salt, but don’t discount the valued opinion of folks who have already tried out the recipe. Again, there are so many variables in cooking that you can’t trust that everyone’s advice will work for you, but reading the comments can be the best way to save yourself from certain pintastrophy! Many commenters will let you know things that don’t add up in the recipe, modifications that are needed to make it work, or wonderful praise that will make you even more excited to try it out. And pay it forward, leave something once you’re done to let people know about your experience!

5) Stick to the recipe
I can be a huge hypocrite with this, but it’s always good advice to try out the recipe as-is before you make modifications. You can’t really judge the quality if you don’t follow the instructions exactly, so give the recipe a chance before you deviate too far away. Modifications are great for a second or third try, but let the first one stay true to the inspiration.

Posted in Food | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Beer Review: Sierra Nevada Beer Camp 2015, Hoppy Lager

Posted on February 25, 2015 by GamesandGrinds

This weekend, while perusing our local beer aisle, I stumbled upon Sierra Nevada’s Beer Camp 2015. Maybe it’s because I’ve been consistently impressed with Sierra Nevada’s specialty brews, or because I’m a sucker for annual editions of just about anything, I felt compelled to give the six-pack a taste. I’m finishing the last bottle now and it seems appropriate to make this particular brew the first beer review on Games & Grinds.

For those that don’t know, Sierra Nevada’s Beer Camp is an annual brew absolutely unique from year to year. It’s a collaborative effort where Sierra Nevada partners up with another brewery in order to collectively create a new spin on their own beers. 2015’s Beer Camp iteration saw Sierra Nevada partner up with Ballast Point Brewery of San Diego California. The result? Beer Camp Hoppy Lager. Sierra Nevada’s promo page for their annual entry describes it as “a top-heavy twist on the classic blonde lager.” It goes on to describe the ever present challenge of creating a hop-heavy beer without crossing the flavor foul line by making it too bitter. After finishing the Beer Camp six-pack, I think they did a fine job accomplishing this feat.

Hoppy Lager is an incredibly drinkable beer with a sharp bite to the initial sip that ends with a clean finish. I find the flavor profile is best described as a reverse IPA; hopefully that makes sense to someone other than just me. While lagers are typically known to have more reserved flavors and smells, the Sierra Nevada influence comes through strong in this brew by providing a heavy burst of flavor that evolves well as the beer warms. What starts off cold and crisp and citrusy warms to a pleasant floral, earthy flavor. A trait that serves the beer well by promoting a slow and steady style of drinking. At 7.0% ABV and just a 55 point IBU rating, anything more than a sipping session could leave you far behind the curve with this lager.

I thoroughly enjoyed Sierra Nevada’s 2015 entry for Beer camp with Hoppy Lager. It makes for a nice, long-lasting six pack that is easy to drink but worthy of savoring. I can see it pairing well with a variety of dishes, but it’s at its best with a smoky spicy meal. Particularly something involving chipotle spice or green chiles. Pick up a pack soon before your local craft beer cooler is found wanting.

Posted in Food, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

We streamed video games for 24-hours straight. Here’s what we learned.

Posted on February 23, 2015 by GamesandGrinds
I don't think a Mario Kart win has ever tasted so sweet. Seriously.

The closing moments of our 24-hour marathon stream ended with a triumphant win in Mario Kart. Check the article below to see just what we learned from the experience.

This weekend was the big event. A 24-hour marathon stream to celebrate the launch of our live stream channel on Twitch. We pulled it off. Now check out the recap below to see just what we learned. It’s a lot to digest sure, but a must read for anyone interested in the world of live streaming video games.

Technical difficulties are terrifying, inevitable, but manageable.

Working with technology is often an exponential risk. For every layer of devices or software you add to a project your chances of running into errors multiplies at an exponential rate. Streaming is a prime example of this. For our marathon setup we were using a Wii U, external capture card, webcam, microphone, streaming software, chatbot/dashboard, not to mention the network connection itself. That is a lot of layers to have working in sync, and if one isn’t working then the whole production can quickly fall apart.

That nearly happened just one hour into our marathon. I was getting some mic feedback and decided to take a quick timeout to make the proper adjustments to fix the problem. 15-30 minutes of non-action is worth it if it’s to save a 24-hour stream right? Apparently my laptop didn’t think so. After changing one setting within the Elgato capture card’s settings my laptop immediately ceased to recognize any device I had plugged into it via USB. What was supposed to be a quick fix turned into an hour or so long ordeal. It was even enough that I considered dropping the marathon all together.I eventually fixed the issue and got the stream running at an optimal state, but the emotional roller coaster I experienced to get to that point was harrowing to say the least.

Looking back at the experience, every issue the stream had (outside of the laptop dropping the devices) was something that could have and should have been dealt with before the stream even started. Had I just taken the time prior to starting up OBS to hammer out the little details things would have gone far more smoothly. I find myself looking at technology much as I look at weather, you can never fully predict what might happen, but you can certainly do your best to prepare for it. By doing that you save yourself a lot of potential grief.

Continue reading →

Posted in Food, G&G, Video Games | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

We’re attempting a 24-Hour Twitch streamathon this Friday!

Posted on February 19, 2015 by GamesandGrinds

You read that right. Starting this Friday at high noon Hawaiian time (5:00 PM EST) Aspen and I are going to go big and attempt to host a stream for 24 hours straight. It won’t be easy. It’s been a long while since I’ve pulled a gaming marathon off quite like this and we’re new to streaming on Twitch as it is, but that won’t stop us. No sir. Not by a long shot. We’re going to stream our pants off this weekend, maybe even literally. Until we’re drooling onto our controllers in a hazy gaming induced stupor.

Stop by our channel for plenty of gaming, cooking, and commentary as we play through the day, into the night, until the wee hours of Saturday morning. Here’s a quick list of what you can expect during our streaming extravaganza:

  • Plenty of gaming
    • Watch as we explore the brand new Wii U release of Nintendo’s #1 pink puff ball.
    • Stick around for plenty of other gaming action in Wind Waker, Metroid Prime, Little Big Planet 3, and much more.
  • Giveaways!
    • To complement our Kirby: Canvas Curse stream, we’ll be giving away a Kirby Amiibo, but you have to be a subscribed follower to have a shot at it.
  • Cooking Demos
    •  In the spirit of Games & Grinds, we’ll be demonstrating a few recipes in step-by-step fashion. We’ll be covering some great grinds for every time of the day:
    • Guacamole & Queso, Southwest Sliders w/ Onion Strings, Mini-Pizza Bites, Extra Life Cupcakes, Overnight French Toast, Sausage Balls, and any other crazy concoctions that may come to mind.

It’s going to be quite the event, so be sure to check out the channel during the marathon streaming session and hop on the Games & Grinds bandwagon!

Posted in Food, G&G, Video Games | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment