The N80 as an iPod replacement
31/July/2008 20:11 Filed in: Technology
When my iPod bit the dust, I immediately wanted to
get another one (more on that in a later post), but
for the time being I wanted to use what I had in
order to get on my day to day business. There are
three options: My PSP, my N80 or my N800 Internet
Tablet (NIT).
I don't have that much external memory for my PSP, so unless I wanted to invest in memory stick DUOs, I am a bit out of luck. Also, the PSP is a bit bulky, and in order to carry it around I would need some sort of case, which I don't have, so I decided to give up on that idea.
The N80 was the next contender. My usual listening habits include podcasts. Lots and lots of podcasts. I exported my podcast subscriptions in the form of an OPML file from iTunes. I installed the podcasting client on my N80, and sent the OPML file via bluetooth. Seamless. I can connect my headphones to my N80, I can download podcasts over the air, and listen to them.
Well, I hit a snag. My removable memory is only 128MB, so I would need to invest in a miniSD card (or more if I wanted music). Considering that my N80 is 2 years old and newer phones take microSD (damned formats!), it seems idiotic to waste money on miniSD cards, thus I can only download one or two podcasts. I am OK with that. I am usually within a WiFi hotspot near work, and at home so I can always keep my podlist fresh.
I tried downloading a podcast (1 podcast), and I could not! My connection (at home) kept stalling! I finally gave up. Granted I haven't tried since to see if I can get podcasts on my N80, but I've sort of written it off for now.
N80 as an iPod replacement, I give you a C+
I don't have that much external memory for my PSP, so unless I wanted to invest in memory stick DUOs, I am a bit out of luck. Also, the PSP is a bit bulky, and in order to carry it around I would need some sort of case, which I don't have, so I decided to give up on that idea.
The N80 was the next contender. My usual listening habits include podcasts. Lots and lots of podcasts. I exported my podcast subscriptions in the form of an OPML file from iTunes. I installed the podcasting client on my N80, and sent the OPML file via bluetooth. Seamless. I can connect my headphones to my N80, I can download podcasts over the air, and listen to them.
Well, I hit a snag. My removable memory is only 128MB, so I would need to invest in a miniSD card (or more if I wanted music). Considering that my N80 is 2 years old and newer phones take microSD (damned formats!), it seems idiotic to waste money on miniSD cards, thus I can only download one or two podcasts. I am OK with that. I am usually within a WiFi hotspot near work, and at home so I can always keep my podlist fresh.
I tried downloading a podcast (1 podcast), and I could not! My connection (at home) kept stalling! I finally gave up. Granted I haven't tried since to see if I can get podcasts on my N80, but I've sort of written it off for now.
N80 as an iPod replacement, I give you a C+
|
And you thought GSM was bad...
30/July/2008 20:10 Filed in: Technology
I've been looking at phones lately (no thanks to the
iPhone!) and I must say that I am seeing some
absurdities with the selection of bands. GSM had five
bands (frequencies), although only four are used. THe
original band was 900Mhz, then 1800Mhz rolled out in
Europe, 1900Mhz and 850Mhz followed suit in the
Americas and 450Mhz was tested but never deployed.
This was a 2G technology
Now we've got 3G rolling out. We started with 2100Mhz and we rejoiced! This would be the one band to unify the world! Well, no! at&t came in and decided to use 1900Mhz and 850Mhz as well! OK, phones are triband 3G now (well some anyway), and T-Mobile US comes out with 1700Mhz, and some carriers in Europe are experimenting with 900Mhz...that's five bands!
Nokia phones aren't triband (the iPhone and some HTC handsets are). With nokia handsets you get 2100, or 1900/850, or 2100/900 or 2100/850... Just make a quintband 3G chip already! I wonder what LTE is going to bring...
This sort of reminds me of a recent Hollowmen episode I watched. The think tank had a 6-point plan for the Prime Minister, but they could not implement it. So... they came up with a 4-point plan, to make the 6-point plan a 2-point plan. Hillarious, until you think about it!
Now we've got 3G rolling out. We started with 2100Mhz and we rejoiced! This would be the one band to unify the world! Well, no! at&t came in and decided to use 1900Mhz and 850Mhz as well! OK, phones are triband 3G now (well some anyway), and T-Mobile US comes out with 1700Mhz, and some carriers in Europe are experimenting with 900Mhz...that's five bands!
Nokia phones aren't triband (the iPhone and some HTC handsets are). With nokia handsets you get 2100, or 1900/850, or 2100/900 or 2100/850... Just make a quintband 3G chip already! I wonder what LTE is going to bring...
This sort of reminds me of a recent Hollowmen episode I watched. The think tank had a 6-point plan for the Prime Minister, but they could not implement it. So... they came up with a 4-point plan, to make the 6-point plan a 2-point plan. Hillarious, until you think about it!
Television Tuesday: American Gothic.
29/July/2008 18:32 Filed in: Television
| Entertainment
Yet another Hulu discovery: American Gothic.
I have to say that this series was weird, X-files weird (or possibly the outer limits weird)!
I thought that since Gary Cole (Lumberg from Office Space) was in it, that it would be rather comical. I was wrong. The story revolves around a small town in the south that has a lot of inexplicable phenomena happening. If you make a deal with the Sheriff, your life is prosperous, but eventually you will have to pay him back. Throughout the series I was wondering if he was corrupt, if he was some sort of witch with supernatural powers, or if he was the devil himself!
Even though the series is rather dark and at times, I think, disturbing, I highly recommend it.
If you want some more info about the series, click here for the Wikipedia entry (SPOILERS WARNING!)
I have to say that this series was weird, X-files weird (or possibly the outer limits weird)!
I thought that since Gary Cole (Lumberg from Office Space) was in it, that it would be rather comical. I was wrong. The story revolves around a small town in the south that has a lot of inexplicable phenomena happening. If you make a deal with the Sheriff, your life is prosperous, but eventually you will have to pay him back. Throughout the series I was wondering if he was corrupt, if he was some sort of witch with supernatural powers, or if he was the devil himself!
Even though the series is rather dark and at times, I think, disturbing, I highly recommend it.
If you want some more info about the series, click here for the Wikipedia entry (SPOILERS WARNING!)
Leveraging my strategic assets for a synergistic paradigm shift
28/July/2008 08:38 Filed in: Other
I was looking at various people on LinkedIn a few
weeks back to see if there are any acquaintances on
there, and I came across an individual who had this
in their blurb about themselves (changed mildly to
protect the innocent):
“PMP certified IT Project Manager with over fifteen years of experience with the ability to leverage her proven record of strategic leadership in solving complex business problems, increase ROI and decrease CTO, as part of a collaborative work environment.”
Maybe it’s the fact that I am sensitive to business bull after having listened to the Bullfighter’s guide, but all I can say is WOW! I can’t really believe that she speaks about herself in the third person and has one sentence so fortified with business bull. Now, I don’t know this person, but if I were a hiring manager I would say that there is a lot of smoke blow from her direction. I personally prefer to more personal blurb. You can be a high powered whatever, but making your blurb more personal shows that you are a person and thus, in my opinion, more valuable to the organization than a business bull automaton.
Just my two cents…
“PMP certified IT Project Manager with over fifteen years of experience with the ability to leverage her proven record of strategic leadership in solving complex business problems, increase ROI and decrease CTO, as part of a collaborative work environment.”
Maybe it’s the fact that I am sensitive to business bull after having listened to the Bullfighter’s guide, but all I can say is WOW! I can’t really believe that she speaks about herself in the third person and has one sentence so fortified with business bull. Now, I don’t know this person, but if I were a hiring manager I would say that there is a lot of smoke blow from her direction. I personally prefer to more personal blurb. You can be a high powered whatever, but making your blurb more personal shows that you are a person and thus, in my opinion, more valuable to the organization than a business bull automaton.
Just my two cents…
Video Game Friday: Black and White
25/July/2008 18:31 Filed in: Entertainment
| VideoGames
OK, so last week I wrote about Populous II. This
week, on a similar theme, I am remising about a game
called Black and White (and its sequel Black and
White II). One of my friends, who is really into Real
Time Strategy games, bought this pack, but he did not
really like it (I guess he’s more of Panzer General
type of RTS fan).
Never one to turn down a game, I took the games in and gave them a good home. In the game you play a god, and you use a giant hand to perform various miracles such as saving people, creating forests, encouraging crop growth, and so on. The game is almost like a SIM city clone. You can get people to worship you through good will, or through fear. I’ve used fear tactics when I was frustrated that my enemy god’s subjects would not worship me when I gave them food (and other) miracles. It’s surprising how much more worship you get through fear rather than being a kind god (or course in the end being a vengeful god reflects poorly on your stats, if I remember correctly).
In any case, I got to the last level of the game, but I had a hard time moving through and finishing. The last stage was de-forested, over cropped, and possibly over-mined. (in other words, humans were there), so it was difficult to expand my sphere of influence and maintain enough power to destroy my enemy god’s temple. On top of that, the game suffered from not being backed up, so when my hard drive died, so did my save-file. Oh well. If I ever have some time, I may get back to it because it was quite an entertaining game (despite the constant “we need food!” whines of the people)
Never one to turn down a game, I took the games in and gave them a good home. In the game you play a god, and you use a giant hand to perform various miracles such as saving people, creating forests, encouraging crop growth, and so on. The game is almost like a SIM city clone. You can get people to worship you through good will, or through fear. I’ve used fear tactics when I was frustrated that my enemy god’s subjects would not worship me when I gave them food (and other) miracles. It’s surprising how much more worship you get through fear rather than being a kind god (or course in the end being a vengeful god reflects poorly on your stats, if I remember correctly).
In any case, I got to the last level of the game, but I had a hard time moving through and finishing. The last stage was de-forested, over cropped, and possibly over-mined. (in other words, humans were there), so it was difficult to expand my sphere of influence and maintain enough power to destroy my enemy god’s temple. On top of that, the game suffered from not being backed up, so when my hard drive died, so did my save-file. Oh well. If I ever have some time, I may get back to it because it was quite an entertaining game (despite the constant “we need food!” whines of the people)
Why business people speak like idiots
24/July/2008 08:36 Filed in: Books | Entertainment
I recently finished listening to
Why Business People Speak Like Idiots: A
Bullfighter's Guide
during my commutes from home to work and vice
versa. I was never really a fan of business
speak, crazy work such as paradigm shift, or
leveraging my assets to build up a best of breed
solution. While in business school I tried to
avoid such BS, but I do have to admit that I
have in a number of occasions (when in the
presence of Business people) used such language.
The book was actually quite refreshing for both people who actively seek asylum from such language, and people who should reform their vocabulary to eliminate such non-sense from their word banks. The book comes in audiobook form
,
and I highly recommend it. At the very least the
book is entertaining and it won’t be a waste of
your time. Who knows, the book might convince
you to look at your own usage of business bull
and encourage you to cut it out.
during my commutes from home to work and vice
versa. I was never really a fan of business
speak, crazy work such as paradigm shift, or
leveraging my assets to build up a best of breed
solution. While in business school I tried to
avoid such BS, but I do have to admit that I
have in a number of occasions (when in the
presence of Business people) used such language.
The book was actually quite refreshing for both people who actively seek asylum from such language, and people who should reform their vocabulary to eliminate such non-sense from their word banks. The book comes in audiobook form
,
and I highly recommend it. At the very least the
book is entertaining and it won’t be a waste of
your time. Who knows, the book might convince
you to look at your own usage of business bull
and encourage you to cut it out.
The society of librarians who say *bleep*
23/July/2008 08:35 Filed in: Work
Recently Google reader recommended an RSS feed for
me. This blog is about the everyday
frustrations of librarians and library
patrons and it’s called the society of
librarians who say mofo. I have to say that
initially I was skeptical about the site, but I
find humor in the every day absurdities that
occur in the lives of these individuals mostly
because I’ve seen or heard something in my
immediate circles.
One story that’s caught my attention is this whole surrendering of the library card to access the AV collection and the constant monitoring of PC terminals in the library. Now I am not a schooled librarian, but I consider myself a librarian at heart, MLS or no MLS, and I have to say that as someone who interacts with librarians and has two management degrees, I cringe at the tactics that the library in the blog story is using. Furthermore I am surprised at the apparent complacency of most of the townsfolk.
One story that’s caught my attention is this whole surrendering of the library card to access the AV collection and the constant monitoring of PC terminals in the library. Now I am not a schooled librarian, but I consider myself a librarian at heart, MLS or no MLS, and I have to say that as someone who interacts with librarians and has two management degrees, I cringe at the tactics that the library in the blog story is using. Furthermore I am surprised at the apparent complacency of most of the townsfolk.
Television Tuesday: Gorgeous Tiny Chicken Machine Show
22/July/2008 18:29 Filed in: Television
| Entertainment
Gorgeous Tiny Chicken Machine
Show !
Ok there isn’t much to say about this show that can adequately describe it! You just have to see it!
This is a series of short webisodes. The show is essentially a mocking of those crazy Japanese television shows, and the engrish and utter wackiness that you see in them.
Also check out their website: CLICK HERE
Ok there isn’t much to say about this show that can adequately describe it! You just have to see it!
This is a series of short webisodes. The show is essentially a mocking of those crazy Japanese television shows, and the engrish and utter wackiness that you see in them.
Also check out their website: CLICK HERE
Web4lib – tensions rise!
21/July/2008 08:33 Filed in: Work
I was reading on LISnews a short time ago about a
critique on web4lib regarding the future or libraries
(and librarians). I’ve noticed that every time there
is critique of the profession (or the MLIS degree
requirement to be a librarian), it’s like someone
spills blood in shark infested waters. This isn’t the
first debate of this kind that I’ve seen (or read
through) and probably won’t be the last. Quite entertaining, and
informative.
Video Game Friday: Populous II
18/July/2008 18:27 Filed in: Entertainment
| VideoGames
The game is Sim game, where you have control over a certain amount of land, and your goal is to increase the number of the people that worship you (oh yes, you play an up-and-coming God), enhance their standard of living, and obliterate the people that worship enemy Gods. While I found the difficulty of the game to be a hard one, I eventually made it all the way to the end. If I remember correctly there was an Achilles spell that I could use to make my people superhuman (after a certain amount of experience and population as reached) and they could do my bidding – i.e. obliterate the competition.
It was quite an entertaining game for what it was, and there have been others that have followed in its footsteps and have made games like Populous that are entertaining (black and white comes to mind)
Sadly, there is no YouTube video that showcases the gameplay.
Adios to Helio
17/July/2008 08:32 Filed in: Technology
My problem with Helio was that it was not GSM. While I don’t change phones that often these days, I still like to pull out my SIM and put it in a different phone for the day or the weekend. CDMA phones just don’t have that and I just never got to use Helio because of it. Now if their network piggybacked off AT&T and T-Mobile for GSM/UMTS, I would most likely have given them a try. I keep hoping that Virgin will jump onto the UMTS bandwagon, but given that 40% is the company is owned by Sprint, that is most likely not happening.
Adios to Helio!
Symbian’s failed promise at OTA
16/July/2008 18:26 Filed in: Technology
Recently Nokia announced that they intended to buy
the rest of Symbian, and then open up the platform.
This should lead to some sort of consolidation of the
platform. Nokia has done its part by merging the
Series90 and Series80 platforms into Series60, but
then there is also the question of UIQ and MOAP(S).
One of the reasons I went with Symbian originally (with the original SonyEricsson P800) was the promise of Over-the-air updates! Before my P800, I had used a number of feature phones, including the Ericsson T28w, and the Nokia 8890. I liked those phones, but in order to get another language pack, or to get a firmware upgrade that fixed problems with the phone’s existing firmware, I need to send the phone off to a professional (or service center) that flashed the new firmware to the phone, and sent it back to me. This cost me $50 each time I did it.
With the P800, I expected to be able to upgrade my OS from my desktop computer. I would just plug in my phone to my computer with USB, a downloader would download the new firmware and flash it to my phone. NOPE! It wasn’t like that! I still needed to send it into a service center. It didn’t really matter to me that much because I had the time to mess with my phone and reinstall all my apps.
Fast forward to the Nokia N80. I thought I was able to do OTA! NOPE! I got the ability to download and flash firmware on my desktop, so I did not have to send it out and pay money for the flash, but that still meant that all my data got whipped, so I needed to resync my PIM data and reinstall all my apps because installing on an SD card was not always dependable.
Now, all other smartphones are the same, palm, blackberry, windows mobile, and the iphone. You want new firmware? Erase and Install! Should I be bothered that symbian is the same way? Yes! I should be, because OTA and user upgradable firmware was something that was promised quite a while ago. While some features have trickled down, it’s taken a long time! I hope the new Symbian Foundation makes a batter OS and a better upgrade procedure.
One of the reasons I went with Symbian originally (with the original SonyEricsson P800) was the promise of Over-the-air updates! Before my P800, I had used a number of feature phones, including the Ericsson T28w, and the Nokia 8890. I liked those phones, but in order to get another language pack, or to get a firmware upgrade that fixed problems with the phone’s existing firmware, I need to send the phone off to a professional (or service center) that flashed the new firmware to the phone, and sent it back to me. This cost me $50 each time I did it.
With the P800, I expected to be able to upgrade my OS from my desktop computer. I would just plug in my phone to my computer with USB, a downloader would download the new firmware and flash it to my phone. NOPE! It wasn’t like that! I still needed to send it into a service center. It didn’t really matter to me that much because I had the time to mess with my phone and reinstall all my apps.
Fast forward to the Nokia N80. I thought I was able to do OTA! NOPE! I got the ability to download and flash firmware on my desktop, so I did not have to send it out and pay money for the flash, but that still meant that all my data got whipped, so I needed to resync my PIM data and reinstall all my apps because installing on an SD card was not always dependable.
Now, all other smartphones are the same, palm, blackberry, windows mobile, and the iphone. You want new firmware? Erase and Install! Should I be bothered that symbian is the same way? Yes! I should be, because OTA and user upgradable firmware was something that was promised quite a while ago. While some features have trickled down, it’s taken a long time! I hope the new Symbian Foundation makes a batter OS and a better upgrade procedure.
Television Tuesday: Peacemakers
15/July/2008 18:25 Filed in: Entertainment
| Television
Whenever I see a western, I tend to turn tail and run
the other way. This has been a result of really bad
television westerns when I was a kid.
Every now and again I try to be open-minded and watch a western. The Peacemakers is a western that I like!
You essentially follow a doctor/coroner, a US marshal, and an oxford-educated-former-pinkerton-lab guy in a crime solving mission. It’s funny to see the lab guy undertaking modern forensics while the marshal is busy contaminating the crime scene (since he doesn’t know any better). In short, it’s like “CSI: Will West”. I have to say that I really like the series. Too bad it was never renewed!
Every now and again I try to be open-minded and watch a western. The Peacemakers is a western that I like!
You essentially follow a doctor/coroner, a US marshal, and an oxford-educated-former-pinkerton-lab guy in a crime solving mission. It’s funny to see the lab guy undertaking modern forensics while the marshal is busy contaminating the crime scene (since he doesn’t know any better). In short, it’s like “CSI: Will West”. I have to say that I really like the series. Too bad it was never renewed!
Really bummed about the new iPhone…
14/July/2008 08:31 Filed in: Technology
I was recently reading some commentary about the new
iPhone. Some users (or perspective buyers) were
commenting that they were really bummed about the new
iPhone. Now granted, this is probably a figure of
speech and it doesn’t really reflect their mental
state, but when I read things like these I have to
take a step back.
There are people out there that are genuinely bummed about ford not having X in their cars, or Dell not throwing in Y in their laptops, or Apple not including features A, B, C in the new iPhone, but my response to them is “get a grip!” Seriously! Think about it, it’s just a consumer product! If it doesn’t do what you want it to do, then don’t buy it! Wait for version x.x when they will incorporate what you want it to have!
If you want to be bummed about the financial crisis, food shortage, health crises around the world, the by all means be bummed, but don’t be bummed about something as insignificant as “no MMS on the iPhone!” Jeez!
There are people out there that are genuinely bummed about ford not having X in their cars, or Dell not throwing in Y in their laptops, or Apple not including features A, B, C in the new iPhone, but my response to them is “get a grip!” Seriously! Think about it, it’s just a consumer product! If it doesn’t do what you want it to do, then don’t buy it! Wait for version x.x when they will incorporate what you want it to have!
If you want to be bummed about the financial crisis, food shortage, health crises around the world, the by all means be bummed, but don’t be bummed about something as insignificant as “no MMS on the iPhone!” Jeez!
The click of death is upon us…
12/July/2008 08:29 Filed in: Technology
I reset the unit again! Got the folder icon again. Darn! I reset it a third time and I got it working! Yay! I started listening merrily to my songs again.
Three songs later, freeze – no sounds coming out of my earbuds. Couldn’t fast forward or change song. I reset the unit again! Got the folder icon again. I waited until I got home.
Video Game Friday: Spyhunter (Mac)
11/July/2008 18:24 Filed in: VideoGames
| Entertainment
Back (in 2004/2005) when I was rediscovering the joy
of gaming on the Mac, one of the of the games that I
bought at my local Apple Store was Spyhunter. This
game is a reworking of the original top-down arcade
game to bring it up to date with modern 3D graphics,
sounds, animation and overall excitement. I don’t
remember how much I paid for the game, but I remember
not feeling extremely entertained.
Don’t get me wrong, I liked the game, but I vaguely remember that the price-to-entertainment value being low. I enjoyed the driving aspect of the game, but the shoot-em-up aspect was diminished by the difficult nature of driving while shooting, and the difficult nature of subsequent stages.
I recall getting near the end, but I never really finished the game. After my Mac hard drive died in and it had to be replaced, I didn’t have the save files backed up, and I did not want to start from scratch. The video bellow, taken from the PS2 version of the game, illustrates the game play.
While I have the disc, and I can most certainly play it on my Mac Mini, I don’t think I will be playing this game again any time soon as a ‘serious gamer’ (except maybe as a mini-game).
Don’t get me wrong, I liked the game, but I vaguely remember that the price-to-entertainment value being low. I enjoyed the driving aspect of the game, but the shoot-em-up aspect was diminished by the difficult nature of driving while shooting, and the difficult nature of subsequent stages.
I recall getting near the end, but I never really finished the game. After my Mac hard drive died in and it had to be replaced, I didn’t have the save files backed up, and I did not want to start from scratch. The video bellow, taken from the PS2 version of the game, illustrates the game play.
While I have the disc, and I can most certainly play it on my Mac Mini, I don’t think I will be playing this game again any time soon as a ‘serious gamer’ (except maybe as a mini-game).
Game Gear…blast from the past
Recently I started listening to Retrocity, a retro
gaming podcast, and Sega and the game gear were
mentioned. Back when the Game Gear was released, I
already owned a Gameboy (which I had bought
with my own money), and I was vacationing with
my dad. My ‘goal’ was to own an Atari Lynx, a
Gameboy and a Game Gear. In order to get a day
closer to the goal I asked my dad to buy me a
Game Gear for my name day that summer.
The unit, as far as I remember, cost about $150. I was absolutely in love with the device! I only had two or three games for it, but by the time I donated it, I had amassed a whopping 7 games! The love goggles did muddy up my perception of the unit by a lot! While the colors were great, something that the Gameboy did not have, the thing ate up battery power like there was no tomorrow! The unit took six AA batteries, and that would give you an hour and a half to two hours of play time.
In order to make the unit worth while you needed to get a power adapter to hood directly into the car’s cigarette lighter port, or your home’s electrical outlet. The Game Gear went mostly unplayed before I bought the adapter (3 years after I got the unit!!!) simply because batteries were an expensive proposition, and in retrospect not environmentally safe. In the end I donated my Game Gear so it could find a good home with people who would play it a lot.
The Game Gear did have several different attachments one could buy, like a television tuner (I craved one of these since I did not have a TV in my bedroom – but never got one), and a Master System cartridge converter (also cool but in those days there was no ebay, so I could not get my hands on any cheap games)
In retrospect, for the money I paid for the Game Gear, Adapter, and all the batteries I went through, I maybe should have bought some more Gameboy games, and one of those magnifier/illuminator gadgets to play games in the dark. Oh well! This is what happens to early adopters, sometimes!
The unit, as far as I remember, cost about $150. I was absolutely in love with the device! I only had two or three games for it, but by the time I donated it, I had amassed a whopping 7 games! The love goggles did muddy up my perception of the unit by a lot! While the colors were great, something that the Gameboy did not have, the thing ate up battery power like there was no tomorrow! The unit took six AA batteries, and that would give you an hour and a half to two hours of play time.
In order to make the unit worth while you needed to get a power adapter to hood directly into the car’s cigarette lighter port, or your home’s electrical outlet. The Game Gear went mostly unplayed before I bought the adapter (3 years after I got the unit!!!) simply because batteries were an expensive proposition, and in retrospect not environmentally safe. In the end I donated my Game Gear so it could find a good home with people who would play it a lot.
The Game Gear did have several different attachments one could buy, like a television tuner (I craved one of these since I did not have a TV in my bedroom – but never got one), and a Master System cartridge converter (also cool but in those days there was no ebay, so I could not get my hands on any cheap games)
In retrospect, for the money I paid for the Game Gear, Adapter, and all the batteries I went through, I maybe should have bought some more Gameboy games, and one of those magnifier/illuminator gadgets to play games in the dark. Oh well! This is what happens to early adopters, sometimes!
Upgraded to Diablo!
09/July/2008 18:21 Filed in: Technology
I upgraded my Nokia N800 to the newest firmware a
while back, and I have to say that I am pretty
pleased! Initially I was not going to upgrade because
I was really not looking forward to reinstalling my
applications. Thankfully, the backup that I did also
captured most of my config files so I did not have to
configure more of my upgraded apps.
My overall impression of Diablo is favorable. I am really liking the new email client, and the browser seems snappier than before but maybe it’s just new-OS-it is that I am experiencing, so we’ll see how that goes.
I decided to upgrade the firmware on the N800 for one reason: Over-the-Air upgrades! (OTA). This means that in the future, when there are new OS upgrades, I can just download them over the Wifi network and install them without needing a PC, and without needing to reinstall all my apps again – which is something I hate to do. I just want my device to work, not to make me work in order for it to work.
My overall impression of Diablo is favorable. I am really liking the new email client, and the browser seems snappier than before but maybe it’s just new-OS-it is that I am experiencing, so we’ll see how that goes.
I decided to upgrade the firmware on the N800 for one reason: Over-the-Air upgrades! (OTA). This means that in the future, when there are new OS upgrades, I can just download them over the Wifi network and install them without needing a PC, and without needing to reinstall all my apps again – which is something I hate to do. I just want my device to work, not to make me work in order for it to work.
Television Tuesday: Terminator, The Sarah Connor Chronicles
08/July/2008 18:19 Filed in: Entertainment
| Television
I am a big Terminator fan, that is why I am happy
this series is coming back
for another season!
I initially approached this series with skepticism, but it ended up being quite good! My reasons for being a skeptic were that I really could not see anyone other than Linda Hamilton taking over the role of Sarah Connor, and the idea of a high-school-aged terminator T800 was laughable (at the time).
Well the show has made me a believer! The action is great, the story line is good, and it essentially keeps you in suspense throughout the season. One of the things that was not answered in the movies was the origin of skynet. I know that in the third movie we wee the military makes skynet, but did this mean that it was fate? That skynet would be built no matter what? Or could the future be changed? As the season went on we saw a number of various possibilities as to the origin of skynet, and as one by one they got eliminated, you kept wondering just who and under what circumstances, made skynet.
I look forward to the new season, and to the recap of the first season starting August 10. I really hope that the Reese family is explored more, and we see more futuristic shots. I also hope that they tie in the third terminator movie. I am all for time paradoxes and alternate timelines, but I really do want some sort of tie in.
I initially approached this series with skepticism, but it ended up being quite good! My reasons for being a skeptic were that I really could not see anyone other than Linda Hamilton taking over the role of Sarah Connor, and the idea of a high-school-aged terminator T800 was laughable (at the time).
Well the show has made me a believer! The action is great, the story line is good, and it essentially keeps you in suspense throughout the season. One of the things that was not answered in the movies was the origin of skynet. I know that in the third movie we wee the military makes skynet, but did this mean that it was fate? That skynet would be built no matter what? Or could the future be changed? As the season went on we saw a number of various possibilities as to the origin of skynet, and as one by one they got eliminated, you kept wondering just who and under what circumstances, made skynet.
I look forward to the new season, and to the recap of the first season starting August 10. I really hope that the Reese family is explored more, and we see more futuristic shots. I also hope that they tie in the third terminator movie. I am all for time paradoxes and alternate timelines, but I really do want some sort of tie in.
Lovin’ Firefox 3.0!
07/July/2008 18:18 Filed in: Technology
I’ve been using Firefox 3.0 for a couple of weeks now
on my Vista machine at work, and I can say that I
really like this version, much better than the 2.x
that I used to use up to now. I am not really into
micro-analyzing what renders on my screen. All I
know, from an end user perspective, is that the
application is snappy, and what is displayed on the
screen looks normal.
I think I need to spend some more time though testing the new stuff, and how all my plug-ins work.
I think I need to spend some more time though testing the new stuff, and how all my plug-ins work.
Are you getting an iPhone?
05/July/2008 08:28 Filed in: Technology
Many of my friends know I am a technology geek, and
of course their first question to me, after Jobs’
announcement of the iPhone 3G is to ask me whether or
not I am getting a 3G iPhone. The answer at this
point is ‘no’ and this perplexes very many people who
consider me an Apple fanboy. There is quite a logical
reason to my denial of the “jesusphone 2.0” and it
has (almost) nothing to do with features.
Does the lack of a front facing camera, lack of copy/paste and lack of MMS bug me? Well to some extent yes, but not enough to deter me from buying the phone. What deters me is cold hard pragmatism.
My iPod (20GB click wheel) still works! I’ve never had any problems with it, never replaced the battery, it’s all original issue, it works, and I am still not using the entire capacity (I’ve got 6GB available). My Nokia N80 still works and it has a kickass camera on it, when compared to the iPhone’s camera anyway. I do take the train to work, but I still have schoolwork to do, so I read on the train, I don’t need the iPhone to keep me company. On top of that at&t’s $30/month data plans are too expensive for my tastes. I know that business folk pay that much for their windows mobile, palmos and blackberry plans, but they can also write it off, or their company pays for the device. $20/month for data+ SMS with the iPhone 1.0 was something that would entice me to get the iPhone and the data package but $30 and no SMS, gimme a break.
So when would I buy an iPhone? Probably around the third generation of iPhone when they add more features, if my current phone is busted, if my iPod is busted, if I have no other readings to do while commuting and if I am still commuting (although with gasoline going up up up, this is probably a given)
Does the lack of a front facing camera, lack of copy/paste and lack of MMS bug me? Well to some extent yes, but not enough to deter me from buying the phone. What deters me is cold hard pragmatism.
My iPod (20GB click wheel) still works! I’ve never had any problems with it, never replaced the battery, it’s all original issue, it works, and I am still not using the entire capacity (I’ve got 6GB available). My Nokia N80 still works and it has a kickass camera on it, when compared to the iPhone’s camera anyway. I do take the train to work, but I still have schoolwork to do, so I read on the train, I don’t need the iPhone to keep me company. On top of that at&t’s $30/month data plans are too expensive for my tastes. I know that business folk pay that much for their windows mobile, palmos and blackberry plans, but they can also write it off, or their company pays for the device. $20/month for data+ SMS with the iPhone 1.0 was something that would entice me to get the iPhone and the data package but $30 and no SMS, gimme a break.
So when would I buy an iPhone? Probably around the third generation of iPhone when they add more features, if my current phone is busted, if my iPod is busted, if I have no other readings to do while commuting and if I am still commuting (although with gasoline going up up up, this is probably a given)
Video Game Friday: Megaman II (GameBoy)
04/July/2008 18:16 Filed in: Entertainment
| VideoGames
Back in the days of the original gameboy (bought mine
in 1990), I did not have that many games. I had
Tetris and Super Mario Land. My first expansion was
when I was visiting my relatives and I spent a lot of
time at Toys R Us stores where relatives bought me
games 
One of these games was Megaman II. I had never played Megaman before, but my 11-year-old mind thought that “2” must be better than “1” so I got this Megaman to start with. I didn’t get to play the games I bought until I returned to Greece (which is where my gameboy was). I spent a lot of time on the first four bosses! I remember playing Metal Man first, and once I got to the end of the state and beat him (after many, many hours of game play), I found out that the game was not over! Darn!
I haven’t played many Megaman games after that. I have maybe played some stages on Megaman and Megaman 4 on the NES, and I have “Mega Man Powered Up
”
and “Mega
Man Maverick Hunter X
"
on the PSP. What I failed to realize was that
Rush (the dog companion) was not found in other
Megaman games (at least the ones that I was
exposed to), and it was quite a bummer.
While I no longer have Megaman II (I gave the game away, along with my gameboy), I would gladly play through it again. It was a lot of fun! Following is a video (1 of 6) that goes through the first two stages of Megaman 2, on the gameboy.
One of these games was Megaman II. I had never played Megaman before, but my 11-year-old mind thought that “2” must be better than “1” so I got this Megaman to start with. I didn’t get to play the games I bought until I returned to Greece (which is where my gameboy was). I spent a lot of time on the first four bosses! I remember playing Metal Man first, and once I got to the end of the state and beat him (after many, many hours of game play), I found out that the game was not over! Darn!
I haven’t played many Megaman games after that. I have maybe played some stages on Megaman and Megaman 4 on the NES, and I have “Mega Man Powered Up
”
and “Mega
Man Maverick Hunter X"
on the PSP. What I failed to realize was that
Rush (the dog companion) was not found in other
Megaman games (at least the ones that I was
exposed to), and it was quite a bummer.
While I no longer have Megaman II (I gave the game away, along with my gameboy), I would gladly play through it again. It was a lot of fun! Following is a video (1 of 6) that goes through the first two stages of Megaman 2, on the gameboy.
Started using Spaces
03/July/2008 18:15 Filed in: Technology
I’ve been using Expose since Tiger came out, it is a
nifty function of the MacOS. When Leopard came out I
did not use Expose at all because I did not have to
experiment with the functionality, and quite honestly
I couldn’t be bothered. I had gotten my workflow to a
point where I was happy, and I did not want to
change. That all changed this week!
I started experimenting with Expose on my Leopard machines, and all I have to say is WOW! Why did I shun this feature before? It’s really quite useful! I used to hide applications, and minimize things to the dock in order to keep an uncluttered screen. With Expose, this is no more! I setup my application to open in certain spaces, and BAM! Uncluttered desktop! Simply awesome!
I started experimenting with Expose on my Leopard machines, and all I have to say is WOW! Why did I shun this feature before? It’s really quite useful! I used to hide applications, and minimize things to the dock in order to keep an uncluttered screen. With Expose, this is no more! I setup my application to open in certain spaces, and BAM! Uncluttered desktop! Simply awesome!
Need to work on my project!!!
02/July/2008 18:12 Filed in: School
Well, we’re one third done with the semester, and
it’s project start time.
I am planning on designing and partly implementing and online class for travelers to Greece.
I was going to make it broader, a start-to-end trip to Greece, with language and culture for a variety of occasions, but I don’t think I will have time. Instead, I think that I will be focusing on everyone’s favorite subject: food!
I am planning on designing and partly implementing and online class for travelers to Greece.
I was going to make it broader, a start-to-end trip to Greece, with language and culture for a variety of occasions, but I don’t think I will have time. Instead, I think that I will be focusing on everyone’s favorite subject: food!
Television Tuesday: Burn Notice
01/July/2008 06:10 Filed in: Entertainment
| Television
Thanks to Hulu, I have been exposed to yet another
great television show (no I
don’t spend all my time at home watching
television).
Burn notice is a series about a CIA agent who’s been, well to put it bluntly, screwed. He’s off on a mission at the beginning of the series, tries to make a deal with some shady people on behalf of the US government and BAM! He’s cut lose! “We never knew you, we never heard of you” type of situation.
When he gets back to the US, he is essentially stranded in Miami, with an FBI tail, people trying to kill him, and all this time he is trying to work a few odd jobs here and there (utilizing his CIA skillset) so that he has food and a roof over his head. The series is pretty nice because the main character is not a Rambo ‘blow everything to bits’ type. He is a cool headed (most of the time) character that prefers non violence if possible.
If you do have some free time, check it out on hulu. You won’t be disappointed.
Burn notice is a series about a CIA agent who’s been, well to put it bluntly, screwed. He’s off on a mission at the beginning of the series, tries to make a deal with some shady people on behalf of the US government and BAM! He’s cut lose! “We never knew you, we never heard of you” type of situation.
When he gets back to the US, he is essentially stranded in Miami, with an FBI tail, people trying to kill him, and all this time he is trying to work a few odd jobs here and there (utilizing his CIA skillset) so that he has food and a roof over his head. The series is pretty nice because the main character is not a Rambo ‘blow everything to bits’ type. He is a cool headed (most of the time) character that prefers non violence if possible.
If you do have some free time, check it out on hulu. You won’t be disappointed.