Shouting Grounds

I was quite excited to see the new DLC for New Vegas available for purchase, though I immediately regretted starting down the Lonesome Road, not for the reasons you’d think.

I have no idea what is going on with the Fallout series and the continuous technical bugs/glitches that plague the inhabitants of the wastes, but it is getting ridiculous.

SLOOOOOW DOOOOOOOOW — – - — NNS……..

The amount of time I’ve waited between open/closing containers and entering/exiting VATS between the last two DLC released surely outweighs the time I spent commuting to work for the entirety of a month. How can you fail on the process of looting containers? That’s the sacred cow of the Oblivion/Fallout series. I’m actually avoiding opening containers and joy they contain because I know that it will mean sitting and waiting for 1-5 minutes to return to actual gameplay. I should write it as “gameplay” because all I’ve been doing since I entered the Lonesome Road is waiting for the game to catch up. I even tried installing an SSD into my PS3 to hopefully avoid the sort of lockups and freezing problems I had with Oldworld Blues. It maks no difference. The Fallout wiki states that the PS3 may exhibit lockups when too many games saves are “in memory”. I deleted tons of game saves and even proactively deleted the game data force a reinstall and it makes NO DIFFERENCE. Such a waste of potential. I really LOVE this game but it’s become so laborious that I don’t even care about the storyline anymore. I just want to PLAY the goddamned game. I’d say I have to reboot the console every 15 minutes in order get the game into a state that’s tolerable. That is unacceptable. Maybe a software update will resolve these issues, maybe it’s a problem with the ever-increasing size of the gamesave file and not being able to fit into the PS3′s limited RAM, thus forcing swap-o-rama. I don’t know, but something has to give. I’m starting to lose faith in the Bethesda know-how. If Skyrim is anything like this, count me out.

Link

That's a nice polished turd you have there.

All that work to dress up his 360 and notice the horrible grinding noise the disc drive makes right before the end of the video. I sent in one of my 360′s due to that grinding, and the other destroys any disc you put in.
Summary: Microsoft Xbox 360 sucks heavy dick.

Hey, it really works!

It looks like a new game will be coming out for the iPhone, and judging from the video it looks like it still needs a bit of work, and hopefully won’t be too terrible. Obviously this is a different breed from the console versions, and meant to focus on taking advantage of the iPhone’s touch, and motion interface (for lack of anything else). Hopefully there will be some actual lightsaber swordplay at some point. Due for a September ’08 release.

Tags: StarWars, Force Unleashed, iPhone, Apple, App Store

Those with iPhones or iPod Touch devices might be wondering, “if I buy a program on the App Store, what happens if a new version comes out?”

Well luckily that’s all been worked out.  Anyone who has downloaded the free New York Times app and been immediately disappointed by the performance and quality of it have probably noticed the App Store icon on the home screen showing a little number badge on top of it.

If you go to the App Store and follow that notification a similar badge appears in the updates section, allowing you to download the new version of whatever application needs updating.  If you are away from your sync computer, it will install and prompt you to copy the new version over to your sync computer when the phone is connected.  Very slick. 

Nothing like a little som’n som’m to look forward too every now and again.

Tags: AppStore, itunes, iPhone, iPod Touch, updates

Well…Friday I waited in line for over 2 hours to finally give ‘ol Steve some of my hard-earned dosh. I’ve bought Apple products before, but unless I’ve given them as gifts, never kept the fucking thing. This is the first Apple product that I bought for MJS exclusively… I’ll recount the experience before I weigh in on my first 72 hours with the product.

The cats in Cupertino decreed that the new 3G iPhone could only be bought in Apple and AT&T stores starting at 8a on Friday. Guaranteed lines of zealots at the Apple stores…prompting me to think that I’d be safe arriving an hour early to an AT&T store mere miles from an Apple store. Not so much. At 7a there were 35 people in front of me…and every single fuck around me had an EDGE iPhone. I’m not exaggerating. Every goddamn person had a 1-year old, perfect-working-condition iPhone.

Now…I’m moving up from a Samsung a900 on Sprint, so the iPhone is whole milk to me. But I’ve spent some time with the EDGE iPhone and don’t find it to be incredibly handicapped compared to the 3G. The web access is faster, but all iPhones will get the 2.0 software…so we’ll be on a nearly-level playing field from what I can see. The most obvious advantage being that my phone was “only” $199, whereas the earliest adopters got horn-fucked last year.

Back to the lines. AT&T had deployed some Zealot Wranglers to keep the natives in czech, trained in the fine art of counter-intel. The agent for our portion of line was particularly vicious…claiming illogically that she was incapable of counting how many iPhones were available for purchase and beckoning everyone to eschew their jobs and stay in line no matter what happened. Luckily I was able to forward the trouble phone to my cell and remain away from the office until I had blown my wad…others were not so lucky. Two seething and sweaty IT pro’s in line behind me couldn’t handle the pressure and rolled out of the firing line mere minutes before I secured my prize.

With regards to the process, Apple screwed the pooch in my opinion. Last year some anti-zealots hacked their phones and whatever…so this year’s plan was to activate at the store on purchase. That plan will probably be fine after a few weeks…no so much on Friday. The entire central time zone was struggling to activate through iTunes starting at 8a. Case in point, it took the first guy in line over 30 minutes to reemerge with his activated phone. Luckily for us, the AT&T order-takers quickly decided to dump the activate procedure and I got my phone activation-free. And thus the activation process took about 3 minutes later on in the day.

So…you’re saying “MJS, how’s the fuckin phone?”

Pretty goddamn swell. I tried to give it a well rounded rinse over the weekend: making some long-distance calls, listening to a podcast (thousand cuts, y’all), watching a trailer, downloading some free apps from the new apps store, using google maps to find a Panera Bread, etc. Good shit. About half of my interweb browsing was done via my home wifi, but I was most impressed by how quickly the phone hopped from wifi to 3G to Edge when the signal strength demanded it. Definitely some quality there.

I’m impressed so far, and I’m certainly finding every reason to use the thing. However, I vow not to become the asshat zealot that will whip out the phone to counter a pilot when he claims our plane is delayed due to weather. Fuck him.

Video tutorial: unlock iphone

By running Apple Software Update you should see iTunes version 7.7 now available for download.  Even though the App Store doesn’t seem to have a direct link on the iTunes storefront.  A simple search for Super Monkey Ball will let you get to the App Store tab. 

With this single move you can download and purchase a shit tonne of goddamn applications.  Free apps include (finally) AIM, Facebook App, MySpace Mobile App, eBay App, IGN Game reviews, NetNewsWire, Evernote, and all sorts of little games and productivity applications. 

Pay software includes, Bejeweled, Super Monkey Ball, OmniFocus, Band, and christ there’s too much to name.  Seriously, tomorrow is going to kick all forms of ass when the 2.0 software is avaiable.

Or you could just download the 2.0 iPhone update yourself, right now.

Of couse, I can’t guarantee that that update will work properly, and it is known that updating your iPhone or iPod touch with 2.0 software will wipe the phone and attempt to restore from a backup created just before the wipe.  The backup checks what is available and authorized in your iTunes library for the restore so make sure (if you do this) to update using your main iTunes library.

This program is an example of why the App store and iPhone combo is going to be awesome.

Tags: iPhone, iPod, iPod touch, iTunes, Apple, App Store, iPhone 2.0

Engadget reports:

So yeah, apparently that whole attempt to “streamline operations” back in April didn’t go over so well, as Syntax-Brillian — you know, that firm neck deep in panel partnerships and responsible for Olevia HDTVs — has just filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

And so another bargin-bin HDTV manufacturer bites the dust.  Hopefully that company that’s assuming their debt continues the brand, but I doubt it. 

Tags: Syntax-Brillian, Olevia, HDTV, Bankruptcy

Here’s an awesome article on the few discovered glitches in Grand Theft Auto IV.  The swingset glitch looks the most fun so far.  Red, we have to try some of this stuff.  Apparently it’s better in Multiplayer anyways.

Tags: ps3, GTAIV, glitches, Video Games

The update includes the much sought-after in-game XMB (so you can play custom music from your library and interact with the XMB without quiting your game) and trophy support.  Of course these features have been available on the xbox360 since launch, but it’s nice to have these options on the PS3, knowing how it adds to the palyability and entertainment of the console. 

Tags: ps3, firmware 2.40, XMB

HOLY SHIT

KORG will finally come through on a product that I’ve searched for but have never been able to find from any vendor. Congratz Korg, bully!

There’s no information on pricing or when these things will be in my possession. (at least the keyboard, and maybe the drumpads, whoo hoo). Click image for original article.

Update!!

They should be out around christmas time at about 100 bones each!

According to AT&T wireless, you aren’t able to purchase more than one phone as an individual. You’re also now not able to purchase an iPhone if someone else in your household also has purchased one. AT&T, you’ve got some ‘splaining to do!

My guess is that this is a new rule added prior to the launch of the new 3G iPhone model, which is due June 9th at the Apple WWDC. Preventing people from hoarding the new iPhone and starting an entire black market of ebay sales is something AT&T seems to take very seriously. Once the “early adopter” phase of 3G iPhone sales have faded, and there isn’t a cut throat demand to support an underground market, these rules will go out the window….I hope.

This is crazy shit here. I don’t know why they don’t just roll this shit out to the public, or at least soldiers coming back from Iraq/Afghanistan. Why even bother testing on monkey’s at all. I guess there’s a threat that the arm could flail about wildly and gouge out a eye or two, but I think people would be ready and willing to take that risk. Now, if that monkey could remove a bra with one cold, mechanical meat hook, then we’d be in business. That, or auto-erotically asphyxiate itself, INXS style. I’m sure that was next on the test agenda.