#here's another edit from my old terminated blog :C

[attract-mode-collective]

Just Another Late Night At The Game Center

And just another massive dose of game culture, as originally shared on the Attract Mode Twitter account, (most of) everything that was shared in the latter half of February. The first half was covered here.

Before I forget: the above is courtesy of erickimphotography.com.

Again, given how short Feb is supposed to be, I figured this post would be too... and it's not. So am wonder if going weekly might best going forward?

Anyhow, where did I leave off last time? Oh yeah; Valentine's Day. And here’s Amy Rose, from the day after, reminding us all that, as great as love can be, it also hurts (via sonicthehedgeblog)...

Check out this devastating big boot from Mario, one that would make the WWE's Undertaker or Kane proud (via suppermariobroth)...

You're no doubt familiar with Julie Bell's work, but are you aware of the close resemblance between her art & the artist herself? (via slbtumblng)...

Some nice, pixelated sukajans we have here (via kauzara)...

Look at these hipsters...

Look at these hipsters standing around, on a Brooklyn rooftop...

Look at these hipsters standing around, on a Brooklyn rooftop in leggings based upon the interactive menu for the Super Famicom's satellite modem peripheral. (via minusworld.co.uk)...

Am legit thinking of getting this shirt covered with quotes from people trying to figure out which Metal Gear character is gay (via kotaku.com)...

Am rather fond of Data Weave, which has more than a passing resemblance to the Eliss scarf that helped put the Attract Mode shop on the map (via prostheticknowledge)...

When you go to bed, don't forget to never use your Dreamcast as a pillow (nor should you ever place it on a bucket filled with leafy greens either, but you probably already knew that one; via posthumanwanderings)...

Not sure which SNK 40th Anniversary shirt I like more (via miki800.com)...

It's just Hidetaka Suehiro, playing... I think The Last Blade? Criminally underrated Neo Geo game btw (via nintendu)...

And the late, great Robin Williams playing Ground Zero Texas for the Sega CD (via celebgames)...

Plus the President of Turkey, circa 1990, playing Galaxy Force II for whatever reason (via historium)..

Pro-tip to any & all custom arcade cabinet sellers: if you're going to photograph someone playing a game on your thing, have said person actually play the thing (in this case, Robotron utilizes dual sticks and no buttons; via arcadephile)...

Today's recommended reading is a follow-up to another older post, one that's all about Willie Williams, who not only inspired Virtua Fighter's Jeffry McWild but also Tekken's Paul Phoenix (via lordmo)...

After seeing this gif of a young woman punching a dinosaur (or possibly a dragon) in the crotch, I may have to give Capcom Fighting Jam a second look (via kazucrash)...

Sticking with the subject of crotches for just one bit, everyone out there's familiar with PuLiRuLa, right? (via kazucrash)

Just a friendly reminder of how wacky commercials for the PlayStation 2 were back in the day (via kurhl)...

Back to the subject of dinosaurs... yet still sticking with fun under the sun (via sidestorygaiden)...

If I'm gonna share fan art of unofficial PlayStation 1 era mascots, then I have to pass along this rendering of Abe (via it8bit)...

Seen countless folk play music with a Game Boy or a NES... but a Dreamcast? @slowmagic is the very first, and with a Hello Kitty edition Dreamcast no less...

Does anyone know if these figures of Dorimukyasuko & friends were commercially produced or if they were just made for the Sega no Game wa Sekai Ichi~i~i~I ad that the image comes from? (via vgprintads)...

We've gotten snowfall here in NYC over the past few weeks, once during during sunset, but alas it wasn't nearly as pretty as this (via kirokazepixel)...

It's been ages since I've posted any Game Culture Snapshots, despite countless promises that I'd fix that. Well, until that finally happens, here just one, from IndieCade East 2018. Which was an epic bust, but hey, at least I finally got to play that Bill Viola game I first encountered at GDC 2008...

PLEASE tell me that GBA Video carts are the new hot means of distributing bootleg Hollywood flicks (via @katribou)...

This part from The Thing always reminded me of Asteroids on the Atari 7800 (via pixpunk)...

I posted this on Twitter, not realizing that I had shared it on the blog once before. But since I can’t find that original post, and since it's so damn nice, plus totally worth looking at again (via humanoidhistory)...

I also need to re-share that Tron movie poster cuz it's the first lead up to this Blade Runner-related spread from Joystik Magazine (via mendelpalace)...

As someone who fetishizes old video game magazines, I'm legit ashamed that I didn't know about Joystik sooner (via here & here)...

Please enjoy a healthy helping of scans from Lovely Sweet Dream, the dream journal that would become the basis of LSD for the PlayStation 1 (via here & here)...

Sorry, but I still think the idea of a multi-billionaire sending his sports car into space just cuz he can to be kinda cringey, yet that doesn't mean I'd don't think this pixelated recreation is any less pleasant (via it8bit)...

I've never been to Beverly Hills, so I have no idea if this portrayal according to Super Chase: Criminal Termination is accurate or not; maybe it was when the game was produced? (via obscurevideogames)...

Meanwhile, closer to where I am (somewhat; am not all that far from Long Island) is Mario & Yoshi & the Book of Revelation (via greathaircut)...

Are you playing Mario? Or is Mario playing you? (via suppermariobroth)...

Game Boys. And Game Girls. Mostly Girls. (via contac)

Before anyone asks, no, I do not have a bigger/wallpaper appropriate-sized version of this super sexy image of a couple of Wiis (via klaus-laserdisc)...

I think I kinda need to do this to my PlayStation (via dreamcast.tokyo)...

... Which reminds of those fancy, souped up by audiophiles PSXs I mentioned a whiles ago...

I celebrated Cat Day in Japan by posting this fave official King of Fighters illustration (via videogamesdensetsu)....

... along with this Monster Hunter fan art (via kerriaitken)...

... plus this highlight of a fave WarioWare: Twisted micro game (via suppermariobroth)...

So yeah, Flash sucks, I get that, but as the platform fades away, so does the opportunity to play games like Fear Less! (via zombie-chaser)...

Thankfully, WORLD OF HORROR, "a love letter to the cosmic horror work of Junji Ito", is something that's much more accessible (for now at least)...

I don't know much about Dujanah, which has you assuming the role of a Muslim woman with grievances against a military force that's occupying her Islamic homeland, other than it looks extremely compelling...

Yet another game I need to check out is CONTINUUM, which is a shmup that combines time manipulation and Tetris? (via alpha-beta-gamer)...

It's a legit shame that Jetpack Squad has seemingly fallen off the map (via shmups)...

Another shmup that I really, really want to play (though it's starting to feel increasingly unlikely) is AEROBAT, which looks just as gorgeous (and insane) today as it did the first time I laid eye (via shmups)...

Yet another game that was never meant to be, and the only thing we have here is some incredible looking concept art; if it ended up happening & was any good, I wonder if I'd be a PC-FX owner? (via videogamesdensetsu)...

If a Tokyo Dark Souls was ever to happen, which artist's take do you prefer; this one (via visor-visual)...

... or this one? (via mendelpalace)

You know about celebrity roasts, right? Well, a comedy club in Long Island City had one for Mario, though I have no idea how it went; I had kung fu practice that night...

Me, when the coffee kicks in (via anthony10000000)...

I had no idea that Typing of the Space Harrier was even a thing (via posthumanwanderings)...

It's a bit unsettling how some of Dreamcast Magazine's advice on how to survive Y2K are still useful today, in particular their words of wisdom regarding Seaman (via posthumanwanderings)...

Megadora Man, a Tokusatsu-esque take on the Mega Drive, for Beep! Mega Drive; am assuming his foes are inspired by the Famicom and PC Engine (though am not totally sure which is which; via obscurevideogames)...

Question: how hard would it be for someone in the US to get the first three issues of Famitsu from the Japanese Kindle Store? (via miki800.com)

Been well over a decade since first laying eyes and I FINALLY know the identity of the artist behind a series of Mario illustrations that has long left me stupefied: his name is Ishihara Gōjin (via videogamesdensetsu)...

I woke up the other day with a sense of purpose, with the knowledge that I finally have a mission in life: to do whatever I can to make this dancing kid from Sega Splash Golf a viral sensation (via sonicthehedgeblog)...

Though speaking of morning, been feeling run down as of late, though it's my own damn fault for not having breakfast. Which is why I can't wait for my Persona 3 toaster has yet to arrive (via gasp-theenemy)...

Had no idea that MAME can also emulate those crappy, Tiger handheld games; naturally there's not much to look at, since none of the background is part of the game's code (via lanceboyles)...

Eggman has a sense of humor (via voidirium)...

Eggman also has aesthetics (via posthumanwanderings)...

When you mess with the textures in Wind Waker for the sole purpose of making Vaporwave Link (via pmpkn)...

Man, I really wish each and every mech in Tech Romancer actually had its own anime (via ultrace)...

Before Mappy was a video game, it was a physical game involving real deal robots (via namcomuseum)...

And I swear, one of these days, we'll make available online Zac Gorman's print from Comics Vs Games 2...

In my time I've encountered lots & lots of BMO fan art, so much that it has become increasingly difficult to take notice and be impressed, yet this one managed to do so regardless (via it8bit)...

Let's all take a moment to appreciate the instruction manual for Cubivore, shall we (via skincoats)...

Cubivore's Japanese box art is also very nice (via gaygamer)...

An important message for all parents out there, concerning Minecraft (via reddit.com)...

When you can't afford the licensing fees for Miami Vice, Ghostbusters, Barbarella, I think... and maybe Logan's Run? (via mendelpalace)...

Given how Platoon ended up as a NES game, the idea of the Terminator on a Tiger handheld isn't totally far-fetched (via rewind01)...

And finally, PUT THAT CONTROLLER DOWN, NOW! (via fuzzyghost)

[moneymerlion]

AXA Early Saver Plus Review

As part of the retirement planning in Singapore article, here is another retirement/savings plan broken down and summarised. In this review, I will be covering the AXA Early Saver Plus.

  The AXA Early Saver Plus is a form of endowment plan offered. Unlike the AXA SavvySaver, the Early Saver Plus was designed for you to save for your children’s education. Despite being designed this way, you may still choose to opt for this policy for various milestones in your life.

  Criteria

To qualify for the AXA Early Saver Plus, you will need to be below 61 years old

Minimum premium of S$1,800 yearly

  Features

Payout Options

There are 2 payout options available for this plan.

The first option is to make cash withdrawals from the guaranteed portion of the plan in the last 3 years of the policy. If you were to choose this option, you will receive 20% upon maturity, and 40% for the first 2 withdrawals.

The second option is to reinvest the payouts and make a lump sum withdrawal upon maturity.

  Policy Terms

The AXA Early Saver Plus has a policy term from 10 to 25 years with a premium payment term of 5 years. Alternatively, you may opt for a policy term from 15 to 25 years, with a premium payment term of 10 years.

This means that you can choose the plan based on your priorities and what you can afford.

  Assuming you will be investing $1,800 yearly, if you choose the 5-year premium payment plan, your cash payouts would be lesser than the 10-year premium payment plan. Likewise, if you choose the 10-year premium payment plan, you will receive higher cash payouts as compared to the 5-year plan.

Depending on the plan you take, there is a guaranteed return of 1.57% per annum.

  Protection

Coverage of minimally 101% of the total premiums invested in the scenario of:

Death

Additional 50% benefit payable if death was due to an accident

Terminal illness

Total and permanent disability

Reimbursement of up to $200 per claim for outpatient medical expenses for

Infectious diseases, including hand-foot-mouth disease, dengue, and chicken pox;

Medical check-up costs for Zika, Ebola, or SARS

Mobility aid equipment needed due to an accident

Food poisoning

Vaccination for dengue, H5N1, and chicken pox

For #2, there are 2 claims allowed per Life Assured per policy for benefits A, B, C, and D.

  Hassle-free Application

There is no need for a medical examination as all applications for the basic plan will readily be accepted.

  Coverage Add-ons

This part of the AXA Easy Saver Plus is optional. It is definitely a good to have, but not a necessity! As you will be seeing below, the need to purchase add-ons depends on how much coverage your main insurance policies provide, and whether you can afford paying for your premiums if you *touchwood* encounter any critical illness, total, and permanent disability.

  Critical Illness PremiumEraser

Upon critical illness diagnosis of the Life Assured, all future premiums (of the basic policy) will be waived up to the Premium Expiry Date of the Basic Policy.

  Premium Waiver

In the event of involuntary loss of income before age 50 and critical illness diagnosis, your premiums for the next 6 months will be waived.

  Payer PremiumEraser (DTPD/DTPDCI)

In the event of total and permanent disability (before age 65), critical illness, or death of the payer, all future premiums will be waived to the Premium Expiry Date of the Basic Policy or the policy anniversary at which the Payer is age 65, whichever comes first.

  Payer PremiumEraser (UN/DTPDUN/DTPDCIUN)

In the event of total and permanent disability (before age 65), critical illness, or death, all future premiums will be waived to the Premium Expiry Date of the Basic Policy or the policy anniversary at which the Payer is age 65, whichever comes first. In the event of involuntary loss of income (before age 50), so your premiums for the next 6 months will be waived.

  How much will I receive upon maturity of the AXA Early Saver Plus?

In the scenario where you don’t make any withdrawals in the last 3 years and accumulate the full amount, save $412 monthly over 10 years, and choose the 15-year term, you will receive a total of S$63,548 upon maturity. Below are the calculations:

  Total Premiums Paid:

S$412 x 12 months x 10 years = S$49,440

  Guaranteed Portion:

S$50,000

  Non-Guaranteed Portion:

S$13,548 (Based on a projected investment rate of return of 4.75% per annum)

  Total Received:

S$63,548

  Source:

https://www.axa.com.sg/savings-investments/axa-early-saver-plus

  My Take on The AXA Early Saver Plus

The AXA Early Saver Plus definitely is pretty unique. As this is mostly a savings plan, the insurance coverage provided is expectedly limited. Due to it being mainly targeted for your child’s education, the term policies are short and you can only make withdrawals within the last 3 years of the policy. Definitely something you should reconsider if you’re looking for monthly payouts in a policy.

  However, the AXA Early Saver Plus may be a good fit for you if you’re looking to save in the short-medium term and while rewarding you with larger payouts. Furthermore, it is a hassle-free application as it requires no medical underwriting for its basic plan. This policy is definitely great for those who are saving for specific events in your life such as your child’s education, a wedding, a new home, or even imminent retirement.

  Edit by Singapore Financial Planners team:

If you’re looking for financial advice and/or financial planning, contact one of our highly qualified financial advisors who will only provide you with advice based on YOUR needs.

source https://singaporefinancialplanners.com/blog/axa-early-saver-plus-review/

[qwertsypage]

Meet my Free, Local API Server for your Front-End Adventures (written in Node.js)!

Hey, fellow Stackarians!

I hope that 2018 has been gracious to you so far, and you are ready for the upcoming challenges!

As this article is kinda long, let’s kick it off with a TLDR version:

I created a free API service you can run locally using Docker. This API service can be used as data source for your front-end project, since it has all the necessary basic functions needed to learn or experiment with different front-end frameworks.

Read the Documentation here!

Usage:

Install and start Docker

Download the pre-configured docker-compose file: docker-compose.yml

Open a new terminal tab and navigate to the folder where you downloaded the docker-compose file and run docker-compose up

Hit CTRL-C to stop the process and get back the command prompt

Run docker-compose down to remove the containers

Connecting to the database:

With these credentials, you can connect to the DB using your favorite client. I can recommend Postico if you are on Mac, or DBeaver if you are looking for a multi-platform solution:

Default credentials:

user: root password: root host: localhost port: 1330 database: api-db

The database is seeded with two different users with different privileges:

The pre-defined user with admin privileges:

username: admin, email: [email protected], password: admin

The pre-defined regular user:

username: User Doe email: [email protected] password: 12345

--

And now, if you are still with me, to full the story!

There are plenty of shiny toys to put your hands on this year if you would like to keep up the pace front-end-wise. React is still on the rocks, VueJs is right on its tail, and the good old Angular is getting better and better, so there are lots of opportunities to learn and experiment!

If backend programming is not your best side, or you just don't want to waste time coding your own, here is a handy little thingy you can use: your very own local API server and database! (yaaaay!)

Sure, some great online services provide decent API servers, like Mockaroo, or you can just use your favorite service's public API, like Spotify's.

But - for me at least - they are just not scratching at the right spot. You know, I wanted something simple, but with all the most common things you can come by, like registering a new user, logging in, listing, adding and deleting stuff from a database. Just the usual CRUD operations.

I know, I know. First world problems.

So I decided to create my own super simple API server (emphasis on super simple), that can run locally. It has an attached database that I can browse with a UI database client app, pre-seeded, ready to go out of the box.

But then I thought: Hey, I cannot be the only one who needs this. Why don't I make it public?

But then immediately:

'But not everyone is comfortable with installing databases locally, not to mention the OS differences and yadda-yadda-yadda...'

Sure, these things are relatively easy, and anyone can do it with some documentation checking, but if you are not experienced with these kinds of things, it is just stealing your time from your primary goal: working on front-end. Why not make it simple then?

Probably you are now like,

'Ok, Rob, this is some pretty long intro, we get it, you made something for yourself what is already out there, good work...'

BUT WHAT IS THIS AND WHERE IS THE LOOT?!

This is a simple backend service with a PostgreSQL database hooked up to it, seeded with some fake products data for a simple e-commerce site.

The server provides some features you can use through its API. You can:

register a new user

login and reach protected endpoints using JWT

list fake products with enough details to create common product cards (with all-time favorites like Intelligent Frozen Chicken, Handcrafted Rubber Pizza not to mention the great Licensed Granite Salad! God, I love Faker!)

search for a product by name or ingredient

show one particular product

edit a product

delete a product

For further details, please see the documentation

The best part is that you don't need to install PostgreSQL on your local machine, or add fake data (however you can)!

If you are reading this blog frequently, I'm sure you've already heard about Docker and containerization. If not, please let me summarize and (way over)simplify it for you:

Each container is a separate environment which is running on your machine, and you can reach it through a specific port, kinda like a virtual machine. This environment contains everything that is needed to run your code, and every time, on every platform, once it is created, it will be exactly the same as its image file declares it.

Why is this good for your health? Because I already made this image file and the one that runs the database in another container and links them together for you, and all you need to run it is Docker.

Dude, seriously... I won't ask you twice…

I can imagine you've just shoveled a big chunk of coal to the rage train engine... But easy now, we are at the meat of it, finally!

This is what you need to do to run this backend service:

1. Install and run Docker

You find the instructions on the official site: Docker Install With Docker, you will be able to run containers on your local machine without any environment setup hassle. Don’t forget to start it after installation, or your command line won’t recognize the docker command!

2. Grab this docker-compose file: docker-compose.yml

This file serves as a config file telling Docker which images you would like to have a copy of up and running. The image files are stored in Docker Hub. If it is not already on your machine, Docker will download it for you and cache it. So next time you wish to run it, it will be ready to use! Let’s take a closer look at it!

version: '3.3' services: freebie-api-server: container_name: api-server image: robertczinege/freebie-api-server:latest ports: - '1337:1337' depends_on: - db environment: - DB_HOST=db - DB_PORT=5432 - DB_USER=root - DB_PASSWORD=root - DB_DATABASE=api-db - PORT=1337 - LOGGER_LEVEL=silly - TOKEN_SECRET='thisIsASuperSecretS3cr3t' - TOKEN_EXPIRATION=1h db: container_name: api-db image: postgres:10 environment: - POSTGRES_USER=root - POSTGRES_PASSWORD=root - POSTGRES_DB=api-db ports: - '1330:5432'

This file tells Docker to set up two services, the 'freebie-api-server' called api-server and the 'db' called api-db. You will find them among the containers in Docker with these names after you started them.

The image property tells which image file should be used for this. As you can see, the service itself has its own image file available on my Docker Hub account, and the database is the official PostgreSql image file. If you don't have them, Docker will download and save them.

There is an interesting line, the depends_on. This tells Docker to start the 'db' service (called api-db) first.

The ports is a really important property. The ports listed here will be exposed, so you can use them from the outside. In this case, the API service is available on the port 1337 and the database is available on port 1330 (the port 5432 is Postgres' default port, which is exposed as 1330).

You can see a bunch of environmental variables. These environmental variables will be passed to the services running in the containers as you would pass them in through command line.

However, the DB_HOST env var is strange. It is not a URL or a connection string, as you would expect it to be. Well, Docker Compose will give this property automatically when started the 'db' service.

You can use these environment variables if you wish to deploy this service. But this is another whole story.

3. Navigate in the terminal to the directory where you saved the docker-compose file and run docker-compose up.

Docker Compose comes with Docker by default, and it really helps you to run multiple containers depending on each other.

This command will start both the server and the Postgres database linked to it. First, the server will fill the database with fake products and a default admin and regular user.

You will see the process of the startup in the command line. When you see the 'Server is up!' message, you know that everything is jolly good!

4. To stop the service, hit CTRL-C

CTRL-C will stop the processes, but will leave the containers up. You will get back your command prompt, so you can type in further commands.

If you run docker-compose down now, that will stop and remove both of the containers. When you start again with docker-compose up, the containers will be set up again with new random products.

5. You are good to go, and you can start developing your own frontend for it!

You can reach the service on localhost:1337/api. You can try this out using e.g. Postman, or just navigating to the localhost:1337/api/products URL in your browser. You will see the actual JSON response with the list of products.

Advanced, totally ethical pro tips:

TIP 1: You can check if the service is up and running if you type in docker ps -a. This command lists all the running containers on your machine. If you see the api-server and the api-db in the list, you are good to go.

TIP 2: You are able just to stop the containers but not removing them. In this case, the database will keep your changes and won't be reseeded again. To achieve this, stop the containers like this: CTRL-C to exit the process and get back the command prompt docker stop api-server api-db to stop both of the containers docker start api-server api-db to start them again

TIP 3: Connecting to the DB using database client

I recommend you to use Postico if you are on Mac or DBeaver if you are on Windows or Linux, but you can use it on Mac as well for exploring the database. They are free and very user-friendly.

You can connect to the database with the following credentials:

user: root password: root host: localhost port: 1330 database: api-db

And boom, you are in. You can check and edit the data you find here. It is especially useful when you would like to add more users with admin privileges, since the database only comes with one predefined admin user to the service, or you can dump or restore the db. Well, for reasons.

Time to say goodbye!

So, this is it guys; I hope it was not so boring to read all those letters.

If you have any questions or feedback, please do not hesitate to drop them in the comments below, I much appreciate them! If you have any idea how I could improve it, that's even better! I would love to hear them because this little project definitely could use some more love!

I hope you will find a good use for this thing as I already do!

See you later, alligator! ;)

And now, time for some self-advertisement!

If you are interested how to create a backend app like this, I recommend you our Node Fundations training, where you can learn all the necessary knowledge to put together a service like this.

If you are more interested in the client side code and want to learn cool front-end frameworks, check out Angular and React trainings!

Meet my Free, Local API Server for your Front-End Adventures (written in Node.js)! published first on https://koresolpage.tumblr.com/