Tuesday, April 10, 2007

Apple...


I have been selling Apple computers for about 6 months now and have been officially using them since my first iBook G4 four to five years ago. Amazing machines and they have truly come a long way.

I have just accepted a new position with a new company selling Apples that is willing to give me the ability to train to service them or do corporate sales for Apple computers.

That being said, I used to hate them with an undying passion. At first, mostly because I didn't understand them. Also, however, because I knew a few die-hard Apple fans that gave me that cult-ish feeling, I decided that I would stick with my Windows machines and deal with my problems. It is too bad that I didn't know then what I know now. For one, I would have invested in Apple stock. More importantly, I would have always had a working machine that was more appliance than computer.

The Apple Inc. has changed a lot since the days of the "cult". They are now truly one of the best products out there and, in my opinion, have the best support. I think their success, however, stems from the fact that they don't just make software or hardware. They make both to work together perfectly and say there aren't any holes or issues in the system. When my parents are going to get a new computer, I am going to make them get an Apple.


I have used all three main operating systems: OS X, Windows, and Linux. In my opinion, the OS X from Apple is the strongest. While not quite as wide-spread through-out the market, OS X is the most user-friendly, the most stable, and the most supported OS made.


Linux is awesome. But, you have to be willing to spend the time. The newer distributions of the system are pretty easy to install and use but there are always little hick-ups that need to be taken care of and you have to go find the solution on the web. It is more of a time issue though since there is a lot of support and information on the web about Linux. All-in-all, I think Linux is pretty amazing and I am planning on removing Windows as the main system on my old Dell and using Linux as the main. I want to then use Windows on a separate partition for games. That's really the only reason I have ever kept a Windows machine around.


Windows is a joke. Now more than ever. Microsoft could have had the whole market with Vista. Instead, since they couldn't really finish the system as they wanted to, they got an operating system that is just some new features layered on top of XP. On top of that, many XP programs just do not work on Vista. It is about 40% do not work at this point. Even their own Office 2003 will not work correctly on Vista. Like I said, Microsoft could have had it all.

I am not to sure what is on horizon for Apple. There are so many rumors flying about, it is hard to tell the real from the fake. I usually just wait and see. All I know is that there is definitely going to be some exciting things this year with OS 10.5 Leopard coming out. Can't wait to see what changes and what happens.

Sunday, April 08, 2007

Review...


It has been awhile. I thought that instead of trying to explain what has been happening lately and making excuses, I would just pick up where I left off.

A couple of months ago I sold nearly every system and game I had for an Xbox 360. I had sworn to myself that I would never own an Xbox or Microsoft Game Studio product due to my "beliefs". The next-generation game systems were on their way and I had to make my decision about who I would throw in with. Instead of being my old self and have to own all 3 systems, I decided I would own 1 and that would be it.

I chose the 360.

This is why:
1. Games
2. Multi-player
3. The competition

The first reason I will get into as I review games that I love for this system over the next couple of days.

The second reason being that many of my friends have one and that they all play these games together on Xbox Live. Also, Xbox Live, while having to be paid for, is quite cool.

The third reason it a complicated one. I have always been a Nintendo fanboy. They have stuck with me for a long time. I have yet to be disappointed by them and that stands to this day. The Wii is an amazing system. That being said, it is mainly a group and social system in my opinion. Seeing as there wouldn't be many people coming over to play the system on a regular basis, it wouldn't be worth the time or the money.

Then, there is Sony. Oh Sony. You could have had it all. While being the cheapest Blue-ray player on the planet, and despite having 9 processing cores, I have yet to have the PlayStation 3 truly "wow" me. Both the Wii and the 360 have. Sorry Sony, while you had gaven me many days of fun, those days are now over.

So, the 360.

I had been feeling its pull for awhile. Then, the deal was sealed one day when I came into work and saw an immensely detailed and amazing game called "Gears of War". I played it, and while I sucked pretty bad, it was amazing. Suddenly, the joy of video-games was invigorated. Then, a month later, Rainbow Six: Vegas. Sealed. Game, set, and match. Period.

Sunday, November 26, 2006

G7...


Well, my parents gave me a birthday present a little early this year, the Logitech G7 mouse. This is a wireless gaming mouse and it is amazing. It comes with two rechargable lithium-ion batteries that are hot-swappable in the charger and the mouse.

On the mouse, there are a number of buttons for many funtions including the sensitivity buttons. These two circular "+" and "-" buttons allow you to change the mouse from 2000dpi all the way down to 400dpi quickly. The idea is to hit the button to 2000dpi while playing and then drop the dpi down for sniping or intricate work in a game. I was skeptical of this feature and saw it as a draw-back to the mouse. When I got it home, however, I found myself using it and since have a found that I change sensitivities a lot more often than I thought I would.

Lastly, on the top of the mouse, on the left side, there is a display for how much battery the mouse has left and the sensitivity to which it is set. It always cycles through both displays by fading in and out.

While seeming like far too much at first, this mouse is worth every discounted penny I payed for it. I love it and I know it will last me a long time. I look forward to all the great games in the future and can't wait to play the next generation FPS with it.

Thursday, November 23, 2006

Gobble...

Happy Thanksgiving!

Sunday, November 12, 2006

Happy Birthday Em!!!

I thank the lord everyday for having you in my life. Thank you for proving to me that I can be more and believing in me. I love you always and may my heart be enough to repay your love.

Wednesday, November 08, 2006

Work...

So, here I am at work. This is probably the only good web-site that has not been blocked by their system yet. I'm bored. There is no one to sell to. I get to stand here and think about all the things I could be doing or should be doing (finding a better job). There are some massive deals going on here for the holiday season and I am not going to be able to touch them with a ten-foot-pole.

What else...? Still playing Dawn of War. Still having a blast. I have some things to share about that game at a later date. Insanity shall ensue.

Nothing else to report I s'pose. Hopefully I can make a little money today. Lord knows I need it. ;)

Tuesday, November 07, 2006

And counting...

Twelve days until Wii and Zelda: Twilight Princess are released.

Monday, November 06, 2006

Look...

And thusly begins a new look. :)

Monday, October 23, 2006

For the Greater Good!


Since there is nothing truly important or new to report, I am going to simply post about the PC game that I have been playing once again. It is called Dawn of War. It is a Real-Time Strategy game based off of the GamesWorkshop universe Warhammer: 40,000. The best RTS since StarCraft, DoW uses squads as the base unit instead of the individual soldier. Since the recent expansion, seven races battle across the universe for domination of resources and territory. The newest expansion, Dark Crusade, bring in the latest two races the Tau and the Necrons. Since the Tau were my army for the table-top version of the game, I have been playing them mostly.

Why did I choose the Tau?

1. 'Mechs with railguns and missles.

2. The closest you can come to "Good" in the 40k universe. And by good I mean neutral. And by neutral I mean they just want to conquer the universe, not cleanse or destroy it. Yeah, real good.

Fortunately, everything from the Tau that has been put into the table-top game has been put into the RTS counter-part. Walking mobile artillery battlesuits with rail-cannons on their backs. Stealthsuits that have the ability to cloak and fire burst cannons at the enemy. Meat eating Kroot Carnivores with primitive rifles who leap through the air at their prey to fight them in close-combat. The Tau have it all. What's more, if you tell them that you will join their empire and fight for the "Greater Good," they won't kill you and let you fight alongside them.

Anyhow, the gameplay is a lot of fun. Try it.

WS out.

Friday, October 20, 2006

102...

Yes, towards the end I was simply reading the very entertaining comments that you guys were leaving. I was hoping that you would hit the victorious 100 comments. You have exceeded my expectations. The other thing is that I still am without the internet. Working for a retail store doesn't really allow me too many luxuries in life and the two that I have chosen thus far, food and a home, are what I am going to stick with for now.

Most importantly, I do apologize for not sharing the love.

And here-in lies the problem. I have nothing further to say that would entertain. There are two things that I must point out.

1. The Departed is an amazing movie. Go see it even if you aren't into mob movies.

2. Monkey.

Thank you.

WS out.