Tretakoff Musings
Tuesday, January 01, 2008
Back on the air
Been a little more quite than I anticipated. First, the holidays, mixed with an office move, then followed by a trip to Tucson to visit the family. Pix are on Flickr; they should be Picnik'ed mostly later today. Bonus: my mother unearthed some classic child photos of me,and I'll be posting them to Flickr, as well.
Some random comments:
- For those who have been following my Twitters, I'm sure you've had enough of my complaints about US Air, but for those who missed them, I advise avoiding them at all costs. Even though I had significant frequent flier miles with them, I will avoid flying them, ever again, if possible. Atrocious service,substandard aircraft, and their Phoenix hub is like a third world country. We ran a bit late, got to the counter 44 minutes before the flight, and were denied boarding becuase we had luggage to check. Result? An unplanned overnight stay inthe stunning airport La Quinta,at our cost.
- Dude, I got my Dell. A sweet Inspiron desktop from the Dell Outlet. Dual core processor, huge hard drive, extra 128MB video card and more, for less than $350. Man, is this thing QUIET, and stylish. One surprise: why the complaints about Vista? After all the hype about how bad it is, I expected horror, but I have been very pleased. The Aero interface is great, and it recognized all of my peripherals upon just plugging them in, or linked me directly to the driver site for those I needed to download.
- With the Dell installed, the technology train moved down: Amy got my old P4 2.4 GHZ machine. We moved the ultrasmall HP Windows Media Center to the kitchen, turning the LCD TV into a ginormous monitor for watching movies, tv shows, playing music, etc. The networked DVD player headed to the living room, allowing us to watch the movies on the PC's on the big screen, as well as stream music to the stereo. All in all, a totally networked house.
- Some great holiday gifts, including the aformentioned USB Doomsday Hub. Red Steel for the Wii, as well as two Wiimote chargers (pictured), to keep us from investing in endless AA batteries. And some great clothes and an REI shopping spree, to boot!
Next up: a trip to Hawaii (our first) for a mix of work and pleasure.
Some random comments:
- For those who have been following my Twitters, I'm sure you've had enough of my complaints about US Air, but for those who missed them, I advise avoiding them at all costs. Even though I had significant frequent flier miles with them, I will avoid flying them, ever again, if possible. Atrocious service,substandard aircraft, and their Phoenix hub is like a third world country. We ran a bit late, got to the counter 44 minutes before the flight, and were denied boarding becuase we had luggage to check. Result? An unplanned overnight stay inthe stunning airport La Quinta,at our cost.
- Dude, I got my Dell. A sweet Inspiron desktop from the Dell Outlet. Dual core processor, huge hard drive, extra 128MB video card and more, for less than $350. Man, is this thing QUIET, and stylish. One surprise: why the complaints about Vista? After all the hype about how bad it is, I expected horror, but I have been very pleased. The Aero interface is great, and it recognized all of my peripherals upon just plugging them in, or linked me directly to the driver site for those I needed to download.
- With the Dell installed, the technology train moved down: Amy got my old P4 2.4 GHZ machine. We moved the ultrasmall HP Windows Media Center to the kitchen, turning the LCD TV into a ginormous monitor for watching movies, tv shows, playing music, etc. The networked DVD player headed to the living room, allowing us to watch the movies on the PC's on the big screen, as well as stream music to the stereo. All in all, a totally networked house.
- Some great holiday gifts, including the aformentioned USB Doomsday Hub. Red Steel for the Wii, as well as two Wiimote chargers (pictured), to keep us from investing in endless AA batteries. And some great clothes and an REI shopping spree, to boot!Next up: a trip to Hawaii (our first) for a mix of work and pleasure.
Thursday, October 04, 2007
I'm Not Dead
It only looks that way. Work has been brutal, but the end is nigh: I have hired two new staff members, and one has already started. With trips to Chicago and NY coming up, the extra help could not have come at a better time. I've also been logging a lot of biking and other fun exercise, so blogging (and calls to my mother, father and friends) have suffered. I've been reduced to Facebook status updates and occasional snippets...but hopefully, I'll be back in a regular publishing groove soon.
I owe a big post on Plaxo, as they worked through my issues to get me fully working. And man, is it sweet. Look for it shortly. I also need to point out the best PC deals ever in the Dell Outlet; top of the line PC's for under $400. Plus my recent solution for podcasts on the Treo, syncing with iTunes. And that's not mentioning my recent transition to Skype. And finally, a review of Madden 08 on the Wii: the results will surprise you.
For now, I leave you with an image of the coolest steampunk PC mod ever, courtesy of Brass Goggles. Look for the above posts soon!
I owe a big post on Plaxo, as they worked through my issues to get me fully working. And man, is it sweet. Look for it shortly. I also need to point out the best PC deals ever in the Dell Outlet; top of the line PC's for under $400. Plus my recent solution for podcasts on the Treo, syncing with iTunes. And that's not mentioning my recent transition to Skype. And finally, a review of Madden 08 on the Wii: the results will surprise you.
For now, I leave you with an image of the coolest steampunk PC mod ever, courtesy of Brass Goggles. Look for the above posts soon!Labels: blogs, Facebook, games, lifehacks, Madden, Plaxo, steampunk, VOIP, Wii, work
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Two Great Passions Come Together
Ooooh....it's here. Madden '08 for the Wii! I'm looking forward to a Madden to truly enjoy for the first time in years...and one that actually (thanks to the Wii) getts you truly into the game.
See what I'll be looking for:
See what I'll be looking for:
Labels: football, Madden, Video Games, Wii
Sunday, July 08, 2007
Wii would like to play.
My normal Saturdays usually start with a catch up of my favorite blogs and sites, followed by a blog entry or two. Yesterday's passed without this. Today, my arms are sore as I type this. The reason for both? We are now the proud owners of a Wii, thanks to Charles' serendipity. See, on Friday, as he took the day off with his family, he was wandering around Berkeley and saw a store that not only had the Wii in stock, but at it's list price! He frantically tried to get a hold of me to see if he should pick it up, and I gladly agreed. Forget the iPhone; this thing is sold out everywhere, months after its release! He delivered it Friday night, and my weekend was officially shot.
It's rare when a device's performance lives up to the hype, but the Wii is one of those that absolutely blew me away.I know, you're thinking, "Oh God, another geeky videogame rant," but trust me, it ain't. Hardcore gaming performance wise, the Wii is the weakest of the 3 "next gen" consoles; the PS3 has way more horsepower than all of them, and the XBox 360 is not only far more advanced, it integrates so much more. But the Wii has one thing all other consoles lack: fun. I'm sure you've heard about the motion sensitive controls, but let me be clear: that's just the tip of the iceberg. This is not a videogame system with lots of button combinations and complex moves; it's a total immersive experience.
Let's start with the controllers. No strange boomerangs, bristling with buttons. Instead, a simple remote control, like you'd use for your TV. There is a directional pad on the top, and 3 buttons, 2 of which are hardly used. Underneath, a trigger. That's it. You want to play baseball? Face the TV and hold it like a bat: there's the pitch, and you swing. It's highly accurate. But the motion control is just the start: the remote has 2 other pieces. First, a small speaker in the remote itself, makes noises when appropriate. The crack of the bat as it connects to the ball; the thwack of the racket as you return a serve in tennis. Second, force feedback in the remote conveys a vibration as you interact. Catch a pop fly, and you feel the ball hit your glove. Poke a jab at your opponent in boxing, and feel the glove connect. Again, none of this is earth shattering, but the unique combination of movement, sound, and feel makes you forget this is a game.
The Wii comes with Wii Sports, which includes Tennis, Golf, Basesball, Bowling, Boxing, and more. For one player, it's a hell of a workout; I boxed for 20 minutes and was completely winded. My arm and shoulder are still killing me from tennis and baseball. In addition, the Wii comes with built in WiFi, so it connects to our network and 24x7 can connect to deliver news (complete with a slide show of images overlaid on a rotating globe representing each story location), or weather (same interface), along with other "channels." For instance, in the Wii Shop channel, you can buy credits to spend on classic videogames from Sega Genesis and the NES. Slick! And the console itself is tiny: it's elegant, and powerful. Hardly looks like a game console, more like a stylish small DVD player (yes, it plays DVD's, movies, music and more).
The other major surprise is that the console is graphically great. Even in Wii Sports, golf courses look amazing. For instance, check out Madden 2008 on the Wii:
Now, for comparison, here it is on the PS2 (not 3):
I have to say, although the shading on the PS2 looks better, the Wii's no slouch. I expected far worse. Plus, with the Wii, in Madden, you use the same great controllers I talked about to hike the ball, pass, catch, stiff arm, juke, and tackle. Now THAT'S a workout I never get with the PS2!
I'm so pleased with the Wii, and look forward to trying more games. The fact that Amy likes it too, is more fun, as finally, she'll play a videogame! Now, if I could only get my arm to stop hurting...
My normal Saturdays usually start with a catch up of my favorite blogs and sites, followed by a blog entry or two. Yesterday's passed without this. Today, my arms are sore as I type this. The reason for both? We are now the proud owners of a Wii, thanks to Charles' serendipity. See, on Friday, as he took the day off with his family, he was wandering around Berkeley and saw a store that not only had the Wii in stock, but at it's list price! He frantically tried to get a hold of me to see if he should pick it up, and I gladly agreed. Forget the iPhone; this thing is sold out everywhere, months after its release! He delivered it Friday night, and my weekend was officially shot.It's rare when a device's performance lives up to the hype, but the Wii is one of those that absolutely blew me away.I know, you're thinking, "Oh God, another geeky videogame rant," but trust me, it ain't. Hardcore gaming performance wise, the Wii is the weakest of the 3 "next gen" consoles; the PS3 has way more horsepower than all of them, and the XBox 360 is not only far more advanced, it integrates so much more. But the Wii has one thing all other consoles lack: fun. I'm sure you've heard about the motion sensitive controls, but let me be clear: that's just the tip of the iceberg. This is not a videogame system with lots of button combinations and complex moves; it's a total immersive experience.
Let's start with the controllers. No strange boomerangs, bristling with buttons. Instead, a simple remote control, like you'd use for your TV. There is a directional pad on the top, and 3 buttons, 2 of which are hardly used. Underneath, a trigger. That's it. You want to play baseball? Face the TV and hold it like a bat: there's the pitch, and you swing. It's highly accurate. But the motion control is just the start: the remote has 2 other pieces. First, a small speaker in the remote itself, makes noises when appropriate. The crack of the bat as it connects to the ball; the thwack of the racket as you return a serve in tennis. Second, force feedback in the remote conveys a vibration as you interact. Catch a pop fly, and you feel the ball hit your glove. Poke a jab at your opponent in boxing, and feel the glove connect. Again, none of this is earth shattering, but the unique combination of movement, sound, and feel makes you forget this is a game.
The Wii comes with Wii Sports, which includes Tennis, Golf, Basesball, Bowling, Boxing, and more. For one player, it's a hell of a workout; I boxed for 20 minutes and was completely winded. My arm and shoulder are still killing me from tennis and baseball. In addition, the Wii comes with built in WiFi, so it connects to our network and 24x7 can connect to deliver news (complete with a slide show of images overlaid on a rotating globe representing each story location), or weather (same interface), along with other "channels." For instance, in the Wii Shop channel, you can buy credits to spend on classic videogames from Sega Genesis and the NES. Slick! And the console itself is tiny: it's elegant, and powerful. Hardly looks like a game console, more like a stylish small DVD player (yes, it plays DVD's, movies, music and more).
The other major surprise is that the console is graphically great. Even in Wii Sports, golf courses look amazing. For instance, check out Madden 2008 on the Wii:
Now, for comparison, here it is on the PS2 (not 3):
I have to say, although the shading on the PS2 looks better, the Wii's no slouch. I expected far worse. Plus, with the Wii, in Madden, you use the same great controllers I talked about to hike the ball, pass, catch, stiff arm, juke, and tackle. Now THAT'S a workout I never get with the PS2!
I'm so pleased with the Wii, and look forward to trying more games. The fact that Amy likes it too, is more fun, as finally, she'll play a videogame! Now, if I could only get my arm to stop hurting...
Labels: Madden, Video Games, Wii
