Articles by Michael Anderson

IK Multimedia Introduces the UNO Synth Pro and UNO Synth Pro Desktop

Back in late 2018, IK Multimedia surprised vintage synth lovers with their Uno Synth – a tiny monophonic device with capacitive buttons for the keys as well as numerous functions and a few knobs. The surprise was that while Uno Synth looked like a toy, it controlled and sounded like a pro-grade analog synth punching way above its price point. I have put dozens of hours into creating fun sounds with the Uno Synth, and so was thrilled to see IK announce the follow-up – the UNO Synth Pro and UNO Synth Pro Desktop.

Gear Bits, Music Diary

The Most Metal Conspiracy Theory Ever!

It seems like the past few years have spawned more conspiracy theories than at any other time in my life — or at least, there have been more conspiracy theories that were totally ridiculous yet not laughed off universally. But this week, I came across a conspiracy theory I could get behind! A couple of common conspiracy theories from recent years are how 5G circuits are responsible for all manner of things and that some kind of secret tracking chip is being implanted in people as part of the COVID vaccines. These combined in a conspiracy theory out of Italy,…

Game Diary, Reviews

‘Sam & Max Save The World’ Remastered (Nintendo Switch) Review

Fans of classic adventure gaming can mark the date of the re-birth of the genre: October 17, 2006. That is when the first episode of all-new Sam & Max adventures was released on PC to critical and commercial success. It was followed up by five other episodes and two additional entire seasons, all from the original creators of the series and somehow living up to (or exceeding) the original series’s quality.

Deals, Game Diary, News

Huge Patch and Sale Makes ‘The Outer Worlds’ Worth Playing on Nintendo Switch

In my review of The Outer Worlds a few months ago, I noted that while the PC version was one of my favorite games from 2019, the Nintendo Switch port was a ‘hot mess’ of technical and performance issues that made it a hard game to recommend.

Game Diary, News

Sam & Max Remastered: Announced for PC and Switch, and Available for Pre-Order

Back in 2007 Telltale Games released the critically acclaimed six-part Sam & Max series for the PC, with later editions bundling all episodes for releases on consoles. For myself and other fans of classic adventure games, this was a revelation – the original game creators back with new entries that reinvent the entire genre and modernize classic characters. Eventually, three full seasons of Sam & Max were released and they were all great – but that first season absolutely stunned the gaming world. And now they’re back looking better than ever!

Reviews

The Lenovo Chromebook Duet Review: Solid Performance and Versatility for a Very Low Price

When announced at CES this year, the Lenovo Duet Chromebook attracted a lot of attention for putting some great features and looks into a budget-priced ChromeOS tablet. Everyone was intrigued – would it live up to the hype? Travis and I each bought one once they were released, and are ready to share some impressions after a few months of use.

Game Diary, Reviews

The Outer Worlds for Nintendo Switch Makes a Hot Mess of a Great Game

The Outer Worlds from Obsidian Entertainment was my favorite game of 2019, and I already replayed it on PC in early 2020. It was an excellent role-playing game with tons of great shooter and melee combat, fantastic writing and characters, and storytelling. It has now arrived on the Nintendo Switch as an absolute hot mess of a full-priced port.

Game Diary, News

Neverwinter Nights Released for iPad, and Civilization VI lands on Android!

A few weeks ago, I was excited by the announcement of another large update/patch for Neverwinter Nights on Android, and now PC game fans who use either iOS or Android can celebrate the release of two major games! Neverwinter Nights is out for iOS devices, and Civilization VI is available for Android after releasing for iOS back in late 2017. I have played both of these new releases and highly recommend them! Neverwinter Nights is the classic 2002 PC role-playing game that got an ‘Enhanced Edition’ from Beamdog a few years ago that updated the game for modern computers and…

Game Diary, News

Neverwinter Nights for Android Gets Another Massive Update!

It has been more than a year and a half since Beamdog released the 2002 classic RPG Neverwinter Nights for Android on Google Play. The patch includes usability, graphics, and performance in addition to a host of bug fixes. This follows another huge patch nearly a year ago that similarly improved the graphics and gameplay experience.

Music Diary, Reviews

Scofield and Swallow’s Musical Journey Continues on ‘Swallow Tales’

My first encounter with guitarist John Scofield came forty years ago as a young bassist looking for work by Steve Swallow and finding a new release by a trio led by Scofield called ‘Shinola.’ I was thrilled by Swallow’s playing, but also instantly fell in love with Scofield’s jagged, angular lines, and innovative fretboard shapes.

News

Run Mac OS8 as an App on Your Modern Mac or PC!

One of my least favorite things about constantly ‘chasing technology’ is how much I have left behind. I love new laptops, so I sell old ones to help fund the next trip on the merry-go-round! Sadly that often means abandoning older operating systems, processor families, and software compatibility – and there are a few laptops I wish I had kept.

Music Diary, News

Steinberg Brings Cubasis 3 Audio Workstation to Android Devices

Back in 2012, Steinberg released Cubasis, a fully-featured DAW (digital audio workstation) for iPad with plug-ins, full audio, MIDI recording and editing, and many other professional features. Having used Cubasis on iPad quite a bit through the years, I have always loved how they were able to pack so many features into a mobile platform. Last year’s Cubasis 3 took things to another level, making the iPad version a true mobile DAW. And now Steinberg has brought the acclaimed full-featured mobile studio to Android.

Game Diary, Reviews

Bioshock Infinite for Nintendo Switch Is a Must-Play for Shooter Fans

Nearly seven years ago, we reviewed the PC & PS3 release of Bioshock Infinite. While there were a few niggles with the game, we saw it as a great entry into an already classic series. Now the game (along with the entire Bioshock collection) has been ported to the Nintendo Switch, so let’s see how it looks and plays in 2020!

Health and Fitness, Reviews

Happily Running Makes Great Masks for Running … and for Life!

As someone who runs outside every morning, and also someone in an essential job that required me to go into a facility every day, finding a mask that promotes safety while also being comfortable has been a key. I have plenty of surgical masks and homemade masks, all of which work well in general – but for running I really needed something safe, lightweight, and comfortable. The best thing I have found so far are the masks from HappilyRunning.com, which I wholeheartedly recommend.

Editorials

Apple Unveils $100 Million Racial Equity and Justice Initiative

Recently we have taken Apple to task for their lackluster take on racial justice and for making a tone-deaf product launch just as the pandemic was spiraling out of control in the US (and honestly since they were already leading with financial commitments, had they just said ‘we’re launching these products and are dedicating X% of every sale to COVID-19 relief efforts’ it would have made a big difference in perception).

Music Diary, News

Esperanza Spalding and Fred Hersch Announce 5-Song Duo EP to Benefit Musicians

The global pandemic has presented nearly all of us with unique challenges and hardships in every phase of life, but there are many people whose chosen profession requires them to live from day to day without a safety net or health care resources. Musicians fall squarely in that camp, with fewer than 5% able to make more than the poverty level based on their music alone.

News

Android 10 Update for Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Released

While we are hearing about everything coming to Android 11 later this year, there are plenty of devices still waiting for Android 10 to arrive. When it comes to Android tablets, the conventional wisdom is ‘you get what you get’ – if you don’t expect any updates you will never be disappointed.

Game Diary, News

Acclaimed Role Playing Game ATOM RPG Arrives for iOS and Android

For fans of classic PC role-playing games, few games evoke as much love and loyalty as the original Fallout 1 & 2 from the late 1990s. So in late 2017, when ATOM RPG arrived for the PC, it was met with much anticipation and excitement. In the last couple of years, the developers have been making improvements and filling out some gaps, and now the full game has arrived for iOS devices and will soon also be available for Android!

Deals, Game Diary, News

Get Grand Theft Auto V PC Version for FREE on Epic Games Store!

When most people think about buying digital games for their PC, they immediately think of Steam, and perhaps GoG (Good Old Games) if they are into classic games. But more recently, Epic Games, known for their games Unreal and Gears of War and the widely-used Unreal Engine, has launched their own store.

Reviews

Nine Months with Samsung Galaxy Note 10: My 12 Favorite Things

We recently recounted our six-month experiences with the Google Pixel 4/4XL, and if you took even a brief at my sections, you would see that ‘disappointed’ doesn’t begin to describe my take. My problems had very little to do with Android, as I have had another device that more than met my needs over the same period, so I wanted to highlight some of the coolest features of the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus (or 10+, I tend to use them interchangeably).

Game Diary, News

Adventure RPG Nighthawks to be Released early 2021

We seem to have hit another golden era of Vampire games – the early 2000s gave us Vampire: The Masquerade Redemption and Bloodlines, and recently we have seen a few games announced or released including Vampyr, Vampire: The Masquerade The Coteries of New York, the upcoming Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines 2 and the adventure RPG, Nighthawks.

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