Greater Satellites

I recently came across an article on The Art of Manliness website that lists 100 books every guy should read. Needless to say I think it’s time I buckled down and read some of the classics. This post will be my running list of what I have read, re-read, and still need to read on that list of 100. (more…)

The new map pack for Call of Duty 4 were my first foray into the DLC add-on craze that’s swept users of XBox 360 and PS3. I specify add-on because I have downloaded many other cool things, but this will be the supplement to a game I’ve physically purchased.

What can I say? I’m a Call of Duty fan. I’ve played every game in the series and, with the exception of the lackluster third installment, I’ve loved every one. I have to admit i was a little wary of the online multiplayer in the beginning, only having tried it after completing the solo campaign. It was a little frustrating at first, but definitely got better as the level ups unfolded and I found the technique that works best for me (GSC36 + grenade launcher attachment, Desert Eagle, Martyrdom, and Sonic Boom if you must know).

So I continued playing and playing, I leveled up as far as one could go then decided to take the plunge and Prestige which, for those of you who aren’t familiar, is sacrificing all of your rank, unlocked weapons, and accomplishment to start over and get a higher ranking medal when you become Commander (Lvl 55) again. It sounds a little silly, but I’ve seen some people with badges that are from a 4th of 5th Prestige, which is roughly 220 level ups. Yikes.

The thing about playing multiplayer games this long, though, is that you get to know, well, everything. You know the best sniper spots, the most likely places your enemies will come from, how long to cook grenades for a good explosion, and finally — every single corner of the map. I’ve heard people begging for new maps for about a month and Thursday’s release has seemed to satisfy. I took a little time over this (Double XP) weekend to play the maps to the fullest of my ability and I have to say that these maps definitely satisfy.

Creek could be my new favorite board. “Why?” you may ask and my answer is simple: “Because I love destroying snipers.” This board is like a haven for snipers. Long, open expanses and plenty of cover for these guys to just go prone and look for movement. This allow me the chance to either sneak thru the cave or come up along the ridge and knife ‘em in their stupid back.

Broadcast is another good one which takes cues from an actual level in the game. It’s a great mixture of open hallways and wide openness depending on whether you want to do battle inside or out.

Chinatown is a hectic, claustrophobic pseudo-remake of a level from Call of Duty 2 and it’s incredibly fun to play. There is so much interconnectedness and so many ways to the same place that it’s almost impossible not to find immediate action. There are also a lot of little places to duck into the shadows and just take people out, so it’s a great amount of fun.

Killhouse, as fun as it sounded, never came up in any of the online multiplayer modes so I took matters into my own hands and started a private game to explore it myself. It’s small. I’m talking tiny. You could run from one end to the other in 10 seconds, but that’s what will make it a great level. I’m thinking it’ll be for the smaller team games or, most probably, one-on-ones (which I rarely ever do).

After the dust was settling last night from a weekend of gaming the new map packs, I can say with surety that Infinity Ward has hit the jackpot with this game. If they make regular map packs and keep the prices reasonable, I’m sure they’ll have tons of people paying for all new experiences in a familiar setting.

I had all kinds of fun playing around with this website: Knicker Picker

The next logical step would be full scale adoption by the porn industry!

For a long time, I’ve considered going the route of scooping up a fairly recent, possibly refurbished Intel Mac mini and using it as my DVD player, DVR, audio streamer, DivX player, and all around Home Theater PC. There are even several friggin websites dedicated to helping people set up their dream system.

That dream was shaken at the core when I bought a PS3, which plays Blu Ray movies, upscales DVDs, and handles most video formats I’d want to play on it with the most recent firmware upgrade. Sony recently released a bad little MF’er by the name of PlayTV, which is an additional component for a PS3 that allows you to watch and record television directly to your console. This is pretty friggin sweet. What’s more is that the files it records (in high def or standard def) are DRM free. That’s right — you can record ‘em on your PS3, move them over to your computer to re-encode them for an iPod/iPhone, or burn them to DVD with no icky rights management debacle. What’s the catch? It’s currently unavailable in the US as it’s only compatible with PAL. You can bet your ass I would scoop that up the minute it’s available here in the states.

On a kind-of related note, there a really interesting media server being announced by a company called Conceptronic. The specs seem pretty decent and if the price is right, maybe this will grace my home entertainment setup:

• Built in analog tuner (blah, but I’ll take it)
• 1TB internal storage (saweeeet!)
• Component, composite, and firewire inputs
• HDMI (woot!), component, and digital audio out
• Optional networking adapter
• Codec support: DivX, XviD, WMV9, SVCD, and VOB

Hopefully the price will hit the sweet spot.

My submission to The “Blog” of “Unnecessary” Quotation Marks finally got posted! Check it out here: “Unofficial”

If you didn’t know, that site is one of my favorite things to check out in the morning before I start “work”.

I’m my never ending quest to have one of the sweetest, most future-proof home entertainment setups I can afford, here are a few things that I’ve been doing in preparation before I take the plunge:

• Research… Then Do Some More Research: This is the most obvious, but also the most important. You should know what you want to be capable of doing, then follow thru with research on whether something you’re eyeballing has the capacity to perform. Want to be able to watch Blu-Ray movies at the highest possible quality? Then you’re going to need a TV that is 1080P capable, which leads me to my next point…
• Know Thy Terms: Do you know what the “P” in 1080P stands for? Do you think that Plasma is just something the green poltergeist from Ghostbusters was made of? These are things that are important to know, and can be explained pretty easily on Wikipedia, Consumer Reports, and even just general tech sites. I wouldn’t trust retail outlet explanations, just like I wouldn’t trust their prices. Oh, speaking of which…
• Shop Around: Say you scoop up a PlayStation 3 and want to reduce cable clutter, so you opt to buy an HDMI cable. If you go to Best Buy, you can expect to pay a pinch over $72 for a 4′ Monster Brand HDMI Cable. After following thru with the previous two steps, you’d know that there’s nothing really unique about that Monster Brand Cable when you compare it to, say, a 6′ Monoprice HDMI Cable for the low, low price of $5.24. A side-by-side comparison of these cables would render the picture virtually identical. Your wallet will thank you.
• Don’t Buy Brand Spankin’ New: I know it’s tough not to scoop up seven new things each year right after CES, but it’s better than paying the early adopter tax. Technology tends to get better first, then smaller second; so once a TV is packed with all the features that would make it competitive, the only thing to do would be to make it smaller, thinner, sexier. Usually when you look back at the model that’s being replaced by a newer one, you’ll find that the aesthetics are the biggest refresh of them all.
• Check Reviews Online: Amazon, Froogle, Best Buy, Circuit City, Newegg… The list goes on and on of sites that offer people the ability to rate and review their recently purchased products in a variety of different ways. Be sure to read thru a few reviews from various websites to ensure that whatever you’re looking to buy meets the high standards you should be setting for your gear.
• Don’t Be Afraid To Spend: This one seems pretty obvious, but it really isn’t. If you’re going shopping for your new TV at Kmart, don’t expect too much out of it in any sense. Conversely, you don’t have to spend an exorbitant amount of money at places like Tweeter either. Sometimes your best bet is to find what you’re looking for in person and then purchase online for a discounted rate.
• Don’t Get Locked Into One System: Sure, a HTIB is a total package, and priced to sell, but don’t think for a second that you’ll have many options in the field of expandability. Sometimes it’s better to custom tailor a solution that you can upgrade piece-by-piece in the future. For instance: buy a receiver, speakers, DVD player, etc as a separate package and you won’t ever have to worry about being behind the curve because you can just upgrade one component at a time.

Follow these few simple guidelines and you’ll be well on your way to owning some versatile electronic audio-visual-computing equipment.