Journals
Sooo... streaming. Let's talk about that. I'm going to be doing it.
You can check my Twitch channel HERE
My net connection isn't amazing at the moment which limits the quality somewhat, but I think it should be watchable.
I'll be playing maps and mods from time to time, as well as mapping every now and then.
Mainly I'm putting this out there in case any of you feel like dropping in for a chat. You can see my past broadcasts to get an idea of the feed quality, mainly the latest one. I will also be on mic next time.
You can check my Twitch channel HERE
My net connection isn't amazing at the moment which limits the quality somewhat, but I think it should be watchable.
I'll be playing maps and mods from time to time, as well as mapping every now and then.
Mainly I'm putting this out there in case any of you feel like dropping in for a chat. You can see my past broadcasts to get an idea of the feed quality, mainly the latest one. I will also be on mic next time.
My dreams are such that you'd think how I'm a crazy person. All of the dreams listed here were actually dreamt by me, so I'm not making this up.
To start off, I'll tell you how random they are:
It always happens, dreams shuffle and transform from one to another. I'm building a fence, and I suddenly become sucked in by a black hole (it was cold, and noisy in there). I'm in a castle, and then my brother chases me with an axe, while I'm on my bike. Some were dreamt twice, too.
It's weird. Totally. I mean, the greatest example of a weird dream is my dream when I dreamt how Tito (who was the leader of what used to be Yugoslavia) drove me through my village in a Zastava Yugo. The hills were cyan! And a famous folk singer was singing on the radio, too.
It gets weirder, as I once dreamt how I defeated my "follower of dreams". It was that guy from "The Darkest of Days" (good game, though). I found him in the canals (that airboat level from HL2) and threw a pair of scissors at him (yes, I dreamt of playing SMod, sort of). The scissors hit his neck, with blood splattering around it, and he became a ragdoll, and fell into the acid. I felt sorry for him when I woke up.
But, don't worry, there are happier ones, even if they are still 'dark'. Once, in a dream (of course), I was invited to a party organized by a person that I fell in love with 3.5 years ago. She'd never do that in real life! So, I drove a VW Golf through an abandoned city in a desert (similar to the map someone submitted a while ago). There was an earthquake, and a building collapsed, and the asphalt cracked, leaving the streets filled with holes. Instantly, I was teleported into Minecraft Alpha (because grass had that green colour), and an old man said "Go there." And he showed me a cave, which I had climbed into. Apparently, "she", nor anyone wasn't there. The lights were red, so was everything, except for the blue sofas and a power generator.
I went to exit the cave. But then, I saw her, and she saw me. Before I said her name, however, something pulled me down the stairs, and I hit them with my head, thus ending the dream.
Well, I once saw a giant, light blue moon in my dreams. It was so huge, it covered the whole horizon. I wanted to touch it, but it shrank, and changed colour to gray
But, luckily, I had 3 dreams about "her" in total, which are perfectly enough for good dreams, and I already told you one. I mean, who wouldn't dream about that cute, beautiful being? I already told too much, haven't I?
So, I told you something about my dreams, because only 1% of people have these, probably. I wonder if anyone else has similar dreams. I also find it weird how they are tightly related to the games I played.
To start off, I'll tell you how random they are:
It always happens, dreams shuffle and transform from one to another. I'm building a fence, and I suddenly become sucked in by a black hole (it was cold, and noisy in there). I'm in a castle, and then my brother chases me with an axe, while I'm on my bike. Some were dreamt twice, too.
It's weird. Totally. I mean, the greatest example of a weird dream is my dream when I dreamt how Tito (who was the leader of what used to be Yugoslavia) drove me through my village in a Zastava Yugo. The hills were cyan! And a famous folk singer was singing on the radio, too.
It gets weirder, as I once dreamt how I defeated my "follower of dreams". It was that guy from "The Darkest of Days" (good game, though). I found him in the canals (that airboat level from HL2) and threw a pair of scissors at him (yes, I dreamt of playing SMod, sort of). The scissors hit his neck, with blood splattering around it, and he became a ragdoll, and fell into the acid. I felt sorry for him when I woke up.
But, don't worry, there are happier ones, even if they are still 'dark'. Once, in a dream (of course), I was invited to a party organized by a person that I fell in love with 3.5 years ago. She'd never do that in real life! So, I drove a VW Golf through an abandoned city in a desert (similar to the map someone submitted a while ago). There was an earthquake, and a building collapsed, and the asphalt cracked, leaving the streets filled with holes. Instantly, I was teleported into Minecraft Alpha (because grass had that green colour), and an old man said "Go there." And he showed me a cave, which I had climbed into. Apparently, "she", nor anyone wasn't there. The lights were red, so was everything, except for the blue sofas and a power generator.
I went to exit the cave. But then, I saw her, and she saw me. Before I said her name, however, something pulled me down the stairs, and I hit them with my head, thus ending the dream.
Well, I once saw a giant, light blue moon in my dreams. It was so huge, it covered the whole horizon. I wanted to touch it, but it shrank, and changed colour to gray
But, luckily, I had 3 dreams about "her" in total, which are perfectly enough for good dreams, and I already told you one. I mean, who wouldn't dream about that cute, beautiful being? I already told too much, haven't I?
So, I told you something about my dreams, because only 1% of people have these, probably. I wonder if anyone else has similar dreams. I also find it weird how they are tightly related to the games I played.
NO. FUCK YOU.
"Teh epik master plan" Part II: The Research
Ah, hello, I haven't written here for a long time. So, for the unguided individuals, "teh epik master plan" is my plan to actually buy a game via Steam for the first time in my life, by opening a bank account and linking a debit card to my PayPal account. TL;DR is at the bottom!
Before commenting:
Alright, let us begin:
So, after 1 month of research, finally, I've decided in which bank to open an account, and they have a special account type just for teenagers like me! And, along with the bank account comes a debit card, using which the client can do, besides normal stuff, Internet shopping.
However, I'm uncertain whether I could buy something with a different currency, since we use BAM in Bosnia, and on Steam, there are Euros (€) for my region. So, this is the plan's question which will either kill it, or save it. Palaćinka! (Or 'блин!')
But, yes, if all goes well, I will inform you in 'Part 3: The moment of truth'.
If the plan works, however, I will:
-Finally buy some hats (in TF2) for my 5 year-old brother, and a copy of GMod for him
-Buy a copy of Call of Duty (either 2 or 3), in order to make some maps for it
-Buy a copy of Half-Life 2 (duuh, to make mods for it)
-Transfer some 'resources' to one of my friends' PayPal account, so he can buy Mount & Blade.
Of course, that will happen only if the plan works, and I'll buy games when the 'Summer Sales' hit. And, if it doesn't work, no worries! There's Fiverr, online surveys, and, of course, an app called Joy Rewards (because AppNana is poop, and I'm pretty close to the $5 PayPal gift card).
TL;DR: I did some research and found out about debit cards for teens, and I found a bank which offers "accepted-by-me" teenagers' accounts and debit cards. I'm only worried if I'm able to use currencies other than KM (a.k.a BAM).
And a message to other minors (people under 18) who are in a similar situation, use my plan if you wish to buy games, but your parents just won't allow you their credit cards.
Ah, hello, I haven't written here for a long time. So, for the unguided individuals, "teh epik master plan" is my plan to actually buy a game via Steam for the first time in my life, by opening a bank account and linking a debit card to my PayPal account. TL;DR is at the bottom!
Before commenting:
- First of all, I'm 14 years-old.
- Second of all, my parents won't borrow me their credit cards, hence the need of my own debit card.
- Third of all, I live in a second-world country, so we can't buy any Steam Wallet codes too.
- Fourth of all, I'm not poor, I am only unable to buy anything online for now.
Alright, let us begin:
So, after 1 month of research, finally, I've decided in which bank to open an account, and they have a special account type just for teenagers like me! And, along with the bank account comes a debit card, using which the client can do, besides normal stuff, Internet shopping.
However, I'm uncertain whether I could buy something with a different currency, since we use BAM in Bosnia, and on Steam, there are Euros (€) for my region. So, this is the plan's question which will either kill it, or save it. Palaćinka! (Or 'блин!')
But, yes, if all goes well, I will inform you in 'Part 3: The moment of truth'.
If the plan works, however, I will:
-Finally buy some hats (in TF2) for my 5 year-old brother, and a copy of GMod for him
-Buy a copy of Call of Duty (either 2 or 3), in order to make some maps for it
-Buy a copy of Half-Life 2 (duuh, to make mods for it)
-Transfer some 'resources' to one of my friends' PayPal account, so he can buy Mount & Blade.
Of course, that will happen only if the plan works, and I'll buy games when the 'Summer Sales' hit. And, if it doesn't work, no worries! There's Fiverr, online surveys, and, of course, an app called Joy Rewards (because AppNana is poop, and I'm pretty close to the $5 PayPal gift card).
TL;DR: I did some research and found out about debit cards for teens, and I found a bank which offers "accepted-by-me" teenagers' accounts and debit cards. I'm only worried if I'm able to use currencies other than KM (a.k.a BAM).
And a message to other minors (people under 18) who are in a similar situation, use my plan if you wish to buy games, but your parents just won't allow you their credit cards.
What a great year this will continue to be! ... and indeed was already! Last month I proved myself I can handle a 30km bike marathon with an almost 800m altitude gain. As a beginner, this was one of my most intense mind-over-body experience I ever endured. I finished it in 2 hours and 15 minutes, while the advanced guys finished it under 1:30. I'm now seriously considering investing some money in a good bike 'till the next year( but good bikes are very expensive).
Several challenges lay before me still, and uncertainties. Life is so fucking weird at this point. I have some difficult exams I'll have to pass to finish college, and then explore my options for the future. It's quite chilling to realize each passing birthday that your future options and opportunities "pool" shrinks.
This year will also be great from a technological standpoint. I'll be very Zen while fishing at Kaby Lake in early mornings, watching the Polaris star and philosophizing about Pascal's wager. Man, one can't wait for October as much as I do!
God help me I have so many thoughts, I don't know how to beat my fears and manage every anxiety so I can experience more of this life...
Several challenges lay before me still, and uncertainties. Life is so fucking weird at this point. I have some difficult exams I'll have to pass to finish college, and then explore my options for the future. It's quite chilling to realize each passing birthday that your future options and opportunities "pool" shrinks.
This year will also be great from a technological standpoint. I'll be very Zen while fishing at Kaby Lake in early mornings, watching the Polaris star and philosophizing about Pascal's wager. Man, one can't wait for October as much as I do!
God help me I have so many thoughts, I don't know how to beat my fears and manage every anxiety so I can experience more of this life...
The creativity of the human mind is amazing. This... is how not to use it. I used to think this type of stories were only internet fiction. Not anymore.
A few months ago I had to form a work group with a few classmates. In these cases, if you intend to work with digital files, one would think it would make sense to use a service like Dropbox, Drive or other comparable product. This way, everyone could have immediate access to the latest versions of all the files. Right?
No. This girl REALLY didn't like Dropbox or Drive. What kind of mess is that? The best way to maintain a tidy, up-to-date collection of files, of course, is Facebook. Because, amongst a thousand other reasons she gave me, you can tag people. How silly I am, of course, because how could I expect people in a group of 5 to know that they're supposed to be doing something! Besides, what if you're at someone else's computer? In the end, I couldn't convince her to adopt my whimsical processes and she went as far as decided to go do look more like creating an email account, and creating a Facebook account with that so that I could abandon my backwards ways and accept the goodness of Facebook. And tag people.
So far, I though this was a pretty incredible abuse of technology for file management. But as hard as I thought it was, last night someone managed to top that.
How do you send a file to a large number of people? If you have their email address, you could send it to them as an attachment. Or maybe if it is too large, upload it somewhere and email them a link to that. Or you could do what last night's lecturer did to send the students the slideshow of the day:
It clearly wasn't the case of the lecturer being old and not understanding technology, because there seemed to be CONSENSUS that it was a brilliant idea.
I am unable to comprehend what kind of thought process can lead to an idea like this. My brain is full of fuck.
A few months ago I had to form a work group with a few classmates. In these cases, if you intend to work with digital files, one would think it would make sense to use a service like Dropbox, Drive or other comparable product. This way, everyone could have immediate access to the latest versions of all the files. Right?
No. This girl REALLY didn't like Dropbox or Drive. What kind of mess is that? The best way to maintain a tidy, up-to-date collection of files, of course, is Facebook. Because, amongst a thousand other reasons she gave me, you can tag people. How silly I am, of course, because how could I expect people in a group of 5 to know that they're supposed to be doing something! Besides, what if you're at someone else's computer? In the end, I couldn't convince her to adopt my whimsical processes and she went as far as decided to go do look more like creating an email account, and creating a Facebook account with that so that I could abandon my backwards ways and accept the goodness of Facebook. And tag people.
So far, I though this was a pretty incredible abuse of technology for file management. But as hard as I thought it was, last night someone managed to top that.
How do you send a file to a large number of people? If you have their email address, you could send it to them as an attachment. Or maybe if it is too large, upload it somewhere and email them a link to that. Or you could do what last night's lecturer did to send the students the slideshow of the day:
- Create an email account
- Email the file to that account
- Give the students the password to that account so that they could log in to it and download the attachment
It clearly wasn't the case of the lecturer being old and not understanding technology, because there seemed to be CONSENSUS that it was a brilliant idea.
I am unable to comprehend what kind of thought process can lead to an idea like this. My brain is full of fuck.
Remember my fringe journal I posted last year? Well, things have developed a wee bit since then:
Around September time I applied for a technician job at my university's student union - I luckily managed to get the job but because I was working full time at the 'ol hotel chocolat, I had done about 1 shift between getting the job and finishing our production of Guys & Dolls ( feb 2016.. so almost 6 months).
Within the last few months ,I've gone from knowing a thing or two about tech to being able to plot, mic, setup, soundcheck and live mix a band ( on some decent peices of kit), use and rig lighting fixtures and consoles, and know almost every bit of troubleshooting under the sun.
I've mostly only used Analogue sound desks (Image is a midas verona 400, big and heavy desk that needs two people to physically set up - great guy to use) - Desks that are entirely physical, that is they don't make use of microprocessors to alter the sound- but yesterday I had to learn, within the space of an hour for a live band, how to use one of the worlds most common digital desks, a Yamaha LS9. ( spoiler: wasn't easy, but managed to set it up and sound great )
Who knows where I'll be in a couple more months time! I've been told from multiple sources that EUSA (The company I work for) is fairly well known in Scotland for making some really well trained staff - I had gone to PLASA ( Lighting & Sound expo ) in Glasgow with a couple colleagues - just by wearing our work shirts, we were literally handed business cards and offered jobs then and there!
I'm currently about to apply to work at the Gilded Balloon over the Fringe, so instead of volunteering to do the lighting op for a show, I'll hopefully be one of a team to overhaul our students' union, setup and mix several acts in a day, every day, for just over a month. And get paid too!
Gilded Balloon is one of the most popular venues, alongside the Assembly Rooms and Pleasance. These three get most of the big names.
If you don't know anything about the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.. well, it's the worlds' largest arts festival.
Oh yeah, Guys & Dolls, never mentioned that. Nothing too major, just, y'know, Sky Masterson. Was good, but was completely disappointed with our tech & set; every review mentioned that. However I'll take this from a renowned harsh reviewer:
Oliver Barker’s Sky Masterson has a strong stage presence, especially when he abandons the Presleyish curled lip he overuses at first, but his singing does not match up to his acting, or to Millar’s huge voice. Nevertheless, he has just about enough pizzazz to carry off Luck, Be a Lady successfully.
....ehhhh, I'll take that as a "good actor with an improving voice". I never realised how nervewracking it is to read reviews about yourself.
Around September time I applied for a technician job at my university's student union - I luckily managed to get the job but because I was working full time at the 'ol hotel chocolat, I had done about 1 shift between getting the job and finishing our production of Guys & Dolls ( feb 2016.. so almost 6 months).
Within the last few months ,I've gone from knowing a thing or two about tech to being able to plot, mic, setup, soundcheck and live mix a band ( on some decent peices of kit), use and rig lighting fixtures and consoles, and know almost every bit of troubleshooting under the sun.
I've mostly only used Analogue sound desks (Image is a midas verona 400, big and heavy desk that needs two people to physically set up - great guy to use) - Desks that are entirely physical, that is they don't make use of microprocessors to alter the sound- but yesterday I had to learn, within the space of an hour for a live band, how to use one of the worlds most common digital desks, a Yamaha LS9. ( spoiler: wasn't easy, but managed to set it up and sound great )
Who knows where I'll be in a couple more months time! I've been told from multiple sources that EUSA (The company I work for) is fairly well known in Scotland for making some really well trained staff - I had gone to PLASA ( Lighting & Sound expo ) in Glasgow with a couple colleagues - just by wearing our work shirts, we were literally handed business cards and offered jobs then and there!
I'm currently about to apply to work at the Gilded Balloon over the Fringe, so instead of volunteering to do the lighting op for a show, I'll hopefully be one of a team to overhaul our students' union, setup and mix several acts in a day, every day, for just over a month. And get paid too!
Gilded Balloon is one of the most popular venues, alongside the Assembly Rooms and Pleasance. These three get most of the big names.
If you don't know anything about the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.. well, it's the worlds' largest arts festival.
Oh yeah, Guys & Dolls, never mentioned that. Nothing too major, just, y'know, Sky Masterson. Was good, but was completely disappointed with our tech & set; every review mentioned that. However I'll take this from a renowned harsh reviewer:
Oliver Barker’s Sky Masterson has a strong stage presence, especially when he abandons the Presleyish curled lip he overuses at first, but his singing does not match up to his acting, or to Millar’s huge voice. Nevertheless, he has just about enough pizzazz to carry off Luck, Be a Lady successfully.
....ehhhh, I'll take that as a "good actor with an improving voice". I never realised how nervewracking it is to read reviews about yourself.
We will be in Stockholm from August 15 to August 21, 2016.
We have to deal with complex entity systems quite often in Goldsource. Until recently, I used to start working on them directly in Hammer without any preparation beforehand.
However, as a computing student, we've been taught Oriented Programming and the analysis and design process. Basically, it's about finding requirements for a software and designing the code before actually starting coding it. Naturally, I wondered: why not try the same for Goldsource entities systems? I always struggled to make complex entity systems and the method I used to use makes the system a real pain to build, to understand and to maintain, so it sound like a good idea.
So here it is, I tried to design the entity system of an elevator using the software Visual Paradigm with an object diagram. Each type of entity is a class and each entity is an object. Targets are represented with dotted arrows.
https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=A52162CFA2ECDDBB!28411&authkey=!AN3aD6RykHcT_i8&v=3&ithint=photo%2cjpg
Classy, isn't it? The only problem is: for some unknown reasons, it doesn't work… -_- But I'm working on it!
However, as a computing student, we've been taught Oriented Programming and the analysis and design process. Basically, it's about finding requirements for a software and designing the code before actually starting coding it. Naturally, I wondered: why not try the same for Goldsource entities systems? I always struggled to make complex entity systems and the method I used to use makes the system a real pain to build, to understand and to maintain, so it sound like a good idea.
So here it is, I tried to design the entity system of an elevator using the software Visual Paradigm with an object diagram. Each type of entity is a class and each entity is an object. Targets are represented with dotted arrows.
https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=A52162CFA2ECDDBB!28411&authkey=!AN3aD6RykHcT_i8&v=3&ithint=photo%2cjpg
Classy, isn't it? The only problem is: for some unknown reasons, it doesn't work… -_- But I'm working on it!
"Teh epik master plan"!
"Teh epik master plan" is my own brilliant plan used to escape the cruelty and sadness of the F2P world. Sort of like Team Fortress 2's separation of P2P players and F2P players.
I am currently an F2P player if we forget the piracy (that's how I have Half-Life in the first place). And I became bored of it! Being F2P is poop! And a pirate...
Therefore, I developed one of my biggest plans of my life - "Teh epik master plan" a.k.a 'Operation Green'.
So, if you came to see the plan itself, here are the steps:
1. Create a bank account (mine will be a savings account, since I'm 14)
2. Create a PayPal account
3. Acquire some 'resources'
4. Link the debit card (or a credit card) to the PayPal account
(Optional)5. Validate the PayPal account
6. Buy a copy of Half-Life 2
Of course, I've only done step 2. However, what bothers me the most is how I have an OK amount of real cash, while I'm a hobo when it comes to virtual cash. Nevertheless, I am a genious!
So, I always thought (when I was 10) that putting 10 KM (BAM, a currency) in my DVD-ROM will actually buy me the game. Turns out that it wouldn't. But now my opinion is greatly changed:
2010 - putting money into a PC buys a game
2013 - using credit cards buys a game
2015 - using credit cards or PayPal can buy a game
2016 - using my plan I can buy a game
AND, from now on, I will only use torrents to test the games I buy!
I will inform you in another journal about this plan, and I'll tell you if it worked.
P.S. For you "Git a j0b m8" posters, I can't have a job because I'm 14 years-old.
"Teh epik master plan" is my own brilliant plan used to escape the cruelty and sadness of the F2P world. Sort of like Team Fortress 2's separation of P2P players and F2P players.
I am currently an F2P player if we forget the piracy (that's how I have Half-Life in the first place). And I became bored of it! Being F2P is poop! And a pirate...
Therefore, I developed one of my biggest plans of my life - "Teh epik master plan" a.k.a 'Operation Green'.
So, if you came to see the plan itself, here are the steps:
1. Create a bank account (mine will be a savings account, since I'm 14)
2. Create a PayPal account
3. Acquire some 'resources'
4. Link the debit card (or a credit card) to the PayPal account
(Optional)5. Validate the PayPal account
6. Buy a copy of Half-Life 2
Of course, I've only done step 2. However, what bothers me the most is how I have an OK amount of real cash, while I'm a hobo when it comes to virtual cash. Nevertheless, I am a genious!
So, I always thought (when I was 10) that putting 10 KM (BAM, a currency) in my DVD-ROM will actually buy me the game. Turns out that it wouldn't. But now my opinion is greatly changed:
2010 - putting money into a PC buys a game
2013 - using credit cards buys a game
2015 - using credit cards or PayPal can buy a game
2016 - using my plan I can buy a game
AND, from now on, I will only use torrents to test the games I buy!
I will inform you in another journal about this plan, and I'll tell you if it worked.
P.S. For you "Git a j0b m8" posters, I can't have a job because I'm 14 years-old.
I have left the palindromic age.
Need to do a lot of shit this year.
[EDIT] Got a pair of Sennheiser CX 300-ii earbuds from a friend, my last earbuds were "Canyon" and lasted my 4 years, but holy shit are these new ones better!
Need to do a lot of shit this year.
[EDIT] Got a pair of Sennheiser CX 300-ii earbuds from a friend, my last earbuds were "Canyon" and lasted my 4 years, but holy shit are these new ones better!
TAKING ENVIRONMENT ART TO THE NEXT LEVEL
Hello
I have just found an interesting article. I wish i could grow a talent
http://80.lv/articles/next-level-of-environment-art-david-lesperance/
Hello
I have just found an interesting article. I wish i could grow a talent
http://80.lv/articles/next-level-of-environment-art-david-lesperance/
In my last journal I wrote about how for university we're making a model aircraft which has to be capable of carrying a 32oz bottle, and it must also be capable of being disassembled to be carried in another model aircraft.
Today we had the flights, and my team's plane performed fairly well. It had one problem, in that the landing gear wasn't rigid enough and the wheels were too small, so it caught on the ground a lot and flipped over when that happened. We had three flights, but there were also three failed attempts where the plane flipped before it left the ground, and on one of the flights it flipped on landing.
We fixed the problem with some zip ties however and none of the flights after that had any problems.
I'll upload some pics from my phone and write more about it tomorrow, but until then I will leave you with this very important piece of news:
Today we had the flights, and my team's plane performed fairly well. It had one problem, in that the landing gear wasn't rigid enough and the wheels were too small, so it caught on the ground a lot and flipped over when that happened. We had three flights, but there were also three failed attempts where the plane flipped before it left the ground, and on one of the flights it flipped on landing.
We fixed the problem with some zip ties however and none of the flights after that had any problems.
I'll upload some pics from my phone and write more about it tomorrow, but until then I will leave you with this very important piece of news:
Got a new RC car! Kinda...
While it's not totally new, it's new to me. It's a 1988 Tamiya Grasshopper II. It's as old as I am!
Video
Slow Motion 240fps
My old boss gave it to me as a gift because he hadn't used it in quite some time and left the batteries in it to leak and get the controller all nasty. I cleaned it up, replaced some battery terminals, re-soldered some joints and it works great!
Here's an album of the tear down - Tear-down and a cat
While it's not totally new, it's new to me. It's a 1988 Tamiya Grasshopper II. It's as old as I am!
Video
Slow Motion 240fps
My old boss gave it to me as a gift because he hadn't used it in quite some time and left the batteries in it to leak and get the controller all nasty. I cleaned it up, replaced some battery terminals, re-soldered some joints and it works great!
Here's an album of the tear down - Tear-down and a cat