what’s happening in december?

the holidays are coming. this is what’s going on in my december:

• Watching: The Big Band Theory; Up In the Air; Avatar
• Playing: pixeljunk monsters encore (PS3); Left 4 Dead 2 (XBox 360)
• Working: construction litigation (still)
• Listening: Muse – “The Resistance”; Jay-Z – “Blueprint III”
• Drinking: Ellie’s Brown Ale
• Reading: What Happened

New computer!

FINALLY building a new computer. Newegg.com items purchased thus far:

• Intel Core i5-750 Lynnfield 2.66GHz 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Processor
• G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory
• CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply
• ASUS P7P55D LGA 1156 Intel P55 ATX Intel Motherboard
• EVGA 01G-P3-1155-TR GeForce GTS 250 1GB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
  

now, all i need is a razer mouse and keyboard!

Intel Core i5-750 Lynnfield 2.66GHz 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Processor

G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory

CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply

ASUS P7P55D LGA 1156 Intel P55 ATX Intel Motherboard

EVGA 01G-P3-1155-TR GeForce GTS 250 1GB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

Rock Band: Green Day

formal announcement from harmonix:

Rock Band: Green Day for 2010!

while i don’t like the commercialism (it’s somewhat sellout-esque), i’m so excited!

Droid Release Party (11/6/09)

i forgot to write about the android release party i attended last month at bimbo’s 365 club in san francisco.

verizon gave free tickets to a private concert those who purchased the droid the day it came out. or, if you were lucky enough to catch the street team, passes were also distributed at various bars around San Francisco. i was fortunate to be a guest of my google friend. scheduled for the evening was an intimate show with metric and the silversun pickups. w00t!

I was pretty excited for Metric. I really liked their single, Help, I’m Alive, and was looking forward to a female vocalist indie-esque band. however, i was quite disappointed. their music was good, and the vocalist, emily haines has a cool voice. what really turned me off, and ultimately ruining Help, I’m Alive for me, was her onstage presence. She wore a really shiny dress, and was dancing around on stage. don’t get me wrong, on stage energy and dancing is good. but if you are wearing a shiny and sparkly dress, and dancing around akin the stylings of a fitness video, that’s not OK for an indie band. her look, and personality, did not match her bandmates, nor the music.

don’t artists have folks who consult on this sort of thing? when i was an intern at a small (really small) label, the owner provided (on more than 1 occasion) advice on its bands and how maintaining a “look” is necessary (at least during performances). it’s nothing personal, but it’s brand building based on a very specific audience.

Help, I’m Alive is now ruined for me. i now associate metric as the cindy lauper band.

as for SSP, i had last seen them at a small, unplugged show at the san francisco virgin megastore just shortly after carnavass was released. about 20-30 people showed up to watch this shy, and mild-mannered band perform a few of their tracks. lots of exposure and touring, and a few radio singles later, this band has definitely grown. the droid party performance showed a lot of stage presence, and it seems their stage confidence  has grown significantly. SSP’s sound is even better live. here’s are 2 photos from their performance:

to droid or to iphone?

my current cellular plan with AT&T is ending in january, and it’s time for me to get my own contract. the days of $20 per month (family plan, no data) may soon be over.

i’ve had an iphone for months, with no data plan. i have my AT&T sim card in it, and it works just like an ipod touch, but i can make calls on it. it’s actually quite perfect for me. i’m not a heavy data user, but like to carry my music with me. if there’s a wi-fi spot, i’ll use the web functions. i get to carry 1 device. it’s great.

i now have to decide whether i want to make the jump to getting a data plan, and which cellular company to go with. i leaning towards making the jump to a smartphone, and am deciding between a  droid (verizon) or an iphone (at&t). i’ve been with AT&T for years through mulitiple contracts, and frankly, i hate the company. they have horrible customer service, and i feel they really screw you on extra fees. however, i’ve been told that verizon is no better when it comes to extra fees.

billshrink.com’s comparison chart between the droid and iphone that has come in handy thus far:

i’ll definitely be doing some more research on the topic, but so far, I haven’t leaned one way or another thus far.

this is what i’m focused on:

• cost: i hate the idea of paying $70+ a month for a cellular plan. my research thus far has focused on cost over the life of the contract (usage fees, etc.). seems like that cost comes out to be about the same. i’m not too worried about the cost of the device and the activation fees.
• music: it has to function easily (and well) as an music player. this is a primary concern for me, as i do like to carry my music with me. i’m not crazy about itunes, but i’ve become accustomed to it. i’m not a frequent purchaser on itunes either.
• customer service: it sounds silly, but if i have any issues, i want to talk to someone. i don’t want to have to “deal” with BS customer service issues or spend 45+ mins at a cellular store waiting for someone to help me.
• app support: having a variety of apps to play with is fairly important. iphone has more apps right now, but it’s also been available for far longer than the droid. in a year or so, what type of developer support will the android marketplace have? i’m confident in google’s influence and ability to push the developer market in the right direction for the droid.
• keeping my phone number: can i keep the same phone number i have now if i switch to verizon? i dont’ want to change my number. must ask verizon folks.

things i don’t care about:

• network: i get OK reception with AT&T where i’m at. i get dropped calls every now and then, but it’s not at the point of being a major annoyance, yet. internet browsing (via friend’s iphone) can sometimes be slow, but i’m not browsing too often.
• data use: not a heavy data user. will probably use the data mostly for email, route guidance, and restaurant directories. will having a data plan make me a heavy data user?
• camera: i carry my canon with me. occasional facebook photo shares.

more research to be done.

…OR, how about keeping my iphone just the way it is, with NO data plan?

Up In The Air (Review)

I caught an interview with Jason Reitman on NPR’s Fresh Air last week discussing his new movie, Up In the Air, and his two of his previous films, Thank You for Smoking and Juno.

I saw Up In the Air this weekend and really enjoyed it. I am indifferent about his other two movies; while I liked their quirkiness and his focus on stories about non-traditional characters (tobacco lobbyist, young pregnant teen), I didn’t find myself getting attached to any of the characters. I reacted quite differently with Up In the Air.

Up In the Air focuses on another non-traditional character, a guy hired by corporations to fire / lay-off its employees when its own management is too chicken to. Ryan Bingham, played by George Clooney, spends almost all of his time in the air and at airports, traveling across the United States to fire people.

While Reitman originally began writing this screen play in 2003 when the economy was doing well, you can instantly see the parallels of our current economic state.

Up In the Air doesn’t really break new ground. It doesn’t teach you anything new or help you discover any undiscovered emotions you never knew you had. But, it is nonetheless a great story. It is a sad story. Non-actors, –folks who got laid off in real life, were called in to dramatize the Ryan Bingham lay-off. Seeing real people react from their own real life parallel situations really hit home just how people have been affected.

However, the heart of the movie doesn’t involve around these stories. Instead, we get a glimpse of Ryan Bingham’s unique lifestyle of “living in the air.” Since Ryan is constantly traveling, he doesn’t really have a home per se that would tie him to one particular location. Jason Reitman again does a good job with showing both glamour and the downside of a particular lifestyle and/or situation, and why this person’s particular reaction and story is interesting. Unlike his other movies, I really cheered for the protagonist in this one.

I think I may actually buy the Blu-Ray when it comes out. And that’s saying a lot.

w00tfest 1.1 live recording

here is a link to download a live recording of the los angeles w00tfest show.

don’t mind the annoying guy who is really close to the mic, who laughs uncontrollably and every other joke.

wil wheaton and w00tfest in san francisco

My friend Jared and I attended the second w00tfest (zeros, not ‘o’s)’ show in San Francisco this week. w00tfest is described as a “…night of songs, readings, comedy, demonstrations, short films, special guests, and other clever widgets born from and dedicated to the enthusiasms, obsessions, trials and joys of geek pride.” In summary, it’s “3 hours of geeks and music.”

For us, the main draw of the event was Wil Wheaton. Or, as we like to call him, “Wh-ill Wh-eaton.”

Jared and I met up for a couple of drinks before the show, and having done that, our patience for things significantly decreases. the venue for w00tstock didn’t serve alcohol (what kind of san francisco venue is this?!). we stepped in an out throughout the show to the bar down the block to get drinks. it was mostly during the musical performances that i had no interest in.

we did catch wil wheaton’s performance, in which he read an exerpt from his book about a childhood memory. it was funny, and highly entertaining.  the story can be found here.

during one of the musical performances, we left, and somehow ended up in the mission at one of my favorite beer bars. we got back just in time for the end of the show. there was a line of folks looking to get autographs. i was looking for wil’s new book, but there were none to be found at the merch table. bummer. noticing that wil wheaton had a free moment, we decided to approach him and ask about it. apparently, there were some publishing issues and he couldn’t get copies printed and available in time. we were all clearly disappointed, including him.

he asked if we had some sort of sticker to paste in the book that we were to purchase. the guy in line (who we sort of cut in front of. i truly apologize.) tossed a 3×5 index card on the table and wil wheaton proceeded to draw some sort of diagram. it actually looks  pretty gangster. jared got his friend’s catering business card signed.

wil wheaton was a super nice guy. i’m happy that he’s embraced his past, found a niche and is staying active. I really liked the spirit of the show: a salute to geekdom. i wasn’t too much into the music, but the stories, videos, and discussions were quite fun.

Uncharted 2: Among Theives (Review)

just finished uncharted 2: among theives. it took me just over 11 hours, and i must say: wow. this game is fantastic, and truly a cinematic experience.

naughty dog does a great job making players feel as though they are controlling the hero in a  hollywood-esque blockbuster film. there are tons of cool explosions, chase scenes, and things that make you turn to your friend and say, “did you see that?! i did that! that was awesome!”

the music cues are also spot-on. many of the tracks could easily have been syncrhonized with a hollywood adventure movie. even during gameplay, the perfect track is played depending on the situtation.

everything about this game is seamless. the awesome cinematic scenes blend in wonderfully with the gameplay, constantly switching back and forth from action movie to video game. the graphics and art are also impressive. i found myself stopping a few times during the gameplay to actually enjoy the scenery. the environment is both breathtaking and very realistic.

as for the gameplay, Naughty Dog did a great job with switching between cool melee combat to all out gun battles. the thing i appreciate most about this game is the gameplay for all the climbing nathan drake does. this game could EASILY have been frustrating and horrible. i can’t remember how many games i’ve played where jumping/climbing has resulted in constant falls, misjumps, and restarts. frustrating and quitting ensued. this game, however,  focuses on making the player think of how to manipulate the environment, and what objects to grab a hold of. this makes getting through obstacles actually fun!

as for replay value, hunting treasures and getting the achievements can be entertaining, if you’re into that sort of thing. getting achievements earns you some in-game cash, which you can use to purchase in-game tweaks (for example, “infinite ammo” and “no gravity” tweaks), and making-the-game featurettes with naughty dog. after completing the game, i replayed a few of my favorite chapters. however, i don’t think i will have the patience to re-play the entire story again.

it was a great 11 hours. good work, naughty dog.

another month until L4D2. perhaps, batman: arkham asylum until then?

Free Registration Deadlines for Macworld & CES

If you’re a tradeshow fan, free registration deadlines are approaching!

Macworld (February 9-13, 2010) San Francisco, CA – Free Registration ends tomorrow, September 24, 2009.

CES (January 7-10, 2010) Las Vegas, NV – Free Registration ends October 1st! After that, it’s $100 until January 2, 2009, and then it shoots up to $200 from then until the show.