Greater Satellites

So, I was in the midst of writing what I thought to be a meaningful article (which will get posted… eventually) when I came across several Mac vs. PC articles on none other than AOL News today.  I enjoy reading those types of articles because sometimes they make interesting points from an PC user perspective that I may have a difficult time conceptualizing.  Such was not the case with this articles, and here is why…

This article, which isn’t too bad, is by Michael Tolosa over at AOL Shopping.  He eventually concludes that Macs are superior products, but has a few shaky arguments in favor of PC along the way.

This laptop  acts as my remote machine for work. Unfortunately, the tools I use for work are not supported by the Mac operating system or the Safari web browser.

Sounds like your company’s system was one of those olde fashioned, designed-for-IE type applications.  You can’t blame Apple for poor software decisions made by your employer.  There are many viable browser alternatives to Safari on Mac including the venerable Firefox, Camino, Opera, and more.  If your company software isn’t supported on any of them, might be time to fire up Boot Camp or VMWare.  Oh wait…

The way I got around this was by installing a Windows partition on my Mac, where I could install all the Windows programs I needed and access them for work.  One downside to installing a Windows partition on your Mac, is it can take up to 32GB of hard drive space.

If I may borrow a popular internet meme:  You’re doing it wrong.  You can scale the size of a Boot Camp partition to any size you like, and some slipstreamed versions of XP I’ve encountered only require about 700MB total.  If you’re only using Windows for a few programs and Internet Explorer, you shouldn’t need to partition more than 4GB.

…many of the software utilities you use on a daily basis aren’t available in Mac versions. And even if they are available on the Mac, they’re usually limited in functionality compared to the more robust and fully-developed Windows versions. For instance, the AIM client for Mac is less functional than the Windows version. Other utilities (like FTP clients, bit torrent clients, etc.) rarely come in two versions. You’ll have to find completely different Mac products to complete these daily tasks.

Fancy that! When I switch operating systems I can’t bring my programs with me!  This part of the article here seemed like a bit of filler, truth be told.  AIM for Mac hasn’t been updated in years, that’s why Apple throws in it’s own great little chat client called iChat.  If you’re not happy with iChat, a quick Google search for “mac IM program” will direct you to Adium (which actually ranks higher than AIM in the results), a great open source instant messaging client.  Two FTP clients off the top of my head that come in both Mac and Windows flavors are the open source Filezilla and GlobalScape’s CuteFTP.  The official Bittorrent client is multiplatform, too, and another quick “Mac bittorrent” search will yield results for Transmission, which is comparable to uTorrent in features and functionality.

One thing you won’t ever get on a Mac is a version of Internet Explorer.

Oh really? No shit. Thank God.

The other big difference between buying a Mac laptop and a PC laptop is price. The Mac will cost roughly twice as much as a PC.

I went to Apple’s Online Store and Dell’s Online Store.  I then selected the higher-end white MacBook, which starts at $1299 and has a 13.3″ screen, 2.4Ghz Core 2 Duo processor, 2GB of RAM, and a 160GB hard drive.  Then I went to Dell’s site and selected the 13.3″ XPS M1330 and matched the specs.  The XPS ended up costing $1,174.  So while the Apple is a bit more expensive, it’s nowhere near twice as much.  You can buy a machine that’s half as good for half the price, though.

In conclusion, I believe Mr. Tolosa was a little lazy in regards to some research about the Macintosh platform, but I won’t hold that against him since he finishes with the line:

Once you switch to a Mac, you’ll never go back.

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 was prompted/inspired to write this blog after having read a little piece called “Confessions of a Grand Theft Auto Virgin” by Chris Kohler over at Wired News blog.  Basically, up until a month ago he had never played a next gen (GTA3+) Grand Theft Auto game.    In the weeks leading up to the eminent release, he played through each of the games and reviewed each on a variety of factors, years after the fact.  Sound like a fun idea?  It did to me, too, until I read the articles.  Come on a journey with me. You can find the original article here: http://blog.wired.com/games/2008/04/confessions-o-2.html

How many of those (21.5 million) people have actually beaten the game? How many have even gotten past the first few hours of missions?

Maybe we should start a poll and find out.  Anyone game?

I’d heard it thrown around that “nobody ever beats a GTA” or “nobody plays the missions.”

“I went on a few messages boards and the first couple threads said nobody plays the missions, so I didn’t either.”

…by trying to actually play through the Grand Theft Auto games without giving myself invincibility, infinite cash, or a never-ending supply of rocket launchers, I might have been getting a vastly different experience than the majority of the series’ biggest fans.

The biggest fans of this series are not the people mashing cheat codes, they’re the people who were in line on the release day waiting to tear into the game and get knee deep in the story.  They were the people who were excited to hear that you could fly planes and ride bicycles in San Andreas.  Basically, these were the people you’re not.

The approach of a casual gamer like Chris (perhaps just entering the series) would be to just put in some cheats and rampage the day away, but it seems a little silly to paint all of the other players with the same brush.  I’ve successfully completed both Vice City and San Andreas and admittedly got pretty far (to the fabled third area) in GTA3.  What shines the most in these games is, hands down, how they tie incredibly fun missions into the twisted web of story.  Sure, Vice City was almost a direct rip of Scarface, but who didn’t love the mission where you goal was to get a spotlight shining “Candy Suxxx” across the side of a building.  Who didn’t like cruising down The Strip of Las Venturas in San Andreas or earning the Jetpack / Fight Jet combo on your own personal hangar?  What about the awesome final missions of the game where CJ inevitably goes home to find the whole city rioting?  These are moments that you’d otherwise never see or experience in the game if you just sat around blowing up the same cars/trucks the whole time.

If anything, a lot of people who’ll be picking up a copy of GTA4 along with myself on the 29th will be playing through it all so they can add to the mythos behind the story.  They may not get anywhere near 100% completion (I mean, who has?) but they could very well beat the game, regardless of how many hours it takes. If people are willing to take their time with a RPG on the caliber of a Final Fantasy or Suikoden, surely it can’t be so different for fans of the GTA series.

If you got the vague reference in the title of this post, then no doubt you were like me for the past six months in following all of the viral marketing for a little piece of film released yesterday called Cloverfield. My initial review and impressions are as follows (warning: SPOILERS):

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I’m a little tired today in work. And why might I be tired? Well, for one I had to wake up for work this morning. Beyond that, I was up until 4:30 in the morning finishing one of the most satisfying series of books I’ve ever read: Harry Potter.

Now, chuckle if you must, but you shouldn’t knock it if you haven’t even tried to read it. If an author, any author, has the ability to tell a tale that spans the course of seven books and several years, then it speaks to reason that it’s a tale worth telling (if you’re into fiction, that is). The only other series that was this expansive, this engrossing, and, ironically, seven books long was Stephen King’s Dark Tower Series… Another one of my favorites.

I started reading the Harry Potter books in October and finished approximately three months later (earrrly this morning). The stories became, in my opinion, progressively better and darker as the protagonist moved from the innocence of childhood (he was 11 in the first book) to a young adult (18) faced with existential and philosophical conundrums.

In the writing itself, the word choice seemed very deliberate, down to earth, and matured as the characters (and, I assume, readers) grew older. The author wasn’t trying to disillusion you with huge amounts of fantastical spells and esoteric words you would need a dictionary to understand. Reading the book was like listening to a good friend tell you a story. It was paced in such a way that the end of each chapter, and each book, made you crave more. Part of me regrets not having started reading these books in my youth, but a larger part of me is grateful because the wait between each of them would have felt excruciatingly long.

As for the movie-book comparisons, I think the films do the books justice with the main storyline (which is basically good vs. evil) and a few of the more crucial sub-plots. The movies definitely nail the imagery. The way I envisioned certain spells, locations, or characters to look based on their descriptions match up uncannily with what the directors, set designs, and makeup people had in mind as well. To some degree, it’s evident the people involved in the creation of the movies are also fans of the books, and I base this simply on the attention to detail in each.

I’m not going to rate this series with stars or numbers, because it’s simply too deep and multi-faceted to slap an arbitrary figure upon. I’ve seen books writing about these books: the philosophy behind them, the mythology, and many other interesting takes. I would say that this series is as perfect as it could’ve been in capturing the heart of readers, both young and old. You persevere through the moments of sadness and revel in the joyous experiences throughout, relating as best you can in the moments of basic human nature and curiosity. It’s a refreshing, easy read that just gets better as you go.

Expecto Patronum, ya’ll.

Well, it came and went just like it always does. I’m talking, of course, about Steve Jobs’ presentation at this year’s Macworld Expo. As it seems year after year, people have incredible expectations from the company that, to many, can do no wrong. I’ll admit that in recent years I’ve toned down my own excitement so I’m not let down by certain products not receiving updates or overhauls, but I’m always pleasantly surprised by at least one of the products released each year.

Although I’m sure it was never asked for in the first place, here’s my take on this year’s announcements:

1. Time Capsule
   First of all… How cool is that name? I’m highly considering scooping up one of these bad boys if for nothing other than streamlining my setup. I beat myself up being an early adopter of the Airport Extreme Base Station and paid the price when they released the Gigabit Ethernet version shortly thereafter (my main machine is wired to the station for maximum speeds).
2. iPhone Update
   I’ve since updated and I’m impressed with the wiggling icons. It makes me feel like I’m playing some sort of old-school, battery-operated game like Perfection. The GPS-like feature on maps is much appreciated and, while note exact when it comes to location, will be pretty damn helpful for navigating around certain Third World States. The addition of multiple pages to put my icons on also makes the fact that Apple will be releasing an SDK more of a reality. I can’t wait to have a slew of apps running natively on my iPhone that do all sorts of interesting and awesome things (here’s hoping for a mobile iChat or Adium).
3. AppleTV Take 2 / iTunes Movie Rentals
   The name, to me, seems like a subtle way of hinting that they may have dropped the ball with the first AppleTV. The new system, with the iTunes Store built-in and improved interface (not to mention lower price point and HD movie rentals) should do much better in all arenas. I’m still content streaming movies and music I, ahem, procure from the internet to my PS3 using MediaLink.
4. MacBook Air
   I will not deny this is probably one of the sexiest laptops I’ve ever seen in a long time, but I don’t think I’d purchase it for a few reasons. If I were to buy a laptop, I wouldn’t want to carry around an adapter for every single peripheral I might need. No FireWire ports means no video editing getting done on this little guy. The hard drive and processor speeds are slower than both other MacBooks in the family (unless you go SSD… for $999 more). There are two very cool things that I like about the machine, though: One is the LED backlit screen. I imagine it’s probably the brightest screen of all the MacBooks… currently. The second, of course, is the Multi-touch trackpad. I don’t know how useful it would be until more programs add support for it, but it seems very neat to me.
   
   In all honesty, I’m looking forward to a revision of the regular ol’ MacBook and MacBook Pro with the LED backlit screens and an option for the SSD drive. I think the MBP, with its plethora of ports and widespread use in the field of mobile video editing would benefit most from an SSD option. Here’s hoping…
   
   All in all, the MacBook Air seems to me to be a supplemental machine. Too much function seemed to be sacrificed for the sake of form. I envision it as a machine you just have around throughout the house: you pick it up to surf the web, check email, or maybe do some chatting, then go about your day. When I look at it that way, it’s a pretty pricey supplemental machine.

So, after all was said and done, this year’s Keynote was…. Fine. I don’t mean that in womenspeak, where I say it’s fine and something is really wrong, either. There was nothing really good or really bad about it for me, and chances are I’ll be picking up one of the products mentioned, so I’m pleased with it. If there’s one thing I’d like to ask Apple, it’s for them to please refresh their damn Cinema Displays already!