Intermediate Ballet Class

She's now in intermediate ballet class!

New Hat And Glasses

Jock my new glasses and hat! My new job at pge! Woohoo!

PG&E

I work for PG&E, now! Woohoo!

U.K. Kids Get RFID Chips In School Uniforms

Ten schoolchildren in the United Kingdom are being tracked by RFID chips in their school uniforms as part of a pilot program.

Not such a bad idea, considering how in this day and age, people are constantly trying to get at our kids. Me, being a parent, am for this. I cannot understand why people would be against it. I, for one, do not really care if the government knows where I am at any given moment. What's the big deal? If I'm in my bathroom taking a shit, who cares if the government knows that? If I'm in a public bathroom taking a shit, who cares if the government knows that? Now, if I were doing something illegal, then I can understand why I wouldn't want the government knowing where I'm at. Read the article and read the comments.

It would seem that so many people are against the whole idea of being tracked. Yes, it's only the clothing that's being tracked and if the person removes said article, they would not be tracked successfully, yes, I understand. But if you were a kidnapper, you wouldn't want the hassle of having to remove clothing in order to kidnap a child...you would rather have a quick getaway without any way of being tracked, other than witnessess.

Again, this is just my opinion but I really can't understand why someone would be against being tracked. I mean, you are already being tracked by the computers, believe it or not, by the webpages you are visiting. Trust me. Whatever protection you THINK you may have on your system, the data being transmitted to YOUR computer at YOUR house is already being tracked and documented. There are logs that show which sites you are visiting as well as that files you are downloading. How? Because all the data has to travel to the server FIRST before it hits your system. Which means, whichever internet provider you are going through already knows. How's that?

Anyways...that's my 2-cents...

My New Optics!

My new optics...got them at my parent's optometrist. They suggested I go there because they felt that they had the most up to date equipment. They used to go to this Chinese optometrist in the City but, as it turns out, their equipment were slightly outdated. Now by slightly, I mean, even though their equipment still got the job done, you know how stingy Chinese people are with their money and want to make more...so, they didn't update their equipment as often or use the latest and greatest. Please don't think that I know what's the latest and greatest since I'm NOT an optometrist...but still, being in my parent's optometrist's office and being tested on their machines made me feel I was getting the latest info. Anyways, I'll post up a pic of my eyes as soon as I get them from the optometrist...he takes a photo of your eyes to make sure there's nothing wrong with them. Kinda neat since I've never had that done before. He said that if I brought in my USH flash drive, I could get a copy of them, too! Cool!

But yeah, these are a pair of FYSH eyeglasses. I wanted something similar to my dad's old glasses that he wore when my parents were married. I couldn't find anything completely solid black so I opt for something more fashionable. They look pretty good to me but my wifey said they're too "stylish" or me. Hah! But, I like them so that's that. Besides, if I were to get any "geek" awards, I think this would fit the bill! I wanted to move away from the frameless ones because, frankly, to me, they're a little too fragile...the hinges that held onto the glasses on the sides came loose and I had to manually glue them back. I didn't want to bring it back to the optometrist to get them fixed...too lazy. I wanted something easy and durable...and these were it!

I forgot which model these were and couldn't find them on their website, since they require some sort of login and most likely needed to be an authorized retailer...oh well. Anyways, it was either these or a pair of P.Diddy ones...but the P.Diddy ones had a little too much "bling" on them for my tastes....

Socom 2 For The PSP

Woohoo! It says "Grade A"! Hah! My second mission, I think it was. Now, keep in mind that I'm in no way the best stealth-oriented FSP-player out there; I'm used to running in and gunning away with insta-gib...but, quite a few of my co-workers got this game and wanted me to play with them, too, so I said, alright, might as well give it a try. I'm not THAT into FPS as it is and surely, I'm not THAT into FPS on my PSP...but, as it turns out, this is pretty fun and takes up some of my time...now it's a juggle between this and WoW! haha! Of course I need to practice this a lot more to be even near the level my co-workers are at, but it's still fun...I could be cannon-fodder to either of their teams just to keep them occupied long enough for my teammates to take them down! =P Anyways...

Nuts?

Uhm...ok, of all the things I've seen, this seems to be the funniest. We were eating dim sum with my parents and my aunt, who came to visit for the weekend...we were sitting and waiting for our food when my wifey points out to me the menu...I've seen weirdness like snake or snails but chinese nuts?! I know, I know, it's not what I think it is, but to the casual viewer, what are they supposed to think it is?

Of course I didn't order it...=P

Pee Powered Batteries?!?

Uhm, weird, gross, funny, whatever you want to call it, it's a sure thing in Japan where they're selling environmental-friendly batteries that are powered by fluids...and that means any fluid, including your, yup, urine. Yup. Pee.

"The basic principle is that a mixture of magnesium and carbon reacts when mixed with a liquid to produce, in the case of the AA battery, up to 500 milliamp-hours (mAh) of life."

Not bad for batteries, I have to say...but pee? Naw...I'd just rather throw them out...I mean, what if I get pee on my hands?!? That's gross!! =P

Little DJ's Scratchin' it up...

Just when I was logging onto my iGoogle page, I was shown a bunch of clips...so, I opt to take a look at one of them with two little kids...pretty nice, if you ask me...looks like they both have a whole new world opened up to them at an early age...hell, how many people can even scratch? I know I can, but not THAT good...and, by no means am I able to do what these two can...so, grats to them!

Nice Artwork!

So, while browsing around, I came across this nice piece of artwork...not 100% clear on the text, but it did say something like they saw this on a well respected business structure. Kinda neat, I would say...though I don't condone graffiti, I have to admit, it looks pretty good. Not as original as I would have liked to see, as I know a lot of graffiti artists are original in some way...it would have been better, in my opinion, to have a battle scene or something...as I don't play a Troll Shaman, I can't rate this pic as best...hahhah! But, again, that's just my opinion and I'm sticking to it...

In case you're wondering, click on the pic above to go to the original post/article about the drawing...I can barely read it but it looks like they were saying something like after eating and walking home, they came across the picture...but other than that, it's all a little sketchy...

First Day of Kindergarten!

My little angel in her school uniform on her first day of kindergarten! We had to scramble last night to buy her a pair of navy-blue tights since, for some reason, we didn't get the tights but we got the uniform. Not entirely sure WHY we did that...oh well. Anyways, she got to class OK.

We all had to meet in the cafeteria before class and the four teachers would call out names of their respective students. My baby's teacher was so soft-spoken that we didn't hear her name being called. That sucked since it would have been a nice photo-op for her. But, in any case, she eventually got to her class and was enjoying it.

It was a little warm but I think the classes had A/C...

You know you played too much when...

Ok, last night we had a company meeting, supposedly, to pass out our success-sharing checks but the checks won't arrive until the first week of September...ok, no biggie. So the meeting went on about appreciating workers for their hard work and such and they had a raffle for a 42" LCD TV. I was like, whoa! I wanna win! And, wouldn't you know it, I didn't. But, the funny thing is that, during the raffle drawing, it felt like I was playing WoW and was rolling for an epic! Which, BTW, I don't usually win, either...but! It was funny and I laughed at it cuz of the feeling I got when they were doing the drawing. HAH! Uhm, yeah...that was funny to me...

The Adventures of Messy Cow

Just as a WoW addict as I am, I love to read books, magazines, you know...anything with pictures and words. And not just about gaming, but about cars and parenting, too. Yes, I am a parent and I want to make sure I'm doing everything I can for my little angel. But, anyways, this isn't about being a parent...it's about, you guessed it, WoW! Muhahaha! erum...yeah...anyways...click on over to Messy Cow and read up on her adventures as a new WoW player! And yes, most, if not all of us, have gone through what she has gone through while playing WoW...all except the dwarf part...but, I won't spoil it for you! Go on, read!

A little snippet about the manga she wrote...

"The Adventures of Messy Cow is a manga (Asian comic) about Wonn's World of Warcraft character, Messy Cow. Wonn (Weng Chen) has been playing for almost a year, and this is her first MMO. Most of her friends were long time online game players, so she had some help getting started, but she still had her share of funny and interesting experiences, this being her first time.

There's not really a cronological order to things, it's just whatever she decides to write about when she sits down to create a story. Everything is based on real events though, at least in it's basic idea. Messy Cow developed quite a reputation in her guild for her "interesting" experiences, but is now is quite a productive member of the guild. This manga will serve as a record of events along the way...

Messy Cow plays on the server in Shanghai, although if you are reading this in English that probably means you will never meet her."

Might As Well Face It You're Addicted To WoW...

Hahahahahahahahah! I can't laugh hard enough when I came across this article over at WikiHow...and article about how to break your addiction to WoW. First off, I'm in no way saying that WoW isn't addictive, in fact, it's prob more addictive than any other game out there on the market except for Pokemon or Mario. This article is funny in that I think the writer doesn't even know the steps in itself to break an addiction. Here's an example:

"Play a different videogame. Sure, you might just find yourself in another addiction, but at least you're not paying 15 bucks every month."

WTF is that about? Why would you try to break an addiction with another? To the best of my limited knowledge, breaking an addiction means to free yourself from the binds that hold you to what you once hold dear. Besides, $15 is relatively insignificant when you're breaking it down to, roughly, 30 days...that's about 50 cents a day. You waste more than 50 cents a day by talking or texting on your cellphone. At least with gaming you get some sort of enjoyment. Granted, gaming isn't something you can take with you all the time and flaunt to everyone on the streets about your gaming accomplishments.

Everyone is an addict when it comes to playing WoW. Even me. I have to admit, I truly enjoy playing WoW. However, I do not HAVE to play it on a daily basis for hours on end. After all my responsibilities are completed, there's nothing wrong with playing WoW, or doing anything else that I enjoy. Addiction has found itself in many other things, such as gambling, drinking, smoking, etc, and everything, and I do mean everything, CAN be addictive. The trouble is, with most other addictions, so many people are doing it that it's hard for people to spot that particular addiction. Take sports for example. How many people watch sports whenever it's on? That in itself can be called an addiction for the simple fact that those who crave watching sports, will go to any length just to be near the broadcast, whether it be watching or listening to it. All those who participate in this won't realize that they're an addict. Or how about drinking alcohol? How many do you know that feel social drinking is acceptable? That in itself can be called an addiction, too, since those who do social drinking, find it hard to socialize, or fit in, without drinking along with everyone else. And, here's the flamer, how about religion? I know of many religious individuals that feel bad whenever they miss going to church. How's that for withdrawal symptoms?

This article, I truly hope, is meant to make people laugh cuz if it were supposed to be serious, the writer has failed...

Fool GPS Tracking Devices?

Ever get the idea that you're being followed or tracked by someone using a GPS device? Well, look no further than this device! I'm guessing it's suppose to jam the GPS signals and render the device inoperable. Kinda cool idea. Dunno what's the use of it, though...I mean, really, let's put it this way, if you're afraid of being tracked, you're doing something wrong. I, personally, don't care if people know where I'm at at any given time. Though I don't feel the need to be connected in any way, I don't see the reason why someone can't know where I'm at. But, I guess there are people out there that are doing the bad-things that don't want to be tracked...hahaha! Uhm, yeah...in any case, I still think this is a neat idea...though I won't condone its use, I do realize that there are people who need to be in stealth and this device might do them well...

The way this thing works is by plugging into your car's cig adapter and within seconds, it's operational. Now, it claims to only disable the GPS device that's on your vehicle and not the ones next to you...but what about cars that are close to you or devices, such as a NexTel phone, that has built-in GPS? Would this device render those useless, too, at the same time?

Special Edition Nokia N73

Since I have an N73ME (Music Edition) I always want to know what I'm missing...missing as in since I purchased mine fairly early in the game, there are sometimes newer versions that come out that have more built-in features that I may, or may not, want/enjoy. It would seem that Nokia has come out with a new Limited/Special Edition of their N73.

According to CNN, the N73 will come in "soft" white color with some built-in apps tailored to the needs of the Arab consumer...more specifically, for the Holy month of Ramadan. Please excuse me, since I'm Chinese, I do not know as much about the Holy month so I cannot comment much more on what it includes or how it functions...but, CNN has more details on the specifics...

"In addition the Nokia N73 Special Edition offers unique Ramadan Greetings, a very special customized e-card application that enables families and friends to send greeting cards through SMS or MMS in celebration of this Holy month' said Neil Gordon, Vice President for Multimedia, Nokia, Middle East & Africa, 'This new edition is a reflection of Nokia's commitment to continuously provide consumers with tailored services, based on their needs and requirements."

The soft white color is what I'm most interested in, since I like the color white. I was originally thinking of the original white version but it didn't look right with the red that they used...so I eventually went with the black Music Edition version...

Study shows no link between car accidents and cellphone use...

Well, according to an article on Wired Magazine, it looks like there's no connection between talking on a cellphone while driving than those who don't. Granted, the general public cannot do more than two things at once, but as a whole, most people on cellphones are more careful than you might expect. I have to admit, sometimes I am not as careful while I'm on the phone while driving as I would normally be, but that doesn't mean I'm wreckless; I haven't been honked at while I'm the phone...I still signal when I'm turning or changing lanes.

I would have to say that I, personally, think that having a child in the car while driving is more distracting than talking on a cellphone. Think about it, you can always end the conversation on the phone but you cannot end the conversation with a child. When my little angel was a baby, she would do everything in her power to get my attention (cuz she wants daddy's attention) and I would have to, sometimes, put my arm back there to comfort her...but imagine a car full of kids that are screaming, talking, etc...granted, I don't think people who get into accidents due to their kids being distracted actually say that it was their kids being distracted, so we can't actually use this as a fair comparison...most people just assume that people who talk on cellphones are careless...

Like they say, do not assume, it makes an "ass" out of "u" and "me"...

iPhone Unlockable?

Give them time and anything is possible, right? Accord to The New York Times (and various other sources), a 17 year-old from New Jersey has successfully unlocked the iPhone. He claimed he spent the entire summer to develop the unlocked process. The entire unlock process takes about 2 hours to complete and requires soldering. Kinda cool, considering that Apple said that their software is secure and unhackable...pfft! Like I said, anything is possible...where there is a will, there is a way...

The way I see it is that, you can't control what people use and where they want to use it. This is exactly what we're seeing here. As the example above, the 17YO is using his iPhone on T-Mobile, instead of Cingulat/ATT. A lot of people want to jump around with services to get the best deal for a few months and then move on. I, personally, don't care about that because I usually purchase my phones outside of contract through other distributors, instead of going directly to Cingular/ATT. Not that Cingular/ATT do not have nice phones, which they do, but I'd rather not have to worry about it being customized with provider crap. I'd rather purchase an unlocked phone to customze any way I see fit...but that's just me...

The Jungle!

We decided at the last minute to go to The Jungle over in Concord yesterday for my little baby's birthday party...sorta. We didn't stay long, just long enough for her to play around a little bit. I went inside to play with her. It was extremely cramped inside! But that might be cuz I'm a little bigger than all the other kids in there! Hah! Anyways, we were about to stay to eat some pizza but we eventually decided to go out to eat at a buffet. I knew she would enjoy it but we had to leave and she didn't want to go...=( Oh well. Next time we'll stay longer. Today, actually, is her birthday, so we didn't do much celebrating last night...

Fring

VoIP is the rage these days and I have to say, even my mom is using it! She's subscribed to this service my aunt suggested to her. Anyways, if you don't know what Fring is, fring is a mobile application for Windows and Symbian phones that uses VOIP to make inexpensive/free mobile calls and instant message. Unlike Jajah, but like Truphone, Fring sends calls and chats over Wi-Fi internet access or your 3G or GPRS Internet data plan. Like Skype, users are charged a nominal fee to call standard phone lines. However, calls made to other internet phones are free. Fring connects to standard phones, other SIP based VOIP clients, and chat applications (Skype, MSN Messenger, ICQ, Google Talk, and even Twitter).

Now, this is also very similar to the other service I mentioned before from Palringo except with fring, you make an actual call (which you would have to give out your number) whereas with Palringo, it's PTT (Push To Talk). Both uses data. I prefer Palringo since I don't make any international calls but I'm sure fring has its uses...just not me...

HTC Kaiser/AT&T Tilt

Wonderful new offering from HTC. Not that I'm 100% into those texting devices, but it is nice to see something that has a full QWERTY keyboard...even though this is only half-assing it...the screen slides out, very similar to the other devices, except this one also tilts up slightly, hence the name, Tilt. Click on the picture for full details on the phone...

Ouch!

Cracked iPhone just from dropping it on a concrete floor...I guess that's all it takes...click on the pic to read the full article...personally, I would have bought a damn tough case for it if I did have an iPhone...I wonder if the screen is all glass? I guess it is, considering that it's a full-touch screen and is almost scratch resistant...but, it's funny how Apple would use all glass on such a unit that can be so fragile...oh well...I guess you have to have it all glass, considering it is much better as a touchscreen than plastic...but still...

Duels!

I haven't actually tried this online game, yet, but I hear it's all the rage at the moment. No, it's not an actual replacement for WoW or anything else, for that matter, but it's something you can play with while at work or want something to take your mind off WoW...hahaah! Or something else...anyways...

www.duels.com

It's a PvP type game where you HAVE to fight aginst others...at least that's what I gathered from reading it...but it does have some quests so I think that's another way to level...or get items...who knows...anyways, check it out and see how you like it. I will give this a try, later, when I get home from work. But in the meantime, I'll just mosey along...

(Edit: I didn't get to register on my lunch so I'll try it, again, when I get home after work...not that I don't want to try it at work, but I would rather not do those things while at work...just in case, ya know...)

WTF?!

Now I dunno about you, but WTF is this?! A flashlight that makes you yack?!



I guess this is good for the riot police...or for a good gag...hahah! The exact specs of the flashlight aren't know but I do know that it's capable of inducing nausea at whomever it's flashed at. It has a range finder to measure the distance to the target’s eyes, so it adjusts the energy level of the light to an acceptable level as to not damage the recipient's eyes. I think it said it shoots pulses of light rapidly from an array of ultrabright LEDs that causes the nausea. Dunno how this would work or how effectively it will keep riots down but I'm guessing it's relativey safer than mace or pepper spray...but imagine the mess it would make...ew...

Mario on the iPhone!

Not that I have an iPhone nor do I have the urge to get one, here's something interesting I found on the web...



So, even after how Apple toughts its proprietary software/hardware kinda deal, it's only a matter of time before someone hacks their OS...officially, the OS is what they called “closed”...what that means is that only Apple or Apple-approved developers can program apps for the iPhone. Hackers, on the other hand, have found a way to get their own programs onto the iPhone without being approved.

“Stepwhite” has managed to get the InfoNES core up and running on the iPhone. Now, all you iPhone users will be able to run emulated NES Games, such as Mario, Zelda, and Metroid. Don't get excited, yet, cuz the emulator runs way too slow for a decent gaming experience. With the iPhone's touchscreen, the controller image on the screen works poorly so it doesn't give you the best NES gaming experience.

What does all this mean to you and I? Practiaclly nothing...at least not yet since almost everyone owns a GameBoy of some kind...but it's nice to know that, given the time and effort, you'll soon see InfoNES, or a counterpart of some kind, work properly on the iPhone in the future...how soon, I dunno, but if it there's enough motivation, anything is possible...

BlizzCon!

I know very few of you are actually interested in BlizzCon but for me, is kinda exciting! You can see all the upcoming (and current) Blizzard games and ideas...I'm mostly interested in their new expansion, the Wrath of the Lich King. I didn't get to attend but I'm reading up on it from various websites and from people who are there, already. =( Sucks that I cannot attend...but then again, maybe next year, I'll try to make it there...maybe it'll be more fun in person than just seeing the pictures...I heard there was a dance contest, too, where you try to dance as one of the characters in-game...I heard that the blood elves won the dance contests, one male and one female, and that the male wore a shirt that said "Vote For Kael'thas"! Of course there were more contests, such as a character sound-alike, but the dancing one really drew my attention!

So, anyways...uhm, I'm starting to get very irritated at the shop that's handling my car. To be as professional as I can, I won't mention the shop's name, but it's taking almost FIVE (5) years for them to work on my car. And no, it's nothing custom...my engine blew compression and they're resizing it slightly instead of buying a new block. Works out for me but it's taking an extremely long time. They keep telling me that parts are backordered or not available. I will get the part #'s of the parts they need and do some research on my own. If all else fails, I guess I will have to contact the BBB and/or a lawyer to see what my options are. I don't mind paying him the money for the work that he's already done, but if that's the case, I would like for him to pay for the inconvenience that he's caused me for almost FIVE (5) years.

Study Suspects Violent Video Games Are Healthy!

As published in the Journal of Adolescent Health, they said that violent games don't necessarily lead to violence among children and that the kids could actually benefit from playing video games. (Alright!)

Massachusetts General Hospital's Cheryl Olson SC.D. also commented that the "idea that 'M' rated games cause shootings or major violence just doesn't hold water."

Anger management is important to everyone at any age and to me, I think that playing video games is a form of anger management. Olson continues, "We don't know whether playing to get anger out is a good thing or a bad thing for any individual child, but we suspect that it might be healthy for a lot of kids."

Video games also teaches us social interaction. The study found that the kids are more likely to be playing with a couple of friends, whether in the same room or over the net. In their study, none of the kids fell into the sterotype of the lone gamer who's out plotting the destruction of the world by intense violence.

Of course, the study is based on a group of 1,200 seventh and eight graders. And, as always, focus groups are always too small to be able to formulate a completely accurate generalization. I would say to still watch your kids for any signs of intense anger after playing video games. Sure, you win some and you lose some, but if your kid decides to go out and beat someone after he loses, that's a slight problem, I would say...

The conclusion, though, from Olson rests:

"It's not going to ruin them, they're not going to go out and pick up a gun. Violent video game play is typical and normal for kids nowadays. That doesn't mean that parents have to like it, but they shouldn't panic about it."

Like the saying goes, "Guns don't kill, people kill"...as long as your kids have a clear understanding that video games are just that: video games, your kids would have no issues playing with violent games...

DIY S60v3 Theme Creator

Ok, so since I have a Nokia cellphone sporting the S60v3 OS, I had to write a little something about this freeware app I came across. And no, I haven't used it yet, but from the sounds of it, it should be pretty good! I've always wanted to create my own themes but when I tried Carbide UI from Nokia, things were a little confusing, to say the least. But, I won't get into Carbide for now...

This freeware from Nokia is called ThemeDIY. It's supposed to allow you to create simple things such as backgrounds, background fades (for menus), and simple background color changes, battery bars, etc. It's pretty nice! I have yet to try it so please don't think I'm advocating it in any way...just saying it's a nice piece to have on your S60v3 phone to play around with...

Download: Direct Link To Nokia Downloads

Yahoo! Go Live!

Personally, I don't use this since it doesn't have a built-in IM Client for their own Messenger but I feel I should put a few words about it...it stinks. Aside from their, fairly integrated, Yahoo Maps/Driving Directions, it's bogged down by areas that I do not use. Flickr, Local News, Weather, Sports, Finance, Entertainment...extras that, I'm sure, other people would enjoy reading about, just doesn't interest me...ok, so the weather I admit I looked at every once in a while, but just doesn't warrant me to continue to use it.

Now I'm not saying it's a bad program nor am I saying it doesn't have its uses...I'm just saying that I personally do not use it. Not even for the Y! Mail nor driving directions. Oh, they also have a search feature that if you want to, can use. Why would you use that, anyway? You can just pop open a browser and search from there...but I suppose integrating it was good for other users...

Palringo - Voice Instant Messaging

Ever wanted to use your phone as a Push-To-Talk device but didn't want to jump onto the PTT service? Well, here's your chance to use your phone to PTT like all the other guys! The guys over at Palringo have created a program that allows you to use your phone, along with a nice data plan, to talk with ANYONE, and I do mean ANYONE, that has the Palringo software. Yes, that means you can PTT with people on their cellphones as well as those on their home PCs. And yes, it looks like you can chat with people across the globe with this one. Would be perfect for those who have families across the world and want to spend as little as possible to communicate with them.

Sure, there are other alternatives such as Skype or other VoIP solutions, but this one can be used with cellphones! It has extensive phone support. I use it and it's pretty nice, I have to admit. Though it can get rather annoying when you're in a public situation (like in a grocery store) and you have messages coming through as loud as can be. Yes, you can adjust the volume and you can set it to receive but not play the message upon receipt.

But that't not all, you can send text AND photos, too! Provided your phone has a camera. So, it's an all inclusive package. However, the only drawback is that this is yet another messaging client and does not support AOL/MSN/Yahoo/Google or whatever else is out there. So, if you have multiple IM Accounts, this is another to add on to it. But I find this to be the end-all IM solution since I can talk with it. Another good thing about it is that you can chat with people and not have to give out your phone number! =P

iPhone in new exciting colors!

Wow...what else can I say. This is very nice where you can customize the color of your iPhone! And no, I don't have one and I doubt I'll ever get one, since there are so many issues with the phone. Plus it just doesn't get me all excited. I mean, everything on the phone has been done before and almost everything the iPhone can do, the Nokia N95 can do, too. All in all, I think this would be very nice to those who own iPods of the various colors and want to match their iPhone with their iPod...

The advertisement that you see is from ColorWare, which is better known for skinning new colors onto Sidekicks. You can choose from 29 different colors and you can purchase a new iPhone with your color choice from ColorWare for either $649 (4GB) or $749 (8GB)...or, if you already have an iPhone, you can send your in own for $149.

PS3 Lost The Console Wars

Now, from a consumer's point of view, I think that Sony has already lost the console wars. This is due, I think, mainly from their price point of $499 versus the 360's $299/$399 price points. Sure, the 360 has an elite version that's coming out for $499, but I'm going deep into that...why do I think Sony lost? Take a look at sales, take a look at exclusives, take a look at the whole picture.

If I remember correctly, Sony had sold over 105 million PS2's since its launch. Now, to be fair, their launch was a LONG TIME ago. BUT, for the month of June alone, the PS3 had only sold, roughly, 98k units...that's not gonna make Sony hit their 100 million consoles within 5 years...

Their ticket to failure? I think it's their stress to the Blu-Ray standard. Not that it's a bad standard, but it's something that, to the normal eye, you can't tell the difference with a normal TV. I, myself, do not have a HD TV, nor do a lot of other people I know. So, what's BR gonna do for us who do NOT have HDTV? Squat, that's what. AND, why am I gonna pay $500 for squat? Sure, there's a lot of people moving to the HDTV standard, but the PS3 will be another $500 they have to shell out to get a system that can do BR and play games.

Now, I'm not saying the 360 is a better buy. I love Sony and have their consoles (original PS1, their updated PSOne, PS2, PSP) and most of my electronics are Sony. BUT, as of now, there aren't any interesting games out there for the PS3. Mainly I'm looking for Gran Turismo. No, I don't want a demo of GTHD...I want the real deal. GT4 was SUPPOSED to allow you to download cars to your garage. Did that happen? Nope. GT for the PSP was SUPPOSED to come out...I'm still waiting. And now, with the release of Grand Theft Auto NOT being a PS3 exclusive, you can see where they are slipping. Also, with Forza Motorsports 2, it makes me want to get a 360 JUST for that game. Sorry, Sony, but I want to play a driving sim and you don't have one for me...

I would have thought that Sony would have started their PS3 pricing to match that of the 360, $299/$399. Sure, they're losing money, anyway, but I think if they had done that, the PS3 would have jumped WAAAAAAY ahead in their months behind (after the 360's launch). I'm not a marketing analyst so I can't scrutinize all the numbesr, but to me, if you don't price accordingly, people won't buy. Sure, it has a zillion times more processing power and the best DVD player in the world, but if you have to pay two hundred dollars more for it, that's a lot to swallow...especially if the cheaper console offers almost as much with a wider selection of readily available games...let's put it this way, in this generation with kids going to work for $8/hour working a full work week (~ $900 a month), do you really think they would want to spend $650 of it on a console? That's not much left to spend on their other wants...

Will Sony ever recover? I'm sure they will...if they lower their prices to match that of the 360. If they're unwilling to budge on their pricing, my guess is that the 360 will lower their prices even more to further shut out the PS3 from the market. In fact, I think the 360 will come down to be closer to that of the Wii. People have already jumped on the Wii and traded their PS3's for it. Too many people are trying to sell their PS3's for the Wii or 360.

Sony needs to rethink their strategy here in order to regain their market share. It's never too late...however, the longer Sony waits, the harder it will become...

Illuminated Tweezers!

OMFG! What the heck is that?! An illuminated tweezer?! This is something that I think my wifey would like since she does the plucking...eruhm...yeah...anyways...direct from their website:

"These tweezers have two integral LEDs that turn on when the slightest pressure is applied to the gripping arms, providing illumination where it is needed most during the delicate removal of splinters, or whenever the tweezers are used. Unlike steel tweezers that can corrode, these are made of rust- and shatterproof polycarbonate, and each tip has three interlocking gripping ridges for best traction during use."

I think it's kinda neat for people who use it...me? Naw, I use a razor so I don't find the desire to pluck, thought I did have to pluck out a splinter a few times so, I suppose this might come in handy during a camping trip or for the late-night yard-worker...

Longines Blingage!

Longines Blingage! My old watch broke so I asked one of my best friends to see if he had a watch I could borrow...I told him I wanted a chronograph-style watch with metal bands...I couldn't stand the leather stuff. I also told him I didn't want any digital displays on the watch. And, I knew he was into watches so I told him NOT to lend me one of his expensive watches since I didn't want to live with it being either broken or damaged in any way, since I prob couldn't afford to pay him back. So, what did he have available? This Longines model. At first I was like, WTF is this, generic brand? I can't even pronounce it. Then, after much digging around, my dad told me it was one of the better known watch manufacturers in the market and was of very good quality. How the heck would I know?!? I know phones! I don't know watches!

Toyota Supra!

This is my Radio Shack X-Mods Toyota Supra. This didn't come in a kit or RTR version. Bascially, it all comes fairly assembled except the wheels and body. So, I would consider it an RTR. I decorated with a Gundam marker to accentuate the body lines...I've also installed a light kit on it...I had to accent the body lines to make it look better...at least to me. Besides, this way, it looks more realistic instead of some static model just standing there...=P

School!

So my little baby is going to be in kindergarten this fall and we had to go get her a school uniform. What joy! And I do mean that seriously. Since I've never shopped for anything like that before for anyone, I think it was a fun experience. We first went to FrenchToast online to check out the clothes and soon found that Target had them locally. The sizes must have been for large kids since the size 6 was extremely wide. Even the size 5's were wide. We have to get a size 6 since our daughter is in the 98% percentile regarding height...she's a little thin, but that's ok...so, we ended up getting a few size 6's from Target...but, later we went to Old Navy and saw that they were also selling school uniforms and we decided to get her's there. Besides, I think it looks SLIGHTLY better...the quality, though, I'm thinking might be a little less since it doesn't have colorguard or something of the sort cuz I just washed it and it looks like it's slightly fading...I think the FrenchToast one would have faded less...oh well...such is life, I guess, right? =P And we got her the Old Navy shirts, too, to complete the package...

Just chillin'

Nothin' new, today, just chillin'. Funny how I can post at work now whereas before, everything was blocked. I'm thinking they just want people to be more productive. Now, by productive, I don't mean that you get more done, I mean you're more willing to get things done by having a little distraction. Most jobplaces make you feel like you're in a prison, doing some cheap-labor work instead of a corporate environment where everyone's opinion is highly appreciated. Giving their employees a little freedom, when it comes to browsing and/or eMail, would go a long way. Imagine, feeling free and happy at work would result in employees actually wanting to come to work. How about that for a change? If you want to come to work, wouldn't you be less likely to call in sick and/or goof-off at work? Versus you not wanting to go to work, you'll be more inclined to use all your sicktime and just laze around at work. I dunno...that's just my thought...

So, one day we were out at the mall and came across this store, Hot Topics, I think it was, and my wifey saw this nice sticker of the Horde symbol and she made a comment of how that would look nice on the Pilot. Sooo, after some thought, we decided to get it and put it on our Pilot...

That's about all I can think about right now at this moment...more ramblings later...

My Little Angel's Pre-K graduation!

Here's the wifey with my baby's pre-k graduation! We got her a Hawaiian Lei but she didn't like to wear it...costed me $20, too! sheesh! I know she has a mind of her own but I thought the lei made her look cute...she didn't think so and said "daddy, i don't like it"...can't say no to my little angel...^_^