In Space... No One Can Hear You Scream

How Do You Neutralize an Astronaut Who Goes Berserk in Space?

Manswers reveals all!



BONUS: What's the Secret to Improving Your Urinal Aim by 80%?

PSP-4000, PSP2 & UMD Rumors

All right. The word has been hitting the net for days now.

Rumor #1 - Sony PlayStation Portable 4000 Series

True - Get over it. We've had 3 versions of the delightful portable released with some minor(TV out capability) and major(screen improvements) changes to them. Look, Sony is taking a page out of Apple's book. They re-release iPod hardware with new goodies around Christmas holiday/shopping time to spark interest in new and old consumers alike. Your original iPod is just as great as an mp3 player as the latest incarnations, that will never change. The same logistics apply to the PSP. Your original phat PSP is just as great as a game machine as the 2000, 3000 and 4000 series. The 4000 series I know is aimed at me, because I am foolish enough to purchase one and I WILL LOVE IT! ^_^

Rumor #2 - Sony PlayStation Portable 2

False - I'm calling false on this one. It's just too damn early. Sony is sparking consumer interest in the current portable with nicely bundled... bundles, including access to the PlayStation store through the portable itself, allowing the ease of distribution of content. Developers are interested. Consumers are interested. Momentum is picking up. Why break it with... *SURPRISE*!!!! Look here's a PSP2! ENJOY! It doesn't make any sense.

Rumor #3 - Death of UMD

False - Again, get over it. There is nothing wrong with the UMD format except for the odd developer who can't minimize load times. They hold 2.2 gigs of data, allowing for super huge games like God of War: Chains of Olympus. People still like going to stores, socialize, visit friends, eat and shop. Call me crazy for liking to purchase something and have it physically in my hands as opposed to virtual 1s and 0s. They're easy to give as gifts and if your smart, you can carry 4 at a time with ease(look for my helpful tip at the end of the post). UMD is going to nowhere. They are an easy and legal way to distribute content. You'll find people are more interested in purchasing a $10 copy of the movie Casino Royal over a $30 copy of Hitch and that was a lesson Sony had to learn the hard way.

BONUS POST: HOW DO YOU CARRY ALL THEM UMDs!

Go pick yourself up a yellow 50g round tin of ALTOIDS. They cost around 3 to 4 bucks. The candy tastes great and WOW! Look at that, once the container is empty it can store up to 3 UMDs. Keep a UMD in the PSP system drive itself and slam 3 of your favorite titles in your ALTOIDS case... SHAZZAM! You're caring 4 games with easy baby! That wasn't so tough, was it?

iPod Touch Pooptackular

My lovely wife Kathy is leaving one job and entering a new one. As a going away gift, the company gave her an 8gig iPod Touch. So I've been playing it a bit here and there, only when I'm allowed to. *sniff*

If you got the money, go get one. Apple's MP3 players are amazing but to have a device that has hundreds of applications to acquire is awesome. You have the complete internet experience in your pocket. Plus, you get all the iPhone functionality without the monthly phone bill.

Why haven't I purchased one yet? You're starting at $240 smacks Canadian for an 8gig model. Want to move up? It's $300 for 16gig. When you start getting into the pricing of desktop video game consoles for a portable device, it starts to bother me. I believe the pricing is just too high for a portable device. The storage is small and when you wanna increase you have to pay premium. The day will happen when you'll drop your beloved device and the wear and tear begins.

As a gaming device, it's adequate. There are plenty of free flash type of games out for it. Nothing in Apple's game library can touch Sony's PSP or Nintendo's DS. It can't compete. If you wanna system that plays really awesome games then get one of those instead.

If you have the money. It's Christmas time and you wanna treat yourself, then go get one now. Today. It's awesome!

Quick Impressions of Sony's PSP-3000

October 14th was a crazy day. Not only did I have to vote in the latest Federal Election in "The Great White North", I worked it as well. Working alongside a dozen folks within the news industry, we covered election results live, putting on a hell of a great show on television. It's been busy times but hey, overtime is awesome so I can buy sweet new things like the latest PlayStation Portable update, the PSP-3000.

Before I began my second 12 hour shift in a row, I awoke Tuesday morning to vote. Afterwards, I enjoyed one of those killer Sausage Egg McMuffin's then headed to Best Buy to purchase the Ratchet and Clank bundle which included the latest PSP hardware revision and then finally head off to work for another epic shift. I've only played with my new toy a little bit, so here are a few quick impressions.

The PSP has gone through a slight hardware redesign. It's horizontal sides, where one holds the unit have been slightly curved, providing the user more comfort. The SELECT and START buttons are slightly different in appearance, alongside the HOME button which now features the PlayStation logo.

The huge difference is the already beautiful screen, is now even more impressive. I can't believe it. It's sharp and colorfully vibrant, making this a very easy purchase.

Wrapping it up, I've installed the latest firmware 5.00. You can now access the PlayStation store directly to download demos, videos, music, pictures, themes and purchase games. Having access to the store via your hand held is awesome.

Apple Mac Event 2008

Work has been busy... Really busy. I've barely had time to work on ye'ole blogs. However, I have a wee bit of time and look what we have here. Apple's Mac Keynote 2008! Awesome! I'm just checking it out right now. Ohhh... They're bitch slapping Vista around a bit. No surprise. I'm sorry Steve, I'm going to have to side with Leo on this topic. Vista ain't bad, it's just got an image problem. Microsoft's just gotta sex it up a bit.

Enjoy the show!

New PSP and Firmware Action Satisfaction

Tomorrow, the new PSP slams it's big bight screen on store shelves with much fan fare from myself. Alongside it, a new firmware allowing the user to access the PlayStation store on your PSP to purchase games and download videos and demos. Awesome! It took awhile for this feature to be implemented but hey, better late than never. A new PSP (PSP-3000) and a new firmware update at the same time?It's synergi in action baby. Expect a video review of the new hardware and software very soon.

Guess what? Not only does the PSP get a new firmware but the PS3 as well. SUPER AWESOME! What a great day to be a Sony fan. WORD.

Get the official word here!

Sony PSP-3000 Specs - OH MY!

Apple does it every year. So why not Sony?

The final specs for the PSP-3000 have been released and I am pumped up baby! New PSP. New awesomer experience! Sweet. It's coming out mid-October and yes, it will be in my hands. Look for a review on this blog upon release.

PSP-3000 Specs

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed Technology

Easily one of the most anticipated video games in recent memory, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is hopefully a return to the glory days of Dark Forces, Jedi Knight and Rogue Squadron. With a much hyped story taking place in between Episodes III and IV, the game promises to deliver epic Star Wars thrills. What's running the engine? What cool technology is employed to allow you to unleash the Force within you?

MSN UK has the answers you have been seeking for.

Apple's Keynote Online

Why talk about it? When you could just watch it.

Apple's iPod Keynote Address Online

BTW, I love the beautiful lookin' new yellow iPod Nano. It'd look awesome in my Pac-Man collection. It makes me wanna upgrade from my 1st generation Nano. Hey, Sony! Release a PSP-3000 yellow PSP. Again, that'd be great for the Pac collection.

Future Tech So Close You Can Taste It

This Tuesday September 9th, Apple is hosting a special event which appears to be focusing on the iPod. New tech, redesign and price cuts are the word on the street. It's right around the corner, so exciting times are to be had by all. keep your eyes peeled at WIRED and GIZMODO on Tuesday for live, play by play commentary during the event. Sweet!

If you haven't noticed, I'm a huge Sony/Playstation fan. Here I was, writing and recording a review of the PSP-2000 hardware for the site when... WHAM! At the Leipzig Games Convention in Germany, Sony announced a sweet new PSP. New enhancements include a built in microphone and startling better lookin' screen. The PSP-3000 launches mid-October. Look for a review of the product soon on this very blog. Yes, that means I am buying it.

The Future Seen Through Avatar

It's been a long time since Filmmaker James Cameron has been behind the camera of a big Hollywood extravaganza. His last film was "Titanic", way back in 1997. Even longer, he hasn't directed a sci-fi big screen epic since "Terminator 2" way, way back in 1991. It was "T2", that introduced the world to photo realistic CGI and the beginnings of digital film making. Now in 2008, the technological landscape of film making has rapidly changed.

What is so exciting about Jim returning to sci-fi isn't just his ability to toy with new technology and create fantastic things, but he is such a great storyteller. He has the uncanny ability of taking genre busting, sci-fi concepts and simply communicate them in a way that every man, woman and child can grasp. He understands that the genre isn't about technology but about the human condition.

The Hollywood Reporter has a great interview with him, talking about all his new toys he's using to create "Avatar", a science-fiction flick to be released late 2009. I can't wait for this movie!

Ahead of It's Time

TRON

The name conjours up great memories. The first theatrical film to heavily use CGI throughout the storytelling process to create a world we have never seen before and possibly never again on the big screen.

Well that all changed at this years Comic-Con, where Disney secretly unvieled a very early trailer for TRON 2 or as they like to call it...

TR2N

Very cool. The audience went nuts for it and the net has been buzzing with excitement.

TRON was a movie definetly ahead of it's time, let's say over 25 years. It dealt with "NETWORKS" and "USERS" and Jeff Bridges getting sucked into the computer world becoming a virtual "AVATAR" of himself. The flick was groundbreaking and a hell of alot of popcorn summer fun.

Today, so much computer lingo has crept it's way into everyday language that we know what a "NETWORK" is. We are the "USERS". The concept of a guy getting sucked into a computer becoming his "AVATAR", or Nintendo "Mii" or Second-Life or The Sims "AVATAR" has become common place in the today's tech age. We now get it, we only had to see it.

An official version of the teaser trailer hasn't been released yet, however here is a fuzzy cellphone cam version, hidden within the depths of the internet.

TR2N cleaned up 001
Uploaded by genchang2112

Jim Hill Media has an excellent article on it. Click me!

WarsGames Played

WarGames celebrates it's 25th anniversary this year. The John Badham directed vehicle, starring Matthew Broderick and Ally Sheedy is one of those staples of my youth and a cult favourite among those who love things geeky. WarGames is magic, a great coming of age story all wrapped up in an end of the world scenario... Wow! That was deep. Seriously, it truly is a great flick, one you should check out. I love the chemistry between Broderick and Sheedy, their wonderful. I had such a crush on Ally Sheedy back in the day. What little boy didn't want to be Broderick, hitting' on her while hacking into U.S. Military computer mainframes. Awesome!

Wired has a great article, talking about it alongside people involved with it's making. Enjoy.

Wired WarGames Article

Post E3 Tech Highlights

Yesterday, Microsoft's E3 press conference reaffirmed their belief in their hardware by announcing no new hardware peripheral attachments to their existing controllers despite rumours. X-Box Live is doing strong, especially with Netflix making an appearance on it. It was refreshing and the price drop to $299 for 20-gig model was welcome.

Nintendo on the other hand today, announced an attachment for their Wiimote controller entitled, "Wii MotionPlus". This addition will allow the user to control in true 3-D space. The first game to utilize it will be Wii Sports Resort, which will launch next spring. Nintendo has also announced the release of "WiiSpeak" a microphone that will allow chat among users and be vital for their new Animal Crossing game for the Wii.

Finally, Sony announced their new movie download service for the Playstation store. One is able to purchase an SD or HD version of their favourite movie, download it and copy it across to their PSP's for portable pleasure. A new game series was also announced entitled MAG, which will allow up to 256 players to play online at once. Plus, in September the 40-gig Playstation 3 model will be upgraded to 80-gigs and priced at $399.

iPhone & iPod touch 2.0

Well today's the big day! The new shiny, feature explosive iPhone 2.0 launches. Those with cracked iPhones in Canada can still giggle in delight that their cell plan is still better.

Alas, all generations of iPhones can be updated to the beautiful 2.0 firmware which officially allows you too, "Extend its capabilities with innovative applications you download directly from the new App Store. Get push email, calendar, and contacts from your Microsoft Exchange server at work. And use great new features in Mail, Contacts, and other applications." Oooo sooo sexy!

Don't worry all you iPod touch fans out there! Apple hasn't forgot about you, especially since your gadget does everything the iPhone does without the cell phone part, nor the monthly bill. Here's your firmware update.

Check out awesome Leo at TWiT Live for live updates on today's launch.

Very exciting stuff!

PS3 Firmware Ready To Roll

When firmware update 2.40 was released for the PS3, I was excited. The following day after it's release I installed the baby with ease. Like the vast majority of people who updated, my system didn't get pooched. However, a few did. The media cried like babies about it, making it a bigger deal than it was. Sony pulled the update, for repairs. A week later, 2.40 has been fixed. Now all you with PS3's can go get ready to rumble with trophies and in game XMB support. Awesome!

Firmware 2.41 Playstation Blog Announcement

Apple Fixes Plan

Power to the people! Apple has smartened up a bit with their iPhone plan up here in "The Great White North". Here's Rogers Wireless Communications Inc. press release.

Beauty, eh?

The 400 Gigabyte Blu-Ray Disc

Wow! That sure was fast and here we were gettin' people warmed to 50 gig discs.

Pioneer has developed a 400 gigabyte blu-ray disc that holds a hell of a lot of storage. Like 400 gigs worth, if you didn't read it right.

Here's the press release.

Mars Knight

Nasa found ice on Mars, I'm sure no one even knows about this since mainstream media isn't reporting it. This is very cool and very important news. Mars could be the next frontier for humanity, not Paris Hilton's social life.

* * * *

There is a real bitchin' article at Wired. "The Dark Knight's" director Christoper Nolan, is keeping the film very traditional with very little CGI and working with a lot of practical effects. Hmmm... I swear I remember hearing Steven Spielberg saying the same thing about Indy IV, yet look what happened.

Firmware Mayhem

There are a number of new firmware updates currently available for your favourite video game system.

Sony's Playstation 3 has a 2.36 update which improves system stability when playing certain PlayStation games. The update is not as impressive as firmware update 2.40 which hopefully, will appear soon.

The PSP has been upgraded to a monumental 4.00 update which now includes Google Internet searching via the XMB (XrossMediaBar). You'd think with such a historic number, a lot of cool features would be added but sadly no.

Finally, the Nintendo Wii has a 3.3 firmware update that home brew hobbyists and video game importers will not like. It will make the "Twilight Hack" unusable. Plus, Datel's Freeloader is shut down as well. Come to think about it, the last handful of Wii updates have all been like this. I hoped by now we'd receive an update that would include something useful like an MP3 Player channel but nope.

8.2 Million Downloads

On the day of release, Mozilla's Firefox 3 browser was downloaded 8.2 million times. That's in 24 hours. Amazing.

Visit their Spread Firefox page to download one the internet's best web browsers. You can also get the 411 on their Guinness World Record and Mozilla's 10th anniversary.

PSP Firmware Update

A tiny update for sure. In the very near future, the PSP will have a 4.00 firmware update that will improve internet searching. Hopefully other web browsing improvements will also be included.

For the full 411 click here.

Wired's Steve Jobs Live Keynote Blog

Very cool. Let's see what Apple's launching this year.

Enjoy!

Wired's Blog

Get Down Kong!

"The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters" is a fantastic documentary detailing the exploits of Steve Wiebe as he strives to break the worldwide Donkey Kong high score which Billy Mitchell set over 20 years ago. This is one film that is exciting, emotional, humorous and dramatic. We all love stories about the underdog who goes the distance, "Kong" is the "Rocky" story of the video game world. If you haven't seen the film, do so.

Looks like a sequel to the excellent documentary, is going to be made. It sure looks awesome! Those goofy guys down at G4TV got something very funny to watch.

Not Gettin' Wired

Wired Magazine is one of my favourite publications. Plus, it's sister website is very impressive. Great content.

I was considering in obtaining a year long subscription to it's magazine. The problem is I live in Canada. For nearly nine months the Canadian and American dollar have been neck and neck. Around Christmas time, the Canuck buck surpassed the American greatly causing several companies to honour the dollar and start charging American pricing. One of the first was Sony.

So I enter Wired's site and entered the magazine subscription area. So here we go. An American subscription is 10 bucks. Cool! Hopefully the Canadian offering is roughly the same.

Nope. The Canadian subscription is 40 dollars. Yikes! Looks like I have to rethink about it.

Hey, Wired. Times have changed.

Wii Fit Light Impressions

This company is hitting home runs. Their comeback is huge. The world is at their feet, wanting to purchase everything that emerges out of the house that Mario or shall we say... Wii built.

The last generation of video game console hardware was not kind to Nintendo. We witnessed the underpowered and underappreciated GameCube. The release of the purple lunchbox, turned gamers and non-gamers off. As the rest of the world moved forward with online gaming, Nintendo tried to figure out ways for gamers to get together by connecting multiple GameBoys to their Cubes. That was a mess. Today, the GameCube is nothing more than a little footnote in Nintendo history as the company has taken inspiration from Apple in product and advertisement.

It's cool to play video games. It's cool to own a Nintendo video game console. Wii Fit is their latest buzz, their latest killer app that everyone must own.

Make no mistake, Wii Fit is no video game. It's an exercise device, that makes working out fun.

The balance board included is surprisingly light weight and durable. It can support up to 300lbs of weight. The device is very simple to setup and utilize which I found to be both surprising and refreshing.

The software included is great as one selects a male or female "trainer" who help you learn exercises from yoga to aerobics. There are also plenty of mini games to play from skiing to tightrope walking. The various exercises can be intense. I have never done yoga or aerobics in my life. Starting up, I was learning to breathe, balance and stretch. One is able to discover how out of shape they are and begin repairing it.

The device is amazing at the same time it won't be the end all answer to your health needs. It will however hopefully inspire you to be more active. It is fun stuff.

Come one now, you know you want it. You don't need to take any advice from me. Have fun hunting one down.

Wii Fit

SONY's OLED TVs

Here it is. The future of television that goes beyond plasma and LCD. Behold!

Sony Introduces New TV Technology That May Replace LCDs Or Plasmas

SONY Launches World's First OLED TV

PSP Fun

Gadgets, gizmos and all kinds of handheld electronic delights have excited me ever since I was a little kid. Back in the day, Coleco's tabletop lineup of arcade games such as Pac-Man and Galaxian amazed me with their toyish charms. Sony's Walkman provided a personal musical experience and the original Nintendo Gameboy entertained a generation with Super Mario Bros., Pokemon and Tetris. Today, our cellphones, iPods, Palms, Pocket PCs or Sony PSPs provide us with a massive multimedia experience that past technology never provided.

Sony's Playstation Portable aka PSP, was one of the first of it's kind 3 years ago. The system provides great games to play, video/mp3 playback, photo viewing and internet surfing. Today, one can also listen to satellite radio on the unit and make phone calls using SKYPE.

A unique feature for the device is REMOTE PLAY. With this feature one can access the content off their Playstation 3's. You can go for a coffee, kick back and log onto the internet and listen to your MP3 catalogue off your desktop Playstation. You can also watch video's, play specific Remote Play games and check out the Sony Store and start downloads.

If you don't have one an excellent God of War PSP bundle
is coming out next month.

If that dosen't interest you, today this was announced.
Madden 09 PSP Entertainment Pack

Reading Into The Past

This is just to damn cool to not post. Remember those sweet text adventures from Infocom back in the day? I played my fair share of Zork and The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy. This article popped up with plenty of information about the fall of the company along with the sequel to Hitchhikers, Milliways.

Very cool indeed.

Wii Projects

I love the interactivity with the Nintendo Wii. One can get off their couch and really participate in a fun gaming experience. The Wii by itself is a very cool piece of technology. However Johnny Chung Lee, has some amazing projects you can do with your Wii to expand it's use. Check it out!

Johnny Chung Lee Wii Projects

A New Begininng With Something Old - Arcade Memories

Well here we go. Welcome to my first post.

I'm a huge arcade fan. I was a little kid back in the 1980's and arcades for me were these magical places, featuring interactive windows which propelled one into breathtaking new worlds. The scenery, atmosphere and sounds were so unique and memorable. One can't forget the smell of popcorn and hot dogs in the air as the rhythmic melodies of Rush accompanied by electronic arcade music filled the air. The big draw of course were those games. The first time you saw a Pac-Man or Dragon's Lair machine was awe-inspiring.

Back in the day when interactive video technology was born, it was new and exciting. The future seemed so amazing and these electronic windows were the beginning of a new era. Today here I am listing to my Rush Snakes & Arrows Live album digitally on my PSP. In the handheld's UMD slot, is the Namco Museum Battle Collection so I can relive those arcade memories once again. Boy, did the future get awesome. However, as the future got better, the arcades slowly disappeared.

I love the art of an arcade cabinet. The colourful side art and design construction of a cabinet can be breathtaking. The look of a Pac-Man arcade machine is magical. The design between the North American and Japanese editions are both unique and interesting. For myself, the North American Pac-Man takes me back home. I love cabinets. They just make the game experience much more special. When you look at the cabinet it just screams, "behold, you are about to embark on an exciting journey".

There are dozens of arcade sites on the internet I have visited for years. Reading and re-experiencing those past delights. One of my favourites is Peter Hirschberg's. Not only does he have plenty of cool arcade memories to share but he just finished building his own arcade. Take a look. You'll be lost there for hours.

One of my goals is to own a Namco 25th Anniversary Pac-Man cabinet which houses not only the classic but Ms. Pac-Man and Galaga as well. To be able to walk up to that cabinet once again is gonna be magnificent.

He's got a force field and a flexible plan
He's got a date with fate in a black sedan
He plays fast forward for as long as he can
But he won't need a bed -
He's a digital man
- "Digital Man" Rush