Shouting Grounds

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.

If anyone has thought about calling Microsoft for help, you might as well staple your dick (or cunt) to your forehead, then do a back bend. I was just told by a supervisor at Microsoft XBox support that I had two options when dealing with my latest xbox 360 problem, I could either pay them over $100 to fix it or hang-up the phone.

According to her, there are no other authority figures that you can speak to once you’ve spoken to her. She only has a first name (Crystal) but no last name and no employee number. They all have email addresses, but they will not give them out. Every time you call about an issue you are treated like you had never called before. If their representatives don’t keep accurate records on your account then that’s your problem, not theirs. If you have one problem they will replace your system for up to three years, another (possibly more serious) problem and you have to pay for the repairs. You basically have two options. You can either pay or hang-up. They will refuse to help you nor care about the time and money they’ve taken from you because they are unable to take responsibility for their actions. There’s no accountability because the person you deal with is interchangeable and no empathy because all responses are scripted. Microsoft is truly the worst company I have ever personally dealt with and I will NEVER pay them another dime and I vow to dedicate all remaining effort to discourage ANYONE else from purchasing their products or services.

I just bought an N64 from a garage sale for $5. It came with Golden Eye and two controllers. It was very poorly kept and seemed to have grass and dirt inside the console. The cartridge slot was not in good shape either. Guess what….the fucking system works perfectly. My Dreamcast, which I bought back in 1999, works perfectly. My Saturn, which I bought second hand around the same time, works perfectly. My Nintendo from 1986, WORKS FUCKING PERFECTLY!!!

I’ve had 4 Xbox 360’s since 2006, and guess what….they are ALL FUCKED!!!!! Now the latest problem is that the system is chewing up my game discs!! hahahaha, fucking awesome. Not only does the system lock up in the middle while playing but it’s chewing up my $60 games, making them useless coasters, isn’t that fucking sweet!!! Thanks Microsoft!! That’s great to know that this problem-that’s costing me more money as time rolls by-is NOT covered by my warranty. Thanks Crystal, for being a useless, stonewalling CUNT! My hats off to you! There are so many more important problems in the world but I can’t avoid being insanely pissed off by such a large company SHITTING on people who shell out good money to support their products.

It is with this I leave you with my final solution. I will be filming the destruction of my Xbox 360 Pro system. I will crush the fucking thing on film then proceed to piss all over it. If you’re all lucky I will also take a huge muddy shit on it’s fractured husk. Fuck! That’s what I should have done the moment I bought it, because that would have saved me thousands of dollars in games, accessories, and online purchases. Would have been the smartest thing I could have done after having bought the thing at Circuit City.

I leave you with a trip down “Fucked by Microsoft Lane” buffeted by photo highlights of the life and death of my xbox 360’s. Fuck em all!

UPDATE

If you visit the website referenced in the support document image above you get this fucking bullshit…

UPDATE 2

Everything left that works is going out the door.

eBay Auction

WARNING - Though it sounds at the beginning of the video that the amplitude of the recording will surely blow your fucking ears in, it’s, in reality, just a poor compression on the video. It will play at a reasonable level when it does get started. NO NOT FEAR!

I am totally fucking excited to see this come out. First the DS-10 virtual synth from Korg, then this home brew sample scratcher. Awesome! Definitely check out that video.

The interface reminds me of a mini-version of the JazzMutant Lemur or Dexter. So as long as you can overcome the smaller screen realestate, you can have a similar touch-based music interface box, though it’s not multi-touch, and probably not very customizable. So scratch that (pun intended), I guess the only real comparison between this and the JazzMutant offerings is they both deal with music controls and both sport similar-looking interfaces. Still very exciting.

Original project web page

UPDATE

After doing a bit more research on this project, it seems that there’s more here than meets the eye! Along with the scratching and loop triggering, there’s MIDI output via the Nintendo DS’s wifi radio, as well as the ability to utilize the DS’s built-in microphone to live-record audio clips for use in the software! Shit, if I had this little thing on the train, I’d probably miss my stops, for fuck’s sake!