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December 31, 2006
Another One Down
Birthdays, holidays, the end of the year, and Sometimes the last day of a decade or century!
December is a jam-packed month. This particular December has been no exception. I did get sick, as I always seem to, over my birthday... but it seems to be at bay now.
I survived all of the madness and came away with great loot. Then I went shopping for me LOL. Best Buy had this hateful teller who totally tried cheating me out of a $15 iTunes gift card. Luckily my friend was with me and pointed it out. So, I scored a free $15 to my media store of choice for something I was going to buy anyway.
My bedroom has now gone as wireless as is possible for the moment. My computer is sporting a wireless keyboard, mouse, printer, and headphones. I can now feel that I have accomplished October's resolution to cut the cords by 2007. Next I'm going wireless with a new speaker system. Then I'm pretty much good.
I bought a new TiVo series 2 Dual Tuner DVR today. It should be here in about a week. I'm pretty psyched about that. I've had DVRs before, but I've never had a "TiVo". This one is like the cheapest one they sell, it's an 80 hour Tivo. I'm not sure why I would need a better one since I only watch like 5 shows total.
I spent the morning of my birthday at the hateful DMV. They took 1 and a half hours to renew my license. Yes, I planned to do it online but I totally forgot. I remembered the night before my birthday and apparently they won't allow you to do it online last minute.
Well I think that's about it. I'm tired and I'm leaving!
Posted by Decemberice at 09:39 PM | Comments (0)
December 30, 2006
Zune... you lose.
Well, the first generation of the Zune media device from Microsoft has fallen short of sales expectations as witnessed on MSNBC (you'd think they would police the spin a little).
That's not entirely surprising. It is a little late into a market controlled with an iron fist by Apple's iPod. I happen to have an iPod and lusted over a few of the features the Zune has (larger, clearer screen and built-in radio tuner for example) but not nearly enough to forsake my beloved iPod for it. Apparently that's what most consumers believed. According to that new clip from MSNBC above shoppers are "ignoring the Zune."
That's tough to do. It's everywhere. In EB Games and Gamestop they have their own ginormous displays chucked full of accessories.
As I mentioned in a previous blog; however, the Zune is generation 1. Microsoft is used to losing money at first, only to work its way to the top later in product's lifespan.
Posted by Decemberice at 11:43 AM | Comments (0)
December 29, 2006
Happy Birthday Self
Today is my birthday. It has been for a whole hour and nine minutes. I feel a little blue about getting older, but my policy has always been to age as gracefully as possible, not try and hide the fact that I'm losing hair or getting wrinkley... it's as whoever made me (be that deity or evolutionary science) intended.
To celebrate I scored myself 5 days off from work which I like to refer to as a "vacation." Unfortunately things didn't work out as planned because I'm sicker than a dog, so I will not be going to Idaho as intended, or even Seattle as was the backup plan.
I will likely be getting violently ill like I do each year either on X-Mas or my Birthday and spend a good portion of it in the hospital.
Growing up is kind of odd. I'm the one who brings home the bank now. I don't have to look up to anybody to buy me really great gifts that I wait all year for. In fact, I rarely have to wait more than a paycheck or two for anything I want. It really mellows out the holidays when you aren't kept awake at night in anticipation. I was one of those annoying kids who couldn't sleep at all Christmas Eve. I would get up at like 5 in the morning, pound on my sister's doors to wake them up so we could unwrap presents. I made unwrapping a stronger verb.
Now, I honestly don't care whether people buy me things or not. It's a really nice notion, but I hate when people spend lots of money on me. I think I inherited that from my dad who would flip if you bought him anything other than a pair of socks or some pajamas.
It will be the first year that he doesn't call me up and tell me about the day that I was born and how he was caught in a blizzard and so on. I think I'll miss that most about him. It'll take time for things to feel normal without him around.
I should probably sleep some though because I have to get up somewhat early to renew my Driver's License tomorrow. LOL I should totally have done it weeks ago online when they sent me the stupid reminder but now I actually have to go to the DMV. God save me.
Later All!
Posted by Decemberice at 01:16 AM | Comments (2)
December 28, 2006
More Wii Love
A co-worker asked me today about my Wii, and of course I spewed all the sickening love I have for that clever little white box. They then preceeded to tell me they were thinking about buying one of the new consoles but weren't sure which one to get. I really don't understand this. There is a very blatent software deliniation in place. This is one of those situations where you really should believe the applicable sterotypes, and go for the one that piques your interest the most.
From a purely graphical perspective, you'll want a PS3. Also, if you are looking for the latest, greatest, with features that aren't even funtional yet, but might be utilized in the future... stick to the PS3. If you have a mass library of PS1, or PS3 games, or you have an existing library of BluRay discs (insert laughter), buy the PS3. If you want RPGs that kick ass to no end and have breathtaking graphical story boost sequences... by all means, there is only 1 system for you: PS3. If you want bragging rights... buy a PS3. If you want the most flexible system available, buy a PS3. If you have a TV capable of 1080p, but a PS3.
If you love first person shooters, pick up the 360. If you want a superior media experience... 360. If you have a Windows MCE computer, 360. If you intend on going to Halo the movie, pick up a 360. If you are still bitter about the death of the Dreamcast, buy the 360. If you are interested in the graphics and power, but more so on your wallet, buy the 360.
The Wii is a little bit of a different story. I would almost suggest it as a supplemental system if you can afford it as such. It's such a different experience, that it's difficult to pin a particular group that doesn't overlap into one of the other systems, so I will position it this way: If you are the type to pre-order a Mario, Zelda, Metroid, or Animal Crossing game... buy the Wii. If you are happy great, if you aren't, buy a PS3 with it. I think most people viewed it initially as a supplemental console but it is fully capable of standing on it's own. There are some games that really suffer from the "innovative new controller interface" but they are really few and far between at this point. It won't treat HDTV owners as well as the other consoles, but it is certainly a superior party console. It also has a fairly distinct software lineup. Basically if you are going to get a Wii you already know you want it, the question is do you really need another console. The Wii has great potential, but it's certianly not next generation in the graphics department.
Anyhow, returning to my story, I just smiled and listened to the fictitious turmoil this person was proposing and then kinda chuckled as they essentially spelled out that they wanted a 360 but were swayed by the Wii. My answer of course was: Microsoft is never the answer. That's because I'm a hateful Mac user. The reality of the situation is, skip the system, shop the software, make your decision based on that. You'll kick yourself if you pick up a Wii and what you really wanted was Halo 3.
Posted by Decemberice at 02:40 AM | Comments (0)
December 25, 2006
Ah, Christmas!
So, it's been a fairly rough year on the family, but I think today really demonstrated, more than any other, that we are learning to cope with the changes that life has thrown our way. Life went on, this first Christmas without our dad. We thought about him a lot, but decided that he wouldn't want us to spend the day in mourning, he'd want us to enjoy it.
On the gift side of things, I got the Nintendo Wii (yes I've had it for a while, but it was officially an X-Mas gift). I got the most impossible to find Silverchair CD/DVD set in the world! LOL. I got Red Steel for the Wii, which I have not had the opportunity to start playing yet. I got the Six Feet Under complete series on DVD, which I will unfortunately be taking back to pay some medical and dental bills to be able to afford to go on my birthday trip this weekend. I got scratch tickets, Harvey Birdman attorney at law on DVD, and a few other things.
Overall, the getting was good.
I didn't spend a small fortune on everybody this year because I was actually rather broke. I limited it to a budget of about $20 per person per event (since a lot of my friends and family have birthdays around christmas like I do).
I had fun but I felt crowded, which always makes me want to escape so I slept in my room for most of the day and my family thought I was being standoffish... but that's just me. If there are more than 3 people in a room I start sweating bullets and wanting to escape.
Well, it's time to escape back to my room.
Later!
Oh, as a side note, because 2 people have already asked, My wish list on Amazon.com has been updated and the gifts I received have been taken off. So, It's safe to shop for my birthday gifts off of my wish list!
Posted by Decemberice at 07:56 PM | Comments (2)
December 24, 2006
Love my Wii more everyday
Totally dig the new internet browser. It's not perfect, but it's not far off. So now my Wii browses the internet, does photos, gives me the weather forcast, lets me download classic games, and plays amazing new games. There is no better gadget in the world.
I still barely play any game other than the sports game that came free with it. It's just so addictive. Everday I wak up and play Tennis. I'm pretty much unbeatable at this point.
Posted by Decemberice at 02:24 AM | Comments (1)
December 23, 2006
Yes, I'm going to hark on Sony again
What the heck is all I can say. I want to love Sony. There are so many great ideas in their product lineup, but such poor delivery or follow through. The worst trend I've noticed in Sony is the way they simply give up in the North American market if something isn't an instant and groundbreaking success. Fair enough, that's probably fallout from the Mini Disc debacle. Honestly though, you've got to stick to your guns sometimes, and just keep improving upon what you've put out there. The Xbox is a perfect example. The first Xbox was somewhat of a joke amongst serious gamers. Japan still hasn't embraced it, but it's got a fairly strong footing in this generation of consoles with the Xbox 360. Mostly because Microsoft took what was a laughably flawed product the first go round, and improved it the second, but stuck with it.
The PS3 will do fine in it's own time. I'm not worried about the PS3, but I would like to see Sony do more with the niche technologies they have lying around. Location Free is brilliant. It's wasted, however on 3 devices. In fact, Sony is ramping up to support it on Windows Mobile phones before they are even going to support it on their own co-branded lineup of phones. Furthermore, they don't support it on the Mylo. What's that all about.
Apple succeeds by taking a strategy and tying it in across their entire product lineup. Not Sony. They seem to enjoy distinct demographic marketing. Never may two demographics utilize the same device.
The Mylo will fail miserably. It already has. Expect Sony to quietly yank it off their site in a few days. The problem? They've failed to market it, and they've failed to utilize it's strongpoints and build on them with software.
I'm excited to see that Sony is embracing some new technologies. Then again, we have their desktop computer lineup which is still toting an outdated series of Pentium D processors from the stoneage. We all know that sony's strength is in laptop comuters, but perhaps that's because it's the only thing they put any effort in with their PC R and D. Well, that's not true, there was the Digital Living System which was cost inhibitive for most, and a gigantic intrusion to many a living room. In fact it still exists. They probably even sell one every once in a while.
The thing that is most frustrating about Sony is that anybody with half a brain can see 10 ways they could slightly change or re-evaluate the leverage between their product lines, and become admired again. I could name them all day long, but Sony doesn't really care.
Ah well. You win some you lose some. And if you are Sony, you lose a lot.
Posted by Decemberice at 02:56 PM | Comments (0)
December 16, 2006
And I'm Permanent
So, there had been some question about the permanence of my position at work, but I was reassured tonight that based on my results... (drumroll) I'm not going anywhere. At my company; however, things change so rapidly that permanent is really just a notion. Nevertheless, I can breathe easy for now as it looks like I won't be falling down a few notches after the holiday season.
On the other hand, I get to meet with my boss', boss', boss' boss on Monday in one of their infamous tours where my position is the focus of our site. This event is so heralded that my boss and his boss (this is good for a laugh) are making an office for me for a day. That's right, in order to make it look like I'm more pivotal than I really am... they have cleared out an office, and I get to work out of it for one day. LOL.
I'm such a money grubbing whore though that I could care less what show we are putting on so long as the check keeps hitting the bank.
It ought to be entertaining though explaining how the nobody without a degree has become a revolutionary in our site, improving numbers every month since I took the position, and creating processes that are distributed throughout a worldwide network... if I keep it up perhaps I'll get to sit in the office again next year for a day... possibly two.
Posted by Decemberice at 01:18 AM | Comments (2)
December 12, 2006
Ode to My Mac
Another, small, white, piece of electronics is dear to me. No, this isn't about my Wii again... this is about my Mac. My beloved Damien the iBook. The thing about my Mac is that it's still alive. I've had this thing for nearly 6 years and it's never died. There was one close call, but that's because I was an idiot and though I was far moreso savy than an enthusiast which was not at all the reality.
This is an ode to my Apple:
You are always there, when I need you most
You needn't tie me down with wires, you are wi-fi, bluetooth, mi-fi, for my sweet tooth.
You run everything I need, even Windows, which proves you aren't above dirty deeds.
How I love your iLife apps, that make me pictures and websites, whenever I ask.
It doesn't matter to you that I know nothing at all,
You make it all easy, so I don't feel dumb whatever the task.
Though I've dropped you on the floor... well a time or two, possibly more,
Resilliant you are to this very day. Though, as technology goes, you're from the dinosaur days
I can only hope, my next Apple is as sweet as you,
That it loves me as you do.
Or at least can handle a tumble or two too.
The end.
Posted by Decemberice at 03:53 AM | Comments (1)
December 10, 2006
Video Games are Fun Again
So, I've been playing with my Nintendo Wii almost non-stop since I got it. I have to confess that I wasn't really going to stick with video games into this next generation. I thought they looked great, but there were so few that I actually enjoyed to play, that it didn't seem worth the money.
Well, I was pretty swayed by the Nintendo DS, and I really liked the concept behind the Wii. In addition, I couldn't resist the idea of a new Animal Crossing, so I broke down and decided to get the Wii. The funny part is that I decided to get the Wii solely for Animal Crossing and Mario Galaxy, but I love almost every game I've played on it so far. Wii sports, which comes free with the system, is one of my favorite games of all time. I have a hard time breaking away from it to go to work in the morninings LOL.
Zelda is breathtaking, but there is a whole new element to it with the sword and the shield actually being in your hands, and sensitive to your movement.
I don't really like Marvel Ultimate Alliance on the Wii. Unfortunately, some games just don't lend themselves to the Wii's control interface and it is one. The game is awesome, but I'd recommend it on any other platform.
I also love the little extras you get with the Wii. For instance, Miis. The whole Mii concept is to design your own little characters, sort of like a Muggin on Windows Live or MSN Messenger. Then you can actually play as them in your game. It's brilliant. Plus others can send Miis that they've created to your console, and you can send yours to them. It's fun. You customize them down to the color of their eyes.
This is totally a family experience too. My mom, who hasn't gamed since the 80's, loves the Wii. I sat around with my neice and nephew and played it all afternoon, and they love it. Yet at the same time, it isn't so childish that it's pretty much only for children.
I am so glad I decided to get this thing, and so thankful that my old boss stood in line in the snow to score me one. I've really had a great time with it.
I've decided not to buy a PS3 for a while because I'm fully content with the Wii as my primary system. I really expect the Wii to be a superstar of the next generation consoles. Nintendo did their own thing and they did it well. It really shows that games arean't all about the graphics, and that you can have much more fun with a console that everybody feels comfortable playing, and enjoys. I would recommend one for every household.
Plus, you don't have to have a fancy HDTV, or pay $70 a game. In fact, if you bought the console just for the free game that comes with it, you'd probably be very content! Plus, if you are like me and have a GameCube already, you can play your gamecube games on the Wii without any adapters or anything special. Just plug your gamecube controller right into the top of the console. Plus you can download classic games basically for 5-10 bucks apeice.
Oh, and when you pick up your Wii, I'll have ot get your friend code so we can trade Miis!
Posted by Decemberice at 03:53 PM | Comments (2)
December 09, 2006
Dell comes through!
You probably remember me ranting on about how my new Dell laptop died a horrible death when I tried to restore it with the disks Dell gave me. I had quite the time wrestling with customer service reps who sent me to Microsoft, who then sent me back to Dell... it was a mess.
But... This cool guy from Dell named Todd read my blog and contacted me through the comments. He actually listened to the problem I was having, and took action. They sent me out a re-imaged harddrive and the proper restore CDs, and all is well and good with my laptop now.
I hate to admit it, but I'm pretty impressed. I think Dell really came through. The laptop works like a charm with the new hard drive! Thanks Todd, you rock!
Posted by Decemberice at 12:32 AM | Comments (1)
December 06, 2006
The World Goes Mad
Starting with the lady who had her 12 year old son arrested for opening his present before Christmas
Then the 12 parents who tried to trade their children for PS3s.
What the hell is wrong with the world?
Posted by Decemberice at 10:37 PM | Comments (0)
December 03, 2006
Behold the power of my Wii
I know, I know, but the word play comes so naturally.
These are the kinds of experiences you have when you bring the Nintendo Wii to the party. I have seen one of my friends go insane with this very game. LOL Poor Katy, the guy just wouldn't stay down.
At any rate, I thought this would help you better understand the epidemic of broken TVs thanks to the Wiimote.
Can you see how interactive the gameplay is with the Wii? I love this machine. It's literally changed the way I play games. Plus, it's significantly improved my workout LOL. I have a feeling we'll be seeing a Wii workout program rather soon.
Later.
Posted by Decemberice at 11:16 AM | Comments (1)
One to terrify you early on a Sunday
In belated respect of World AIDS day, I've brough this link from Digg.com to all of your attentions:
Posted by Decemberice at 11:05 AM | Comments (0)
December 02, 2006
Underworld
Why is there no game based on the movie Underworld? What could be better than parading around as a vampire whooping on werewolves? Or vice versa? These are the things I ponder at 2am.
Posted by Decemberice at 02:26 AM | Comments (0)
To PS3 or not to PS3
So, I had the opportunity to purchase the PS3 today. I stumbled upon a game store that had both the 20 and 60 GB versions in stock. For a split second I was actually considering it. I finally decided that $600 is just too much for a video game system for me at the moment. The PS3 just doesn't have many games that I'm interested in. Plus, I love my Nintendo Wii, and it does have about 4 that I'd like to have.
As I walked out of the store I started to kick myself for not buying it, but I guess two realities just kept preventing me from walking back in and buying the thing.
1) I still don't have a hi-definition TV. So, though I'm sure I'd still reap a slight reward in graphics, it wouldn't make a whole lot of sense to buy something with such amazing graphical capability and hook it up to my 15 year old TV.
2) I don't want to bother with the 20 GB model since, for $100 more you get 3x the capacity, bluetooth, wi-fi, and multi-card reader ports. Yet, $600 still seems outlandish for a video game system. For that $600 you still only have 1 controller and no games.
I finally decided that I did the right thing by walking away without buying it. Even though I probably could have eBayed it for a small fortune.
I will wait until Sony works out the glitches, the game lineup gets more imrpessive, and I get a better TV to play it on I think. I'm still interested. It's like the holy grail of consumer electronics, but it's a bit much for me at the moment. Especially since I'm having a lot of fun with my new Wii. But that's because I'm totally a Nintendork. I always jump on Nintendo's systems before any other. I guess it's the kid in me that still loves Mario and Animal Crossing, and those kind of games more than the realistic RPGs.
While I was there, I picked up Zelda and Marvel Ultimate Alliance for my Wii! So far, I've also downloaded F-Zero, and Mario Bros. for it. I'm thinking about downloading Mario 64, but find it hard to justify since I still own it for the N64, and have it on DS as well.
Anyhow, I will post more later. I'm getting pretty sleepy.
Posted by Decemberice at 12:11 AM | Comments (1)