I bought a bootleg NDS and it was... OK

 The title says it all. I bought a bootleg Nintendo DS and it was surprisingly decent as a game console. Why did I buy it? Several reasons.

First, my previous DS died when the screen stopped responding correctly. Any touch was seen as a series of taps. So touch and hold or drag became impossible.

The DS is no longer sold by Nintendo and new ones are rare as hen's teeth. I have several 3DSes, which can play my  library of DS games. However, I have only one functioning GameBoy Advance (an SP which is one of my all-time favorite devices), and replacement GBAs are harder to find than DSes. So I was looking for a backup in case my SP ever fails and was willing, for a reasonable price, to risk a gray market substitute.

There are plenty of used DSes for sale on sites such as eBay for anything from $40 to $200. Many of which are "refurbished". The DS I bought was listed as refurbished. But since it was coming from China, I assumed there was a high probability it would be of questionable legitimacy. 

And I was right. Sure, it has the standard Nintendo imprimatur and serial number on the back. However, the case itself is made from a cheaper, glossy yet but less reflective, plastic than official Nintendo products. But the real giveaway is the charger and charger port. The charging cable is some mutant USB thing — not a standard USB male plug nor DS plug but something half way between the two attached to a USB charger. Now, it might possibly contain a real, repurposed Nintendo DS motherboard inside. (I'm not interested enough to risk opening it up just for curiosity's sake.) But I suspect the chances of that are low. Especially given the change in power plugs.

But now that I have it, how does it fare? As I say, the construction looks cheaper than official Nintendo goods. On the other hand, I was surprised at how good the touch screen is. Clear, responsive. No discernible difference.

It successfully runs all of the DS and GBA cartridges I've thrown at it, including downloadable games sent from DS cartridges in my 3DS.

The most noticeable flaw in my gray market DS is the buttons. Nintendo hardware and controls are so smooth and well constructed, it is easy to forget how exceptional they are — until you play a generic system such as this. The buttons are "loose" to the point where it is easy to press them, even moderately, and have no response. So you end up playing with a much more heavy-handed style than you are used to or are comfortable with.  

This won't affect play too much except for those games that require very precise button timing. Also, I can't help thinking the need for my pressure on the controls will ultimately impact the longevity of the device as a whole. 

In summary, I am happy with my new device as an emergency replacement. However, it is also a good reminder of how exceptional the design and build on Nintendo products is and makes we want to take extra care with those systems I still have that are no longer being made.

Talking Manuscripts

[Originally posted on Twitter]

Some thoughts about trying to put together a manuscript of poems...

I enjoy writing poems. And, after years of experience, I feel quite confident about the results. But putting together a manuscript of poems for a book is a different beast entirely.

Normally, organizing things is not a problem. Ask me to write a book about programming or some technical topic — no sweat. I enjoy the process of identifying and selecting the optimal structure for practical information. Even abstract concepts, websites, or taxonomies provide a rewarding challenge.

But poems are a different kettle of fish. (Actually sorting a kettle of fish might be an apt analogy. What's the point? What do you want to achieve? Is order even necessary if, say, you are cooking a fish stew?)

Part of the problem is I tend to view my poems chronologically — as a constantly evolving journey. However, it is unclear if any of that is visible to the average reader. (Unlikely.)

Another approach is to decide what story you want your poems to tell? Or more accurately, what story *do* they tell? Do they tell a story at all? And if not, is that a problem?

If not, one alternative is to sort them by subject matter, style, or length. But then you get the problem where too many similar poems together can get very samey-samey.

The converse is to deliberately intermix styles, subjects, or structures (e.g. 3 short poems, 2 long, 2 short, 1 long, and so on.) But that still results in random ordering of the other characteristics of the poems.

In the end, I usually resort to micro-sorting: selecting ~5-10% as "keystone" poems, sorting the rest into groups around each key poem, then sorting the groups. (Not unlike a UX card sort.)

The issue is, when I am done, I never feel confident that I got the order "right", since there is no ideal order I am working towards (no matter how much I'd like to think there is).

The result is that there is a constant urge to tweak the order. Or worse, start the process over from the beginning.

Only time, ultimately, solidifies the order into a fixed form, out of habit or exhaustion more than conscious decision. 

Like fossils pressed into striated layers of rock, the manuscript takes on a permanence that cannot be altered, without the risk of breaking the whole.