The return of a Classic (no, not me, smart@ss)

" Some sobering news for anyone who has recently crested 40: Everything you grew up with is now officially retro. Clothes, music, hair styles — even video games.

Long before Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, there was Pong, a simple video game from Nolan Bushnell and the folks at the original Atari Inc. Two paddles, one ball and no Hot Coffee mod to unlock hidden sex scenes. THAT was gaming. "

I'm not quite forty yet, but man, does this thing bring back memories. My brother and I used to go nuts over Combat. It was the most fun and doubly frustrating game in existence. Here's a screenshot of what this game looked like:




(LOL. That's just nuts how old school that is.)

Anyway, it was fun to blast your opponent across the map, but frustrating as hell when you see his "shell" coming, but your tank is so damn slow you can only sit there and watch getting smacked across the screen. But, that's the funniest bit, so you didn't care after it happened because you were too busy wiping the tears from your eyes.

Of course this console doesn't support HD resolutions, component, or even S-video. Just LOOK at that screenshot. Why would you WANT higher resolution blocks? Answer: you don't.

GG Atari.

OH NOOOOOESS!!!11

Quick update: My motherboard decided to go belly up this weekend, so I had to order a replacement and bought some other new components in the process. Some of the articles that I had saved to the hard drive for posting will have to be rescued before re-installing Windows.

Right now i'm posting from a pc that only has a motherboard, power supply, a stick of RAM, and a cd-rom drive that's currently holding a cd of a Debian based Linux operating system with the Enlightenment desktop environment. It's a great backup tool since you have the ability to surf, check email, chat, or even watch dvd's (on a separate dvd-rom drive of course), all without installing a single thing to your hard drive. A operating system strictly running from a cd; nuts I say. Here is a link to a screenshot so you have an idea of what I'm using right now.

In case you're interested in other Linux live cd's, here is a list consisting of a plethora of live linux distros. (heh, plethora).

I'll be back in a couple of days. Ciao.

Gas prices skyrocketing because of Rita??

It sure looks like it.

Pimping the Podcasts

Yes, this is old news for some, and is definitely for me, but just in case you've not heard of Podcasts, this blog is for you. If you're Podcast savvy, then move along; if you're not, or have no idea what the hell I'm talking about, read on.

Podcasts are a method of publishing audio programs via the internet. The client, you in this case, would subscribe to a feed, and as soon as the latest audio program was uploaded by the creator, your podcast aggregator would automatically download it. Being usually of an .mp3 format, you can transfer this to a digital audio player of your choosing or burn it to cd just like any other .mp3 track. This phenomenon really caught on towards the end of 2004 and has grown from a handful of feeds to thousands of them.

Podcasts have become so popular, that iTunes has built-in support right out of the "box". In my opinion, it's much easier to navigate and subsribe using iTunes than other aggregators. But, in case you want to keep your options open, you can check out other applications here.

Within that list is the iTunes software which I recommend for its sheer simplicity to subscribe, download, and listen to podcasts.



Here are a few of my favorites (mostly tech talk):

Diggnation
This Week In Tech
The Daily Source Code (with Adam Curry)

Again, there are plenty of topics to choose from. There are some directories to browse if you haven't downloaded iTunes yet; Podcast.net and iPodder.org are both good sources. You'll definitely find something that interests you among these choices.

So get to downloading and take a listen while enjoying what is proving to be the future of audio broadcasts.

Amazing Underwater Photography

The man’s name is David Doubilet. He’s photographed over 60 stories for none other than National Geographic magazine since 1971.  Please do yourself a favor and take a look at his website. The shot above, taken in the Camen Islands, is just one of many jaw-dropping visuals you’ll see there.

This blog will especially tickle the fancy of a certain friend in Nova Scotia who loves Mother Ocean as much as I do.

Aloha

Wave bye bye to WinMX

"It is the end of an era folks. The WinMX P2P network is no longer running. The Peer Cache servers as well as the company website are no more. As of late last night (approx. 4-6 hours ago) the servers went down and users were no longer able to connect to the network."


This was a good p2p application back in the day, but it looks like they're trying to avoid being sued by the almighty RIAA. All this means is WinMX users, which there were alot of, will flock to yet another app. RIP.

Quick Quote (#1)

"Clones are people two"

Dolby Headphone

Although it will never replace a real surround setup, Dolby labs has come up with a fantastic virtual 5.1 (but I use the ".1" loosely) for use with a normal set of headphones. This technology uses a highly sophisticated room modeling algorithm that mimics surround sound very convincingly.

Put on your headphones, and take a listen. Click on the orange headphones on the right of the page.



The flash demo: Very convincing for only two speakers. These types of demos REALLY sound amazing on a proper setup, but this particular demo surprised me with it's depth and spacial cues.

The trailer demo: Not much separation there. Depth was almost non existent also. A poor demo, in my opinion.

Super Speedway demo: Well, I own this particular dvd, so no matter what I'm going to be biased. This demo lets you know via text that's located above the movie whether it's in stereo or surround. Again, better than I thought it would be, but doesn't hold a candle to a proper setup. *note* if you enjoy auto racing at ALL and have a 5.1 system, this is a must-have dvd.

No special effects. No stuntmen. No stereotypes. No other feeling comes close.

Step Into Liquid

If you haven't seen this documentary and have any interest in water sports and especially Mother Ocean, I highly recommend purchasing this dvd. I've never seen such stunning camera work for any water sport. There is also a bonus Hi-Def dvd included to view on your PC. Nothing short of amazing, this bit of film. Click on this topic title to view their website.

Click here for a preview. It's a short clip of a 40+ foot wave being surfed about 100 miles off the coast of San Diego at Cortes Bank. You've never seen anything like it.

The Complete Calvin And Hobbes

My favorite comic strip of all time, now sold with all 3 books in one collector's edition. To celebrate this occasion, Bill Watterson, creator, has re-released the classic comic for a limited time thru December 31st in newspapers across the country.

(Random Thought #1) The Sneeze

Have you ever noticed how ugly people look when they sneeze? Check it out sometime. If your friend/spouse/whatever looks like they're about to, take a good look and focus on their face. Better yet, whip out that phone cam and snap a pic. Man, that's got to be the ugliest look the human face can muster - it's that bad.

If your reflexes are truly as good as you boast to your friends and you actually manage to get that picture, send it to the email addy in my profile (be sure to put the word "Sneeze" in the subject line or it's automatically garbage) and I'll post it here. Don't worry, I'll make sure their faces are anonymous.

This is Eric, from emotioneric.com. This is the inhale part of the sneeze. I'd rather have the exhale bit, but if you get something like this, that's alright.



And hey, ladies and gents, don't bother trying to catch yourself sneezing in the mirror since the end result of trying to keep your eyes open is the equivalent of forcing oatmeal through your eye sockets. You have been warned.

(Official Rant #1) What is it with cupholders?

/rant

Ever notice that the cupholders in cars absolutely suck? They're either domestic and big enough to hold wine barrels or they're the import sized shot glass holders. What's the deal? My previous import cars were all inadequate to hold anything properly. For example, I used to drive a 90's Honda Civic. There were so many things wrong with the cup holder in this car:

* It was located right in front of the stick shift, making it impossible not to knock that already wobbly fountain drink onto the floor board while shifting into 3rd or 5th gear.

* You couldn't fit two bottles/cups/containers next to each other. So, whoever the lucky person was in the passenger seat got to hold theirs between their legs or hold theirs AND mine because not only wouldn't it fit in the cupholder, but I was driving a manual transmission and couldn't hold it myself. Bad luck :(

* You couldn't fit anything taller than a pepper shaker there because the radio was directly above it. Who the hell designed this? The Keebler elves?

Now I own a domestic. You'd think I'd be happier with larger cup holders, but unfortunately this is not the case. Sure, if I'm drinking out of a milk jug, I'm good to go, but let's face it - drinking from milk jugs is so 90's. Pfft.

Everything I like to drink just hates my cupholders and winds up leaning against my leg when I make a right hand turn. Ridiculous.

At this point you're saying to yourself "He must not have been in a *insert make of car here*." Of course I've not done a cup holder test on all makes of cars, and why should I? Can't there be a standard size for all?

Maybe I have been shopping for vehicles incorrectly all these years. The next time I purchase a car this will be a top consideration only second to gas mileage.

/rant

My Top 5 Playstation games

In lieu of Playstation's 10 year birthday here in the U.S., I've decided to pick out 5 games that:

* I still own.

* I still play.


So without further ado, because I know you're just underwhelmed with curiousity, here are my top 5 Playstation games in no particular order:

Metal Gear Solid



Ohhh man. Perhaps one of the greatest games on any platform, this game has it all - great graphics, impeccable gameplay, and an amazing story. I played through it twice because of the alternate endings. If you've never played any incarnation of Metal Gear, kick yourself in the back of the neck and call it a day.

Crash Bandicoot



Fantastically fun game. The graphics, the goofball sound effects and humorous moments are too numerous to mention. And who can deny a gaming company named Naughty Dog? Good stuff.


Tekken



My favorite fighting series. Yes, it's pretty easy for a noob to pick up the controller, mash buttons like he's a crackhead killing "bugs", then surprise you with some combos from hell, but if you know what you're doing, you can keep these kinds of opponents at bay. Great fun against your friends. But be forewarned: Lots of yelling and shouting of obscenities occur frequently.

Gran Turismo



The first and still the ONLY video game series that actually feels like driving without leaving the comfort of your home. This series is worth getting a Playstation in itself. The only other game that has come close to this was Sega's Ferriari F355 Challenge.

Battle Arena Toshinden



This game was my first true 3D fighting experience. The game wasn't perfect - had a bit of slowdown, controls were sometimes slow - but it had atmosphere, cool looking characters and weapons. What more could a guy ask for? Are you kidding me? Quite a bit I'm afraid, but it doesn't involve sitting around a tv.

And there you have it folks, my top 5 Playstation games of all time. If you see a game that you think should be in my top five, well, too bad. Write your own damn blog.

Happy 10th Birthday Playstation!!!

10 years ago today, the Playstation was launched in the U.S. Yes, I'm a geek for even mentioning this. Stuff it. I'm going to compile my top five games for the original Playstation and post them here, just not tonight. kthx.

Some newly snapped pics of Sony's Walkman

Sony's brand new Walkman, 26 years later...

"Sony has released their 20GB (NW-A3000) and 6GB (NW-A1000) portable audio devices, dubbing them as the new face for the Sony WALKMAN name.



Sporting an impressive advanced organic EL display, these two players feature new shuffle functions. By selecting ‘My Favorite Shuffle’, the device automatically selects the most listened to 100 songs and plays them at random. The ‘Time Machine Shuffle’ function randomly selects a year and plays all of the songs from that particular year that are currently held on the device."



The organic display is sick. It will be released in early November of this year. I'm very curious about format support and other sonic details. I'll be keeping an eye on this one...

First Look: iPod Nano

"There’s a new iPod on the scene—the iPod nano—and we’ve got one. What follows are our first impressions of this very impressive little player.

As you’ve undoubtedly heard, the iPod nano comes in two colors (white and black) and two configurations ($199 for 2GB, and $249 for 4GB). Each model stores music on a memory card rather than a hard drive, bears a crisp color display, and—like current full-sized iPods and the now-defunct iPod mini—sports a click wheel."



Wow, really. For athletes or people that are more active outside, this is a very good thing. The 20GB+ ipods are too bulky and are hard drive based - making them subject to a short life span because of jarring or constant vibration. On the other hand, my brother has an iPod Shuffle which is light and has flash-based memory, but is pretty skimpy in features and storage and doesn't have a display. He loves it though, so it's all about what's important to you and what suits your lifestyle. Click the topic title for an early first look at this new member to the ipod family.

Playstation turns 10 this Friday!

"Bake a cake and light some candles—this Friday marks the 10th birthday of everyone's favorite 32-bit system, the Sony PlayStation. It's hard to believe that it's been a full decade since the PS1 came along and launched Sony to the pinnacle of success. But here we are, downshifting our Emotion Engines as we cruise into the twilight days of the system's successor, making way for the PS1's Cell-powered grandchild."

Click the topic link to read the rest of this insightful and well written article.

Samsung to the rescue (hopefully)

"FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Samsung Electronics Co. will bring out a DVD machine next year capable of playing both Blu-ray and HD DVD if backers of the rival standards fail to agree on a unified format, says a newspaper."

Samsung's head of consumer electronics, Choi Gee-sung, told the Financial Times Deutschland: "We would welcome a unified standard but if this doesn't come, which looks likely, we'll bring a unified solution to market."

Fortunately and unfortunately for consumers this player will be a reality. Good because you won't have to buy two players. Bad because it's bullsh*t we have to deal with two formats. Beta Max and VHS anyone?

The public is already confused with Hi-Def as it is, much less having to choose between two Hi-Def optical formats next year.

Can RFID secure America's ports?

"Ocean-going cargo is the critical link in the United States' economic supply chain--as well as the most effective delivery vehicle for a terrorist-inspired weapon of mass destruction.

A WMD-laden container ship entering Los Angeles, Seattle or New York would be enough to bring the entire U.S. economy grinding to a halt--whether successfully detonated or not. Either way, the impact would be devastating economically and politically both here and abroad."

Other than the mention of the over-used acronym "WMD", this is a good article on the possible implementation of RFID to be used on ocean going cargo. These tags are a good use of technology - as long as they are implanted only in products and not used for human tracking such as the idiotic InClass RFID scenario. It's the same as treating people like cattle. Ludicrous.

Toshiba - Delaying HD DVD until 2006?

"Toshiba Corp. said it is considering pushing back the year-end US launch of HD DVD players until 2006, losing its first-move advantage against Blu-ray Disc, which is scheduled for launch in the first half of 2006. The main backer of the next-generation DVD format known as HD DVD said that any change in the launch schedule is intended to maximize the potential demand of the new format."

"We are now in talks with Hollywood studios and large-scale retailers to seek the most effective timing of the launch and best way to launch," a Toshiba spokeswoman said. "We originally aimed for the year-end launch in the United States. But we have not really decided on that."



Please don't rush this new format to the masses JUST because it's the holiday season. Instead, launch it when you AND the studios are both ready. In my opinion, this is good news, but that little jump that it was going to get on Blu-Ray is now a tad smaller.

More here, or click the blog topic.

Compression killing High Definition quality

"Consumers are getting a raw deal when it comes to viewing the best quality of high-definition television possible, said Mark Cuban, co-founder and president of Denver-based HD.Net. Speaking to more than 200 members of the television-manufacturing industry last week during an HDTV conference, Cuban said most HD content is compressed or made smaller, underutilizing HDTV sets capable of showing programming with extremely high resolution."

Hm. Not that I doubt that any kind of compression scheme is being used by providers, but this is coming from a guy who has nothing to lose by such a statement and everything to gain business-wise with this kind of slant. Nevertheless, this doesn't surprise me, but should not be taken lightly by the public. You see, once analog signals are cleared from the airwaves, it'll leave considerably more room for over-the-air High Def content, which hopefully providers will make quality a priority over quantity. There is no excuse why they cannot give us all that High Definition has to offer.

Live police/radio scanner from New Orleans

You'll need Winamp to listen. This is some insane audio from live scanners taken from police and other radios. A little disturbing at times, so be forewarned.

New Orleans live journal

"This journal has become the Survival of New Orleans blog. In less perilous times it was simply a blog for me to talk smack and chat with friends. Now this journal exists to share firsthand experience of the disaster and its aftermath with anyone interested."

Some incredible blogs. Here's a snippet:

"Situtation is critical.

I'm not leaving, so stop asking. I'm staying. I am staying until this shitstorm has blown itself out. Period. End of discussion.

Now for some updates:

1. Been too busy to debrief the police officer, so that will come later. Low priority now.

2. Buses loading people up on Camp Street to take refugees to Dallas, or so the word on the street (literally) is.

3. Dead bodies everywhere: convention center, down camp street, all over.

4. National Guard shoving water off the backs of trucks. They're just pushing it off without stopping, people don't even know it's there at first -- they drop it on the side in debris, there's no sign or distribution point -- people are scared to go near it at first, because the drop points are guarded by troops or federal agents with assault rifles who don't let people come near them, which scares people off. It is a mess. When people actually get to the water, they are in such a rush to get it that one family left their small child behind and forget about him until Sig carried him back to the family."

It's just incredible what is happening here. BUSH, HURRY THE F*CK UP.