More info about the Xbox 360 bugs

Here's another article with more information about the bugs people are experiencing while playing games on their new Xbox 360. Seems to not be a widespread issue, at least according to Microsoft, whose spokesperson Molly O'Donnell states in the article that "The call rate is well below what you'd expect for a consumer electronics product of this complexity". Sounds like the problems people are having are really annoying though - makes me a little glad I don't have one, cause I can guarantee you that I'd be one of the 'lucky' ones having trouble!

RIP : actor Pat Morita dead at 73

Just saw this a minute ago - Pat Morita has died of natural causes, he was 73 years old. Very sad news indeed. I remember him first as Arnold on Happy Days, but he's best known as Mr. Miyagi from the Karate Kid movies. Pat was a very funny guy, he will be missed.

Problems reported with some Xbox 360's already

Hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving - I've been in Cincinnati so I wasn't able to post till now. Saw this article from Wednesday about problems being reported with some Xbox 360's already today, and I have to say this actually isn't really that surprising. Microsoft had some trouble with the original Xbox too, they'd overheat or lockup and do other weird things. Hopefully they are helping the affected buyers quickly - I know I'd be pretty pissed if I'd waited in a line for hours to buy one and then it doesn't work once I get it home!

I've seen it, and it's good - Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire

Saw it last night, and I thought it was pretty good. There are some differences between the book and the movie, of course, but nothing of major importance was cut out. The pace of the movie was good, it didn't feel like a 2 and a half hour long movie, and I never had a moment of boredom. I didn't think Voldemort (played by Ralph Fiennes) was quite as scary as he should have been. He was REALLY creepy though, and I can't really think of a better actor to play him (here's a joke only my wife will get - Ralph Fiennes!! Yeah, he was great in The Pianist.) Great performances once again from the kids (Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, and of course Daniel Radcliffe), they are really capturing their characters better and better with each film. Overall, I have to hand it to Mike Newell - he took a HUGE book that had enough stuff going on in it to make two movies, and turned it into one really good movie. It's a little darker in tone than the first two movies, and about in line with the tone of Prisoner of Azkaban, so it might not be appropriate for the younger kids - but I'd highly recommend it, even to people who aren't Potter fans!

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

I'm going to go see it tonight - so I'll give you my two cents on how good or bad it was tomorrow. For now, here's a link to the Goblet of Fire site so you can watch the trailer! You can also get wallpapers and AIM Buddy Icons from the main Harry Potter site.

Want an Xbox360? You might be better off waiting...

...says a review written by CNN Money. A light (although diverse) offering of launch titles with no clear breakout game would be the strongest reason to do so. The built in support for Xbox Live and the new content available though it (including downloadable game demos) are the strongest reasons to go ahead and get one. The biggest question is - will you be able to find one?

Dear Steve Jobs : PLEASE don't change the pricing on iTunes Music Store

This worries me - Forbes.com believes that the flat-fee structure on the iTunes Music Store is coming to an end within the next year. Executives from EMI, Warner Music Group, and Sony BMG have apparently been pushing Steve Jobs toward adoption of a tiered pricing scheme - i.e., an older song could be downloaded for less than $0.99, but newer more popular songs would cost more - and would probably be priced at over a dollar a download. The whole appeal to the iTunes Music Store is it's easy to use and cheap - why by a whole album if you only like one song, right? So why should I have to pay more for a song that's more popular - it seems to me that is just a way for the music companies to make more money off the popular songs, cause you know that none of that extra money is going to find it's way to the musicians themselves. I guess all good things come to an end eventually, eh?

Apple to start selling iBook with Intel processor next January

Found this on ThinkSecret - they have word from reliable sources that the first Apple machine to sport an Intel processor will be the iBook, and it will have it's debut at Macworld Expo next January. The say in their article that their sources are the same sources that gave them the scoop on the Mac Mini and iPod Photo before their respective releases. It would be very cool to get a new Apple iBook running an Intel processor - as long as the price is right. If they do bring the iBook down in price to $699 or $799 it would be hard to pass up that kind of a deal! I guess we'll see what happens at the next Macworld...

It's official - Ben Heckendorn has WAY to much time on his hands

For the uninitiated, Ben Heckendorn loves to tinker with old technology, and to make it portable. He made a portable NES, and a portable SNES - and now he's made his own laptop. Using an Atari 800 XE (well, actually an Atari XE GS which was the same thing in game system version). Click the link above to check out some pics (and the other projects he's done) on his website. Man, do I ever wish I had the kind of time to putter around with old tech like he does. That would be lots of fun!

Gaming addicts = drug addicts?

This article from the New Scientist about a new study conducted in Germany found that people addicted to gaming have many similarities to people addicted to drugs. Very interesting - so does this mean that gaming addicts who want to be cured would go to rehab centers like drug addicts do? Would a recovering addict have fallen off the wagon if he was caught hanging out at an EB Games store? Will people now say things like "Oh, I'm just a casual gamer - I can take it or leave it anytime"? Too many questions...

The Darwin Awards - always good for a chuckle

There is still time to vote on the prospective nominees for this year's Darwin Awards - click the link and go right to the page with the list of nominees. Of course you can also checkout the previous winners, and the honorable mentions (people who get honorable mention did not die), and other fun stuff. At the very least, reading some of these will make you feel like your life could certainly be worse!

Say it ain't so - FOX cancels Arrested Development

It figures this would happen, since it almost was cancelled once already, but apparently this time it's a done deal - FOX cancels Arrested Development. They've also cancelled Kitchen Confidential, which also suffered from low viewership. Frankly I'm kind of mad about this, because I think Arrested Development is a great show, the funniest comedy on TV is quite some time. It's a real shame, I think. Fine shows get cancelled, and crap like Trading Spouses stays on the air.

'Body sushi' - Got $500 to spend?

If you've got the free money, here's a unique way to spend it - Body Sushi. Your all-you-can-eat sushi meal is served on a semi-nude woman. The restaurant in Chicago called is called Kizoku, and the woman your meal is served on - a belly dancer and friend of the owner Eddy Pinto from Las Vegas who goes by the name Tabitha - wears a G-string, some cellophane, a few strategically placed seashells and not much else. The sushi is placed atop bamboo leaves arranged on her thighs, stomach and chest, so none of the food touches her skin directly. Alrighty then. I can't stand fish (raw or cooked), and I don't know if the new 'presentation' would make me change my mind. It is a pretty unique idea though, I must admit!

Two great tastes that would taste really bad together - Coffee Beer

This just sounds like an odd idea to me - Nestle patents coffee beer. It's a coffee flavor fermented beverage, which tastes like strong coffee but has no alcohol content. See? Weird. I'm not sure who would want this, but I guess you never know.

Fun link of the day - George W. Bush speechwriter

This is fun! You can create a speech and hear it read in Bush's voice - George W. Bush Speechwriter. Click on the 6 blue tabs on the Bank to switch between different sound bites, then drag a bit over to the Speech side. Once you're done, click Play Speech to hear Bush say what you want him to say! You can make him say some very funny things, and you can save a speech to reload later. Loads of fun!

Mr. Sulu comes out of the closet

I can't apply anything funnier to this than the subject line of the email my brother sent me about it - "Star Trek's Mr. Sulu come out. Set phasers to 'fabulous!'". You have to applaud him for finally breaking his silence, but I've gotta admit this one surprised me a little. When it was revealed that Liberace was gay, I was like 'Duh.' Rock Hudson - 'Yep. I knew it.' Richard Chamberlin - 'I always knew it. I KNEW IT!!!' But this one I did not see coming.

[singing] Real Men of The Empire...[/singing]

Hee hee hee - if you've ever heard the Budweiser 'Real Men of Genius' ads, and you are a Star Wars fan, than this links for you! Real Men of The Empire.

I hope he doesn't force R2 to run Windows...

This post isn't quite keeping with the trend of today's posts so far, but I just had to share this. I mean geez, I've seen some crazy PC case modifications before, but this one takes the cake - pictures of an R2D2 case mod project. The guy did a pretty good job on it too, it must have taken him a very long time. I'm sure it was totally worth it - well, to him at least!

Ever wonder what was inside a Magic 8 Ball?

Continuing in the metaphysical vein of today's posts, here's a site that wanted an answer to the age-old question - What's inside a Magic 8 Ball? The whole 'experiment' was conducted with large amounts of humor apparently - and they even had some test subjects drink the fluid from inside the ball! That sounds pretty gross...

Find out who you were in a past life (interesting)

Even if you don't believe in past life experiences (like me), this is kinda fun - Past Life Analysis. It's at least good for a laugh!

Violation of free speech - or protecting the children?

Well it's a tough call on this one - a Catholic high school principal has informed his students that they must take down their blogs and other personal online sites like pages on myspace.com and xanga.com. So that begs the question - is he violating their rights to free speech, or just doing what he thinks is right to protect his kids from predators online? It's a tough call - I can see both arguments having validity, but I bet the voices on the side of protecting the students (the principal, his staff, the kids' parents) will veto any arguments the kids can come up with against this new policy.

Gotta go back in time...

Check it out folks - someone went to all the time and trouble to craft the DeLorean from Back to the Future out of LEGO - here's the link to the pictures.

NASA worries that long space missions could be jeopardized by - wait for it... SEX!!

Oh yeah, I'm not kidding. Here's the link to the New Scientist article I just read that goes into NASA's misgivings about sex in space - in detail. So OK - people but together on a long space mission like say, to Mars (it would most likely be a 30 month trip to reach Mars), would potentially want to do it. That is a given, I think. So now NASA is going to study the issue, and they better hurry - they plan to conduct new missions to the moon by 2018! Do you think they have enough time?

Yep, more pictures from Vegas

Here are some pictures of a few hotels on the Strip -

Here's The Mirage.

This is The Palms - the new tower was still under construction while we were there.

Here's a shot of The Venetian.

And here's a shot of The Stratosphere.

Yet more Vegas pictures

Here you go, even more pictures from Vegas!!

Inside the Wynn lobby, they have trees with large topiary balls hanging from them, so here's a shot of one.

This is a shot of the stream that runs through the landscaping outside the hotel.

Here's a shot of the cool hanging lanterns inside the Wynn.

The Wynn lobby also has these neat tile mosaics all over the place, inlaid into the marble floors. Very fancy!

Even more Vegas pictures

Got some more Vegas pictures for you - here's a few more of the new Wynn hotel.

Another exterior shot of the Wynn Las Vegas

Like other Vegas hotels, the Wynn has a video sign outside - but the Wynn's is special. The video is one thing while the logo is down, like this shot...

And switches to something different while the logo moves up, like it is in this shot. Pretty cool when you see it in action.

And here's a shot looking into the lobby of the Wynn hotel.

I've got a few more shots taken at the Wynn, and I'll share them soon!

More Vegas pictures

Well, I'm posting it later than I'd hoped to, but as promised - here's are more of my pictures from our Vegas trip.

Another shot of the Eiffel Tower at Paris Las Vegas.

A shot of the fountain outside Paris Las Vegas.

Here's the electronic sign outside Paris Las Vegas - it's even more impressive at night!

Here's an exterior shot of the new Wynn Las Vegas - a pretty cool place indeed.

More pictures from Vegas (better late than never...)

I know I promised more pics - here they are (finally)!

This is the replica Arc De Triomphe outside of Paris Las Vegas

And here is a shot of the Eiffel Tower at Paris Las Vegas

More to come - perhaps later today, if I have a chance (fingers crossed!)

Apple announces new iPod that plays video

There had been rumors that Steve Jobs was going to make the announcement about video iPods on the 12th, then the websites spreading those rumors were told to stop. And sure enough, Jobs announced that new iPods would soon be available that play video. 150 hours of video (on the 60 GB model I'd assume) - but you have to watch it on a 2.5 inch screen. Maybe I'll wait till they make one with a bigger screen... nah, who am I kidding - I want one now!

One day only - download Divx Create software for free!

Looks like this is legitimate - one day only (today), you can download the Divx Create software package for free. It's normally $19.99, but they are giving it away free today to celebrate their five year anniversary. Here's the link - enjoy!!

Meeting of the minds - TIME interviews Joss Whedon and Neil Gaiman

And as you can read in the article, both Neil and Joss have film coming out this Friday. Neil's got Mirrormask, and Joss has Serenity (of course). It's a pretty long article (so long that I've only had time to skim it so far), but pretty interesting. And Neil has declared September 30th as 'National Geek Day', and it sure will be! I'll be in a theater watching Serenity on Friday - how about you?

Windows Vista - the REAL reason it's taking so long to bring it out

Here's a great article from the Wall Street Journal all about the next version of Microsoft's Windows operating system, and the problems that have caused it to be delayed many times over. It goes into the change Microsoft implemented in how they code their software, and how it wasn't an easy sell with their engineers - or Bill Gates himself. Definitely worth a read.

From the Earth to the Moon - again

Well, it's official - NASA is going to return to the Moon before the end of the next decade, probably in 2018. The spacecraft they plan to develop looks remarkable similar to the Apollo program spacecraft - but it will be updated (of course). It'll also apparently cost somewhere on the order of $100+ billion dollars to develop and build. Not sure if it's worth it, but the new vehicle is also expected to be the main way to deliver people and supplies to the International Space Station (replacing the Shuttle) and will also possibly be the vehicle (or one of the vehicles) used for human exploration of Mars. Maybe it's worth it, but I don't know - we'll see I suppose. I'm sure many people will weigh in with their opinions over the next few days and weeks.

Nintendo reveals the real reason they are calling their next console 'Revolution'

The story broke yesterday - Nintendo, which has been very tight about info on the new Nintendo Revolution console up till now, officially unveiled the new controller for it at the Tokyo Game Show. Big deal, I'll bet you're thinking. But it actually is - read this article from 1up.com to find out all about it. Has Nintendo done it again - or will the Revolution suffer the same fate as the GameCube?

Release date for Final Fantasy VII - Advent Children

It's been a long time coming, but the fully CGI rendered movie 'sequel' to Final Fantasy VII will be available on DVD on November 29th. More info about the DVD available from AnimeNation. You can also find out more about Advent Children on it's website - it's a Japanese site, but not too hard to glean at least some info from it. You might also be interested in this interview with Tetsuyo Nomura (Director of Advent Children), where he talks about his idea of remaking the original FFVII, as a full CGI version for Playstation 3. Now THAT would be awesome - getting to play FFVII again, but it looks like the CGI animation used in Advent Children!!

As promised - some pictures I took in Vegas

I know I promised this a long LONG time ago, but here it is finally - I've got some pictures I took in Vegas to share with you. Like this one - a shot of the hallway leading away from our room at Rio (exciting stuff, I know).



Here's one of the cars on the Las Vegas Monorail - all Borgified. Cool, huh?



I've got more to share - but no time to put 'em up right now, unfortunately. Hopefully later today or tomorrow.

The Bushes on vacation

Man, this picture is hilarious! My father-in-law emailed it to me, so thanks go out to him for brightening my day! If you want to see the image larger you can just click on it.

Bill Gates speaks out about the competition facing Microsoft

Here's a link to an interview Bill Gates did with the Seattle Post Intelligencer, where he talks about Windows Vista, the next version of Office, and the competition Microsoft faces from such companies as Apple and Google - who he admits are doing some things better than Microsoft is. Of course, he believes that he'll eventually crush them, but that's nothing new. Interestingly enough, Gates also recently did an interview with CNET - here's the link to that one. If you're pressed for time the interview in the Seattle PI isn't very long, but I think the one in CNET is more in depth.

Oh, this is just too funny - check this link out!

Got the link to this website emailed to me by a friend, and I laughed my butt off once I went there and read the site - here's the link. You may not want to read this if you believe in creationism/intelligent design, unless you have a good sense of humor!

American traveler's apology t-shirt

Here's another fun thing I found recently - Are you a American, a world traveler, and tired of having to apologize for your government? Wear this stylish and functional t-shirt, and it will do the apologizing for you! I think it's pretty cool, I might just need to get one...

Now available at the iTunes Music Store

Do you have an iPod? Do you love Harry Potter? Well now you're in luck - you can bring the two together! Just go to the iTunes Music Store and download the Complete Harry Potter Collection - you can even use the convenient link I've added to the sidebar (hint, hint) to get it. What could be cooler, right?

And with the new updated iTunes 5, it's even easier to sample and subscribe to thousands of free podcasts at the iTunes Music Store.

Here's another cool link to get some new content from iTunes - just the thing for you Madonna fans out there -


Enjoy!

Let the President know how you feel about his response to Hurricane Katrina

You've seen the devastation on TV (or in person), you've heard the pleas of the displaced citizens and the mayor of New Orleans, and you've seen the complete failure of the government to properly respond and help the survivors of Katrina. Want to let Bush know how you feel? Sign this petition and let your opinion be heard.
You can also catch a bit of the awesome (and hilarious) Katrina coverage that was on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart Tuesday night here - check out the Bush's Timeline video.

iTunes 5 and iPod Nano

Greetings! I know, it's been a while since I've posted AGAIN. Sorry about the lack of posts recently - I'm trying to write more often, it's just been tough recently. I promise I'll explain more, but not now. Now there is very interesting news to report on the Apple iPod/iTunes front - the new version of iTunes (version 5) is now available for download (get it here). The new version is a little more streamlined, they say the search is faster (I thought it was pretty fast already), and it supports the new iTunes for Mobile Phone (which only works with Cingular). Also new is the iPod Nano, which looks just like the normal iPod but is pencil-thin (dimensions are 3.5 x 1.6 x 0.27 inches), and comes in a 2GB ($199) and 4GB ($249) version. You can get one in either white or black. So it looks like this new iPod officially signs the death warrant for the iPod Mini - it's better though so it's not a big surprise I guess. Check out the links if you want more info about the new iTunes or iPod Nano.

Been a long time - but here's a new post

Greetings - I know it's been a VERY long time since I last posted anything, but I promise there is a good reason for the delay. I'm not going to go into it right now, but I promise soon I'll write something about it. Vacation went pretty well, although I didn't want to leave Vegas. That happens pretty much every time I'm there though, so it was no surprise :) I have some pictures to share, so I'll be throwing a few of them up here sometime in the next few days. Not a whole lot else going on right now - work sucks (no surprise, I know), and we'll be going to Chicago for a few days this weekend. So that means it'll be a while till I post again. Someday soon I hope to get back to posting more regularly - keep your fingers crossed for me!

VEGAS BABY!!! VEGAS!!!!

Oh yeah - even though the countdown began weeks ago, now it's really getting down to the wire. If I can only make it through the day, then I can just relax and take it easy in Las Vegas. It's almost vacation time - and I just can't wait! It's hard to be here at work today because my mind is just not on work at all. I think it already went out to Vegas ahead of me maybe. Isn't it just the worst thing in the world to have to go into work right before vacation? You just can't concentrate. Well, wish me luck trying to make it through the rest of the day...

This is kinda creepy

Looks like the Japanese have developed a robot that looks very realistic - too realistic, if you ask me. Read the BBC News article here, and here's a link to a National Geographic article with another couple of pictures. Very creepy - what's next Blade Runner style replicants?

Vacation just can't start fast enough...

Work is still kicking my ass, but thankfully it's almost over - it's almost vacation time!! BB and I will be going to Las Vegas this Sunday, and we'll be there for a whole week - I am really looking forward to it, especially with how bad work has been recently. I'll try to get some cool pictures, and I may just be posting a few of them here, we'll see...

If your desk has a forehead shaped divot in it - does that mean you bang your head against it too much?

Still suffering under the yoke of my horrible job - it's been a week from hell, but thankfully it'll be over soon. Since my work week runs Wednesday through Saturday, I have the next three days off! YAY!!! And very soon (but not hardly soon enough) BB and I will be off to wonderful Las Vegas for a well deserved vacation. We'll be staying at the Rio, they have a really cool pool area - it's gonna be a great vacation!

I hate my job

I know, I know - big surprise, everyone hates their job. But I hate my job with the white hot intensity of a thousand suns, it's a hate akin to the pure hatred Ahab had for Moby Dick ("to the last I grapple with thee; from hell's heart I stab at thee; for hate's sake I spit my last breath at thee." Now THAT'S some hate!) Suffice to say, my job sucks. We'll leave it at that, or I'll get all worked up about it.
Anyways, I haven't been able to post over the past couple of days - let's see, what's been happening in the last couple days...

More bombings in London, police shoot a suspect.

Bush picks a nominee to replace Sandra Day O'Connor on the Supreme Court, John Roberts - his mother says his Roman Catholic faith his very important to him. [sarcasm]Yay.[/sarcasm]

Microsoft renames Longhorn - it's now Windows Vista. VISTA?!?!? WTF??

And on a very sad note, James Doohan died Wednesday morning. He will be cremated and his ashes launched into 'space, the final frontier'. Jimmy Doohan was a very cool guy, it's obvious from the articles all over the web how special he was and how he'll be missed.

The next step in broadband internet - 100Mbps connection in your home

It's being rolled out over in the Netherlands as a trial soon, and looks promising. How cool would it be to be downloading files from your favorite (LEGAL) music service, and getting them in a split second? You can read more about it here.

Harry Potter Mania!!!

So, the new Potter book, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince came out today. Since stores started selling the book at midnight, BB and I went out and picked up a copy last night. And it was quite an adventure! We went to a Meijer's (because they were selling the book really cheap, $14.87 or something) and arrived about quarter till midnight, and got in one heck of a long ass line. At midnight they started moving people through the line and just handing them books - you had to go out to the registers at the front of the store to purchase it. It moved pretty fast, considering that there were probably 300 or so people in front of us in the line. Quite a few people behind us too - I've no idea how many total, but A LOT I'm sure. Anyway, even though BB was all worried we wouldn't get a copy, we did - and she's happily reading it right now. So all's well that ends well, right? Oh, and the Half Blood Prince? Yeah, it's Hagrid. (Actually, I've no idea. I haven't read a word of the book yet. But wouldn't it be funny if I was right?)

Movies to see : Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Wedding Crashers

My wife (who I've decided to call BB, since constantly typing 'my wife and I' is retarded) and I went to see Charlie and the Chocolate Factory yesterday. Man, that was a great film - much truer to the book. We both really enjoyed it, and I would recommend it to any fan of the book. They even included the part from the book with the Indian prince who asks Wonka to build him a palace made entirely of chocolate (and it was a great scene).
BB and I (See? Much easier) also went to see Wedding Crashers recently. We saw an advance screening of it on Monday, but I didn't get an opportunity to write about it till now. Very fun movie - definitely NOT a family film. Lots of lewd conduct and naked boobies and such. But if you like Vince Vaughn, go see this movie - because he is great in it. Owen Wilson is good too, but Vince is just terrific. Plus there's a special surprise cameo from one of Vince's Old School co-stars. Very funny! Another good movie that I would highly recommend.

Latest on the delayed Space Shuttle launch

Here's the word from NASA on what's happening with the investigation into the problem with the engine cut-off sensor that was malfunctioning - 'The sensor protects an orbiter's main engines by triggering them to shut down in the event fuel runs unexpectedly low. Space Shuttle Program managers plan a series of meetings Thursday to discuss the problem and determine the steps necessary to get back into the launch countdown. As of now, the most optimistic possibility for the next launch attempt is no earlier than 2:40 p.m. EDT on Saturday, July 16.' NASA has been really good about updating their Return To Flight section of their site, so check there for further updates.
I had tried to write an update about the Shuttle launch as soon as it was announced, but Blogger had some weird glitch and wouldn't publish my post. I tried a few times and kept getting odd errors. Then I look at the blog later, and there's the post Blogger was telling me it couldn't publish. Maybe Blogger was overloaded with people posting all at the same time, I don't know. Weird stuff, but it seems to be better today.

Legal music downloads on the rise

The latest Neilsen Soundscan report tracking legal music downloads shows a threefold increase in downloads from January to June 2005 (compared to the same period in 2004). The article notes that Compact Disc sales within the same period decreased by 7 percent, and that single-song downloads account for six percent of overall music sales, up by four percent compared to last year. Of course the recording industry has no problem with this, as they have their hooks into the legal music download services like iTunes Music Store and Napster - so they get a piece of every song sold. Of course they are still after illegal downloads, and that's mentioned in the article as well.

Space Shuttle Lanch postponed

The launch scheduled to happen today at 3:51pm EDT has been postponed - looks like a faulty sensor onboard the orbiter is to blame. Additional info available through NASA's website or CNN. Too bad, but I guess they want to be absolutely certain nothing goes wrong. You really can't blame NASA for being extra careful.

The NHL lockout may be over - finally

Here's the article straight from ESPN.com - as long as both sides ratify the collective bargaining agreement (CBA), then the lockout is over and next season will happen. SWEET!

Return to Flight - NASA prepares for Discovery launch today

It is looking good for the anticipated 3:51pm launch of Space Shuttle Discovery, despite problems with a window cover that fell off the orbiter yesterday and a problem with a launch pad heater during fueling this morning. The orbiter is fueled up as of 9am, and the short delay won't affect the launch (NASA builds extra time into launch preparation for problems like these). Get all the latest info online from MSNBC here, and from NASA's website here.

Rockstar has a problem with some "hot coffee"

Looks like there's a mod available for the PC version of Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto : San Andreas which adds explicit sexual content to the game - and it's causing quite a stir. Rockstar states that the content is added to the game by the mod (the developer of the mod, Patrick Wildenborg, calls it 'hot coffee'), and is not existing content that is unlocked by it. Here's the word from Rockstar's official statement - "So far we have learned that the "hot coffee" modification is the work of a determined group of hackers who have gone to significant trouble to alter scenes in the official version of the game, in violation of the software user agreement, hackers created the 'hot coffee' modification by disassembling and then combining, recompiling and altering the game's source code. Since the 'hot coffee' scenes cannot be created without intentional and significant technical modifications and reverse engineering of the game's source code, we are currently investigating ways that we can increase the security protection of the source code and prevent the game from being altered by the 'hot coffee' modification." Of course, no steps taken by a software developer can completely kill such modifications - but Rockstar is smart to clearly state that the questionable content was not pre-existing within the game. Now, can they prove it?

Windows Longhorn begins beta testing

It's official - Microsoft's long delayed new operating system, code name Longhorn, has officially begun beta testing. The invited will be able to download Longhorn Beta 1 and conduct the first official beta testing, and it's expected that Microsoft will allow the public to apply for the beta program later this summer. I remember getting a Beta version of Windows XP many years back - I wonder if Microsoft will send me one of the invites?

Is the end to the NHL lockout in sight?

God, we can only hope. I don't know if I could handle another season without hockey. Read this very informative article from the New York Daily News to get the whole story on the current status of the negotiations. Count me among the many people with their fingers crossed hoping this deal really does go through and that hockey starts again next season.

Google Toolbar coming to Firefox?

There is a strong possibility it is, according to this article from ZDNet. Firefox users have had the GoogleBar extension for a while now, but this would be a translation of the Internet Explorer version, and would come from Google itself. Interesting news, but it would have to be pretty special for me to use it. Firefox already has pop-up blocking, so the Firefox version of Google Toolbar won't need that - and there's already a Google search box built into the browser (and right on the home page if you use the Firefox Start Page). Well, it's interesting news at least - it's good to see more software developers making use of Firefox.

I wish I was rich... Star Wars memorabilia going up for auction

Looks like film producer Gary Kurtz is putting some of his Star Wars collection up for auction - you can get more info from this site. They will also be auctioning off some other Star Wars stuff, and the mileage signpost from the M*A*S*H television series! Odds are that they'll make a decent amount of cash off of some of those pieces, like the lightsaber - that'd be the one that I'd want. Now if only I were fabulously wealthy...

Secret Wall Tattoos

This is a very interesting concept - check out Secret Wall Tattoos. Unless I miss my guess, these are all hotel/motel rooms - I wonder how many of them have been discovered by the staff? And if any of the artists got in trouble for them?

A cautionary tale for users of wireless routers

If you have your own wireless router and operate it without any security measures at all - you need to read this article. Just a friendly reminder that running a wireless network with no security is a BAD IDEA.

Google Video

Google is beta testing their new video search at video.google.com - you'll need a browser plug-in to watch the videos (available here). If you'd like to patch the "feature" of the viewer that prevents you watching videos not hosted on Google's servers, than you'll need to check out this website.

Playstation 3 may be priced at $399

Looks like the Playstation 3 will cost Sony $454 to make, and they will most likely sell it for $399. Pricey. I haven't seen a price for Xbox 360 yet, but I bet it's less - most likely less by only a little, but less. Of course I want both of them - but we'll have to see if that actually happens or not. I may not be able to afford it!

Error message Generator

Ever wanted to craft a humorous Windows error message, maybe just for fun or to use on a forum or message board? Well, problem solved! Here's Atom Smasher's Error Message Generator! Fun for the whole family!

Apple upgrades iTunes to version 4.9

If you haven't upgraded iTunes yet, click here to get the new version, which includes support for podcasts. Cool!!

A blog for the ages : PostSecret

I happened upon this site by accident and thought the idea behind it was really great - I won't ruin it by talking to much about it, but I definitely believe you should go check this site out for yourself - PostSecret. It might just change your life - no joke.

The rise of the Browncoats

For some of you this will come as no surprise - but fans of Joss Whedon's series Firefly are very persistent, and very vocal about their love of the show and it's upcoming movie incarnation, Firefly. Well, Joss is really counting on them and their support - in fact, he's directed the marketing to them specifically. Fans have been able to attend advance screenings in certain cities, screenings where they viewed a early rough cut of the film. And paid regular admission price for the priviledge. Shoot, I would have gone if I'd known they were doing these!!

Watch out, there's zombies all over the internet

Here's an interesting article written for the New York Times about zombie PC's - computers infected with a virus that makes them usable by a malicious hacker to spread spam mail or as remote computers to assist in a denial of service (DOS) attack. I think it goes without saying, but keep those anti-virus programs up to date - and don't open spam!!

Study finds people in the UK think software piracy is no big deal

Two university researchers in the United Kingdom have completed a study they've titled 'Fake Nation', about attitudes toward software piracy/downloading copyrighted material in the UK, finds that people don't see it as a crime. Not totally surprising, but interesting findings nonetheless.

Another reason to beware of pop-ups

Seems that most web browsers are vulnerable to a newly discovered exploit, described in this article from News.com. It does seem like it'd be pretty complicated to pull off, but since Internet Explorer (Windows and Mac versions), Safari, and Mozilla/Mozilla Firefox are all vulnerable it is of some concern. I'm sure Mozilla is working on a patch for it right now though, they're generally pretty good about getting patches out to prevent new browser exploits.

This sounds like fun - Monopoly Live

But I'll bet it's also tough, since it's set in London - Monopoly Live. You pick a London cab (which has a GPS device in it), and buy properties around London. Whenever cabbies take their fares to your properties, you collect rent. So the trick would be knowing which properties to buy - so people in and around London should kick ass at this game. Still could be an interesting and fun game for those of us 'across the pond'.

Want to become Batman? It'll cost you - A LOT.

Here's a fun article written for Forbes.com that lays out what it might cost in the real world to become Batman, just like in Batman Begins. The cost involved isn't for the faint of heart, but it could be achievable if you had the resources and the will to do it.

Someone set up us the bomb

The greatest meme ever, All Your Base Are Belong To Us is 5 years old this month. You can watch the Flash video that started it all here. Take off every 'Zig'!! For Great Justice!!

30 Days

Finally got a chance to watch Morgan Spurlock's new TV series 30 Days on FX, and it was really good. I can't wait for the next episode, a guy spends 30 days on anti-aging drugs. Should be very interesting.

Firefly coming to SciFi Channel

Firefly, Joss Whedon's "space western" which was cancelled before it's time will get a bit of new life on the SciFi Channel. SciFi announced they will air all 15 episodes, including the 3 that never aired - and the episodes will be shown in the correct order for the first time on TV - starting July 22nd. We've also got the movie version, Serenity, which opens on September 30th. So hopefully the movie will do well, and the reruns on SciFi will do well - and maybe the show will return for new episodes. That would be very cool!

How the Batsuit works

Here's a fun article from HowStuffWorks.com - How the Batsuit Works. It explains the new Batsuit from Batman Begins in detail, and has some production notes from Christopher Nolan and Christian Bale. Very cool!

Batman Begins - I've seen it, and it is good!

My wife and I went and saw Batman Begins last night, and I am very happy to report that it was a very good movie. Thank god, because if we'd been given another nightmare like Batman & Robin I think that the movie going public would have given up on Batman movies for good. But anyway, the smartest thing that Warner Bros. did was to put Batman in the hands of Christopher Nolan - it was a move of inspired genius on their part. Nolan has given us a complete re-imagining of the origin of Batman, showing us bits of Bruce Wayne's childhood leading up to the death of his parents and then taking us along on his journey of discovery that teaches him the things he needs to know to become the Dark Knight. The movie is darker in tone than any Batman movie since the 1989 Tim Burton version, and that is a very welcome change from the last two movies.
Christian Bale makes a perfect Bruce Wayne - haunted by his past, but determined to do what is necessary to bring his own brand of justice to the corrupt, seedy, and all too real vision of Gotham City brought to life in the film. Bale really brings amazing depth and focus to the character, which was a really great thing to see since most of the Batman movies gloss over the double life Bruce Wayne leads, and the trouble it causes him - Michael Keaton tried to bring some of that depth out in the first two movies but it generally got lost among the cool gadgets and special effects.
I could probably go on about the movie forever, but I won't - you should go and see it for yourself. If you are a Batman fan, this is the movie for you. And I for one can't wait for the next one - it's been a while since I felt that way about the Batman movies, and it's a good feeling to have again.

Emails about Britney might just be 'Toxic' (Sorry, I couldn't resist)

According to this article, Britney Spears is the #1 celebrity to be associated with virus-bearing spam email. She just edged out Bill Gates for the top spot. Here's the top ten (in descending order): Britney Spears, Bill Gates, Jennifer Lopez, Shakira, Osama Bin Laden, Michael Jackson, Bill Clinton, Anna Kournikova, Paris Hilton, and Pamela Anderson. So if you get email about these celebs - beware!!

Dave Chappelle met with Comedy Central execs - but still no word on when show still return

Looks like Chappelle was willing to meet with executives to discuss the return of Chappelle's Show recently, but they aren't saying anything about whether the show will return anytime soon or not. Here's a short article from USA Today about the meeting, which also mentions that the season 2 DVD collection is selling well.

This'll come as no surprise to some of you - nerds make better lovers

Yup, it's true and you can read the proof here - Nerds make better lovers. "A nerd is an excellent provider and a guy who puts you first," says E. Jean Carroll, Elle magazine's love and sex advice columnist. "He'll turn out to be a great father and a great husband." See? Proof positive, right?

Coming to a Windows PC near you - IE 7.0

Here's an article going into Microsoft's plan to roll out the new Internet Explorer 7.0 with lower priviledges enabled by default. They hope to help stop browser-based hacking by making these changes. Other changes that should ship with IE 7 are listed, like support for RSS feeds and International Domain Names (IDN). According to an article written in February, it'll only be available to Windows XP users with Service Pack 2 - so users of older Windows OS'es are out of luck I guess. Why worry - just use Firefox instead!

Proof that National Geographic has too much time on it's hands - The Science of Star Wars

If nothing else, it makes for an interesting read - How real are the alien worlds described in Star Wars? They asked two experts and got their opinions on just how believable the Star Wars galaxy is. And they have some very interesting opinions on the planets described in the movies - it's a pretty interesting article, just seems kinda weird for National Geographic. Guess it just goes to show how pervasive pop culture is in today's society.

Watch porn on your PSP - it might just happen

Looks like a couple of companies are bringing porn to the Sony PSP in Japan, looks like they'll have eight titles ready to buy starting in July. The rumor is that the discs won't actually be encoded as Region 2 (only works on Japanese and European PSPs) but will be region free meaning they would work on American PSP's also. I guess it was only a matter of time till someone decide to bring porn movies to the PSP's UMD disc - seeing as how (What should be an obvious WARNING adult content in the following links - not safe for work) Playboy has content you can download that's formatted for PSP, and there is another site out there that let's you download adult pictures and movies for the PSP.

You better be on your toes for this one

Sorry about the lack of posts lately, I've been sick and hadn't been able to really do much of anything till yesterday. Unfortunately since I had to go back to work, and my job sucks, I wasn't able to post at all yesterday. But here I am, back to post a fun little quiz for you - Guess Which Movie? Sounds easy, but it's harder than you'd think. I did OK on it, got a decent score of 205 movies right out of 239. Let's see if you can beat me - post a comment with your score!

Is Viagra causing blindness in some users?

If you use Viagra, watch out - it might make you go blind. The FDA is investigating reports of varying degrees of blindness reported by a small number of men who use Viagra. No hard (no pun intended) evidence has been found that shows that Viagra caused the blindness. The men affected are suffering a condition known as nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION), which causes a rapid reduction of vision and can, in the most serious cases, lead to blindness.

Dr Howard Pomeranz, co-author of a report on this condition published in the Journal of Neuro-ophthalmology in April, said that Viagra had long been linked to sight problems. Viagra was known to cause temporary color changes in some men's vision, he said, but NAION was a much more serious condition. Serious indeed - imagine all those little old men on Viagra, now walking around blind with a hard-on! (OK, maybe DON'T imagine that...)

Will satellite radio be coming to the iPod?

There have been rumors about Sirius satellite radio coming to iPod, but now it seems that negotiations are going on about how to share the subscription fee. The technology part should be easy, it's all about the price negotiation at this point. Could be a cool thing to have on an iPod, I think.

Airport security screeners will soon be able to see you naked

Makes me not want to fly very often - Homeland Security Department is preparing to install and test high-tech machines at airport checkpoints that will see through clothing. The technology is know as backscatter, it uses X-ray imaging technology to allow a screener to scan a body. And yes, the body image is detailed - "Well, you'll see basically everything," said Bill Scannell, a privacy advocate and technology consultant. "It shows nipples. It shows the clear outline of genitals." Creepy. So, does that mean that a huge number of perverts are going to try to get jobs as airport security screeners now?

If nothing else, the fanboys will be excited

Apparently George Lucas has an idea of another Star Wars movie - and it would be a prequel to Episode I. A scooper for Cinescape related to them his tale (use this link to read it and some other movie rumors), he apparently met George Lucas in Hawaii recently and asked him a few questions. Most notably, "I asked him if STAR WARS was going to end with this next installment and He said, "'Star Wars' will never end. My involvement may, but the story will go on....""

Then the scooper (credited in the article as MK) asked, "What do you think would be more interesting.... telling a story prior to PHANTOM MENACE or after RETURN OF THE JEDI?"

To which, Lucas replied, "No question about it, prior to PHANTOM MENACE." He said, that if he did ever do another storyline.... that he would do one of when the Jedi regained control of the universe from the Dark Lords (there were many of them) 800 years before PHANTOM MENACE. And a young Jedi named Yoda was instrumental in the effort.

Now I think it goes without saying that this is a rumor, it isn't fact - and there's no real way to confirm it (unless Lucas come out publicly and says it's true). Personally I think it's not true, and that George Lucas is personally done with Star Wars movies. He has talked publicly about the animated Star Wars : Clone Wars TV series, and another live action Star Wars TV series in development that he will have some involvement with. He's also working on Indiana Jones IV (he mentions that in the last article I linked). So it looks like Lucas will be keeping pretty busy - he probably wouldn't even have time to think about another Star Wars movie for a few years at least. So it sounds like just another internet-fueled rumor to me.

Which Star Wars character are you?

C'mon, haven't you always wanted to know? I've seen a couple of these online, but I think this one is the best (plus it plays the Star Wars theme music) - The Ultimate Star Wars Personality Test.

New Winamp plug-in let's you copy music from iPod to computer

A new plug-in recently released for Winamp allows you to manage your music for your iPod through Winamp instead of iTunes. It includes a feature that would let you copy songs from your iPod to your computer's hard drive - something that iTunes does not let you do. It works with all versions of the iPod, but some problems using it with iPod Shuffle have been reported. I just might have to try this, it sounds like a really good thing if it works as advertised.

Star Wars Episodes VII - IX, fact or fiction?

I read this article in the Houston Chronicle yesterday, and I really don't know what to think about it. The article is mostly about the opinions of Gary Kurtz, producer of Star Wars (AKA Star Wars Episode IV - A New Hope) and The Empire Strikes Back. He says, "There's enough material for three trilogies... It wasn't that nine films were going to be made. It was to give you an idea of how much material was there." Kurtz also mentions in the article that there was "talk" of expanding the story and doing 12 chapters. Now, obviously his views differ from those of George Lucas - in fact, Kurtz ended his association with Lucas after Empire, partially because he was displeased with revisions like incorporating what would have been the climax of Episode IX, a showdown between Luke and Emperor Palpatine, into Return of the Jedi. "The idea was that the Emperor would be hinted at and maybe seen occasionally but there wouldn't be a final confrontation with him until the ninth story," says Kurtz. So there you have it. Lucas is on record now as saying that he never intended to do sequels, and only did the last 3 movies in the saga first because he never thought anything would come of Star Wars, and he wanted to be sure to get that part of the story told in case he never got to do the rest.
Anthony C. Ferrante, editor in chief of Cinescape, believes that the movies will continue, saying "I would lay money down that his heirs 20 years from now decide to continue the saga". Who knows - I guess it could happen.

The Force is strong with this one...

It's not an official tally, but the estimated take for midnight showings of Star Wars Episode III - Revenge of the Sith is $16.5 million. Just for the midnight shows. Once the full first day tally is in, it stands a good chance of beating the current single day box office record holder, Shrek 2 ($44.8 million - on it's fourth day of release, which was a Saturday). We should know the official first day take by Monday at the latest.

What a surprise - Star Wars - Episode III has been leaked to file sharing networks

Well, this ought to surprise just about no one - you can download Episode III via BitTorrent. And no, that's not a link to actually download the movie (that would be illegal), it's a link to a CNN story about it. Apparently copies were being distributed via file sharing before the movie even opened, and the copy of the movie has a time-stamp - which suggests that it may have come from inside the movie industry versus some dude with a camcorder shooting it. If for no other reason, check that article out for the "Test your Star Wars Knowledge" link near the bottom. I got 10 out of 10, it's pretty easy though.

Thoughts I had after seeing Episode III

1. FINALLY - a good prequel!
2. Damn, Anakin - killing younglings is NOT cool!!
3. It's almost 9pm, I have an hour drive home and I have to be at work at 6am tomorrow - but I want to stay here and watch it AGAIN!!!
4. No, seriously - FINALLY one of the prequels is good, and I'm happy!

That's just a few of the thoughts I had after seeing the movie, but suffice it to say that it was as good as I'd hoped it would be, and I will definitely be seeing it again. A lot goes on in this movie, and I need another viewing (or 12) to take it all in. It's certainly not perfect, for example the dialogue between Anakin and Padme is still not very well written (but is MUCH better than some of the dialogue between them in Episode II (like the I hate sand... speech)), and there are still some things that need some explaining (like, for instance, how come R2D2 never tells Luke that Vader is his dad - or shows any hint of recognition toward Yoda?). But, that said, it's a satisfying end to the prequels. Very dark and definitely not for young children (although there were quite a few at the show my wife and I saw last night), I can wholeheartedly recommend this to fans of Star Wars - it's the movie we've been waiting for, boys and girls - go see it!

Arrested Development renewed for next season

Well, here's a bit of really good news - Arrested Development will return for another season. I'm really glad, it was looking pretty grim when this season got cut down from 22 episodes to 18, and then no one was saying anything about whether or not it would be picked up. So this was very welcome news!

Episode III - I'll be seeing it in only 10 and a half hours!

And I'll admit, I'm excited to see it. Now if only I could make time move much MUCH more quickly... I'll be posting tomorrow with my thoughts on the movie. Here's hoping it's not another disappointment!

Short (unfortunately) update

Work really sucks, and it's kicking my ass - I really wish I could find a better job. Unfortunately, nothing better has presented itself - the search will go on. So anyway, that's enough whining - here's an article with updates about the new next generation consoles from Microsoft (Xbox 360), Sony (PlayStation 3), and Nintendo (Nintendo Revolution) direct from E! Online's coverage of E3 in Los Angeles - and by clicking the other links I created too.