elementary
Feb.01.10
Was expecting to enjoy
this, but not quite as much as I did. Hot damn, what
a fun flick...
ff7 re-remixed
Feb.01.10
A shockingly solid mashup of Final Fantasy VII tunes and hip-hop from Team Teamwork — liking it much more than I was anticipating, I've got to say. The album is "pay what you want" (I threw them $5), and is very worth at least checking out.
cleaning for cash
Jan.29.10
You know what sucks? Having tons of physical PSP games and mainly playing on a
Go. Meaning they are just taking
up room in my overloaded closet. Now, I could
trade them in to GameStop and get a couple of
bucks for each (gah), but instead I turned to
Amazon Marketplace. And, hot
damn. I've sold a bunch of used games, cleaned
up a bit of room and just got a nice check
deposited in my bank account... Really, really
happy with the process, much better overall than
dealing with eBay or its ilk.
Huh, my one-stop place to buy stuff is now also my one-stop place to sell things as well... Ah, my Amazon overlords, I welcome you.
Huh, my one-stop place to buy stuff is now also my one-stop place to sell things as well... Ah, my Amazon overlords, I welcome you.
the kindle factor
Jan.28.10
I just started thinking about what the iPad means for the Kindle, and the Kindle Store in general. I have a Kindle, and I love it. It's a super great reading machine, but that's pretty much it. The e-book functionality of the iPad (called iBooks — a similar name as the precursor to the MacBook), on the other hand, is just one of the device's many capabilities.
But, again, focusing on these machines solely as e-book readers, they both still have clear strengths:
iPad / iBooks Advantages:
- Full Color
- Larger Display
- Faster Screen Refresh
- Swipe to Turn Pages
- iTunes-like Book Store
- Potential for Comic Books
Kindle Advantages:
- E Ink Display
- (Way) Better Battery Life
- A Better Selection of Books at a Lower Price
- More Durable
I can't emphasis the awesomeness of E Ink enough; I'd much rather read a long book on the Kindle screen than an LCD, color and nifty touch-related animations be damned. The Kindle screen really replicates paper, and I can stare at it for hours without strain. Something I doubt I'll be able to do on the iPad.
Then there's the kicker: the Kindle App.
If Apple allows Amazon to create an iPad version of this application (which they might have to, seeing how they previously approved the iPhone / iPod Touch one), what's to keep Amazon from replicating the same visual appeal of the iBooks application, and linking it to a much larger and better-priced store? Even though the iBook experience (store and reader) is more tightly integrated, Amazon still has the Kindle name and the size / price advantages of the Kindle Store.
I personally hope to see a Kindle reader on the iPad, mainly for color versions of certain textbooks I have (which don't fit that well on Kindle's small screen), and also to create some real competition to hopefully drive down e-book prices in general (seriously, electronic books don't have the printing, shipping, unsold stock and returns that eat away their printed cousin's bottom-line, pass on the savings to consumers).
Either way, I'll be curious to see how this affects the e-books landscape — which is a little funny, especially when you take in account Steve Job's public dissing of the Kindle's "flawed concept" a couple of years ago...
34 years old
Jan.28.10
In a couple of hours. Huh. It's going to be a good
year, though. I can feel it in my (starting to ache)
bones.
the pad
Jan.27.10
Will I get one? Heh, lame
question.
First thought: Neat! Sure, the iPad is a large iPod Touch with a
slightly horrible name, but I'm starting to think
it could be something to eventually replace my
laptop... I mean, it's smaller and way lighter,
and easier to carry around (you know, between
rooms or meetings). Plus, aside from a few
caveats, it can do nearly everything I use my
MacBook for these days. Well, more or less.
Key MacBook functions easily replaced by an
iPad:
- Web Browser
- Music Player
- Instant Messaging (with Beejive app)
- RSS Reader (with Byline app)
- Reminders (with OmniFocus app)
- iWork Document Creation (with keyboard dock)
Stuff I wouldn't be able to do without new or advanced apps:
- Blog
- Watch Hulu / Netflix
- Upload pictures to FTP
Stuff I'd never be able to do:
- Handbreak
Yeah, aside from the lack of a DVD drive, there's really nothing stopping my future iPad from completely replacing my laptop, and the size / weight differences might make the switch just that much easier.
Or, at the very least, it'll be a great machine to read web stuff while on the couch / in bed.
Hot damn I love technology...
(less than) 12 hours away
Jan.26.10
Hot damn I'm hyped for
tomorrow morning.
Also, please let it be cool.
40k
Jan.26.10
Well, a bit more than 40k...
My Gamerscore has been hovering at the high 39,900's for a while now, and thanks to Mass Effect 2, I finally broke the barrier. Huh. Um, yay?
Oh, the game has been freaking ace so far. Wow.
My Gamerscore has been hovering at the high 39,900's for a while now, and thanks to Mass Effect 2, I finally broke the barrier. Huh. Um, yay?
Oh, the game has been freaking ace so far. Wow.
second chance
Jan.26.10
Sci-Fi? Rad. RPGs? Sure thing! Shooters? Heck yeah!
The Bioware-created combo of all
three? Eh...
To tell the truth I was shocked — like, super shocked — at how much I didn't like the original Mass Effect, especially considering how much some of my friends (and everyone else) loved it. I found the overall experience a giant clusterfuck of great ideas / story moments and horrible gameplay / pacing. The combat seemed clunky, I hated the AI of my squadmates, the non-combat areas were tedious and the health system was annoying. Also, not very pretty, with tons of pop-in. Maybe I started the game with the wrong mindset, but I got about ten hours in and couldn't be bothered to pick it up again.
So, yeah. Two days ago I couldn't care less about Mass Effect 2, then I started reading up on the changes that were made for the sequel. And now I have it in front of me, and am looking damn forward to starting it up.
Please vibe with me this time, I really want to be a fan...
To tell the truth I was shocked — like, super shocked — at how much I didn't like the original Mass Effect, especially considering how much some of my friends (and everyone else) loved it. I found the overall experience a giant clusterfuck of great ideas / story moments and horrible gameplay / pacing. The combat seemed clunky, I hated the AI of my squadmates, the non-combat areas were tedious and the health system was annoying. Also, not very pretty, with tons of pop-in. Maybe I started the game with the wrong mindset, but I got about ten hours in and couldn't be bothered to pick it up again.
So, yeah. Two days ago I couldn't care less about Mass Effect 2, then I started reading up on the changes that were made for the sequel. And now I have it in front of me, and am looking damn forward to starting it up.
Please vibe with me this time, I really want to be a fan...
get ready. pop it. let's go.
Jan.25.10
I listen to music. Lots and lots of music. But,
thanks in no small part to the fact I may or may not
be working on a project that may or may not involve
music in some way (wait, is there such thing as a
game that doesn’t have any music?), I’ve been exposed
to quite a bit of new stuff and my tastes have
expanded like nuts.
Case-in-point, I can’t stop listening to this:
Over produced? Maybe. Hated by Pitchfork? Oh, yes. Addicting? Very much. I don’t love every track, but there are a good half dozen or so that are on constant repeat, and now it’s wedged firmly in my current St. Vincent / Cut Copy / Johnny Polygon / The Bird and the Bee / Regina Spektor mix.
Hell, I’ll go as far as saying it’s my new favorite album of the year. Um, so far.
Case-in-point, I can’t stop listening to this:
Over produced? Maybe. Hated by Pitchfork? Oh, yes. Addicting? Very much. I don’t love every track, but there are a good half dozen or so that are on constant repeat, and now it’s wedged firmly in my current St. Vincent / Cut Copy / Johnny Polygon / The Bird and the Bee / Regina Spektor mix.
Hell, I’ll go as far as saying it’s my new favorite album of the year. Um, so far.
changes
Jan.25.10
2009 sucked. Well, the 2000s in general had its share
of horrible elements, but last year finished off the
decade with a rotten cherry. Working on a low budget
(and rushed) project, putting my heart into lots of
pitches for naught, facing fears of our company
shutting down (and experiencing all the tell-tale
signs), then being saved at the brink (yay!) before
watching us lose half the studio (gah!) — yeah,
sucked.
It made for some good lessons, though, and this year has already made for some major changes. Since late last year I’m playing games less and learning more — pounding away at UDK and slowly jumping back into programming. Being a creative-focused designer is fine and all, but without polishing the base skills, well...I’m less marketable than many of my peers. I’d like to feel like my job is solid, and I’m working on keen high’ish-level stuff, but last year’s eventssort of
opened my eyes.
The neat thing is I’m having tons of fun getting back to the basics; I forgot how much I enjoy making stuff. I’ve been going through tons of Unreal tutorials (hot damn those are nice tools), and am slowly putting together the pieces for a game idea. I’m a good six months away from having anything truly representative of what I’d like to do (haven’t even touched the scripting yet), but I feel confident. Plus, I’ve spent a few minutes to a few hours nearly every day with UDK at home without losing any energy... Hell, I feel inspired. Which is nice.
That said, I need to start playing games again. I barely touched half the stuff I’ve gotten lately, and I almost feel guilty relaxing in front of the TV with a controller. I’ve never really had balance with games, and now it’s tipped a different direction. An arguably better direction, but still. Funny that I have to carve out time to just play games these days, prior to this I’d carve out time from playing to eat. Heh.
It made for some good lessons, though, and this year has already made for some major changes. Since late last year I’m playing games less and learning more — pounding away at UDK and slowly jumping back into programming. Being a creative-focused designer is fine and all, but without polishing the base skills, well...I’m less marketable than many of my peers. I’d like to feel like my job is solid, and I’m working on keen high’ish-level stuff, but last year’s events
The neat thing is I’m having tons of fun getting back to the basics; I forgot how much I enjoy making stuff. I’ve been going through tons of Unreal tutorials (hot damn those are nice tools), and am slowly putting together the pieces for a game idea. I’m a good six months away from having anything truly representative of what I’d like to do (haven’t even touched the scripting yet), but I feel confident. Plus, I’ve spent a few minutes to a few hours nearly every day with UDK at home without losing any energy... Hell, I feel inspired. Which is nice.
That said, I need to start playing games again. I barely touched half the stuff I’ve gotten lately, and I almost feel guilty relaxing in front of the TV with a controller. I’ve never really had balance with games, and now it’s tipped a different direction. An arguably better direction, but still. Funny that I have to carve out time to just play games these days, prior to this I’d carve out time from playing to eat. Heh.