Dusty Rides Again

Best Slow Motion Balloon Pop of All Time

2008-03-10T19:30:00.001-04:00

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Casual Gameplay game

2007-08-09T23:11:00.000-04:00

Formerly titled, Jay is Games, it has been one of my favorite blogs for awhile now. This site reviews tons of web games from all over the internet. Recently they've even held a few contests for game creators. If that wasn't cool enough, now a guy by the name of Rob Allen has created a banner game. The banner shown above, is also a playable point-n-click game. The goal is to light the Casual Gameplay sign on fire. You don't even have to play the whole game in one visit. The banner is smart enough to save your progress, so that you can return tomorrow and play some more.

Who knew they could do that?

2007-08-07T19:38:00.000-04:00

Unbelievable Line Rider clip

2007-01-15T21:11:00.001-05:00

Little Joker

2007-01-11T12:20:00.000-05:00

A few people have wondered why I haven't been posting much lately, so I thought I'd share why. Out 6 month old daughter Savannah now consumes most of our time. Playing with her, changing diapers, baths, feeding...all of that fun stuff. Here is a great pic of her being silly...

3 point dunk

2007-01-06T12:06:00.000-05:00

Remember Slamball...it lives in Japan. Double-click below to view video

Black Friday

2006-11-16T20:54:00.000-05:00

Want to get a jump on your Black Friday Xmas shopping? Check out all the major chain store ads over at Black Friday Ads website. They have the deals posted for Circuit City, Target, Staples, Boscov's, etc. The office supply stores have a lot of good deals on PC equipment, especially flash storage. Click here and start making your list.

Trackmania UNITED

2006-11-11T09:45:00.000-05:00

A new Trackmania game is on the horizon. The lastest version features 7 environments, 3 modes of play(race, platform and puzzle), 200 new circuits, and 7 different vehicle types. The biggest improvement seems to be the interface. It now allows you race online and also share your tracks with other players. The game won't be available in US stores until Feb/March 2007, but Nadeo is offering 10,000 fans a chance to download and install the game now. For the price of $50, you'll receive an email activation key on Nov. 16th which will let you start playing the game early. For more info, browse to the TM United website.

DR3I V3 flash game

2006-11-11T09:34:00.000-05:00

Cool little time waster. Move the little red dot through the maze while avoiding the cloud of black smoke. Hit a positve sign and the cloud gets larger and faster, hit a negative sign and the cloud shrinks and slows. Sounds easy right, well give it a try here.

Faith Hill thought she won...

2006-11-09T20:20:00.000-05:00

Gears of Wars - HD video review

2006-11-09T19:19:00.000-05:00

The guys over at gametrailers.com posted a HD video review of Gears of Wars. I was on the fence about purchasing this one until I watched this review. The graphics are unbelievable. I've been waiting for that must-have 360 Live game and it sounds like this is it. Every review I've seen has been 9 of 10 or better. Check out the HD review here.

Small Arms - upcoming Xbox Live Arcade game

2006-11-09T19:02:00.000-05:00

Lately the Xbox Live Arcade releases have left a lot to be desired. Who wants to drop $1000+ on a HD gaming setup, only to play 20 year old, low-res games like Dig Dug and Pac Man. Don't get me wrong, those games are fun to play for a few minutes, but how about some high-res sweetness to put our equipment to use. Check out this HD video of the upcoming game Small Arms.

MS Photosynth

2006-11-09T18:56:00.000-05:00

Photosynth is a new program from the Microsoft Live Labs. MS describes their product as "software that takes a large collection of photos of a place or an object, analyzes them for similarities, and displays them in a reconstructed three-dimensional space." Looks like a unique take on photo management software, check it out.

5 PS3 Online titles

2006-10-17T20:43:00.000-04:00

Sony announced 5 new titles for their upcoming PS3 online service. The screenshot above is from a title named Blast Factor. The others include Flow, Go! Sudoku, Lemmings 2, and Swizzleblocks. More sweet looking screenshots after the jump.

Xbox 360 Exclusive titles

2006-10-17T20:07:00.000-04:00

I found this list over at Gamerscoreblog.com and found it interesting. For all those gamers holding out to buy a PS3, here's a big list of great games you'll never get to play on the PS3. I was surprised at how big the list was already.

Xbox 360 Exclusives Now Available

Kameo: Elements of Power (MGS)
Ninety-Nine Nights (MGS)
Perfect Dark Zero (MGS)
Project Gotham Racing 3 (MGS)
Xbox Live Arcade Unplugged Volume 1 (MGS)
Amped 3 (2K Sports)
Call of Duty 2 (Activision)
Chromehounds (SEGA)
Condemned: Criminal Origins (SEGA)
Dead or Alive 4 (Tecmo)
Dead Rising (Capcom)
MotoGP ‘06 (THQ)
Over G Fighters (Ubisoft)
Prey (2K Games)
QUAKE 4 (Activision)
Rockstar Games Presents Table Tennis (Rockstar Games)
Rumble Roses XX (Konami)
Saints Row (THQ)

Upcoming Xbox 360 Exclusives

Alan Wake (MGS)
Banjo-Kazooie (MGS)
Blue Dragon (MGS)
Crackdown (MGS)
Fable 2 (MGS)
Forza Motorsport 2 (MGS)
Fuzion Frenzy 2 (MGS)
Gears of War (MGS)
Halo 3 (MGS)
Halo Wars (MGS)
Infinite Undiscovery (MGS)
Marvel Universe Online (MGS)
Mass Effect (MGS)
Project Gotham Racing 4 (MGS)
Shadowrun (MGS)
Too Human (MGS)
Viva Piñata (MGS)
Battlestations: Midway (Eidos)
BioShock (2K Games)
Bullet Witch (Atari)
Crossfire (Eidos)
Dance Dance Revolution Universe (Konami)
Dead or Alive Xtreme 2 (Tecmo)
FIFA 2007 (Electronic Arts)
Kane and Lynch: Dead Men (Eidos)
Lost Planet: Extreme Condition (Capcom)
Mobile Ops: The One Year War (Namco Bandai)
Overlord (Codemasters)
Star Trek: Legacy (Bethesda Softworks)
Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell 5 (Ubisoft)
WWE SmackDown vs. RAW 2007 (THQ)

PS3 controller blows...

2006-10-17T18:32:00.000-04:00

From ps3.ign.com

Compared to Microsoft's uber-comfortable Xbox 360 pad, the SIXAXIS feels
cheap, plasticky, uncomfortable and disconcertingly light - almost as if it's
going to fly out of your hands during those more extreme gaming moments.More
worrying still, the newly-designed lower L and R shoulder triggers feel more
like they belong on an early controller prototype than the near-final model.
Replicating the 360 pad, rather than being simple shoulder-mounted buttons, the
triggers are now hinged horizontally along the controller, with pressure forcing
them inward along the bottom - like triggers then, really. Trouble is, they're
placed almost unnaturally low meaning we found ourselves operating them by
jamming our fingers in between the hinges to apply pressure, rather than using
the buttons themselves. What's more, the triggers are convex, with no grooves to
keep your fingers in place - an issue further compounded by their smooth finish,
offering no resistance against your finger tips. Invariably we found our digits
slipping off with the triggers snapping back to their default position.
Bah.

First PS3 US Commerical

2006-10-17T18:22:00.000-04:00

Not that impressive of a commerical. Hopefully the system turns out better than that.

White and Nerdy

2006-09-19T22:48:00.000-04:00

This is the new Weird Al Yankovic video

The 1k Project II

2006-09-12T01:00:00.000-04:00

If you've played Trackmania Sunrire, you find the above video interesting. 1000 different racers submitted a video of themselves racing a track. The videos were then complied into the movie you see above.

5 widescreen LCD panels

2006-09-12T00:33:00.000-04:00

WOW! That's all that needs to be said about this display. If anyone is starting their Xmas shopping already. This is what I want! More info here.

PS3 Interface preview

2006-08-23T21:46:00.000-04:00

This clip is from IGN, so I believe it's legit. What a boring looking interface. You'd think for $600 Sony could come up with a more impressive and innovative. It looks just like the PSP menu. Just another reason to be satisfied with my 360!

Oh nuts!

2006-08-23T21:40:00.000-04:00

Eamiled to me from Tae. Apparently from a London newspaper.

Fall TV Premiere Dates

2006-08-11T16:47:00.000-04:00

In just over a week, the Fall TV season begins with the premiere of Prison Break. I can barely keep up with watching a handful of shows over the summer, so I'm not sure how I'm going to make it through this season. Time to empty the DVRs and start scheduling. Here are a few of the "bigger" premiere dates. You can view the full list over at TVsquad.com

Aug. 21 - 8pm Prison Break
Sept. 5 - 9pm House
Sept. 14 - 8pm Survivor
Sept. 17 - 8:30 Amazing Race
Sept. 21 - 9pm Grey's Anatomy & CSI
Sept. 26 - 10pm Boston Legal
Sept. 28 - 8pm Smallville
Oct. 4 - 9pm Lost

XP tweaks, repairs, and upgrades

2006-07-25T17:58:00.000-04:00

In the last couple of days, I've come across a few interesting articles on the aging Windows XP operating system that I thought I'd share with everyone. The first article I came across is a Guide to Useless Services. This guide lists 26 XP services that can be disabled to improve performance.

The 2nd article is XP's No-Reformat, Nondestructive Total-Rebuild Option. This guide describes a method that can be used to completely re-install Windows XP, without losing any of your data.

The final article is my favorite and I can't wait to try it out. It is titled, Afraid of Re-installing Windows XP. This method uses a combo of Symantec Ghost(or TrueImage) and VMware. By creating a virtual machine of your old PC, you can then safely install a new OS, like Vista. Once you have Vista, you can still access old files/programs through the virtual machine.

Portal

2006-07-23T13:07:00.000-04:00

Valve software, creators of the Half-Life series, has released a video of their upcoming game Portal. If you've played 3DRealms title, Prey, you've already experienced the portal. Running through the portal warps your player to another location. Valve takes the portal concept one step further by equipping the player with a portal gun. Fire the gun once and you create the exit. Firing a second time creates the entrance. Sounds simple, right? Check out some of the levels previewed in the clip below. It's also been reported that Half-Life 2 is coming to the 360 and will be bundled Episode 1, 2, Team Fortress 2 and Portal...woohoo!

Stacey Dash PB photos

2006-07-11T15:36:00.000-04:00

Stacey Dash is probably best known for her role in the movie "Clueless". Now she is hoping to boost her career by stripping down for Playb0y. Check out the rest of her pics here. (NSFW).

Laugh or Cry?

2006-07-11T15:32:00.000-04:00

Found this pic in my travels around the web. How long do you think the kid in the middle kept that smile on his face?

Savannah Kathryn Usner

2006-07-11T15:26:00.000-04:00

If you've noticed, I haven't posted in awhile. The reason being the little tyke in the picture above. My wife and I were blessed with a little baby girl on July 4th. Savannah weighed 9 lb, 5 oz and was just over 20 inches long. Both her and mommy are home and doing great. Great big thanks to everyone who sent kind words, flowers, or gifts. I have every intention of keeping this site going, but it will all depend on how much sleep Savannah allows me to get :)

Faucet Light

2006-06-28T22:05:00.000-04:00

Stumbled upon this cool little gadget at Perpetualkid.com. It simply attaches to your water faucet and turns your water into a cool stream of glowing blue. There is a little blue LED and a couple of batteries enclosed in the chrome fitting. Simple to install and reasonably priced at $14.99

Britney Spears Nude and Preggers

2006-06-28T21:49:00.000-04:00

America's favorite trailer trash has posed nude for Harper's Bazaar magazine. She's certainly not the first celeb to pose nude while pregnant, as Demi Moore and Lisa Rinna did it years ago. What I find funny, is she was just all over the media a week ago, crying to Matt Lauer about not having any privacy. What do you expect when you pose for pics like this? More pics after the jump.

$5 gamepad makes Sony look foolish

2006-06-26T20:02:00.000-04:00

Sony claims they've been unable to get the rumble feature of the Dualshock PS2 controller to work in conjunction with the new motion-sensing PS3 controller. Personally, I think it has more to do with the $90 million lawsuit they lost to Immersion, the patent holder on the vibration tech.

Luna City Arcade

2006-06-22T23:29:00.000-04:00

This arcade is in Peter Hirschberg house. All the machines in his arcade are originals, no conversions. The arcade fills 2 rooms which total 500 sq. feet and are lit by black lights. Check out the special black light carpet he had installed. He even has a few pinball and change machines. Check out more pics on his site.

Comcast Tech falls asleep

2006-06-21T21:12:00.000-04:00

Desktop prototype

2006-06-21T20:18:00.000-04:00

This is a video of a prototype desktop called BumpTop. It's modeled after a real-life desk, where the chaos still can have some sort of organization to to the owner. The demo is physics-based, allowing you to toss files around and make your own piles. It especially looks useful for sorting photos.

First 360 modchip

2006-06-20T18:01:00.000-04:00

Team Underdog has announced the NME-360 modchip for the Xbox 360. This chip contains the DVD firmware hacks previously released. Installation sounds fairly easy, no soldering required. The first batch begins shipping in July. For more info, check out their website.

Sudoku Combat

2006-06-19T21:28:00.000-04:00

As if Sudoku wasn't addicting enough, now you can play against complete strangers! Sudoku Combat allows you to compete against others on the net. Just click the 'play a stranger' button and you're put into combat. I thought I was decent at these puzzle until I played a few games and was quickly destroyed. Check out the Sudoku Wiki for some strategies.

Dodge commerical

2006-06-15T18:07:00.000-04:00

Even though I'd rather not give Dodge free advertising, this commerical is funny. It was submitted to me by Chris.

Andrew Ryan Yoo

2006-06-15T17:54:00.000-04:00

Congratulations to my friends Tae and Yi-chi on the birth of their new baby boy. He was born Sat., June 10th and weighed 7 lbs, 14oz. It's still not clear if Andrew will inherit his father's infamous "sixth finger", a special ability that allows him to excel at video games. Only time will tell....

Dig up a buried Volvo..if you can find it

2006-06-13T20:29:00.000-04:00

Volvo and Disney have launched a contest to find buried treasure or more exactly, a Volvo XC90 customized with Pirates of the Caribbean artwork. Visit your local Volvo dealership to pickup a map which contains a secret pirate code. Use the code to enter the contest and start receiving email clues. For more info, check The Hunt website.

Getting on "The Price is Right"

2006-06-13T19:13:00.000-04:00

"The Price is Right" is hands down the best game show ever made! I've watched this show every summer growing up and still catch the Showcase Showdown during lunch. Many times I've wondered what it takes to get on the show and surprisingly, it's a lot more than just a fancy Bob Barker t-shirt. Check out this article from The New York Times that describes the process of getting on the show. Even better than the Times article is this blog post detailing someone's visit to TPIR.

Batcave Home Theater

2006-06-10T15:31:00.000-04:00

A company by the name of DC Audio Video Systems turned a client's home theater into the Batcave. Seating in the cave is comprised of 8 motorized, leather recliners. The website I found didn't contain any info as the to audio and video components that were used in the installation.

Eureka - new Sci-Fi show

2006-06-10T15:00:00.000-04:00

The new series debuts Tuesday, July 18th at 9pm. The series will run 12 episodes. Here is the show description taken right from Scifi.com followed by the trailer.

For years, the government has been relocating the world's geniuses (and their families) to the picturesque Pacific Northwest town of Eureka, where daily life straddles the line between unprecedented innovation and total chaos. U.S. Marshal Jack Carter (Colin Ferguson) finds this out firsthand when he wrecks his car and becomes stranded there. After the town's eccentric inhabitants unleash a scientific creation still unknown to the outside world, Carter steps in to restore order and consequently is let in on one of our country's best-kept secrets.

See what else is on the tube this summer.

I want a Firefox Extension to ...

2006-06-07T21:53:00.000-04:00

Found a website with over 200 useful Firefox extensions sorted by catagory. Check it out at this link.

Close call

2006-06-05T22:11:00.000-04:00

I've seen this video post a few places and always thought it was a fake. It just seemed like someone edited the footage to make it look like the car was able to dodge the cross-traffic. Then I started to notice the surroundings. Watch for the reactions of the people crossing the street and the SUV slamming on the brakes...unbelievable!

Extreme Diet Coke & Mentos Experiment

2006-06-04T16:10:00.000-04:00

Taken right from the EepyBird.com website.

What happens when you combine 200 liters of Diet Coke and over 500
Mentos mints? It's amazing and completely insane. The first part of this video demonstrates a simple geyser, and the second part shows just how extreme it can get. Over one hundred jets of soda fly into the air in less than three minutes. It's a hysterical and spectacular mint-powered version of the Bellagio Fountains in Las Vegas, brought to you by the mad scientists at EepyBird.com

Real world Thunderdome

2006-06-04T15:48:00.000-04:00

If you've ever seen the movie Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, you'll be able to relate to this video. There is a yearly event in a west coast desert called Burning Man. This year a group called DeathGuild setup their own Thunderdome at the event. The footage below features scenes of battles within the 40 foot dome. Looks like loads of fun beating the crap out of your friends or even better yet, your enemies. Read more about the dome at Deathguildthunderdome.com.

Egypt's New Tomb Revealed

2006-06-04T14:17:00.000-04:00

Tonight at 9pm on Discovery channel, there is an hour long special about the discovery of a new tomb in Egypt. It's the first tomb found in the Valley of the Kings in over 84 years. KV 63( 63rd tomb found in the Valley of the Kings) has been sealed and undistrubed for over 3000 years. Check out Discovery.com for more info and set your DVR. This show airs at the same time as the 3rd season debut of The 4400.

I HATE MINIVANS

2006-06-04T13:02:00.000-04:00

With my wife due in about 3 weeks, everyone keeps asking me when we're getting a minivan. Well, this is what I think about them...

Finger skillz

2006-06-04T12:52:00.000-04:00

I was amazed the first time I watched this clip. But after a second viewing, I realized the ball appears to be computer animated. Still cool to watch though...

Crazy guy and his machine

2006-06-04T12:37:00.000-04:00

Wired has posted an article about a guy named Brian Walker and his quest to shoot himself 20 miles into the air with a giant crossbow mounted on a pickup truck. He plans to stretch a carbon-fiber bowstring 24 feet along a rail, fire up a jet turbine with 1,350 pounds of thrust, hit a trigger, and pull 10 gs as his craft shoots to the stratosphere. You can read more of the details here. I wonder what insurance company insures a stunt like this...

Celebrity Clowns

2006-06-01T21:41:00.000-04:00

Worth1000.com held a photoshop contest with a twist. Instead of the usual contest where everyone must shop the same picture. In this contest you had to morph any celebrity picture into a clown. There are some really talented arists out there. The photo at the left is of Elishia Cuthbert of 24 fame. There are 56 more entries after the jump.

Anyone know who this is?

2006-05-31T21:52:00.000-04:00

Bet you can't guess. I'll post the answer in a couple of days.

The 4400: Unlocking the Secrets

2006-05-31T21:20:00.000-04:00

NBC is airing a special "clips" show of The 4400 this Saturday at 9pm EST. This will be a good refresher of last season, preparing viewers for the season 3 premiere, June 11th. Here is the offical description of the show.

An in-depth look at the sci-fi drama examines its storylines and characters. Also featured: clips from previous episodes and a preview of the third season.

Comcast speed increase this summer

2006-05-31T20:45:00.000-04:00

I came across an article over at CNET with some info from the president of Comcast. Coming this summer is a feature called Speed Boost. When you're at your PC, your bandwidth will jump from 6Mbps to 16Mbps. The details on how this will actually work were not given. I don't really care if my bandwidth drops to 1mb when I'm not using my PC. Having 16Mbps of speed is great, but I believe what most people would like to see is a price decrease of the 6Mbps package. Most DSL packages out there are going for $24.95. I'd like to see a similarly priced package from Comcast.

LOST connections

2006-05-29T23:50:00.000-04:00

If you've been watching the last season of LOST, you know the writers have been slipping in different relationships/chance meetings of the survivors BEFORE the plane crash. There have been so many connections, someone took the to create the above chart. I consider myself a big fan of LOST and was still surprised by a lot of the lines on the chart. Go here for a larger version of the chart.

While I'm on the subject of LOST, check out this transcript from an online chat about the season finale. Michael Ausiello, Senior Writer and Columnist at TV Guide, answers viewers questions. The chat includes some very interesting info about next season. Also, if anyone figures out what "*o******** **a*" stands for, leave the answer in a comment.

Flying Aston Martin

2006-05-25T17:42:00.000-04:00

Last weekend at Mid-Ohio Raceway, the 009 Aston Martion lost control and went airborne. It was determined the car travelled 142 feet in the air! The Wright Bros. first flight was only 120 feet! It's amazing that the car didn't start flipping end over end. Check out the video below.

Build your own camera

2006-05-23T01:20:00.000-04:00

The camera at the left is made entirely of paper and you can make one just like it. Simply download the PDF from this website, then print, cut and build your camera. The camera is pinhole is "a camera that uses a very small hole, as if made by a pin instead of a lens, for light to enter and form an image on the film or other light-sensitive medium." Go download it.

M$ fights back

2006-05-22T20:23:00.000-04:00

Last week the Xbox 360 hackers released a firmware hack for the DVD drive that allowed "backup" copies to be played on the 360. All you need to do is flash the firmware chip with the hacked code and you're in business. This week, M$ responded by covering the firmware chip in all new 360s with epoxy. Sometimes it pays to get an early system...

Trackball gamepad

2006-05-21T23:22:00.000-04:00

Sony should take notes on this unique controller. A company by the name Bodielobus has come up with a new take on the standard PS2 gamepad. They've replaced the right stick with a trackball. The addition of the trackball is said to greatly increase the accuracy in FPS games. Read more about their Reflex controller over at IGN.

12 Free magazines

2006-05-21T10:27:00.000-04:00

There is a post over on Slickdeals with links to 12 different free magazine subscriptions. The magazines available are:

Caribbean Travel & Life
Electronic Gaming Monthly
Red Herring
Spa
U.S. News & World Report
WaterSki
Sporting News
The New York Observer
SEED
Hollywood Life
Computer Gaming World
Offical U.S. Playstation Magazine

Click here for the links to signup.

What to watch this summer?

2006-05-18T23:31:00.000-04:00

Now that almost all of the fall TV shows have ended and your DVR is almost empty, what is there to watch? Here is a list I compiled of some of the upcoming summer series and their starting dates. If I missed any, let me know.

So You Think You Can Dance (FOX) - May 25th, 8pm
Real World/Road Rules Challenge - Fresh Meat (MTV) - May 29th, 10pm
Last Comic Standing (NBC) - May 30th, 8pm
Rescue Me (FX) - May 30th, 10pm
Inked (A&E) - May 31st, 9pm
Criss Angel Mindfreak (A&E) - May 31st, 10pm
Gameshow Marathon (CBS) - May 31st, 8pm
The Hills (MTV) - May 31st, 10pm
Windfall (NBC) - June 8th, 10pm
Deadwood (HBO) - June 11th, 9pm
Entourage (HBO) - June 11th, 10pm
The 4400 (USA) - June 11th, 9pm
Hell's Kitchen (FOX) - June 12th, 9pm
The Closer (TNT) - June 12th, 9pm
Saved (TNT) - June 12th, 10pm
Tuesday Night Book Club (CBS) - June 13th, 10pm
The Dead Zone (USA) - June 18th, 10pm
Treasure Hunters (NBC) - June 18th, 8pm
America's got Talent (NBC) - June 21st,8pm
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (FX) - June 29th, 10pm
Rock Star: Supernova (CBS) - July 5th, 8pm
Big Brother 7: All-Stars (CBS) - July 6th, 8pm
Monk (USA) - July 7th, 9pm
Psych (USA) - July 7th, 10pm
Brotherhood (SHO) - July 9th
Nightmares & Dreamscapes (TNT) - July 12th, 9pm
Stargate SG-1 (SciFi) - July 14th, 8pm
Stargate Atlantis (SciFi) - July 14th, 9pm
Eureka (SciFi) - July 18th, 9pm
Weeds (SHO) - August

Lego Pinball Machine

2006-05-18T23:03:00.000-04:00

Using Mindstorm robotic Lego kits and more than 20,000 Lego "bricks", Gerrit Bronsveld and Martijn Boogaarts built a full-size pinball machine. It has a working coin slot, functional tilt switch, rotation bumpers, and an automatic ball-kickback mechanism. For more info and a couple more pics, check out this blog.

Warthog becomes reality

2006-05-18T21:24:00.000-04:00

Peugeot has developed a concept buggy that is very similar to the famous Warthog from Halo. I doubt the car will ever reach production, but it sure would be a blast to take one for a spin.

2006-05-18T21:02:00.000-04:00

The editors of 1UP.com, Electronic Gaming Monthly, Computer Gaming World, and Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine have placed their votes for the best games at the2006 E3 show. Surprisingly, they Mass Effect beat out Gears of War in the Xbox 360 catagory. Mass Effect is a sci-fi RPG produced by Bioware. On the PC side, Quake Wars was a winner. The last few Quake games didn't thrill me, but this one has my attention. It's a team-based online multi-player game that looks fantastic. Check out this page to see the rest of the winners and runners up.

ABC lineup announced

2006-05-16T19:27:00.000-04:00

The all big hitters are back, Desperate Housewives, LOST, Grey's Anatomy, Extreme Makeover, etc. The only cancelled series worth mentioning is Invasion! Looks like all the new sci-fi shows introduced last year (Threshold, Surface, and Invasion) didn't make it out alive. I sure wish the networks would give some shows a chance. They put the show on, slowly build a fan base, then they swing the axe. Read more about ABC's upcoming season at the Futon Critic.

LOST to answer 3 BIG questions

2006-05-16T18:31:00.000-04:00

This week's Newsweek has an article where Lost producer Carlton Cuse promises the season finale will answer 3 BIG questions.

1 - Why did the plane crash?

2 - What happens if the button isn't pushed?

3 - What's going on with Michael and Walt?

Knowing the answers to those 3 questions will be nice, but I'd rather have some questions from season 1 answered. Where did the polar bear come from? What were those strange, Godzilla-like noises coming from the jungle in the pilot? What is the mysterious black smoke? Somehow I feel like we'll never know the answers to those and many other similar questions...

NBC's fall schedule

2006-05-16T18:17:00.000-04:00

The idiots at NBC have done it again. They've axed a bunch of good shows, while renewing the same old crap. Among the cuts were Surface, E-Ring, Four Kings, Heist and Conviction. Some of the crap returning is Deal or No Deal, The Apprentice and half-a-dozen versions of Law and Order. A few of my favorites will be returning though. My Name is Earl, The Office, Scrubs, and Las Vegas all live to see another season. For more info on the NBC Upfronts, check out tvsquad's posting.

BBC mistakes cabbie for Net Expert

2006-05-16T16:29:00.000-04:00

This guy appeared at the front desk of the BBC studio. Someone assumed he was the net expert and ushered him directly into the studio, no questions asked. It's only necessary to watch the first 15 seconds of this video. The stunned look on this guy's face as the reporter introduces him as an expert is priceless.

Firmware hack for 360 released

2006-05-15T19:07:00.000-04:00

There is a large post over at Xbox-Scene News about the release of a firmware hack. Basically, by loading a new firmware into your 360's DVD drive, it will allow you to play patched copies of Xbox 360 games. Of course, you have to remove your 360's DVD drive, thus voiding the warranty. I'm sure it will just be a matter of time until M$ releases an update through LIVE to squash this hack, but as of now, people are reporting they're able to play backups over LIVE.

PS3 Interface

2006-05-15T19:00:00.000-04:00

Rescue Me 2.5

2006-05-13T23:57:00.000-04:00

Season 3 of Rescue Me is scheduled to start May 30th. To prepare you for the upcoming season, FX Network has released a 14 minute short comedy starring the cast of the show. Here is the description of the episode, "The night before receiving a commendation for bravery from the mayor, Tommy, Franco, Lou, Sean and Mike are anything but brave when they are stalked by a strange animal in the firehouse. " It starts off a little slow, but had me laughing out loud by the end! Check it out here.

Xbox Live Update End of May

2006-05-13T17:20:00.000-04:00

According to planetxbox360.com, Microsoft is planning to update Xbox Live at the end of May. The update is rumored to include background downloading! YEAH! It will include a download manager for up to 6 parallel downloads in the background. There are supposed to be a lot more features added, but they are being kept secret for now.

Mvix Multimedia Player

2006-05-13T16:53:00.000-04:00

This little device is slick. Plug it into your PC (USB 2.0) and load it with content. It can read mp3, wav, divx, xvid, vob, and jpg. Once you have it loaded, move it over to your home entertainment center and let the fun begin. You can playback any of the media to your TV. It will even broadcast audio through an FM transmitter, allowing you to listen to your mp3's through a standard radio. Priced at $250( 3.5" hard drive not included), it will make a great addition to your home theater. Check out more pics and specs on the Mvixusa website.

Battlestar Galacticsimpons

2006-05-10T21:51:00.000-04:00

Artist Dylan Meconis drew a bunch of sketches portraying all the main players from Battlestar Galactica. The picture at the right is Six and Baltar. After the jump, the rest are all there. Admiral Adama, President Roslin and even Boomer. No word on an actual episode in the works, but it would be cool to see.

Nintendo's Wii promo movie from E3

2006-05-10T00:15:00.000-04:00

I'm going to let this video clip speak for itself. Leave a comment and let me know what you think about Nintendo's "Wii 'mote"

Sony upgrades pad for PS3

2006-05-09T23:46:00.000-04:00

A quick glance at the new redesigned PS3 controller and you should see a few differences. There are now 4 LED lights to signify the player number. A circular "guide" button in the middle of the controller, similar to the 360's "Live" button. The lower shoulder button are now more trigger like(analog), also like the 360's. The biggest external difference is no cable, the new controller uses Bluetooth to communicate with the console. The little USB port on the back can be used to recharge the batteries. Now for the inside, where the most surprising changes were made. Gone is force feedback or "Dualshock" as Sony used to refer to it. This is most likely due to the patent lawsuit Sony lost few months ago. Sony claims they removed feedback to include a "Wii" feature. I guess they got tired of stealing ideas from M$ and decided to borrow one from Nintendo. The new controller includes motion sensors for the X-Y-Z, pitch, roll, yaw and lateral detection. You'd think for $499 they could come up with at least one original idea for their controller.

Have you met Ted?

2006-05-09T23:05:00.000-04:00

Ted is short for Torrent Episode Downloader. You can use Ted in conjunction with almost any bittorrent program. Just install Ted, choose a few shows from the pre-configured list and the program will download the latest torrents of those shows. Ted can even be configured to download an entire season of a show. Lifehacker has a simple tutorial online to help you get everything configured. While reading about Ted, I also came across another cool site called CAT. CAT stands Calendar for TV. It's a monthly calendar of all the new TV shows. Hover over a specific date to get a list of each shows episode number. Click on a day to see show summaries. This comes in real handy when looking for a particular episode on the torrent sites.

Joystiq's Xbox 360 E3 coverage

2006-05-09T17:26:00.000-04:00

The big news out of the Microsoft camp is that they've made a deal with Rockstar to release Grand Theft Auto IV simultaneously with the PS3. Additional content will be delivered through Xbox Live in episodic format. They also released trailers for many of their big upcoming games on Live. Gears of War, Crackdown, Forza Motorsport 2, Dead Rising and many, many more. I've been downloading trailers all night from Live. My poor 20gb 360 hard drive is busting at the seems.

M$ also announced a new service called Live Anywhere. One gamer tag that is accessable from a 360, PC or cell phone. Buy the game Zuma once, it's available to you on all 3 platforms. PC and 360 users will be able to compete against each other in games. Sounds very impressive if M$ can pull it off. Read more of Joystiq's coverage here.

Brayden Souder

2006-05-09T17:03:00.000-04:00

Our friends, Loren and Tiffany Souder just had a baby boy! Brayden was born May 8, 2006 and weighs 7 lbs. 12 oz. Congratulations to them!

Halo 3 announced!

2006-05-09T16:55:00.000-04:00

In a press conference today, M$ announced that Halo 3 is indeed in the works. A 3 minute trailer was shown that had mouths dropping. If you have Xbox Live, you can download the trailer or view it on the xbox.com website. No release date was given, but the trailer states, "Finish the Fight - 2007". So I guess that means it won't be finished in time to launch against the PS3 in November.

Joystiq's PS3 E3 coverage

2006-05-08T21:53:00.000-04:00

Engadget and Joystiq have team up to cover the Sony PS3 E3 event tonight. They've probably posted 30+ photos already along with a running commentary. The screenshot above is of Gran Turismo HD, running at 1080p resolutions. From the looks of the pics, it appears Sony will have quiet the lineup for their upcoming console. Click here to read more.

Update - at the end of the show, Sony reveals the price of the PS3. In North America: PS3 with 20GB for $499, 60GB for $599.

Sci Fi Pulse Debuts May 8th

2006-05-07T12:21:00.000-04:00

The Sci Fi channel is starting their own broadband channel called Pulse. The new "channel" will feature complete episodes of select Sci Fi series, behind-the-scenes footage, deleted scenes, etc. They also will be offering potential pilot episodes of new series online. For more info, read the press release.

Electric Sheep update

2006-05-07T09:58:00.000-04:00

If you read my post last month, you might recognize the screenshot above. It was generated using the cool screensaver called Electric Sheep. There is a new version of ES that uses bittorrent to distribute the sheep, which is much more efficient than the old server based method. Also, the new install allows you to specify where the cache folder is located. A quick check of my old cache folder and I discovered 5 GBs of sheep!

The Ultimate Jell-O Shot

2006-05-04T19:29:00.000-04:00

Every party needs a good tray of Jell-O shots. It's easy, mix up a batch of Jell-O, add a little vodka, and chill. The trick is to add the maximum amount of vodka, without effecting the Jell-O and causing it not to gel. But how much vodka is too much? Read about this guy's experiment to perfect the formula and make The Ultimate Jell-O Shot.

May Sweeps 2006 Schedule

2006-05-02T18:37:00.000-04:00

This list is way too long to post, so just click here.

Xbox Live Brings E3 Home

2006-05-02T17:41:00.000-04:00

First off, everyone with an Xbox 360 will get Xbox Live Gold access, all week. Starting Monday, you'll also get lots of content on Xbox Live Marketplace, including the first-ever Gears of War high-definition game trailer, and the playable demo of Capcom's Lost Planet: Extreme Condition. Over 60 pieces of new downloadable content will be available including:

-Playable game demos and/or trailers from highly anticipated titles like:
-Crackdown (Microsoft Game Studios)
-Dead or Alive : Xtreme 2 (Tecmo)
-The Lord of the Rings, The Battle for Middle Earth II (EA Los Angeles)
-Lost Planet: Extreme Condition (Capcom)
-Moto GP '06 (THQ)-Sonic the Hedgehog (Sega)
-Splinter Cell Double Agent (Ubisoft)
-Test Drive Unlimited (Atari)
-Viva Pinata (Microsoft Game Studios)
-Plus a flood of HD trailers from games that have yet to be announced
-Call of Duty2 - New Multiplayer Map Packs (Activision)
-The release of UNO on Xbox Live Arcade
-Game with Fame celebrity gaming sessions with stars like Jenny McCarthy, Method Man and Panic Channel (Featuring Dave Navarro, Stephen Perkins, Chris Chaney and Steve Isaacs).
-Play and Win contests with the latest Xbox 360 and Xbox Live Arcade titles
-Exclusive high-definition blockbuster movie trailer downloads
-Limited edition E3 Gamerpics and Themes
-A Backstage Pass to see developers preparing for E3

Mobile Drive-In Theater

2006-05-01T20:13:00.000-04:00

This has to be the coolest thing I've come across in awhile. This guy named Bryan Kennedy mounted a projector onto his SUV, turning it into a mobile drive-in. Audio is brodcast over the FM band, so that other cars can tune in. You can read more about his setup here. Once you have everything installed, all you need is a dark parking lot with a big wall and a few friends.

Chevy Camaro Concept pics

2006-04-28T20:29:00.000-04:00

Never been a big fan of the Camaro, but if next year's model looks anything like these pics, count me onboard. GM released 12 hi-res photos which make perfect wallpaper. Grab them from this Autoblog post.

One red paperclip

2006-04-28T17:12:00.000-04:00

You might have heard about this guy already, as he's done a ton of press. In July of 2005, Kyle MacDonald decided to start a little experiment. He wants to see if it's possible to start with one red paperclip and, through a series of trades, turn that clip into a house. Check out his blog to find out how he's worked his way through trades, leading up to his current possession of an afternoon with Alice Cooper!

Best Party of my Life clip

2006-04-28T17:04:00.000-04:00

Howard Stern was talking about this clip on Thursday's show. I came home, did a quick search on YouTube and found it. I'll let the clip speak for itself. Please don't watch it if you're offended by strippers.

The IT Crowd

2006-04-28T16:41:00.000-04:00

First the UK brought us The Office, now they've created The IT Crowd. A sitcom about a small IT department with a manager who knows nothing about computers. I'm sure this sounds familiar to a few of you. I've posted episode 1 above. A quick search of YouTube and you can find the other 5 episodes.

Caprica: Battlestar Galactia spin-off

2006-04-27T22:36:00.000-04:00

The Sci Fi channel announced the development of a new series titled Caprica. The new show will focus on the lives of two families, the Graystones and the Adamas, and be set 50 years before the Cylon invasion. Read more about the upcoming show over at Sci Fi Wire. It seems a little too soon to be doing a prequel, but I'll probably watch it anyway.

Wii ???

2006-04-27T21:24:00.000-04:00

Nintendo announced today that the offical name of their upcoming console is Wii. I don't think they could've come up with a more retarted name it they tried. Anyway, here is part of their press release if you're interested.

Introducing … Wii.
As in “we.”
While the code-name “Revolution” expressed our direction, Wii represents the answer.
Wii will break down that wall that separates video game players from everybody else.
Wii will put people more in touch with their games … and each other. But you’re probably asking: What does the name mean?
Wii sounds like “we,” which emphasizes this console is for everyone.
Wii can easily be remembered by people around the world, no matter what language they speak. No confusion. No need to abbreviate.
Just Wii.
Wii has a distinctive “ii” spelling that symbolizes both the unique
controllers and the image of people gathering to play.
And Wii, as a name and
a console, brings something revolutionary to the world of video games that sets
it apart from the crowd.
So that’s Wii. But now Nintendo needs you.
Because, it’s really not about you or me.
It’s about Wii.
And together, Wii will change everything.

$40 off Xbox 360 Platinum

2006-04-27T18:25:00.000-04:00

Just saw this deal posted over at Techbargains. Overstock.com has 10% off of all purchases, good until 11:59pm 4/27/06. Put the $399 Xbox 360 Platinum in your cart and you'll save $40. The best part is shipping is only $1.40! You're not going to find a deal much better than this.

Free PVR software from Yahoo!

2006-04-26T21:21:00.000-04:00

Last week Yahoo! purchased Meedio, a PC-based PVR application for the PC. Apparently Meedio was low on funds and Yahoo! was looking for software for it's previously announced Yahoo! Go TV. Today, Yahoo! announced their Go TV product will be free. Checkout a small review and some screenshots here.

Whenever she mentions...

2006-04-25T23:21:00.000-04:00

Friend of mine sent me a link to this Mad TV clip and I thought it was hilarious! I never watched much of Mad TV, but I might have to add it to one of my PVRs. Sure beats most of the lame SNL skits of late. If you're bored, head on over to YouTube and do a search for Mad TV. There are a ton of funny clips on there. One of my favorites features Jessica Alba playing Jessica Simpson on the Newlyweds. Another good one is The Sopranos on PaxTV.

God of War 2 pre-E3 trailer

2006-04-25T22:10:00.000-04:00

If you've never played God of War, arguably the best game for the PS2, you might want to think about picking up a copy. Sony recently reduced the price of the PStwo console to $129 and the price of the original God of War to $19.95. Both are great bargains. Apparently the sequel featured in the above trailer won't be for the next-gen PS3, but for the existing PStwo.

Find the Bug!

2006-04-24T22:11:00.000-04:00

If you've ever sat at a bar and pumped quarters into one of those touchscreen arcade games, you're probably familiar with this game. The player is given a time limit and 2 similiar pictures. One of the pictures has 5 differences and you need to find them before the time runs out. Sounds easy right? It's a lot more difficult than it sounds. Give Find the Bug! a try. You have the choice between art, landscape, or space pictures. There is also a cool flash Memory Mania game on this site as well.

Best Shows You're Not Watching

2006-04-24T22:06:00.000-04:00

Being a TV junkie with 3 PVRs, I'm always on the lookout for new shows to watch. Today, I came across this article that lists 15 hidden jems on the tube. I've only heard of half of them and only seen two of them. "Campus Ladies" and "Thief" being the two I've seen. Check out the rest of the list. Now fired up your bittorrent client and download a few of these shows. If you watch any of them, let me know what you think.

Who's got the better butt?

2006-04-23T21:05:00.000-04:00

Jessica Alba or Eva Longoria?