January 2012

Random Cool Video: That Famous Skrillex Sample

Ever wonder where Skrillex pulled the ‘Yes, oh my gosh’ sample from his most popular song ‘Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites’? Well, even if you never cared (or knew who Skrillex was for that matter) it is still a pretty cool thing. The song is largely an instrumental (typical of electronica in general and dubstep in specific) with a couple of reversed lyric lines and a break between the ‘scary monsters’ and ‘nice sprites’ sections of the song marked by a ‘YES, OH MY GOSH’ exclamation. The girl responsible for the exclamation is Rachael Nedrow, better known as speedstackinggirl on…

Editorials, Game Diary

Mass Effect 3: All Origin, No Steam, Mum on ‘Origin Spyware’ Claims

Well, now I guess I will have to wait until Mass Effect 3 eventually lands on Steam or is a bargain title, because I am SURELY not buying it based on what I am reading on the Bioware ‘social’ forums. Here is a snip: 1) Will Origin be a requirement to play all versions of Mass Effect 3? (Digital and/or from a retail brick and mortar store) Yes, Origin is required for all PC editions of Mass Effect 3, physical or digital. 2) Is constant Origin connection required or is it a single one off authentication when the game is…

Game Diary, Gear Bits

The Most Pirated Video Games of 2011!

The #1 excuse/reason given for game publishers not putting out games for the PC is … piracy. People downloading and playing their games without paying. And there is no disputing that piracy is a HUGE issue for PC publishers, but the reason I call it an ‘excuse’ is that time and again we are seeing publishers who say that the PC is also a great place to make money DESPITE piracy. Anyway, TorrentFreak recently put out their list of the top games tracked on BitTorrent in 2011. Here are the most pirates games for PC, Wii and XBOX360: Top PC…

Vehicles & Gear

2012 Nissan Xterra PRO-4X: Everything You Need. Period.

For some automakers, reinventing the wheel seems to be a common theme for certain model lines in order to remain competitive. For Nissan and its Xterra sport ute, the wheel works just fine. Aside from a mid-decade styling makeover and switch to the Nissan’s new truck-based F-Alpha platform, Xterra has continued to prove itself worthy in the contemporary “daily driven offroader” segment that includes the likes of 4Runner and Liberty. Nissan gives Xterra most of the modern amenities found across its utility and truck line of vehicles while not abandoning a rugged architecture for the full-out adventurists in the world….

News

The Importance of Documenting Family History [NSFW – for Disturbing Images]

A few years ago, Sarah and I had lunch with my grandma, and she started pulling out photo albums to show us family pictures. Among her pictures were photos from her life before she came to America, everything from photos of her and her brothers to her life in the displaced persons camp where she met my grandfather after the war. We realized she was sitting on an incredible amount of history, and while it has taken a long time to get around to coordinating it, we finally got together with my aunt and started documenting her photos today. What…

Music Diary, Reviews

Vinyl Re-Visions: The Who – Who Are You (Rock, 1978)

The Who – Who Are You OK, so I admit that I am cheating here – Who Are You is available on CD, and in fact I have owned it on CD for more than 25 years. But let me explain – I bought this album in 1979 after Keith Moon had died and I had seen ‘The Kids Are Alright’ for the second time in theaters. At the time The Who were really popular on rock radio, and actually there was a special cut of Who Are You for AM radio which asked ‘Who the heck are you’? But…

eBooks, Editorials

Does Anyone Buy eBook Readers for the Hardware Anymore?

There’s an interesting (and honestly, inevitable) trend in the book world lately: no one’s talking hardware anymore. Yes, there’s new devices, and sales are touted when they’re impressive. But the big announcements that come up again and again are “ebook sales are increasing by these triple digits/these authors are making this much money through ebooks/we have this many free ebooks, etc”. Plus, all those lovely ebooks are available on tablets, computers, smartphones and dedicated ebook readers…so does it pay for a company to offer the hardware without the ebooks anymore? In my view, the answer is no, and I think…

Events

Thomas Takes On the Wrapsol Non-Slip Grip Pad

Every now and then you come across a product that, despite liking the company that produces it, you cannot help but wonder, “Why?” That’s certainly the case with the Wrapsol non-slip grip pad. The product is designed for large tablets and adheres to the back of a tablet. From there its sole purpose is to allow the tablet to stay in position more easily when rested on, for example, your thigh. Don’t get us wrong…. the product actually works as promised but we cannot help but think it is an idea searching for an application. I don’t know of…

Game Diary, Reviews

Kaptain Brawe: A Brawe New World iPad Game Review

From the moment I started playing Kaptain Brawe I felt as though I was transported back in time to the days of the classic LucasArts adventures such as Sam & Max and Grim Fandango … but with excellent graphics and great touch controls! Let’s take a look! The Hype: Step into this whimsical point-and-click interstellar adventure and see what it takes to be a real Space Police officer! In this alternate reality, get ready to embark on a journey filled with quests, conspiracies and general chaos. You will have to step into the shoes of the brave Kaptain Brawe and…

News

Will Paula Deen Switch to Lite Cooking?

When I think of Paula Deen, I think fried food. Lots and lots of fried food. And any number of satires about how unhealthy her cooking is. But if a rumor from The Daily is to be believed, Paula may be facing the fact that she needs to change her diet. Apparently she, like many Americans, has been diagnosed with Type II Diabetes. According to the report: The Georgia-born chef — a Food Network star who has written five best-selling cookbooks — has been trying to keep her condition a secret, even after the National Enquirer reported in April that…

News

Random Cool Video: Siri Tried to Kill Me (NSFW-L)

We heard about the report that Siri was swearing at a 10 year old boy, but the folks at Smosh always take it to the next level … as they have with their latest video ‘Siri tried to kill me’. It only came out last week but has nearly 4 million views, and my kids just turned me on to it … stupid, but oh so funny. As with pretty much everything from Smosh!

Editorials, Events

iOS, Android and Windows Phone – Where is the Market Headed? An Open Discussion

Judie and I both got HTC Titans the other day and have jumped into using them. Our initial thoughts? We both like them… a lot! We’ve been discussing a great deal of this behind the scenes. One discussion began with my posting So I really have to say that I am loving the hell out of the HTC Titan (even with its now slightly dented corners):-] I’m still learning how to get around but it is polished, tight, and a pleasure to use. Best onscreen keyboard ever! No matter how good the hardware o do t think I would like an Android…

Game Diary, Reviews

The Magician’s Handbook: Cursed Valley for iPad Review

Hidden object adventures continue to evolve on the iPad, with PC games being ported that are more complex, more interesting and have better stories. The latest one to try to capture iPad gamer’s interest is the Magician’s Handbook. Let’s see how it does! The Hype: Remove the evil curse in this captivating adventure by finding hidden objects in the dark and mysterious Cursed Valley! The fabled “Magician’s Handbook” has fallen into your hands. You are beckoned to a dark and desolate place whose true name has long been forgotten. Search beautiful, hand-painted backgrounds for cleverly- hidden enchanted objects. Use special…

Events, Game Diary

A Quick Hands-On with the PlayStation Vita

I simply could not leave CES without getting some hands-on with the new Sony PlayStation Vita. Having abandoned Sony’s PSP after the original device, I was hoping to get a feel of what the Vita had to offer. Gaming on a mobile device is coming along quite well, but I still feel the need to have a dedicated portable gaming device rather than a smartphone with gaming capabilities. We found a representative to give us a short demo of the device which highlights some of the features of the Vita and the new OS Sony put together. Sony Rep…

Events

First Look at the myCharge Portable Power Bank 6000

Things are winding down at CES 2012, which was nice for Francis and me, as we were able to walk around more freely due to less traffic and spend more quality time with some vendors. Luckily for us, we were able to stop by and visit our friends from myCharge and PowerBag. We have reviewed the PowerBag Messenger and PowerBag Backpack in the past, and Dan mentioned how useful a PowerBag can be. They also have a great brand called myCharge, which is a set of portable batteries for recharging mobile devices, including iOS and Android devices. The team at…

News

Put Down the Pinot – Turns Out the ‘Red Wine is Good for You’ Report Was Falsified!

I have been a red wine lover since … well, forever it seems. I have always known that moderation in all things is key, that too much of a good thing is never a good thing. I never assumed that any amount of alcohol was beneficial, so when the study came out a while ago about the possible benefits of moderate red wine consumption … well I was thrilled. Turns out the victory dances were premature, as the researcher behind the study has just been found guilty of “145 counts of fabrication and falsification of data”.

How to Do It Yourself!

Cleaning the Fan: How My MacBook Pro Avoided the Trash, Part 2

In part 1 of this 3 part series, I discovered that my computer was not acting happy due to a fan issue. Catch up with the post here to follow my MacBook adventure. One goal of this project is to avoid the Apple Store and keep the cost down as low as possible. The fan noise is definitely out of control, the machine is running hot and it has become super slow. My next plan of action is to open up the case to clean and lubricate the fan. I took a few photos to explain how to open the…

Game Diary, Reviews

Neverwinter Nights 2 for the Mac (App Store Version)

Neverwinter Nights 2 (NWN2) arrived late in 2006 on the PC, and the Mac version took about sixteen months longer to arrive on Mac OS X. In fact, the first expansion for the PC game arrived before the Mac port, but unlike the expansions for the original Neverwinter Nights there is not a simple way to get ‘Mask of the Betrayer’ (or ‘Storm of Zehir’ or the ‘Mysteries of Westgate’ adventure pack) running on your Mac. I had thoroughly enjoyed the PC version of NWN2 when it was released, declaring it the best RPG of 2006 over Oblivion and Gothic…

Gear Bits

Cool Infographic: The World of Mobile Phones

With CES this week, there is even more focus on the state of mobile technology than usual. So I enjoyed browsing this cool infographic from SoMobile.com. Here are a few details: Having gathered a number of statistics from around the world, our infographic also reveals that around 2.7 million SMS messages are sent in China every day, which is no doubt why 70 percent of Chinese mobile users – all 666,120,000 of them – admit they simply “couldn’t live” without their mobile. In Russia, it seems as if people can’t live without one or more handsets – with each person…

News

NBC Hates Money, but Will at Least Air Olympic Trials Highlights

(image courtesy Competitor.com) I know this is totally running-nerd news. But if you follow the world of track and field, you’re probably aware that the marathon trials for the 2012 USA Olympic team are this Saturday morning in Houston, Texas. Unlike other countries who choose their teams by prior race performance, in the USA competitors use race times to qualify to run the Trials. The top three male and female finishers in Saturday’s marathon will be the USA Marathon team at London in 2012! Unfortunately, NBC will not be airing the Trials live, nor will they be streaming them online….

eBooks, News

Kindle Lending Library and Direct Publishing Program Is a Home Run So Far!

The Kindle Lending Library and Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) program debuted this past fall, and so far they’re off to a great start whether you’re a consumer or an author. As a refresher, the Lending Library is available to anyone with a Kindle and an Amazon Prime account, and you can download one book per month free of charge through the service. The KDP program offers perks to authors willing to sign up exclusively with Amazon, including a share of a $500,000 pool per book borrowed through the program. Needless to say, the exclusivity clause has been a subject of…

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