Definition

Best 'new' word due to the mars rover(s): telemetry.

Not only does it sound cool, but it means something cool:

telemetry: 1. The use of telecommunication for automatically indicating or recording measurements at a distance from the measuring instrument.

So, "telemetry," I salute you. Congratulations and hazaah!

Concerning RSS Feeds

Have you ever heard of an RSS feed? Disturbingly, many people on the 'net have not. It's almost completely replaced all my routine web browsing. RSS is basically a "news" syndication format. To receive RSS feeds, you need a "news aggregator." I use NetNewsWire on my mac. There are similar products available for PC.

So why is it worth bothering with? Well, I used to spend a lot of time surfing around 10-15 websites every few hours or so looking for news, updates, etc. Using NetNewsWire, I have a list of my favorite 10-15 websites on the left, clicking on one of them brings up the latest headlines and clicking a headline (usually) gives a summary or intro of the story. If I like what I read, all I need to do is click again and it launches that story into my browser.

Newsfeeds, however, are not limited to strictly news. For example, if you look at the bottom right of my site, you see I have an RSS feed available that will give you my latest 10 posts I believe. I've also got a feed that shows the "Top 25 Songs" on iTunes for the day. (The feed is completely customizable, which I find really cool.) Also, news feeds are not limited to plain text. They can have formatting, pictures, etc.

If you haven't tried out a new aggregator and RSS feeds, I suggest you do so. It's much better than reloading webpage after webpage -- oh, and did I mention there are no ads? :)

YAAAAAAaaaAAaaaAAaaaAAAA!!!!!

We all need a president who can scream like this.

wtf?

Nintendo Announces Dual-Screened Portable Game System; ``Mystery'' Product to Launch Later This Year

E3Expo 2004

REDMOND, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 20, 2004--An unprecedented approach to video game play -- holding two separate game screens in the palm of your hand -- hits the scene later this year when Nintendo introduces a new portable game system, code-named Nintendo DS.

From information made available today, players can look forward to being able to manage their game progress from two different perspectives, enhancing both the speed and strategy of the challenge. For example in a soccer game, users can view the whole game on one screen while simultaneously focusing on an individual soccer player's tackle or goal on the other screen.

Players will no longer be forced to interrupt game play to shift perspective, such as moving from a wide shot to a close up, or alternating between a character's ongoing battle and a map of the environment. Nintendo DS makes it possible to perform the tasks in real time by simply glancing from one screen to the other.

Today's announcement is but a glimpse of the additional features and benefits that will be shown in full at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in Los Angeles in May. Once fully revealed, players will see innovative advances in game interaction.

"We have developed Nintendo DS based upon a completely different concept from existing game devices in order to provide players with a unique entertainment experience for the 21st century," explains Satoru Iwata, Nintendo president.

Nintendo DS features two separate 3-inch TFT LCD display panels, separate processors, and semiconductor memory of up to 1 Gigabit. It's scheduled to launch worldwide before the end of 2004.

In addition to Nintendo-developed software, the company is in discussions with third-party game developers around the world.

Nintendo DS will be marketed separately from the company's existing Nintendo Game Boy(R) Advance portable system and Nintendo GameCube(TM) home console.

The worldwide leader and innovator in the creation of interactive entertainment, Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, manufactures and markets hardware and software for its popular home and portable video game systems. Each year, hundreds of all-new titles for the best-selling Game Boy(R) Advance and Nintendo GameCube(TM) systems extend Nintendo's vast game library and continue the tradition of delivering a rich, diverse mix of quality video games for players of all ages. Since the release of its first home video game system in 1983, Nintendo has sold more than 1.8 billion video games globally, creating enduring industry icons such as Mario(TM) and Donkey Kong(R) and launching popular culture franchise phenomena such as Metroid(TM), Zelda(TM) and Pokemon(R). A wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of America Inc., based in Redmond, Wash., serves as headquarters for Nintendo's operations in the Western Hemisphere.

Toxic Bunny Killers

So, I picked up iLife '04 which, among other things, includes GarageBand.

Short explanation: PowerBook + Geetar + GarageBand = l33t musics.

I took about 30 minutes and put this together. It doesn't suck or anything, but it's certainly not anything amazing. I laid down three guitar tracks -- rhythm, lead, and a bassline. The drums are one of the gajillion loops that comes with the software. It was a proof of concept if anything. :)

Summation: GarageBand is really cool. If you own a mac, buy it. If you don't own a mac, buy a mac and then buy it. But really, it's quite impressive. The audio subsystem in OS X is such that you aren't dealing with ANY lagtime like you would in windows (unless you have an ASIO -- asynchronous i/o -- soundcard; e.g. Audigy...but there's still a slight lag). The included "amps" that come with it are damn cool. And the way it stores what you play, you can change the amp you used AFTER you recorded. Basically it's doing real-time effects on playback not recording. Not to mention you can tweak all of these, and purchase extra ones from the GarageBand "Jam Pack"

That is all.

Currently playing in iTunes:
Blackened from the album
...And Justice For All
by Metallica

Purchases

Two to report:

1. Zelda Kubrick Figures

These guys are just too cool. They come with swords, bombs, rupees, etc.

2. The Cream of Clapton

Quality stuff here. Everyone should own this album. Only $9.99 at my favorite only music store.

10:03 AM

First day of classes.

On the schedule for today: Epistemology, Physics of Musical Sound, and Human-Computer Interaction for Computer Scientists. w00!

The good news this semester is MWF my earliest class is @ 10:30. TR my earliest is 1:30...bwahaha. Last semester I got screwed and had a class at 9:30 or 10:30 everyday. Being that I didn't end up falling asleep until 3am, that kinda made the whole last semester very tiring.

I'm also deciding between by "StuCo" (student taught) class for the semester. It's either going to be "History of Video Games" or (and the one I"m leaning towards) "Programming for the NES." The programming sounds more fun, but more work. We'll see.

Currently playing in iTunes:
It's A Fire from the album
Dummy
by Portishead

a few pics

Here's me and a few others doing the Windurst mission "Under the Stars" where you needed a party with a White, Black, and Red mage to open the sealed door. Cool effect.

This is the majority of the #gamemusic crew. A few people are missing...we'll get everyone eventually.

Currently playing in iTunes:
One from the album
...And Justice For All
by Metallica

Gonna get on the microphone down at Walmart..

One artist has single-handedly revitalized my faith in modern music. His lyrics are blunt, crude, but deeper than most lyrical shit thrown out by the majority of artists. Recently he's put out a series of EPs:

Sunny 16 @
Speed Graphic @
The Bens @
(iTunes required obviously)

If I had to recommend you one, I would tell you to purchase Sunny 16. It's like 5 songs and I happen to like all of them. Speed Graphic is pretty nice as well. The Bens is a departure from his normal "sound" and is..."interesting." 'Bruised', however, is a nice track from that EP.

So who am I talking about? Ben Folds.

I didn't care much for his "hit," 'Brick,' but the stuff he's done lately is just really pure. Oh, and the man can play the piano like no one's business.

Also, a brief note about iTunes -- or cool online music shit in general -- I love it. Not only can I find music that I never would have stumbled upon before, but I can send other people links to music saying "hey, check this" -- and voila, now they're discovering new music. I am of course biased to iTunes, but most people would agree it is the best online service out there.

I encourage you to try it...if only to check out the good music I've talked about above.

Currently playing in iTunes:
There's Always Someone Cooler Than You from the album
Sunny 16 - EP
by Ben Folds

Testing!

Just testing out a desktop blogging program for OS X. So uh...test...test...1..2..3..

Onto the tests:
bold
monospace

Currently playing in iTunes:
Love of Strings from the album
Exclusive - EP
by Moby

That is all.

Mars

Ah, I love all this mars stuff. I watched the re-entry/landing live on NASA TV. You've never seen a bigger room of nerds so happy (short of a LAN party or something). The thing I have been really impressed by (aside from the amazing pictures) is the press coverage. I thought it would be completely ignored, at most only mentioned in between stories about the latest terrorist plan I should be scared of. However, quite to the contrary, there's been decent coverage -- CNN *much* better than Fox News.

Oh ya, and this made my day: