24 hours just isn't enough

I know this is ridiculously obvious but I feel this way more than ever the last few days and weeks.

24 Hours in one day just isn't enough!

I mean, it isn't enough to get the non-essential, goofing off type of stuff accomplished let alone the real things that probably should matter.

I come home and eat and then help kids with homework or read with them and before I know it, it is time for them to go to bed. I don't mean I want them to go to bed but that it is best for their health and well being that they actually do get some sleep.

The funny thing is, the kids think we're "punishing" them when we make them go to bed on time and that somehow we just don't understand. Well, I'd like nothing better than to keep them up another hour or two and play some board games with them. Thank goodness my younger ones can't play RTS games online with me yet or we'd have serious issues. (well, they could but it wouldn't really be fair now would it...)

Or what about that neat National Geographic or NOVA special (of which there are dozens on my Replay saved) that we haven't watched yet. When will we ever find the time?

That's why I'm blessed to have time at the end of the year (usually) to take some time with the kids while they are off and do nothing but play board games all day. Christmas Eve and Christmas Day are always a blast and important but the real fun is the day after. Nothing to do but play games. The same goes for New Year's Eve or New Year's Day. Hopefully we'll have the same amount of time then to break out the latest box of fun.

So I say to all of you:

Happy Day After Christmas!

More Galaxy

While my friends discuss loftier topics, I'll continue to do the really important stuff of talking about, what else, games.

I've continued nibbling away at Super Mario Galaxy little by little and I'm struck by just how truly wonderful this game is. It is such a casual and entertaining bit of simple gaming that I can't really say enough good things about it. It really reminds me of the simple pleasures of games of the past.

With that said, I did actually find a bug when doing battle at the Reactor stage. The boss (Bowser in this case) tries to jump and stomp Mario and actually jumped off the planet and presumably into infinity. It was very weird. I just ran around the planet for about 3 or 4 minutes waiting to see if anything would happen and had no choice but to exit the stage and return to the observatory. And of course, I had a nearly perfect run through that level that time. I can't say I've found too many bugs in console games before.

One thing that is absolutely fantastic about the game is the way they mix up the early stages so that they have some replay value. Many of the stages have variations that pop-up due to a comet flying around and when the comet is around a particular planet/galaxy it modifies the game play by speeding it up, having it timed, becoming a race, etc. I only wish the Cosmic Mario race wasn't so difficult. I've only run against him once and it seems to require a near perfect execution of all the moves to even keep up.

The other thing I'll briefly mention is that, at first glance, the controls seem so amazingly simple. And to the player, they are simple. But what people I'm sure don't realize is how the designers managed to subtly adjust the controls for each situation so that you don't actually have to think about what way to move the controller to get Mario to run in the right direction. If you push forward and happen to pass around the edge of a platform and end up upside down, technically, the push forward should force Mario in the opposite direction. The designers had the good sense to let Mario keep running in the same direction. If you stop and then push forward again, guess what, he runs exactly the way you'd expect him to but in precisely the opposite direction that the same action had him going just a second prior to that. It's truly amazing and it is apparent how much the designers thought about the controls to make sure the 3D environment and strange angles of the camera don't screw the player up. Everything is very intuitive.

Anyone who owns a Wii should absolutely have this game.

They'll be missing a great time if they don't.

Tip of the Day

Keep the top of your head pointed in the opposite direction as the force of gravity on whatever large object you happen to have your feet planted on. (or did have feet planted on as the case may be)

Mario can take it

I was just thinking the other day that a lot of my posts are negative and I was going to vow to not be so lopsided in my posts. However, since there are so many positive reviews of Super Mario Galaxy, I felt it was my duty to take good ol' Mario down a notch. Don't worry though, Mario is tough and he can take it.

I have two gripes:

• My kids now fight over the Wii because only one person can really play at a time. They even fight over whether someone should assist as a second player. I say this only half jokingly.

• You can't save anywhere you want and anytime you want. Normally I wouldn't think much of this but it is exceedingly frustrating to try and get the kids off the system (or myself for that matter) at a moments notice when you can't save just anywhere you want. You either have to exit out of the galaxy you are in forfeiting progress or hang in there a bit longer and hope you can finish the level out. I understand the technical reasons you can't do this. Without a hard drive, saving the state of the system is difficult. It is the one thing (and I do mean one thing) that right now keeps Galaxy from being perfect.

If only other games had it so good.

I'll take Galaxy for $25

Well, sort of...

I discovered at the last minute that Toys 'R Us had a special running to get a $25 Gift Card when purchasing a copy of Super Mario Galaxy. Of course, I had to go get it which was great since I really didn't want to wait until Black Friday.

For a really good review, check out GameSpot's site.

The quick answer to whether to buy it is YES, go buy it. It is a great game. I've not played too far into it but it really is a stellar achievement. It's a qualified BUY because if you have no interest in platform games, then this probably won't appeal to you.

It is a masterpiece of presentation. It is also quite a piece of programming. I have to hand it to the developers for figuring out how to make such incredibly complex worlds that Mario can walk and run and jump on. All this is done while still keeping the controls simple and intuitive.

The other thing that they did which I really appreciate is that they added the ability for a second person to participate in a cooperative fashion and really feel like they are contributing. At first, when I read how it was handled, I thought it would be lame but it is actually quite fun.

It is most certainly a game that is worth purchasing if you have a Wii. Nearly anyone will find it enjoyable unless you really only like first person shooters or racing games. This game really sets the bar very high for others that are coming out with Wii games. Everything from here on out will be compared with it and I feel sorry for the other developers. They are all going to have their work cut out for them.

Wii Shortage or Wii Ambush?

This probably isn't at all close to what is really going on but wouldn't it be really cool if Nintendo, on Black Friday, opened the floodgates on all the Wii's they've been stashing the last few months and just let loose with an ambush that no one saw coming?

It would be pretty funny and would have Microsoft (and Sony but are they really a player?) scrambling to figure out what to do. It is sad when Microsoft and Sony are banking on a Wii shortage to boost sales of their consoles. I don't happen to hate the XBOX 360 but I wouldn't mind if Microsoft had the smug little grin wiped off their faces this holiday season.

My Apple Dilemma

I know I'm beating a dead horse here and you must forgive me. I still can't help myself so I'll say it.

Apple must be totally oblivious to the market and truly not care how they've priced their systems because now they are incredibly out of tune with the rest of the world.

My wife and I desperately would like to get a Mac laptop. She likes the Mac, I like the Mac, both of us think it would be fun to have and be a bit easier to use down the road. We're both willing to suffer through the transition to OSX given we have no Mac software and for a while, we'll probably run Parallels or Fusion so we can run some Windows apps.

While that sounds fine, in practice it is going to pretty hard to justify the price premium now on the MacBook Pro (the preference since the MacBook has a substandard video card). Apple set their prices quite a while back and when the MacBook Pro premiered, it was on parity with the rest of the laptop world. This isn't true any longer. Not by a long shot.

I configured two Dell Inspiron laptops today that are comparable to the "low end" of the 15" and 17" MacBook Pro. Imagine my shock when, after configuring nearly identical systems, the 15" was $1000 cheaper and the 17" was $1300 cheaper. That doesn't even include the $200 Gift Card Dell is throwing in now with that same purchase so depending on how you view it, you could knock another $200 off those Dell prices.

To be fair, these prices used a $500 off coupon that Dell has out right now. You could exclude that but it would still be a far cry from the Apple prices. The problem is, Dell ALWAYS has these kinds of coupons so I figure you have to factor that in.

Is OSX really worth the price premium being charged? That is basically what you are paying for plus, I'll argue, a more elegant looking design. The MacBook is simply a more attractive notebook PC.

We've hashed out he merits of the price difference before (see here) of which there are arguments the used market helps eliminate the price gap and the features and benefits of OSX add to the value and Apple doesn't care to sell a whole lot of notebooks. I'll agree but $1000 and $1300 difference??? You are talking, in both cases, nearly double the price. In the case of the $1000 Dell vs $2000 Mac, we could hypothetically figure that I'll get $200 for the Dell used in 3 years and $1000 used for the Mac (optimistic I think) and that still puts the Dell at a better deal.

So where is the Apple Holiday Special? Do we have to wait until Black Friday to hear about it. Is there even going to be one?

My mind and soul want to say Apple but my wallet wants to say Dell (or some other cheaper alternative). I sure wish Apple would make this easier.

Beware the Exception

At least in the case of Circuit City you need to beware!

Circuit City has a price protection plan called their Unbeatable Price Guarantee. To quote it:

Q: Will Circuit City match its own prices?
A: Yes, if you purchase an item from us (in-store or on circuitcity.com) and we advertise the same item at a lower price within thirty days of your purchase, we will refund you 100% of the price difference. Bring the advertisement and your original sales receipt to your local Circuit City for the refund.

Of course, you need to beware the EXCEPTION:

Circuit City's Unbeatable Price Guarantee does not apply to services, nor does it apply to special offers or promotions, including rebates, mail-in offers, free-with-purchase offers, limited quantity offers, bundled promotions and special financing. Circuit City's Unbeatable Price Guarantee does not apply to products and services offered by third parties operating in Circuit City's stores.

Under what circumstances would there ever be an advertised special that isn't a "Special Offer or Promotion" is my question? Isn't that the point? When would Circuit City or anyone else for that matter advertise a price anywhere unless it was a "Special Offer or Promotion"? Sounds like a wonderful escape clause if you ask me.

Buyer Beware as usual.

Why does this matter? Well, I wanted to buy Super Mario Galaxy for the Wii tomorrow even though I happen to know that there is a special being offered on Black Friday and the Saturday following for $15 off. You would think I'd be able to use their Unbeatable Price Guarantee (say that with a little reverb in a deep voice for the best effect) and get my money back. Guess not! I wonder how many other consumers will be out of luck because of this?

Personally, I'd like to say the heck with Circuit City but I'll probably end up waiting until Thanksgiving anyway. My Wii Remote will just have to wait a little longer I guess. $15 is just too much to part with willingly. Either way, CC is probably losing money on that as a loss leader so it'll be my way of sticking it to them!

People are going to think I'm obsessed with video games and I'm not really. I just like to blog about them. Honest....it's true...

Simple and Incredibly Fun Game

Desktop Tower Defense is easily one of the best Flash based games I've played in a while that isn't a simple derivative of every other puzzle game out there. It has some elements of strategy and puzzle solving, an online scoreboard, and you get to blow stuff up. What more could you ask for?

Well, how about Multiplayer Desktop Tower Defense for starters. It is in the works and due to be released soon. Try it out. You too can drop into the vortex of lost time.

WiiCade = Cheap Fun

If you have a Wii and want to enjoy some cheap thrills, browse using the Wii Web Browser ($5) to www.wiicade.com and check out some of the Flash 7 games that have been uploaded, sorted, rated, and made available for Wii users to play. They all still work on your PC too but most of them are a lot more fun with the Wii Remote.

My personal favorites are:

Dice Wars (Risk)
Interactive Buddy (who knew hand grenades could be so much fun)
Dice Mogul (Monopoly)

Check it out!

Game Developer meet Game Player

Why is it I can play a game and instantly within an hour or so see problems with it?

I really don't understand how a game can be in development for any reasonable length of time, play tested by players, previewed by critics, and then have noticeable flaws instantly out of the gate or within the first few hours of game play. It defies comprehension and seems to me to say to the game player that the developers really couldn't care less.

My best example at the moment is with the new Wii game "Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games". It looks like it actually will be a really fun game over time. The problem is, they really screwed up some simple things.

First, they only have FOUR (yes, four) save game/data slots for tracking stats and progress in the game. For some, this may be fine, but listen, I've got 2GB of SD storage on a plug in card and more internally on this Wii of mine and I can't use it! Why do these companies, particularly with Nintendo based games, put such severe limits on save space? Why do they need this artificial limit? I've got six people in our family and sometimes a friend comes over too (yes, it is known to happen) and I've got to now figure out who gets to use the save game slots. What a let down.

Second, they don't save stats in multi-player games. What??? I thought the whole point of the Wii and to a large extent, this game, was to foster togetherness and group play. Well, guess what, if you decide to do that, you can't unlock anything and you can't save any of your records. Yeah, that's encouraging us all to play together. Way to go Sega! The best example I can give is that my wife absolutely blew away the Olympic Record in the Javelin, she got excited, wanted to see her score on the leaderboard (yes this game actually does use the online element...but more on that later), and guess what, it isn't there. It isn't saved anywhere. She crushed this event and has nothing to show for it. All they had to do is let you tie a character or Mii to a save game area so it always shows your scores and tracks them. If they couldn't do that, they could have at least just asked where to save the data each time. This is a big disappointment.

Third, why do companies insist on forcing me to watch all the cute stuff all the time. Some of the replays and medal ceremonies are cute the first couple of times but frankly, I just want to play. After the umpteenth time watching the stupid ceremony and the medal crap, I want to scream. You can click past it sort of but everything just takes too long. I want to get into event, play, and then retry, and I want to do it as fast as possible. There should be an option that says "Cute - ON/OFF" or something.

Fourth, is it too much to ask for real instructions? The number of Olympic games represented are vast in this and each game for the most part uses the controllers in a very different way except for the running events. Was it really that technically difficult to show real video examples of how the dang control scheme works? The animations and icons are about the most ridiculous thing I've ever seen. Also, apparently, the developers don't know the difference between horizontal and vertical either.

Finally, the whole leaderboard scheme, while welcome, is badly managed. Don't get me wrong, I'm so very thankful for a game that finally actually uses the internet connection. Even the vaunted and greatly anticipated Super Mario Galaxy that is soon to be released doesn't use it (I think...) so it is nice that the internet connection isn't totally wasted. But why can't I scroll the whole list? Does it really take that much memory? Why can't it auto-update? They also blew it with how they track the scores here. I can't post anything if I'm playing a multi-player game and it would be nice to know just a little bit more about the scores such as when they were posted and from where. Why can't I see the online records while actually playing an event either? Was that so difficult? Oh, and did I mention you can only have FOUR names tied to the Wii in this game?? Oh yeah, I did didn't I. It was also disappointing that you can't play a friend online either.

With that said, I still like the game. I just can't understand why they didn't perfect it. I've only played for a few hours and if I can pry the controllers away from my kids, I'll actually try it again soon. I think it'll offer a lot of game play value. It's the first game so far that made me think that I didn't make a mistake buying the Wii. Hopefully Galaxies, releasing next week, will further convince me of the same.

Oh one last thing. Don't let anyone fool you into thinking the Wii is cheap. Sure, the console is only $250 but don't forget, you need to buy at least one more Wii Remote and Nunchuck for $50. On top of that, if you really want to play four players at a time, plunk down another $100 for two more Remotes and Nunchuks. If you don't have a GameCube, you'll need a Classic Controller for $20 too. Grand Total for Wii = $420!! You haven't even bought a game yet.

Sure, you can spend that on the other systems too and more for controllers but guess what, I can play online with them too and make the person I'm playing with buy their own dang controller. I sure hope they work out some way to make online play really click with the Wii and soon. How else am I suppose to crush my friends and family from far away?

Wii, the Chicken, and the Egg

The Wii seems to have a bit of a Chicken and Egg problem.

This interview with Jonathan Smith, producer of Lego Star Wars, really steams me. In it he states:

The game will feature co-op online play for both the PlayStation 3 and the 360 but not for the Wii. Smith explained the decision by saying, "Our reservation is not many people play the Wii online. Let's see what happens in the future."

Uh, what??

How many games can you really have a great online playing experience on the Wii with? If I recall properly, there aren't a whole lot. The only way online play on the Wii is going to be popular is if someone like him, the game developer, actually puts online play into the game. I don't recall being able to magically add online play to any game I desire.

So come on game developers, let's get with it and start putting real online play into Wii games.

Pretty please...

Wii games worth waiting for

I finally saw video of the two games that I think are going to have a strong influence on what people are going to want to buy for the holidays when it comes to game consoles. I say want because, by Nintendo's own admission, there won't be enough Wii systems to go around for Christmas.

Either way, you owe it to yourself to take a look at Super Mario Galaxy and Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games. They are two very different games but I think they'll have universal appeal for a lot of reasons.

First, Super Mario Galaxy looks to be one of the most original platform games I've seen in a long time. It appears to utilize the Wii controllers in new and interesting ways too. The best part is that it lets people play in a cooperative mode that makes for a very good time. Nothing is worse than watching someone else play a game.

Second, Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games looks like the game that the Wii was invented for. Everything about this game says, "Play Me." Believe me, I do. I know my kids will. With 24 events covering a lot of Summer Games territory, something is bound to appeal to everyone. The best part is that it looks like they've tweaked the game to allow someone to jump in and play with no experience but gave subtlety to the controls so you can finesse yourself to higher scores. I really can't wait to get my hands on this one.

One big question mark is the game Link's Crossbow Training. This looks like it could be a lot of fun but I'm not sure how long the fun will last. It appears to be a family version of some of the bloodier and more violent shooters that are popular in the arcades such as Ghost Squad. I hope it works and they don't botch it but I'm not holding my breath.

I'm actually excited about some Wii games finally!

Now if they could only get more Wii's in the hands of more people.

Stay down window! Stay DOWN!

I swear if I have another pop-up window from an application force itself to the front and continue to insist it stay in the front, I'm going to hunt the developer down personally!

Please stay down! I mean it!

Universal Music has a screw loose

It is absolutely amazing how blatantly idiotic the higher ups of a company can be when they let their emotions drive them instead of basic business sense or perhaps even just common sense.

Reading this article on Business Week's web site demonstrates this perfectly.

Just to quickly summarize the stupidity of Universal Music:

• UM doesn't want to renew with Apple on iTunes.
• UM thinks Apple getting 29 cents for every 99 cents is too much. (That's 30% markup.)
• UM doesn't like making a "paltry" 70 cents (yes, 70%) on every single sold on iTunes.
• UM thinks making yet another music store is necessary for some reason.
• UM thinks no one really wants to own their own music and that subscriptions are best for us.
• UM believes that the makers of MP3 players will pay $5/month in royalties to give free music to all of us.

What is with these people?

Let's take this one by one shall we:

UM doesn't want to renew with Apple on iTunes

Why not? Because they are pissed that Steve Jobs really pulled the online music sales thing off and in a big way and UM didn't do it themselves. Emotions are driving this. The best part is that they are doing this not to better serve the customers but because Apple wouldn't let them charge MORE for the very same product they are currently selling.

You'll notice that they are still selling their stuff on iTunes. That's because they reacted emotionally and had no plan. If they had a plan, they would have yanked their stuff immediately and had another option in play at that very moment.

UM thinks Apple getting 29 cents for every 99 cents is too much. (That's 30% markup.)

Since when did a 30% markup become highway robbery? I've got news for them, clothes and jewelry resellers make a lot more than 30%. So do a lot of other businesses. Not so much if you sell electronics goods but Apple is managing the entire front end of this business and probably deserves 30% cut. I don't think 30% is asking too much.

UM doesn't like making a "paltry" 70 cents (yes, 70%) on every single sold on iTunes.

70%! What is so bad about that? Granted, they have to divide this up with the artists but other than that, there isn't a lot of other costs here besides the ones they incur themselves on marketing. There are a lot of other businesses that would love this kind of profit.

UM thinks making yet another music store is necessary for some reason.

Yeah, this makes sense. We need another source for electronic music when there already is a good one out there. Worse yet, since when does selling through one method preclude selling in another? I fail to see why it has to be an all or nothing solution. It isn't like any brick and mortar store has an exclusive. (usually...) Either way, I highly doubt UM has the resources or talent to make something better than what is already out there.

One thing you have to wonder and after looking at Amazon's MP3 Store, is what happened to all the higher priced music that UM wanted? There is a lot of their stuff at 89 and 99 cents still. How is that any different than what Apple wanted in the first place? What they are doing is pushing the Amazon store to dig into iTunes market share and then guess what, they'll pull a fast one and up the prices if they can do any measurable damage. Let us not forget that they want to do this on a trial basis too. I think they originally said they'd test DRM free music until the end of the year or early next year.

UM thinks no one really wants to own their own music and that subscriptions are best for us.

What makes them think I want to pay forever for music? I tend to like certain things and like to keep them around. Plus, if I ever dislike the service I'm on, I want to make sure I can at least still use the music. You could argue this point with iTunes I suppose but I can burn those tracks to CD and I'll have them to use forever.

UM believes that the makers of MP3 players will pay $5/month in royalties to give free music to all of us.

I'm betting the MP3 vendors are just laughing hysterically at this one. These MP3 units cost next to nothing now and then the vendor is going to just chew through revenue on the back end?? It'll never happen. No sane executive of an MP3 manufacturer is going to give away money like this. Even if they did, do you think this will encourage them to make a long lasting durable product? Oops, my MP3 player died after a year, surprise surprise. I'll need to buy another. This idea is by far the stupidest thing I've ever heard of from a business standpoint. Can you think of a way this would actually work? I can't.

Am I wrong here?

Someone needs to drill some sense into the head of Universal Music and soon. I didn't even mention the artists in this but the article says UM has the support their support? Right. Sure they do.

Pizza really IS the best food!

Yep. It is! It's the best!

I have hard facts to back it up and if I ever get my "Pizza is THE Best Food" book published, you can read it and learn all about it. Actually, you don't even need to read it, just buy it. If you buy it, I'll be happy. Whether you read it or not is up to you.

(OK, I'll let it slip just a bit..careful scientific measurements on availability, calories per bite, and cost per bite prove it.)

Disclaimer: I only have a high school diploma and have never left the country but with an audience of approximately 1-2 people it probably doesn't matter.

Wii are disappointed (sort of...)

Well, I finally made the jump and bought a Wii.

It was funny how it all happened, I was walking by the phone in my house and accidentally dialed the number for Gamestop.

They answered, "Hello. Yes we have Wii's in stock!"

I said, "How did you know I even wanted one?"

Gamestop dude said, "Because everyone wants a Wii!"
(He did that each time when speaking and it had the exclamation point too, very strange.)

Needless to say, I was forced out of the house by the kids and into the car. We drove for miles and miles and miles to the nearest Gamestop and 15 minutes later were walking in the store where we saw one of the most terrible sights. There, before us, was a customer with a Wii at the register!!

Panic of course set in immediately and I had to think and think fast. What was I going to do? We hurried ourselves to the end of the line and made like we didn't notice the Wii or the other customer. He complained a bit when I squished him up against the front of the counter and so I backed off having finally acknowledges his existence.

The we waited...

and waited...

Was anyone else coming in...no...thank goodness...

Whew, the guy in front of us finally left. It was our turn.

I asked, "Do you have any Wii's in stock?"

"No."

Gulp! What now.

Gamestop dude then said, "Unless you called earlier, did you call earlier?"

"Of course I did," as if anyone was going to answer that question any other way.

Well, we walked out with a Wii that day and took a few detours to pick up a copy of Wii Play with the extra remote. It was finally done. The console to end all consoles. The most wonderful thing ever devised by human hands. And it was ours!!! YES!

The sad part is that it was more exciting thinking about what the Wii might be than what, in reality, it actually is. Don't get me wrong, it really is very cool and the control scheme is revolutionary. However, they did everyone a major disservice including what I consider a substandard game and then botching the Wii Play product.

Of course, this is MY OWN opinion. My kids would tell you that it is a blast and so much fun. They can't stop thinking about it. That probably is all I should judge it on. The problem is, I know better.

Oddly, all my opinions of the product were based on what other people said and most of those people had Wii Sports and Wii Play. Some grandparents I heard were even addicted to the thing. Who knows, my own mother-in-law might be hooked like a drug to it at this very moment. I might even have to pry the controller out of her hands tonight. That said, I'm still not impressed and for reasons that will probably seem a bit too critical.

First, they have a built-in wireless interface on this thing and don't use it. Why don't any of the included games take advantage of this. For the first time in ages, we have a game bundled with a console. This is rarely done any more. Every Wii out there should be online and playing Wii Sports against the rest of the world. Millions of potential players would have been available on day one.

Even if I can forgive them for this, then they go and release Wii Play. A bunch of games that remind me a great deal of the Monkey Ball mini-games. None of them are spectacular but there are 10 games (I think) and they are fun to play in two player mode. Once again however, NO ONLINE PLAY!! What??? Why not? Surely by this time they had figured this thing out.

Sadly, if you look for multi-player online games there are almost none for the Wii. Maybe that'll change this Christmas Season but I doubt it. One can only hope.

Second, the Wii Play and Wii Sports could have done so much more. There were tons of opportunities to put in dozens of options to modify how these games could be played to spice things up and they did none of them. I really don't understand. Were they that lazy?

Third, if you look at the games that are available (I guess I should have done this first), the ratings for Wii games aren't really that great. Of course, you can never really tell what a game is like until you play it. The thing is, looking at the list of games, there aren't many out there that really work the controller scheme fully or even need it. Probably the closest thing a game taking advantage of the Wii control scheme is Metroid and I'm not much of a Metroid fan. Hopefully, Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz will prove me wrong on this point. I don't have it yet but with a Wii control scheme virtually designed for this type of game and with 50 mini-games, it can't be all that bad.

I'm crossing my fingers all this will change and either Super Mario Galaxy, Super Smash Brothers Brawl, or the iFit will prove me wrong. The iFit really has the potential to take things up a notch and I like what I see in SMG. Only time will tell.

One thing, in Nintendo's defense, is that it took Microsoft about two years to get XBox Live games where the needed to be on the 360. Just look at what the developers are going to do with Need for Speed ProStreet. I'm sure it'll take about that long for the Wii to show its true potential. I'm just disappointed that they are wasting their super powers (wireless connection) on things like Weather and News and of course, the online poll which has a question a week (why is this?) and that's it.

Am I missing something here? Please tell me Nintendo is really going to pull out all the stops and soon. Tell me I didn't make a mistake. Tell me I just bought about 2 months too soon. (I actually would have waited but who knows if I could have actually gotten a Wii once the holiday season starts in earnest.)

Retail Laziness

A few days ago I succumbed to the undeniable appeal of the Wii and bought one. Well, scratch that, I tried to buy one. I went to Sam's Club one night for nothing more than an Icee (yes, I'm that cheap) and what, to my amazement, do my kids see? A whole bunch of tickets ready to be pulled and taken to the register to purchase the nearly impossible to find Wii!

Now admittedly, I haven't been looking for one. I did think to myself that if I ever did come across one, I might actually get it, but I wasn't in full search mode. After pondering the decision for a few moments, I thought, what the heck, it looks cool and sounds like a load of fun. For $249.00, how could I go wrong? (plus controller, SD card, batteries...)

Here's how it all goes wrong. How about right after you call your wife, ask her for the pre-requisite permission (I'm older and wiser now) and then inadvertently get my boys all excited (the girls were with me), I take it to the register and try to actually buy the dang thing. Imagine my surprise when I find out they don't have any. Yeah, it was wishful thinking and too good to be true to have nearly 10 untouched Wii's at the end of the day but who knew when they put the tickets out there. Well, I'll tell you when! Try weeks ago. They hadn't had Wii's in over two weeks.

How can they be so lazy? How can they tantalize their customers like this? How can they dash the hopes of hundreds, perhaps thousands, of young ones and their fathers with tickets that imply they actually have them in stock? Uh, they are lazy.

When I inquire why these tickets are out there still, I'm told it is too much trouble to keep track of them. Oh, I'm so sorry. I forgot that work involved, well, work!

So thanks Sam's Club for then sending me on a wild goose chase all over town to actually try and find a Wii. I mean, I just told the boys I was bringing one home. What kind of damage would this cause? What would they think?

Well, it turns out I have more understanding kids than maybe I give them credit for. Maybe, just maybe, it was more disappointing to me than them. It is a slim chance but a chance nevertheless. It was no big deal to kids.

Whew! I'm off the hook at least until next weekend. (oh...that's tomorrow isn't it? Yikes!)

What happened to the market taking care of itself?

I feel for all those out there facing foreclosures and potentially having their homes taken away. I really do! The loans they were able to obtain in the wild real estate market of the past few years got them into a lot of hot water. But wait, didn't they get a written contract spelling out the arrangements?

If the government bails people out either through straight out legislation or via some scheme concocted for the FHA to do it, what are people going to think? Is there no risk to anything anymore? Are there no consequences to stupid actions?

One complaint made was that if it wasn't for these loans that people wouldn't have been able to get loans in the high priced real estate markets of places like San Francisco? Uh, Hello...anyone home? Isn't that how the market is supposed to work? Since when did what the seller wants dictate what the market should pay? If no one had been able to get loans for these outrageously priced pieces of property they wouldn't have sold for these crazy prices in the first place.

Did you pay too much for your house? Guess who's to blame. All these people who purchased houses they couldn't afford in the first place. Sure, the rising prices of real estate benefited those who owned but guess what, if you sell your place, you still need to buy another and you'll be paying the same insane prices again. If it is a second home for you, congratulations! You've just screwed the people who can't afford a second home.

I've heard a lot of complaints that contractors can't sell homes they've already built. Well, let's correct that a bit. How about, you can't sell the house at the price YOU want. And that's the problem, the real estate market was letting the seller set the price instead of the buyer. People could get money like turning the water on in your sink. Unless your wealthy, buying a home is difficult and takes some planning. Getting a home shouldn't be like buying at stereo system at your favorite electronics store.

Maybe a bailout won't change what happened but it sends a clear message that this kind of thing is OK. If the FHA plan works then perhaps it won't be so bad as my understanding is the obligations of others won't be written off. The problem is, the FHA is going to probably take on a lot more bad debt than they would have otherwise and then they're going to need bailing out later.

I surely hope this doesn't become another bottomless pit for tax payer dollars.

The damage of yesterday's real estate market has been done but let's not make it worse.

I think Steve actually screwed up

Yes, it can happen to the best of us. Steve screwed up.

Not allowing the Apple credit for the iPhones to be used in iTunes for music is just plain stupid. I realize they make nothing on the music and that is probably why it isn't allowed but what are people supposed to do with $100 besides buy a Shuffle perhaps.

How can he do a whole video with his eyes closed?

Why is this man's eyes closed?

How can he do this entire video without seeing?

Of course, you have to love what he's talking about!!

Way to go Steve!

All I can say is, "My Hats off to ya Steve!"

The open letter from Steve Jobs outlining the promise to give a $100 store credit to early iPhone purchasers is absolutely amazing. I can think of no other company executive from a major firm that personally responds like this to its customers. If there is one thing that Apple and Steve Jobs know, it is that happy customers are good for business. Taking care of the early adopters like he is doing is especially important.

Personally, I'm not so sure if I'd been head of the company if even I would have done that. I mean, we're talking about breakthrough technology that is way ahead of anything from the competition. If you buy something technology related, whether it be an LCD TV, Computer, Cell Phone, or whatever, what do you expect? Did you think the prices were going to increase?!?!

I personally just bought an older style (well it is older now) iPod Nano 4GB unit and I thought I got an amazing deal on a refurb one at $129 from the Apple Store. Well, guess what, I'm a little disappointed I'm not getting the new one (a little bit, I'm not sure I like the squat design) but that's the way this business works. You buy and then regret when the price drops. Personally, I'd be very upset if I was still paying the same price for a 512MB flash card or USB drive that I was 3 years ago.

This new price can only me one thing: more iPhone users than ever!

If that's a bad thing, then I'm not sure what's good anymore.

They could sell millions of these!!

This thing is very cute. If people can sell pet rocks and Tickle Me Elmo then this thing would just fly off the shelves. Too bad they aren't making them...yet.

So true...so true!

If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy.
          - James Madison

The means of defense against foreign danger historically have become the instruments of tyranny at home.
          - James Madison

The truth is that all men having power ought to be mistrusted.
          - James Madison

We are right to take alarm at the first experiment upon our liberties.
          - James Madison

Wherever there is interest and power to do wrong, wrong will generally be done
          - James Madison

I believe there are more instances of the abridgment of freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments by those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations.
          - James Madison

He said these things almost 200 years ago. How short our memories have become!

Boycott Universal Music

Stop buying their music, please!

I'm not a big fan of DRM'd music especially after being burned by Microsoft's pathetic PlaysForSure scheme. (Yeah I deserved it, I know.) However, I'm a big fan of iTunes even with the DRM. They seem to have the fairest method of managing the DRM'd music. Now, the way I see it, the newest ploy by Universal to remove DRM but not let iTunes sell it is just plain stupid at best and at worst a sad way to try an exact some sort of revenge on Jobs and Apple.

They can't even commit to not using DRM on music. They're giving us the gift of non-DRM music for a "limited" time until December 31, 2007. Oh thank you so much Universal. What would I have done without you.

It is obvious from the list of companies they are allowing to sell the music without DRM (Amazon.com, Google, Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Rhapsody, Transworld, PassAlong and Puretracks) that they have something against iTunes. In fact, according to the article, they didn't even renew their contract with Apple at all. So what now, all the Universal music drops off iTunes when the contract expires? How in the heck does that serve the consumer in any way? Of course, their trial period will show DRM sales as being poor (no iTunes remember) and they'll use that as an excuse to re-enact their DRM.

Interestingly, never does a music label ever consider what the consumer wants. They honestly couldn't care less. You know why, because people keep buying their stuff. What is their incentive to please the consumer. The consumer has power and it isn't being used. For some reason, no one is using this power.

Really, how hard is this?

What evidence?

Am I the only one who has noticed the proliferation of supposed "experts" in their fields who rely purely on anecdotal evidence to support their theories? In particular, I'm pretty tired of the people who run blogs or websites espousing the incredible amount of "evidence" they get from others who give them feedback via whatever electronic vehicle they choose to use as a platform.

Come on people!

Don't these people realize the vehicle they use to procure all this information is in itself slanted and biased towards whatever message they are sending? From now on, they should refer to themselves as advocates of whatever material or viewpoint or subject they represent. The choice of words is critical here and, as is the case in the media and society in general, the words are not chosen as carefully as they should be.

Please tell me the population at large isn't fooled by this?

Donut Origins

This morning I was eating a donut and it dawned on me that I don't even know what the word is supposed to mean or where it came from. Well, of course, curiosity finally got the best of me so I had to find out what I could. As usual, we (us in the USA) mangled the word and it was originally spelled doughnut. Of course, that makes sense. Donuts are made of DOUGH but where did the NUT come from. It turns out someone just had the bright idea to add walnuts to the thing. Eventually, they decided to punch a hole in it too much to my dismay. One donut with no hole would be quite enough but now I need to eat two to really feel satisfied.

As usual, all this information could be a lie and I didn't vet the source for accuracy. If you want to be amused by more donut history, check this article out on answers.com. Trust me, there is more there than you ever wanted to know. (This is required reading in some law enforcement schools.)

Wii will be Fit!

For those that have not seen the E3 videos of the Wii Fit demonstration, you owe it you yourself to check it out. It will be another slam dunk from Nintendo. Unfortunately, it will only serve to drive demand up for a console that is already in high demand and for most, unavailable.

For those that don't know what it is, it is a miniature version of a dance pad (it looks like a scale to weigh yourself) but much more sophisticated. It really is a piece of elegant engineering.

I may have missed it somewhere but I did not see any demonstrations of the Wii Fit being used in combination with the other Nintendo controllers. I have to believe that this is possible and will make for endless possibilities. I can't wait to see the creative ways this new addition will be put to use.

Frankly, I can't remember anything new or innovative from Sony or Microsoft. Did I miss something or are they just going to let Nintendo steamroll over the top of them?

There is a whole lot more new stuff for the Wii to see over at GameSpot.

Hats off to Apple!

The iPhone is out and it sounds like Apple pulled it off. I could write something more elaborate but I won't. Enough has been written and I think Matty says everything I could possibly say and more. I'm thankful that a light is at the end of the crappy phone interface tunnel. Other vendors will now have no choice but to compare themselves (and weep) to what is the pinnacle of phone OS's, the iPhone!

Please put pricing on your web site

I'm sick and tired of companies that make products, have a web site, sell you and market you on the web, and then don't put any pricing on their web site. What do these companies have to hide?

Now I'm not talking about people who sell their services or do contract work. I'm talking about companies who sell product A and charge X for it. How simple can that be?

Three companies that come to mind (mainly because I'm frustrated this very minute with them) is SWSoft, Iron Mountain, and Compellent. I really hate wasting my time and if I'm checking out a product and trying to see if it is a fit for the company I work for, then I want to find out if it is within our price range first. If it is, then I'll pursue it.

SWSoft sells virtualization products. How hard can it be to provide a list price? I need X servers licensed and it will cost me X. If you want to know more then contact a reseller for better pricing. Easy enough.

Iron Mountain sells off site storage and backup. It should be $X/GB to backup. So tell me already and stop playing games! This isn't a thriller or suspense story.

Finally, Compellent sells a SAN solution for storage. Their site should have a configuration utility where you drop in drives and controllers and figure all that out and it gives you a quote. It shouldn't be more complicated than that. If you want better pricing then contact a reseller.

Server manufactures have been doing this for years and they seem to have no problem at all. There are tons of components and options too and they seem to be able to handle this. Why can't others? Don't tell me the product is too complicated or we need to consult on the solution. We're not stupid and your product is not that complicated. If I have trouble, I'll call. Trust me.

So, would everyone out there who sells something please stop wasting my time and give me what I, the customer, want!! Thank you.

Two kinds of people in the world

There are two kinds of people in this world: (a) Those that read my blog and (b) those that do not. Unfortunately, the former is very small compared to the latter. I'm here to tell you that you can change all that. In fact, if you are reading this, you just did. (Unless of course you've been here before and then it doesn't count.)

So what are you? Are you Group A or Group B? The simple answer is A unless of course you have magical powers of which I know nothing about. Aren't you glad you are part of Group A! Whoopie!

I've had it with iPhone "experts"

I've had it with the iPhone "experts" out there. Network World just put out an article stating how the Gartner group is telling "IT executives to not support it." Whoopie ding dong!

Who the heck is Gartner group to be telling anyone anything about the iPhone at this point. Correct me if I'm wrong but no one outside of Apple and AT&T even have access to one of these things. Even if I am wrong on that point, it really matters little. Since when did Apple start promoting the iPhone to the enterprise customer?

First, let me just say, I won't be buying one. I'll let the others out there run it through its paces first. I'm still in the middle of a two year contract with Verizon ayway and I also don't have $500 to plunk down on a cell phone (although I did get mine run over by a car today...ouch.)

If a user had one in our office and wanted to forward their email to it, fine with me. We'll handle it the EXACT SAME WAY as we handle the Blackberry. Oh yeah, didn't you know, you need to drop a load a cash on software to integrate the Blackberry with Exchange. Sure, you can sync it on your desktop but who the heck cares. If you are a large enterprise, I'm sure you can afford the software but I'm sure those in the $150,000,000 and under sales category (small potatoes, I know) aren't dropping a load of cash on Blackberry software for their servers, assuming they even use Exchange or Notes.

Ok, I'm getting off topic a bit, but my point is that Apple knows who their customer is, they know what people want, and they are going to give it to them. Will it be perfect out of the box? No way, nothing is. It will be nearly perfect and future iterations most likely via software upgrades will close the gap with perfect eventually. Nothing Gartner or any other analyst out there can say is going to change that.

Interestingly, what I find most telling about this and of no great surprise is that people, particularly analysts, like to bring other products down. They produce nothing so therefore they have to come up with crap to feed people and hopefully others will buy it. The more shocking, the better it sells. Since the iPhone is one of the biggest things this year, why not pick on it. Besides, for IT guy who can't stand that he can't have an iPhone, this is the perfect excuse to prevent others in his company from getting. Trust me, once he gets approval for one of his or her own, they'll be iPhones all over the place in that company.

Hello! Message to Gartner! Jobs doesn't give a rip about you or your approval and last I checked, he didn't need your blessing to blow the doors off the cell market which is exactly what is about to happen in 9 days!

Why Wii is (are) successful!

This is for all the Wii fans out there.  This would be funny if it weren't so true.

Penny Arcade - From The Makers of "Beam Kings"

Next Gen consoles too complex!

I thought this article was worth mentioning here as I'm willing to bet it represents a large part of the console development community.  How many other companies out there would say the same thing if given the opportunity?  I'll bet a lot of them.

Personally, I couldn't care less about the games but to have what, in Japan anyway, is a major force in the gaming community basically write off the 360 and PS3 is big news.  This is a very big endorsement for the Wii and DS platforms.

Safari on Windows

This is going to seem anti-climactic to my Mac friends but the WWDC announcement that Windows will finally get a decent web browser made by an innovative company is absolutely fantastic. For those that haven't heard, Apple announced Safari 3 is going to be released for Windows. The beta is posted and everyone should jump in and get their feet wet.

Don't get me wrong, I've got nothing against Firefox, but I want something designed by an innovator. Something like Firefox that is groupthink designed just doesn't strike me as a product that will ever push the envelope much. Opera is very nice but you have to pay for it.

I guess time will tell if this latest strategy by Apple works but I applaud them for giving this a go.

Incidentally, I've spent about 5 minutes with Safari on the PC and it is lightning fast and has great looking, easy to read text. Personally though, Apple made a big mistake by not letting us grab the edges of the window and resize it. Apple's been hammered about this before even in OS X so it strikes me as odd they wouldn't have this feature in a Windows version of Safari where it fits in naturally. Thank goodness it is still a beta and they have time to fix this.

Happy 30th Birthday Apple ][

I just had to say Happy Birthday to my old friend the Apple ][ computer. I cut my teeth on this or technically the Apple ][+ (although my first love was a Compucolor a friend of mine had - those dot addressable COLOR graphics via peeks and pokes were so much fun - Jay if you are out there somewhere, please say HI). I still remember going to Radio Shack and picking up this big black tape cassette player/recorder so I could hook it up to my Apple with an audio cable to read in the tapes. Games like Lemonade Stand and Penny Arcade are fondly remembered (I really hated that little bolt of lightning signifying a rainy day and low lemonade prices) and Planet Miners from Avalon Hill.

I used to visit the Computer Tree and spend hours and hours and hours looking at and tinkering with everything they had in the store. The first graphics tablet I ever played with was there and was a blast but was around $700 (or was it $1100, I can't recall) and certainly out of the reach of most people.

After my Apple ][+, I added an Integer Basic card and Floppy Disk Drive, then it was on to the Apple ][e. Eventually I graduated into the a Mac 128 (yeah - but can you say "disk swap") but that is a whole other story. (I also had the fortune or misfortune of using an Apple ///, Apple IIgs, and a Lisa - Lisa fun, Apple /// not so fun, gs...well what can I say, it was there.)

Those were the good ol' days!

The aweful internal combustion engine

It is now time for me to rant about the unbelievably crappy internal combustion engine that powers most of our vehicles. I've got problems with my vehicle and it is in the shop now which made me think how aweful the automobile is in terms of design and engineering. Sure, it gets us from Point A to Point B but I have to guess that if nothing was around today and you started from scratch, the design we have today would be the last thing anyone would think of or want.

Personally, I'm sick of how complicated these things are. I have THREE fuse boxes on the vehicle that died and there has to be 100 fuses in this thing. How many systems does it take to make me go forward (and back if necessary)!?! These vehicles should be simple and elegant in design. Maybe Apple needs to make a car for the rest of us too.

At one point I had high hopes for the Rosen brothers (Ben Rosen started Compaq) but their marvel of engineering elegance failed. I tried to see if I could buy stock in this company once and I guess it is a good thing stock wasn't available. It would be nice to see a new car company break into the market with something new and radical that the masses could afford. (The Tesla doesn't count, it is too expensive.)

It seems unfortunate that with so much innovation and amazing technology, the basic design of the car is fundamentally unchanged from the car of 100 years ago.

Jobs, why couldn't you be a car buff!!

Coincidence or is there a glitch in the Matrix?

I had a very odd thing happen today.

I went to work and followed a truck most of the way there on my motorcycle. Normally I don't follow anybody if you get my meanin' but for some reason I was stuck there and the confusing logo caught my eye. Was it SLH, STH, SZH, or what? Let's just say it was S(x)H Transport (replace the x with whatever you want) and go with that.

Anyway, I noticed the license plate too and it was from Quebec and had an odd combination of letters and numbers. Again, normally I wouldn't think of these things but all the oddness stuck in my brain.

On a normal day, I'd never think of this truck ever again but this was no normal day. Would you believe I went home and ended up behind the exact same truck! That just doesn't happen does it?

Very weird!

iPhone Killer

Well, Apple had what appeared to be a great product in the iPhone but now Nokia is preparing to one up them with their latest and greatest new development. Fortunately for me, I'm prepared to take advantage of this product in a way that will put a smile on Al Gore's face and put the carbon credit market into a tailspin.

Once Nokia's new product hits the market, every Nokia owner on the planet is going to want to ditch their old phones. When they do, I'll be there to take them off their hands and put them to good use. I'm betting if I strap enough of these old phones to a very long pole and engineer the proper circuits, capacitors, and stand far enough away, I'll be able to harness the tremendous power of mother nature. My new invention will generate so much electricity by attracting all those wayword watts that fly through the air that we may just be able get rid of coal, natural gas, wood, and propane powered unicycles. The utility companies will actually be paying me for power.

How great is that!?!

NOTE: Misleading topic at no extra charge.

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Game developers that actually listen

I have to give a big fat thank you to the guys at Gas Powered Games for being so dedicated to their art. Chris Taylor must be doing something right. The company produced a fantastic game called Supreme Commander and it really is the rightful heir to one of my all time favorites, Total Annihilation.

First, they seem to listen to the community and are actively improving an already released game. Do they have to do this, certainly not, but boy am I glad they did. If you play Supreme Commander, the latest patch that was released includes a feature that should have been in every RTS game ever released. The feature actually seems so obvious that it is amazing it hasn't been done before.

What I'm speaking about is the new ability to create a control group (basically, you assign a number to a group of units for easy recall) and include a factory in that control group. Doing this now causes every unit produced to automatically be assigned to this control group from there on. What a beautiful thing this is. Imagine, if you will, assigning a factory to produce bombers and making it part of control group 5 and never having to go seek out these new bombers ever again. Just press 5 on your keyboard and those new bombers are ready to fulfill your every command. Kudos to the SupCom development team!

Second, I commend Chris Taylor for actually giving the developers of his company a real life outside of game development. His philosophy is counter to all other game developers and many other companies in general. He actually wants his people to leave on time from work and spend time with their families! What a concept!

Oh, if you want to try another game from a company that listens better than any I've ever come across before, check out the guys at StarDock and the Galactic Civilizations line of games. If you've never played Galactic Civilizations II, you owe it to yourself to play it. Anyone who likes the Civilization style game or fondly remembers Master of Orion, just go buy it. You won't be disappointed. The best part is that patches and enhancements happen with regularity and they always listen to the comments of their customers. In fact, it isn't uncommon for them to have real conversations with those in the community. There are very few companies out there that do this anymore.

Oh, and the best part is they don't believe in copy protection either. GalCiv2 is not copy protected and neither is the expansion for it. Even without copy protection, when GalCiv2 was released it was on the best seller list at WalMart for quite some time. It just proves that if you give the public what they want, you'll be rewarded for it.

Transformers Movie Trailer

The new exclusive Transformers Movie Trailer on Yahoo! is very cool. If you have the time, make sure you download and watch the 1080P Exclusive version.

Too bad I'm boycotting the movie theaters otherwise this would definitely be one worth watching on the big screen.

Bummer!

C&C3 Comic

Having recently played C&C3 (Command & Conquer 3 for the noobies out there) I couldn't help but chuckle at this Penny Arcade comic I ran across. Funny, I'm always running out of Tiberium too.

Best Visual Illusions

Everyone must check this web site out:

Best Visual Illusions of the Year

The first place winner is absolutely unbelievable!

Apple TV Thoughts

I was looking at something about Apple TV and had to comment. (I know this is old news and it's been out for a while but I still had to say something.)

What was Apple thinking? Why did they hamper what could have been a spectacular box by doing the following:

• 40GB Hard Drive (even some iPod's have larger HD's)
• Component Video or above only - some people don't have HD sets
• No built-in iTunes - I'm sure this has the horsepower. Why couldn't they have put in an interface to iTunes in this box

For a company that is so innovative, what happened?

Honestly, they should also have an interface to NetFlix in this thing. Partnering with them and allowing streaming of video rentals through this box would have been a major win.

On a funnier note, I was watching this video from Keith Shaw and in the very beginning he says its got a huge hard drive. That was that hilarious!

MacBook Video Still Subpar

What happened? Apple released the new MacBook today and while the changes look great there is NO NEW VIDEO CHIPSET! What gives?

How can they do this to us? The Intel GMA chipset is one of the worst out there besides the S3 crap that is out on the market. Why must I spend another $1000 for a laptop with a decent video card. Give us something? Even a GForce Go7300 or a low end Radeon would be better than this garbage. Others seem to agree too.

You can check out the specs here and believe me, the video card is still crap.

I want so bad to get a MacBook but I'll never buy one until the fix they video card in it. A MacBook Pro is more than I need, larger than I need, and frankly more money than I want to spend. Please Apple, fix this and fix it soon!

Movie Theater Advertising

I'm sick of paying almost $9 per person (I'm sure it is more elsewhere) for the privilege to sit down in a theater and be bombarded with advertising. I'm personally boycotting the movie theater until they stop this incredibly annoying practice. It is bad enough that I have to skip ads on television and I'm paying for the cable system to bring it into my home.

I'm sure the theaters will argue that it offsets their cost and keeps the ticket prices down but please, I'm not stupid. Ticket prices have risen steadily for the past 20 years and I don't see it coming down anytime soon because of advertising.

I know Comcast is trying to get the rights to show movies in the home at the same time they are released in the theaters and at $30-$50 per pop, it seems expensive but if I can get several people together for a movie night, the cost per person is far less and I'm sure I'll enjoy it just as much. Of course, Comcast will screw that up too and put advertising that can't be skipped into the movie stream. How much do you want to bet?

I can't be the only one who finds these ads annoying? If you do, send a message to the movie studios and theaters by simply refusing to pay for advertising and let's force them to stop this practice.

One Year Anniversary

OK, this is really stupid but I had to put at least one post here to celebrate the one year anniversary of this essentially non-existent blog. Seeing how I've posted nothing to it this really isn't very interesting. I promise to do better this year.

Nothing to see here, move along...