Paradigm Shift

Ran across an interesting article about tech that did nto or has not causght on by the guys over at Extremetech. It got me thinking about the idea of a paradigm shift. It is often said that we "live in interesting times". In fact I belive that if one looks closely then any time and every time is interesting in that change is occuring. But when does the change reach a critical mass of sorts. when does a paradigm shift for one or two people reach enough to cause a change.

The reason I write this is because, as I have posted before, I own a Zune and I have started to notice that people, at least those in the tech circle are at least talking about it and more so than I used to previously pick up in web chatter (always wanted to use that word). Is that a move towards some sort of social acceptance. How do societies accept ideas of trends. Is it more akin to the propogation of a virus spreading from people to people or it is an entirely different process. Not really sure. I guess time will tell if the Zune has got legs or not. I still find it to be a superior experience to my old iPod but that is besides the point. What I am more interested in is how ideas are created and transmitted.

Fixing Heroes

I think I am not the only one who thinks that Heroes is going through a rough patch; a very rough patch. The story seems to have stagnated. It feels like witnessing a dog trying his best to catch its tail. There has been so many talk about what one should do, and it got me thinking. The only words that came to mind were JMS. J. Michael Straczynski. Those who don't know can wiki the guy here. Of course JMS is now considered an A-lister in Hollywood but I think he is one of the few guys who knows how to keep the core ideas of heroes alive while building on the mythos and the characters that we so very badly need for to evolve. But I guess we can't a;ways get what we want. either way those were my two cents on the matter.

Bullet Witch

I recently got a hold of Bullet Witch by AQ games. I had read all the reviews before plunging in and was expecting a horrible experience. As it turns out I was pleasantly surprised by what I found. The game is definitely bad. The story goes nowhere fast. In fact, it doesn't even launch. And the AI is extremely glitchy. They happen to be from the school of "rushing your character head on" school. With that out of the way I can finally say proudly that I actually had fun with the game. The character design is intriguingly interesting. The game mechanics present an interesting solution to selecting the various magic attacks available to your character. And the intent of the designers shines through at occasions that you just find yourself moving from fight to fight without being bothered by the flaws of the game.

Last but not least the final boss fight is well worth the price of admission in this game. It is insane and tests your wits and skill thoroughly. I haven't had a chance to test the DLC that shipped after release and frankly I don't think it offers anything that would warrant spending Microsoft points over but I think it does extend the life of the game enough to keeps the few fans the game has been able to find.

In the end I enjoyed it enough to recommend it to anyone as a rental. I could even go so far as to suggest that you grab it from a bargain bin like I did, but then again your mileage might vary. The game is definitely worth a look.

Gundam 00

Gundam 00 ended its run on March 29th. Overall it was a good show with characters complex enough to hold my attention and a plot that at least tried to make sense. The Mecha design threw me off balance in the beginning but it apparently has grown on me and I really think that the Exia had a very good design; simple and sleek curves compared to sharp edges. Virtue was another good design.

The series treads some familiar ground for Gundam fans but at the same time brings the "new" feel to the series. The Last few episodes were awesome with enough of a hook at the end to make me come back when season 2 hits.

Over all I would recommend it as a good mecha anime and it's definitely worth a look.

Zune 80

Got myself a new Zune around Christmas. its been working well so far. I really like it compared to my iPod experience. The new Squircle is kind of sexy. Not to mention the contrast I get with the screen. Its been almost a year since I've been without a music device of any kind and I forgot how much I missed listening to my music. Now that I'm with this device, I can't imagine being anyplace without it. Heard about the XNA games that might be coming to the Zune as well. That sounds like a very good idea but I guess it will have to depend on the pricing structure. Can't they just combine all the variuos market places into one big store.
For now I am just glad to be with my music 24x7. And I can do this without being just another iPod Zombie. Long story short but I am standing on one of the busiest street corners of Manhattan when I notice everyone around me wearing white headphones. It was like being in the midst of an insect hive, where everyone was the same. I want to at least pretend to be different. The idea that maybe I'm not just another face in the crowd, not another tech savvy elite with white headphones defining me.

Macbook Air

Damn you Jobs, Damn you to heck. Why do you want my money so very very badly.

This thing looks disgustingly sexy. Widescreen LED display, 802.11n, backlit keyboard, SSD option. One word summary "Sweet". Those that need details can always check out the Apple's website.

Of course after the initial fervor wears off, you realize that Jobs just pulled a fast one on you.
It has an integrated battery that you can't swap out. Only one USB and no Firewire. You are confined to only the built-in microphone. And Mini-DVI so you have to carry around an adapter if you want to connect it to a real monitor. Also only an 80GB option and no Optical Drive, or the option to carry around an external one. Add to that that this is a first gen apple product and there are bound to be issues. Issues that Apple will keep denying and the forums will keep being censored until the issues just disappear.

Now if someone could get Ubuntu running on it, I might consider buying. Until then, it is a good Prototype. I would like to see what the industry does with it.

Dreaming in Numbers

Do you ever have puzzling dreams that you don't want to have. That's what last night was like. I kept dreaming about the number 650 and trying to divide it up into packets with the maximum possible size of a packet not to be greater than 6. I kept waking up and telling myself to stop dreaming about that. I kept telling myself to dream about anything else; planes, cars, green fields, girls. But to no avail. I kept dreaming of this same problem over and over again. I have been told stress triggers such events or inadequacy. Could be. Either way it was interesting, to be in a situation where you couldn't will your way out. Normally I have a lot of control on the direction of my dreams. Still fun is fun, in either shape and size. Now that I think About it dreaming is a completely weird experience. Can't wait for the next one.