I'm zcal, a (mostly retro) gamer, emulation and preservation enthusiast, and minor-leagues collector. I value simplicity, pragmatism, and versatility in design and tech. I have a few opinions.

Let me know if you love/hate/feel otherwise about something I've written.

I'm currently:

  • writing a new article or two. It's been too long since I've published anything.
  • revamping my music collection in an attempt to ditch Spotify.
  • really not keeping up with my shmupping.

Crysis is the shit


review, Nintendo Switch, PC, AI, graphics

A review of Crysis Remastered for the Nintendo Switch

Z is child's play


review, PC, kids

A retrospective review of Z for the PC

The matter of gameplay density


gameplay density, shmups, sandbox games, open-world games, story

Games with high "gameplay density" may or may not provide more value to the player

Shmupping for score


project, shmups, shoot 'em ups, Pulstar, Einhänder, Radiant Silvergun, DoDonPachi

A project to learn to play shmups for score

Blogging is a tough business


blogging, content creation, publishing, anxiety, personal website, digital gardens

In which I come to terms with my anxiety over regularly posting new content on my website

A framework for assessing stupidity


stupidity, wisdom, mistakes, evil, ignorance, politics

How to appropriately recognize stupidity and differentiate it from other related concepts

Social media's seedy underbelly


social media, The Social Dilemma, attention, bias, manipulation

How social media harms us and what to do about it

A pseudonymous identity


hello world, identity, personal website, social media, byuu, Near

Why it can be problematic to use your real-world identity online, and why I use a pseudonym on my website