I've been PSPeed on

I have had a PSP for awhile now, yes I fell into the huge hype that was the PSP launch. I saw the beautiful screen, wifi enabling, and movie and music compatibility; combined with the promise of good PlayStation games and flash memory for storage, in a cool looking portable. I flipped the fuck out. But after the initial drooling and epileptic fits, due to too much excitement, and actually using it to play games, I realized it um . . . sucks. The games are terrible (I was hoping Final Fantasy or some other great games would be ported, but nope), the movies cost about the same as a DVD but with no extras, and downloads . . . what downloads.

Now I have heard that there is a reason for the crapyness. Apparently, PlayStation is waiting for the release of the PS3 to give the promised applications. This confuses me, the DS, is supposedly going to have functionality with the Wii, but it survives on its own as a great hand held.

So this rambling is going somewhere, I'm not just a year behind all of the internet. I just wanted to talk about the one game I have seen that has done everything right, so far. I have only been able to play the downloadable Loco Roco demoes, yes the one instance were you can download a demo. They released a demo and a special Halloween level, both great. It has great game play and an interesting and fun story. It has difficult areas, but not so hard as to stop being fun. I can't wait to play the full game, and actually using the PSP with out wanted to throw it.

Share your Music Taste

I have been using a new web application, still in its Alpha stage, called iLife. It is a social networking website used to spread your musical taste. I am really enjoying it. The website has a clean, easy-to-understand layout and so far it hasn't become to big or complex.

While the website helps to keep track of your friends, find new friends, send messages to your friends, and all around wast time, the real music magic happens in the iLike sidebar. This sidebar attaches to iTunes (or most other music players, I think) and displays music "related" to whatever is currently playing. It separates the songs into copyrighted music, which can be bought at the iTunes music store, or my favorite, what they call "free music by new artists." This is a great feature that will be able to give upcoming musicians a larger voice online. In the mean time it gives me quality music for free and I like free music. iLife was created by the designers of GarageBand.com, a website for independent artists to distribute there music online for free. They now use iLife to distribute these artists.

I have only been using it for a few days and the only problems I have seen is the sidebar slows my computer down a tiny bit and there aren't nearly enough people using it to get really good peer recommendations. A few additions I think they should add to the next few updates, is a section showing recently downloaded songs using the webpage and perhaps, because I am a little obsessed with podcasts, a page recommending podcasts based on which ones are playing. But there will definitely be major changes in the leap from Alpha to Beta and on.

This is definitely a website everyone who likes music should check out. The designers can change and fiddle with the website but, it will only get better when more people contribute. You'll find me as Die-Lon, be my friend I only have one.

Seasons

Some say there favorite season is what ever is the next one, and never this. Mine is always the same. I love Fall. Something about the change everything goes through, changes me. The cool, crispness makes me feel more alive. Most importantly the colors, the wind, the longer nights make for great story telling. The cool, outside temperatures combined with warm inturnal temperatures brought on by hot ciders, helps their enjoyment. None of the other seasons have the perfect combination of variables, quite like Fall.

Shooting War

I was looking through the current issue of Wired, when I ran into an article for this serious, online, comic book, Shooting War. I, being a wannabe comic book nerd and too poor to support my wannabe habbit, jumped all ove this. Honestly though, I thought it was going to be the normal overzealous, teenage boy's wet dream that most comic books resemble, and the fact that it was free and avaliable online didn't fare well for the quality. But, happily, I was proven wrong. Writer and creator Anthony Lapp and artist Dan Goldman, have made a spookly realistic look into the future. In the year 2011, the war in Iraq has erupted with no sign of ending, attacks on US soil are happening regularly, and humanity has all but destroyed its self. Jimmy Burns was a video-blogger, until he was swallowed up by a huge news network and spit out into the middle of Iraq as a war correspondent. What is his place, as a "Citizen Journalist," amongst the "real" Journalist? How will he survive Armageddon in this alien environment?

Awesome. I'm hooked and I can't wait for the latest chapter.

Happy Independence Nigeria

October 1st 1960 Nigerians gained there freedom from British Colonialism. Fourty-six years later I try to cross Sheridan, weaving through there parade. I hate doing this. I feel like I'm interrupting there fun. Historically I have never really liked parades, but this has been the second one I have stoped to watch and really enjoyed. I think it has to do with the participants. At the occasional Homecoming or Fourth of July parade, that I have seen, people seemed to be more exited to watch then to be on the floats. But here people are singing, dancing in the streets, really proud to be Nigerian or what ever they are celebrating. I like this. It makes me proud to be human.