60.88

That is how much I paid for a tank of gas. This is fucking ridiculous! I thought this was the reason why we went into Iraq (fucking protesters lieing again!). I would not feel bad if these oil companies were struggling, but they made 40 billion last year. Yes, 40 billion! That is a lot of fucking people over they have done. There has to be a point where the gas gets to a price where everyone just fucking goes crazy and start hijacking fuel trucks. Does Bush think the stimulus package is going to help this at all?
So, Grand Theft Auto IV is hours from release and I am not that excited for it. I have Super Smash Bros on my Wii (stop giggling). I have MLB 08 on my PS3. I have Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core on my PSP. I have no time to play other shit! But strangely for some reason I want to go sit in line for 2 hours and get it early. I think it has something to do with the fact that I can hang out with other geeks and do geeky shit. That is like a crackhead. A crackhead likes to smoke his/her crack in a crackhouse because like minded people are partaking in the same activities. Now, you pull a crack pipe out in the TV section of Best Buy...
I don't know if I am getting the stimulus package. I qualify because I am a Veteran getting compensation (I call it shut up money) so I will get it because of the amount I got last year. 300 bucks is what they say people like me will get. That is just enough to get the new blackberry curve when it comes out for Verizon. That is as far as I have thought it out. Because lets face it 300 bucks is not a lot of money. That is the kind of money you win at a poker game or find on a dead hooker. You are not thinking about life and death type stuff with 300 bucks. Now, if I was getting that 1200 dollars then I would think about paying a bill or two, but for now 300 is enough to get my phone and a BJ from that sprague hooker I have had my eye on for a couple of weeks now.

Palm sickens me!

I have been a palm device user in one shape or form for over 5 years now. I have used the Sony Clies (Palm OS) and I now have a Palm 700p. I have had a Palm phone for over almost 2 years and in that 2 years I have seen Palm go from hot device maker to the Plymouth of the electronics industry. They have done nothing but run the Palm name into the ground and I do not think there is any way for them to turn this around. Maybe they are waiting for someone to swoop in and buy them up. At this rate they either get bought or they will have to shut down.

How do you start off talking about the downfall of Palm? Well, lets talk about the OS first of all. The Palm OS has been heralded in the past for being user friendly. That was in 2000. It is 2008 and ever device OS has tried to make changes except Palm. Palm hasn't released an update to this thing in years and they just seem content on letting it die lonely in a field somewhere.

Now lets just talk about the devices themselves. They released the Centro, but I consider that the little bastard of the Treo family line. There is nothing there that a power user will want to use. The Treo line, which is suppose to be their bread and butter is an ugly piece of equipment compared to other smartphones on the market. The last update was the Treo 755 and it is a brick of a phone that only takes off the antenna. Is that all R&D at Palm has learned is wrong with the phone? That the little nub had to go! Let's go down the list. It is big as all hell. It is heavy. There is no WiFi option on any of their phones and they just don't seem to give a damn.

I know what you may be saying, "Well, if you don't like them so much why do you still have one?" Mainly because I blew my money on a Ipod touch (32Gb) and I have to save up to get my hands on another smartphone just so I can get away from Palm. If Palm wants to regain their market share all they have to do is come out with a slim device that has WiFi and a usuable internet browser and I am good to go. Their next Palm OS update is not coming until next year but I think by then it will be to late.

PSPs and other gadgets

I just bought myself one of these:

I like it a lot I really do. I must tell you before hand that this will be my THIRD PSP since they came out. I remember waiting inside of Wal-Mart for it and I think I bought the soccer game. I sold it about 3 months later because there really wasn't anything for me to play on it. Sony on the other hand has kept adding to it and adding to it and I gave it another try but again it was sold off I think for other games. When the PSP slim was announced last year I felt they could have done so much to make it better. They could have put some more memory in it. They could have put another analog nub on it so you would not have to use the face buttons as a second analog stick. Instead they made it smaller moved some things around and put more RAM in it to help with the loading of games (one of it's many problems). As a gadget it is really nice. You can surf the web with a hotspot or what I like the most is the fact that if you have a PS3 you can then use something called remote play and you can play things that are stored on your PS3 or on a computer that streams to your PS3. This makes it possible to have all of your videos photos and music avaiable to you at any time.

For a system that has been out 4 years though I have to say that the selection of games if very slim. I like strategy rpgs and that is mainly why I like portable gaming systems. The games do look better than they did when the system first game out but I am used to PS3 and 360 graphics and I am still in awe at what this little thing can do.

I am playing Jeanne D' Arc which is a strategy rpg and a pretty damn good one at that. I really like the mix of history and fatasy. Although I do feel like they were not as deep with the rpg aspects like using terrain as a way of dealing more damage. I can not believe that they have anime style cutscenes and great effects on 1.8gigs of UMD(that is the little disk things that are used to play games and even movies)

I am thinking of getting something else and that should hold me off until the school year starts again. I want to get either an ipod touch:

Or a Verizon xv6800 smartphone:

I have an ipod but I really like the video capabilities that are possible with the touch. I also feel like I need a new phone though. I have had my Treo 700p for over a year now and it has been buggy since I got it. It locks up for no reason. The internet function is useless because Palm's browser is not good enough for modern websites. And frankly I want to get away from Palm because they haven't really done anything worth while since early 2007. This phone is packed with features like Wi-Fi (!) EV-DO (High speed cellular service) and it has a bigger keyboard so when I am writing jokes into my phone I can do it in a faster fashion.

A New age in Gaming

Wow! Isn't it a great time to be a gamer! I am one of the rare people that have all 3 systems which means I can indulge in all of the great games that are coming out on all systems. The biggest problem is sitting here wondering what game to get for what system.

I have been playing my PS3 a lot mainly because it is the newest of the 3 I have. I think the PS3 has a lot of potential to be a hub for all of your entertainment needs:

Pros:
High Def (Blu-Ray) built right in.
Multiple ways to get content in and out.

Cons:
Not many must have games
Price

I was able to get my PS3 for a steal so the price is only a bad thing to people who really don't want to spend that much for a system.

My Xbox 360 got a lot of play time during the winter break so it only seems fair to give it a rest for awhile. I still have Call Of Duty 4 for it whenever I feel like getting shot in the face by a 13 year old I can fire it up.

Pros:
Great online capabilities with Xbox 360
Great controller
Lots of great games

Cons:
Hardware failures
Price of Xbox Live

I still love my 360 I just love the tech behind the PS3 right now. It almost seems as though the year head start that the 360 had over the PS3 means nothing when you consider that the PS3 is better in a lot of areas than the 360.

The system I play the least, but hold very dear to my heart is my Wii. I waited in a line in front of Best Buy for almost 10 hours to get it and when people stop throwing crap games at it it will be a great system.

Pros:
Price
Innovation potential

Cons:
Crap games
Weird Controller

But no matter what I am glad I have the ability to play any of the new generation games.

Tech Holiday tips

Here are some tips to help you with your gadgets this Holiday season.

-Rechargeable batteries will save you a lot of money in the long run. Make sure you tell your little one that instead of throwing them away to put them in the charger and leave you alone while your watching the game.

-If you are buying an HDTV and want to get extra spice out of those old dvds you may need to get an up converting dvd player. These dvd players will convert your video into lovely high definition video. You may also need an HDMI cable. Instead of spending 60 bucks on a cable go to a website like monoprice.com and get the same cable for WAY cheaper. Fuck you overpriced accessories!

-If you are buying a game off of your kids wish list, make sure you get the right game for the right system. Nothing stings more then waiting 6 months for that game only to have your mom buy you the PS3 version instead of the Xbox 360 version. Damn you mom!

-Another tip for those that want to go HD, you don't have to get cable or satellite to get that nice clear picture. All you need is an antennae to get over the air HD programming. Sure you won't get the spice channel in 720p, but you will be able to watch the fine programming that is on PBS (PBS shows porn at 4 in the morning).

-If you are going to buy a computer for your grandma then at least show her how to turn it on and install an anti-virus program onto the thing. Nothings worse then having your grandma calling you up because she is being bombarded with interracial porn sites and websites asking her if she wants to refinance her house.

-I think out of all the little tips this is the biggest one. If you have a "tech" person that you are shopping for and you don't know what to get them, then your best bet is a gift card. A gift card is the best way to make sure you will not get their gift wrong because they will get it themselves. It save your time as well. Instead of going into best buy and being confused with all the blinking lights and scantly clad women. Just run in there put some money on a card and then hand it to them and tell them to have a merry fucking Christmas.

Horror survival guide Part 1: Sharp object wielding maniacs

I am what you would call a ghetto researcher. I base all my info off of movies that I have seen or read about. With that I am here to help you survive one of the leading causes of death among young people (at least in movies) and that is the crazy knife/axe/chainsaw wielding maniac that terrorizes a neighborhood/college campus/project building/porn shop. For some reason these guys always come out right around halloween time, kill a bunch of 18-25 year olds and then gets away somehow to kill again. So with that here are some simple tips to keep you safe.

1. Kill your crazy relatives: This is the first one because it will cause a lot less grief later on. There is always a crazy cousin or something that killed a shit load of cats in the neighborhood and got put in the crazy house and has now escaped and is wanting to kill you for some reason. Just bust a cap in their crazy ass now. I mean the family reunion will be a little weird but at least you won't have to worry about the crazy cat killing cousin anymore.

2. Minorities stay at home: If you are a minority then you should stay your dark ass home during this time of year. I have only seen one movie in which the minority survives til the end. If you are a black guy and you find yourself surrounded by a jock, a goth chick, the geek, the slutty blonde chick and a brunette....RUN! You can thank me later.

3. Don't hide in the closet: Why the hell would you hide in the closet or under the bed? These guys are masters at killing don't you think that is the first place they are going to look for you. They use these hiding spot themselves so of course they are gonna look there!

4. Dress for the occasion: Why do these women dress in a miniskirt and high heels when they know they are being chased down by a madman with a chainsaw? Don't be stupid wear some sneakers. When this guy sees you running in high heels he laughs and says "Are you kidding me!"

5. Never run into the woods: The woods is the last place you would want to run to get away from the crazy cat killing cousin. I rather run through rural Alabama with a shirt on that says "I love white bitches" Then run through the forest. When the guy sees you running into the forest he just shakes his head and goes "Is he even trying to stay alive." That is why they don't run behind you because they know you will fall and then they can chop your silly ass up.

6. Don't have sex!: Are you really that damn horny? Can't you wait until you know for sure that the cat killing cousin isn't looking at you through a window or laying in wait in the closet (see rule 3). This is a perfect time for him because he can kill to birds with one stone. And he got to see the slutty blonde chick's boobies for free.

7. Don't turn your back on the "dead" crazy guy: That fucker ain't dead! He could have half of is face hanging on by cheek skin and he will still get up and try to kill you and then you will have to pop a half dozen bullets into his crazy ass. Why so many bullets? These guys must be on cocaine or something.

8. Dye your hair brown: I find the easiest way to survive being sliced by a crazy madman that loves fucking up trick or treat is to dye your hair brown. Women with brown hair have an 80% chance of living. You not a woman? Who gives a shit don't you want to live! Dye your hair brown, stuff a bra and start denying people sex and you will make it to the final credits.So there you go, if you follow these rules I see no reason why you can't make it to the sequel in which you may survive again. Unless you are to old then you will die in the opening scene. Part 2 will help you against the onslaught of zombies that are bond to happen if another season of American Idol comes on.

Me and My Wii

I was one of the first people in America with a Nintendo Wii, sitting outside of a local Best Buy for 8 hours in November Spokane weather (so you know if was raining then 80 degrees and then it started snowing testicles) just to get my hands on one. Since that time, I have played about 25 games on it and have owned about 5. That is pretty lame considering I play an excessive amount of games every year. What is it about the Wii that keeps people like me away? I think it has more to do with the fact that the Nintendo Wii is a great idea, but the games are not interesting to anyone but the "casual" game player.

A casual game player is someone like my landlord and friend Earl. Earl doesn't play video games. Hell, it is funny watching him turn on it powerbook. But you put a Wii controller in his hands and then pop in Wii Bowling and he can sit there for hours just trying to find out how much spin he needs to put on the ball.

This same game (and games like it) will be enjoyable to people like me for about 5 hours total and then you want something with more meat on it.I have played The Godfather, Metroid Prime, and other games that you would normally see me enjoy and on the Wii it has the interesting controls and stuff, but after that what is there left to play. Just a bunch of mini games. And I am not the type that just calls over his friends for some Mario Party 8.

Hopefully with games like Mario Galaxy and Smash Bros. coming out it will keep my Wii from collected dust, but other than that I see my Wii being barely used, just like my wii.