12.30.2007
(I apologize in advance if you take the time to read this. It is way to early in the morning and the whole thing is prolly a grammatical and coherent mess. Thanks for taking the time though, I hope you find enjoyment or entertainment in it. PS, if you had a top moment of your year with me, feel free to comment this note and let me know. I may have forgotten all about it when it should be on this list.)
As I sit here on my laptop Stalkbooking the night away, I have finally come to the tremendously frightening conclusion that the year 2007 will be gone in a mere 48 hours. And what better time to come up with a top 10 list of my year's events than now? Besides, if I want to get my list out before Bud makes his, I got to get a jump on this shit.
I'm going to try to put the events in order of relative importance, 10 to 1. However, I am sure that half-way through writing this that I will think if a new event and my order will be all screwed up. I am also sure that I will forget some major happenings, so forgive me and just remind me of them if you think I should have added it.
Here is a list of honorable mentions. They will be mentioned by name only and without a summary. If they are confusing because you don't understand the inside joke, I apologize. Make up the story for it in your mind.
* World Series Champion (In the most important World Series)
* Trip to the Wrong Beach
* Sam Haanpaa, 10-12
* Rule Interpretation by Leia.
* Stomping Goodbye, Mike Lucien
* Off Constantly
* He Threw Up, Right There::point::
* Leitz - "It's A SNOW DAY" Everyone else - "STFU dude, it is 7AM"
* Man Voice
* Kissing the Knuckles
* Inspector 34
* DOWN GOES SOTHMAN!!! DOWN GOES SOTHMAN!!!
* You're YouTube? Seriously? You are YouTube?
* It's Heckler!
* Is that a guy or a girl? Is that Tila Tequilla? What are we watching?
* Are you going to tape me drinking hot sauce, or what?
* She fell over, I didn't know what to do! I went in for the kiss and she fell
* She knocked my tooth out. I tried to get it back in, but I couldn't.
* You two both owe me 10 bucks
* Laps of Victory
* "Hey Girl! Nice ___"
10. FC Lank FTW PT DOS
To some people, it is only intramural soccer. To others, it is fucking intramural soccer. After an undefeated season and the championship in my freshman year, anything less in 2007 would be a complete disappointment. After taking the regular season in convincing fashion, the playoffs would prove to be a slightly bigger challenge. The final game against the law school was an instant classic and the game winning goal by Julian was world-class. Last year, you could say it was luck. This year, we made a statement. I loved every minute of game time with you guys and can't wait till next year. Definitely keep an eye out for that undefeated streak to continue well into the next year.
9. The Nights at Augusta National
When Megan Lee invited me mini-golfing on a late August evening, she told me we would be in for a battle. After some amazing shots and that fucking guitar-shaped hole, we came out in 2nd place. A second place finish in itself isn't really worth writing home about, especially when only three teams took the field for competition. But that night wasn't only about golf, it was about life lessons, friendships, and learning to be tender. Zao Island would be home to tons of other great moments as well this summer and fall. What were the odds that we would see her there? Why is this band covering U2? And who the hell is Dillhole? Oh Zao, 2008 is so far away.
8. That night was A-MAE-ZING
I never saw myself joining the management staff at WVUR. Hell, I didn't see myself doing a lot of the amazing things which happened to me in 2007. But after an application and interview, I found myself tacking the title of news director onto my e-mail signatures and the Evening Source and NewsCenter95 became two words which are now in my Firefox auto complete list as of RIGHT NOW. Since, I have fallen fell in love, engaged, and married WVUR and it was the best decision of my life(if that sounds manly?). With the job came some sweet perks; less sleep, the ability to juggle fruit, my choice of either Nick Kovatch or Katie Coxey as the desktop backgrounds, and the chance to meet Mae. They were really sweet guys who definitely knew how to be clutch like Bryce Drew.
7. Welcome to Sun Prairie, WI
As we pulled into the O'Hare oasis for my second or third pit stop, I didn't really think my stomach(or more specifically, it's contents) would hold out for the day long trip. We were stuck in traffic, learned a great lesson in karma, and I managed to get asked by Bud roughly 284 times why we had to take a detour to a blip in the map, Sun Prairie, which some unfortunately call home. By the end of the day, we got a sweet parking spot, I ate cheese fries out of a helmet, we saw a running chorizo, and 4 months later I am still getting yelled at about those fucking mini oreo cookies. PS Emily, we never got to see the midget hall of fame.
6. Taylor Fucking Twellman
Talk about an up and down season. The Fire started off undefeated through their first handful, sucked through the late spring and early summer, and then were lead on a memorable playoff run on the feet of Rolfey, Conde, and Blanco. One game away from the MLS Cup, Tom and I would watch and cry in our Jimmy Johns colas as Taylor Twellman scored maybe what will go down as one of the greatest goals in MLS playoff history. Here is a link, take a look about 50 seconds in and see what you think for yourself.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKOeZBh1dzU&feature=related
Even though it ended on a sour note, the 2007 Fire season was a great one. Got to see Jason, Teom, and Cait DuBois get into the Fire spirit, which was great. I also got my season tickets for next year, so I got to be pumped as ever for the 08 campaign.
5. Slice That Cheese Romantically (for it will help save the children of the world)
Spot 5 on this list may contain more backstory, drama, hateful txt mssgs, and lackluster cooking than this Facebook note has room for. To summarize, Bud likes girl, girl is bitch to Bud, Bud tries everything including chicken parm, girl is still a bitch. This love story had it's moments, including a hell of a lot of pizza hut, questionable railcat attendance motives, and the saving of babies from death by car. As bitter as it was for you Bud, I don't think any other night that the one you, Jason, and I spent could have capped off the summer any more perfectly. PS, don't worry. No one could ever have made use of those items as well as you could have sir. You are and always will be my badass pimp of a friend who laid it all on the line for love. You sir, are the things of which legends are made.
4. FEILHABER!!!!!
Between working 40 hours a week (about 55-60 if you include lunch and drive time), I didn't have the free time I really wanted to spend with friends. However, if my friends and I found a connection through anything this summer, it was soccer. Jason, Av, Bud, and I followed pretty much every Gold Cup game at my house with viewing parties powered by Chipotle and Jimmy Johns. To cap it off, we added Ple to our party and hit up the Gold Cup final in Chicago. It was the second US national team game of my life and first of two for the summer. It definitely won't be a day I will forget for a long time to come, mostly due to a US win in arguably the best sporting event I will event attend live. Why was it the best? One word: Feilhaber. Just check it out and place yourself live. 60,000 people (about 50,000 of which were cheering for the visiting Mexican side), time running out, your team just suffers and injury, and you see this unfold right before your eyes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcGA2W4d5_E
3. New York times
When I got an e-mail about a lady from a PR firm on Thursday evening about the hazards brought forth by the Nintendo Wii game console, I didn't see myself in New York by Monday. During three days (with about 30ish hours in the car and about 6 in the actual city), I got to learn a lot about what myself and my friends are capable of, how to take advantage of what life throws your way, and that if you really reach for the sky, anything is within your reach. I definitely got to take the trip of my life and the experience of visiting and interviewing Eric Rhey of PC Magazine definitely will be etched in my mind for years to come. As will that hotel room, three damn blue shirts, not snatching, Rockafeller Center, the sweet Apple cube, New Jersey pizza, and that $2.99 pop-up map which got us home when we were destined to drive around the big Apple for hours. Sometimes I look back and wonder really how that trip happened and what really made us consider the journey? Then I realize that sometimes the journey is greater than the destination. Dillon and Jason, I hope you guys enjoyed it as well.
2. New York Times
I really don't know if I will ever have another moment in life as cool as this one was. I guess it may be kinda depressing to think that your capstone moment came at 19, but hell if this is it I am happy. Back in early January I got bored during Christmas break and started a smaller Blogger site to post about Apple and Nintendo (yeah, typical nerd stuff). One story about OS X and a Digg.com front page later, my blog was mentioned in the New York Times. Sure it is one paragraph with a paraphrase and a link, but to me it was the world. Running to Barnes and Noble to grab the print copy of this may have just been the greatest moment of euphoria I have ever had. Here is the online version, again not much, but enough to make my number 2 event of the year.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/06/business/06online.html?pagewanted=all
1. The Break-Up
So here I am, the number one event of my year. The list has been pretty positive so far (besides for Taylor Fucking Twellman) and you would think that I would keep up the trend as I move on to spot numero uno. Ah, but alas you are wrong my good friend. Sadly enough, this event is more somber, more life altering. Definitely for me, the most monumental event of my year was breaking up with girlfriend of four years, Jessica. It was just real hard to get over losing the emotional attachment to someone who was your best friend for a greater part of your over-dramatic teenage years. She was the only girl I ever took to a high school dance, the one who would talk to me for hours when my mom was in the hospital, the one who baked me cookies for my birthday, spent countless hours watching me play soccer just because she knew it was important to me for her to be there, made spaghetti dinner for me and her before new episodes of Growing Up Gotti, and worked through the struggles of our first year apart while I was at college with me. She was the girl who I figured would be sharing stuff like this with me forever, even if I made the mistake of never telling her that. Yeah, I prolly am making too big of a deal about it. Yeah, it was just a teen-year girlfriend. Yeah, I should never get upset over girls, dudes before hoes, don't tase me bros, and all those nonsensical rhymes. Whether I (or you, or anyone else I guess) likes it or not, this event definitely meant more to me and made more of an impact than any other single event of the year. Am I over it totally? Prolly not. Will I ever be? Hopefully, at least I feel like I am moving toward that point, even though it is months later. While this moment may be a depressing way to cap off my 07 list, it is(well, technically was) me and I really can't change that, only build off it and live with it.
Thnks fr th mmrs 2007. I hope 2008 tastes like you, only sweeter.
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I decided to start working on some new year resolutions a little early and make a couple changes to this website.
I am now going to use this as a place for me to keep a personal little blog/journal and write about whatever comes to mind.
I hope you enjoy everything you find. If you have a question or comment, e-mail me at Cameron@CameronBanga.com.
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8.17.2007
So, I was shopping at my local Wal-Mart today and I found this little bugger on display in the electronics section.
I guess I gave a somewhat misleading title by stating that these are new Nanos. The green Nano on the left is actually counterfeit. You can tell by the large screen, USB port instead of an actual iPod dock port, the fact that the click-button is actually a slightly different color than the case, and the fact that the bottom section of the click-wheel has an option for volume instead of the usual play/pause.
Interesting none the less to see that this one somehow slipped into an Apple display case in a Wal-Mart store. Has anyone else seen anything similar to this in their Wal-Mart stores?
Also, since I am posting a quick update, I figured I would also mention this to everyone who was a fan of the WiiChat.com Show. I started a new gaming podcast last weekish. It is part of this new Nintendo gaming community called Rough Gem Gaming. You can find out more about the project at http://www.roughgemgaming.com.
It is a Nintendo based community for people who want to just chill and set up WiFi matches or talk with friends about Wii related news. I encourage you all to check it out. We are running some Madden 08 and Mario Strikers Charges leagues and tournaments, so be sure to check out the forums there if you are interested. We also have a podcast, much in the old spirit of the WiiChat.com Show. You can download it from iTunes here.
7.31.2007
7.24.2007
Are you looking for more Macintosh tips and tricks? I recently started a new video podcast which helps teach Mac users the finer details of OS X. Each episode runs 5 minutes in length or less and uses screen shots or video to help give examples of the lessons being taught.
Check it out here at www.appleinfive.com
5.23.2007
As many of you most likely know, the official Super Smash Bros. Brawl website was opened to to the general public yesterday. The site claims to be giving daily updates on the upcoming Wii game. So far, not a whole lot of new information has been revealed. The most important piece of information released by Nintendo may have been the announcement of all the different musical composers working on the soundtrack.
However, if you take a look at that screen shot, something interesting sticks out if you pay real close attention.
If you check out the "How to Play" icon, you will notice a horizontal Wiimote. Could this hint at a possible control scheme for the Wii fighter? The website is already hinting at a list of possible characters in the game with the addition of certain music composers from famous Japanese gaming series. Could this be another hint that the game will be played with the Wiimote horizontally much like NES games are played on the Virtual Console? Back when the Wii was still the Revolution, Nintendo stated officially several times that gamers should hold on to a GameCube controller for Brawl because the game would not take full advantage of the motion sensing controller.
Again, I must state that this entire theory is just speculative. However, it does not seem too far fetched of an idea. The Wiimote in the icon could have easily been placed vertically instead of horizontally. We must also assume that web designers in charge of the site have a fair amount of knowledge about the game because they have been working with the team and Sakurai-san to produce the website.
Post your comments on how you think the game would play with a horizontal Wiimote control style. Personally, I see it working quite well with the 1 and 2 buttons working to preform attacks. The B button under the controller could preform grabs and shaking the controller could make the character jump.
The official site looks like it will be updated regularly, so we should see some information on the control style soon. Until then, feel free to speculate away. Please be sure to leave a comment with your opinions on the control style and let me know what you thought of this post by e-mailing me at TeenageFanboy@gmail.com
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4.17.2007
For all you Diggnation fans, I just wanted to let you all know about this ringtone I made.
It is a small mp3 file from an episode a couple months ago where Kevin was trying to sing Toxic by Britney Spears.
If you need a way to get the file to your cell-phone, I suggest www.mobile17.com
Here is the file, I hope you enjoy.
http://s11.up-file.com/download3/cfd76c164564_53lgw5qtyt6aa0vs/Diggnation-Ringtone.m4a
Also, for you gaming fans on the site, I wanted to let you all know about my new project. I recently helped launch GamerDebate. The site is a forum/podcast/essay community which revolves around gamers arguing popular topics in the world of gaming. It is a been a success so far and I invite all you gamers to check it out. We're always looking for more gamers to jump into the debates, exspecially PS3 or XBOX 360 gamers. Check it out at www.gamerdebate.com
I'll be getting some more posts in soon.
-Cameron
3.28.2007
So, a week or so ago I was helping my dad with my MacBook. He wanted to watch some snowmobile movie that was on a DVD he had received in the mail. It was one of those homemade kind of DVDs that he most likely overpaid for, but that doesn't really matter. Anyways, I placed the DVD in my MacBook Super Drive and the DVD the DVD became stuck in the drive. I kept pressing eject to no avail. The drive made made a continuous noise that indicated that some sort of problem was occurring, but nothing ever came out.
I decided to search the internet for some solutions and I found very little help. Several topics on the Apple Support forums talked about the problem occuring on a MacBook Pro and these topics suggested the use of a credit card. Several different posters on the forum indicated that the problem is caused when the DVD or CD can not clear the top part of the Super Drive slot. The CD continues to hit the top of the slot and bounce back into the drive, causing the noise.
I initially tried this, but to no avail. I don't know how different the MacBook and MacBook Pro drives are, but a credit card was too thick in my opinion. I had no success with a credit card. The forum posters appeared to be correct about the problem. The top of the DVD was not clearing the top of the drive and the DVD needed to be guided out of the drive. It made sense to use the credit card to guide the DVD out of the drive, but the credit card was too thick.
Then I had an idea, I decided to try a thin business card. The business card fit into the slot with relative ease. I had finally found a tool to help me with my problem.
I must make note quick, I DON'T CLAIM RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY DAMAGE YOU DO TO YOUR MACBOOK WHILE TRYING THIS. YOU MIGHT SCREW UP YOUR COMPUTER THIS WAY. PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK AND CONTACT APPLE BEFORE YOU ATTEMPT THIS.
After a couple minutes or messing around, I found a successful technique. First, insert the business card or any other type of card which has a similar thickness into the drive. Then, position the card so that it is partially on top of the CD. You do NOT want to insert the card all the way into the drive. You want your fingers gripping the card at all given times. When the card is partially over the disc, position the card so that it is centered in the drive with about 3/4 of the card in the drive. The other 1/4th of of the card should be firmly grasped by your fingers. The card should now act as a guide for the top of the DVD. Press the eject button on your MacBook and the DVD should slide out with ease.
AGAIN, I TAKE NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY DAMAGE YOU MAY CAUSE. ATTEMPT AT YOUR OWN RISK.
Anyways, this method seemed to work for me. If anyone else has any suggestions or tips about how to do this any easier, feel free to leave a comment or e-mail me at TeenageFanboy@gmail.com.
Check out WiiChat.com!
Subscribe via iTunes.
Digg this podcast.
Check out our MySpace.
Join our Facebook group.
Sorry, I skipped a couple of weeks.
3.14.2007
So, last week the WiiChat.com crew traveled up to New York City for an interview with Erik Rhey for the WiiChat.com Show. Erik is a Senior Editor for PC Magazine. To check out our interview with Erik, visit this link.
Upon arriving in New York, we headed straight to the Ziff Davis building. The Ziff Davis building itself was extremely impressive. When you walk in the door, you are immediately greeted by two large plasma TVs and a large display case with the latest issue of every magazine that Ziff Davis publishes. We were met in the Ziff Davis lobby by the Rosen Group PR representative who helped set up the interview. An elevator took us up to the PC Magazine office on the 11th floor of the building. This might be off-topic, but the elevator was easily the fastest elevator I have ever been on in my life. The elevator went up 11 floors in about 10 seconds, no joke.
When we exited the elevator, we were greeted by Erik in front of two huge glass doors. There was a keypad at the door to keep out any unwanted visitors who would happen to get past the security in the lobby. We introduced ourselves to Erik who let us take a free issue of the latest PC Magazine from a sweet little display stand which held about 20 or so issues. We then began our tour of the PC Magazine labs.
Erik used a nifty little thumb pad to open two large sliding glass doors. When I say large, I mean real large. These doors were abouy the size of two to three regular doors put together. Once the doors opened, we entered into the PC Magazine labs. This was just a nice sized room enclosed in all glass walls where the different PC equipment they test could be found. My first thoughts upon entering the room all revolved around the sheer amount of tech equipment which could be found in the room. I would assume that PC Magazine sees a lot of computers in their office. However, I didn't really know that so many would be set up at the same time. At first glance, the room seems to be really unorganized. However, after Erik gave us the tour I realized just now neat and orderly it is. Computers are sorted based on what purpose they serve for the magazine. New PCs for review are in one area. Another area might house computers which are used for testing MP3 players. One area was full of printers. One of the most popular areas was full of iPod accessories. It was apparent after the tour that the iPod accessory market is definitely a market with staying power. PC Magazine might need to hire a new editor or two just to keep up with all they latest iPod stereos they will review.
The area of the laboratory that drew my attention the most was the video game area. Three large televisions were set up. One housed a Wii, another housed a X-BOX 360, and you guessed it, the last housed a PS3. Before the interview, I was skeptical as to if a PC Magazine editor had enough gaming knowledge for an interview on Wii injuries. This tour put to rest any questions I have. These guys are serious gamers. Erik and I were talking about this and he really explained it well. The PS3 and the 360 have expanded gaming to the point where a magazine like PC Magazine must cover these machines because they basically are PCs. Erik also stated that as a tech magazine, the Wii must also be represented because of the massive impact of the console in the tech world.
The people we met in the PC Mag labs were all great too. They all had a real love for technology. Any question we had was immediately answered with the utmost authority.
After our tour, I had my interview with Erik. The interview was held in the PC Magazine podcast studio. On our walk from the PC Magazine labs to the podcast studio, we walked through a decent amount of cubicle space. If you have ever seen the 1UP Show, you should have an idea as to what the cubicles look like. Basically, just imagine plain cubicles full of tech goodies. This was a decent sized conference room which they dedicate to their audio podcasts. If you search iTunes, you can find these podcasts with no problem if you want to see what kind of content they put out. If you watch our video interview, you will see Erik and I sitting at a table. In the corner of the room, a similar table is set out with 4 nice microphone/headsets. It was a pretty sweet set-up for a audio podcast. As a podcaster myself, I found this room really interesting. It was cool to see the audio set up they use in order to have an extremely professional sounding podcast.
I had a great time at the PC Magazine office. Thanks again to Erik for the tour and the interview, it was really awesome. If it isn't apparent through my blog and video podcast, I have a real passion for technology. I also enjoy writing and sharing my opinion about technology. It was really cool to have the opportunity to see how people with a similar passion make a living through writing about technology.
A wise man once said,"Pics or didn't happen." I didn't take pictures while at the office. However, I have put together this low-budget model of the PC Magazine office floor plan. This should help give an idea as to what the office looks like. Hopefully, this will verify that the trip did in fact happen.
Last week, I was was given the chance to interview Erik Rhey of PC Magazine with regards to Wii injuries. Part of the WiiChat.com crew and I traveled from Northwest Indiana up to New York City to visit Erik in his office for the interview.
Below, you can find the interview. I believe that it turned out very well and it gives great insight into Wiinjuries from the viewpoint of a media professional. Erik might write for PC Magazine, but he definitely knew his gaming.
The interview is in two parts. I hope you all enjoy it.
Part 1
Part 2
These excerpts come from episode 7 of the WiiChat.com Show. To check out the rest of the episode, please visit the link below.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1425256284959615919
For more information on Erik or PC Magazine, please check out their website, PCMag.com.
3.13.2007
3.10.2007
3.06.2007
Today went unbelievably well. Dillon, Jason, and I found our way into New York quite easily. We found the Ziff Davis building no problem, but parking was a bitch. We had to park a decent distance away.
I'm not going to lie, the Ziff Davis building was pretty impressive. PC Magazine Senior Editor Erik Rhey gave us a sweet tour of their labs before our interview with him. I might post more about that tour at a later time.
While in New York, we visited the Nintendo World Store. The building was unbelievable. It was a Nintendo nerd heaven. Tons of DSes and tons of Wiis to game it up with. If you need a classic controller, hit them up. They had about 200 in stock on shelves. No regular controllers or Wiis to be found for sale though.
We also stopped by the Apple Store on 5th Ave. It is the Apple Store with a big class cube as an entrance. It was pretty sweet, but I kind of prefer the Chicago store.
Anyways, more on the PC Magazine interview in a later post. My interview with Eric Rhey will be found in episode 7 of the WiiChat.com Show which should be out early next week. Thanks again to Erik for the interview. He was a really cool guy. IF you have time, be sure to check out his stuff at www.pcmag.com
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3.05.2007
We're almost there. We just arrived at the hotel. We are only about an hour and a half from downtown New York City.
The trip was great. It might have been the best 12-hour car ride of my life. Anyways, a lot of work is remaining before tomorrow. I can't wait to head downtown and enjoy the Big Apple.
More updates tomorrow
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We're off. In the next three days, our WiiChat.com Show team will be heading to New York City in order to interview PC Magazine editor Eric Rhey. I will be posting on this blog regularly with updates. I hope everyone continues to check it out while we are on our journey.
More to come soon...
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3.04.2007
I recently stumbled upon a project which really drew my interest. I have been a huge Zelda fan for a long time. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is easily my favorite game of all-time. The music in the game really helped bring the experience to life.
The project which I discovered was the ZREO project. The ZREO project is an attempt to recreate every song ever in a Zelda game. This ambitious project began about 4 years ago. Recently, the team discovered a new sense of fame with their Soundscapes series. I recently had a chance to talk with FireGS and Master of Zelda about the project. Here is what they had to say.
Cameron: Thanks for giving me the chance for this interview.
Master of Zelda: It's our pleasure!
FireGS: Thanks for having us!
Cameron: How about you guys introduce yourselves and let us know what you do for the Zreo project.
FireGS: Okay, well, I'm FireGS, or Fire for short, and I'm the one who started this project four years ago, and also the one with the task of rewriting, mixing, and editing all of the music you hear.
Cameron: Cool
Master of Zelda: Well, my name is Master of Zelda, MoZ for short, and I am the art director and co-web master for ZREO. Basically what I do is keep the overall look and feel of the site consistent through its aesthetic design.
Cameron: So, the project started 4 years ago, how old were you guys when you started?
FireGS: 14, I believe. Maybe 15.
Master of Zelda: Oh jeez, I have to think about that. I joined in November 2004, right Fire?
FireGS: Yep.
Cameron: So, to those who are interested in this kind of thing, you definitely don't need to be 20 or so to start up a similar project?
Master of Zelda: I would have been 18 years old.
FireGS: Not at all. You just need the will to follow through. That's what opening and closing three times has taught me.
Cameron: How would you describe your experience level when you started the project?
FireGS: Nothing. I had very little experience.
Master of Zelda: Well, looking at the quality of the CD Covers I did back in 2004, I only had one or two years experience with graphic design.
Cameron: You must have grown a lot in the last couple of years, each song of yours which I have listened to has been amazing. Fire, why the Zelda series over any other gaming series?
FireGS: Well, it was the first game series that I really enjoyed. The N64 was my first game platform, and Zelda was the first RPG/Adventure game I played. Since then, no other series has caught my attention like the Zelda series.
Cameron: Ah, that makes sense. So, when you started the project, what was your initial goal for the project?
FireGS: My first intentions were to see if I could, with the help of about five others, redo all of the tracks of OoT. I saw 82 tracks and thought that would be VERY difficult, and time consuming, so I figured, lets do that one.
Cameron: Did you want to basically create an identical version of the songs or were you looking to add your own flavor?
FireGS: Add it's own flavor, where applicable. Songs that had a folk theme to them, like Gerudo Valley, Lon Lon ranch, etc., wouldn't, and couldn't' have its folk instruments replaced with something else.
Some songs we try to keep true to the OST, but others, we can take more artistic liberty on, example, The Shadow Temple.
Cameron: Cool. Master of Zelda, why did you originally jump into the series?
Master of Zelda: Well, my mother always jokes around and says it was because she played the original version when she was pregnant with me. But I became really attracted to the series when A Link to the Past came out. I was in 2nd grade and remember hearing the awesome music and graphics. That's the game that hooked me.
Cameron: When did you two meet, are you friends in real life or did you meet on the Internet? What is the story behind that?
FireGS: MoZ, you like this story, go for it.
Master of Zelda: Well, I had just gotten a job at HTLOZ II earlier in 2004, and Fire was looking to affiliate with sites. He IM'ed one evening asking if HTLOZ II would be interested in affiliating with ZREO. I had no idea who this guy was or what ZREO meant.
Cameron: Ah, I used to love HTLOZ.
Master of Zelda: He showed me his musical project and the songs his team had created. I instantly fell in love with the music and offered to make art for the site. We've been friends ever since.
Cameron: Nice. So, when did you release the first song to the public?
FireGS: Well, the funny thing, I had released three songs, Deku Tree, Kokiri Forest, and Kotake & Koume's Theme first. I advertised it all over the place, for other musicians to hopefully find, and join me. There never was any grand opening, or anything, like there was this past December with the most recent version of our project. The first version of the site was nothing more than a white page, and text.
Cameron: Nice. You say that you began with three songs, how many songs have you made as of right now?
Master of Zelda: 130 are available on the site right now.
FireGS: And many more to come.
Master of Zelda: Oh yes, MANY more!
Cameron: What is your ultimate goal for the project, do you see an ending point?
FireGS: At the moment, we don't have a final goal. One could say that getting ALL of the songs completed is the final goal, but there will always be new Zelda games. Thats a great thing, we'll never be out of a job!
Cameron: On average, how much time goes into each song?
FireGS: Presently, the average time given is about 6 hours. Some songs require days and weeks, and others only a few hours from start to finish.
Master of Zelda: Tell him about Hyrule Castle!
Cameron: Which song up right now has taken the longest period of time?
FireGS: Its a tie, actually. Between Hyrule Castle from LTTP, and End Credits Redux from OoT. Hyrule Castle, I just feared to do. If it wasn't done right, It would be horrible. End Credits was just a lot of work.
Cameron: Approximately how many hours would you guess were put into those pieces.
FireGS: I can't even measure them for Hyrule Castle. Easily a months worth of time, on and off, writing, and rewriting. End Credits took about four days, non-stop.
Cameron: Wow. OK, no thinking, you must answer quick! What is your favorite song and why. For both of you.
FireGS: Ocean Redux.
Master of Zelda: My favorite song, without a doubt, is Hyrule Castle. It just has that foreboding atmosphere... and a sense of mystery about it. Historical in a sense I guess.
FireGS: It embodies the adventure theme that I remember from playing OoT.
Cameron: Sweet. Personally, my favorite might be the Twilight Princess title theme. Just because that song gave me chills the first time I booted Twilight Princess after I brought home my launch Wii.
FireGS: If there were actual words spoken in the game, by the choir, we could have the choirs speak them as well!
Master of Zelda: It was the first time Nintendo brought back the original Zelda title theme.
Cameron: I also enjoy pretty much every Ocarina of Time song though, especially End Credits Redux
FireGS: Well thank you!
Cameron: This might sound geeky, but I took some of the MP3s I found on your site and turned them into ring tones for my phone.
Master of Zelda: I really really enjoy Gerudo Valley Redux! I feel like dancing when I hear it.
FireGS: Nice!! I'm glad to see things like that happening!
Cameron: Item catch plays when I get a text message.
Master of Zelda: Hmm... ZREO ring tones... that might be a new product idea for the site. What do you think Fire?
FireGS: I don't see why not!
Cameron: Do you both own a Wii?
FireGS: Yep.
Master of Zelda: Sadly, I do not. I'm a poor college student at the moment. I plan to get one when it becomes available in black.
Cameron: I would assume that Twilight Princess is your favorite game on the system, besides that, what else is great.
FireGS: The new vote system is insane. When I should be working on stuff, I'm on there voting. Why? I don't know. Its just addicting.
Master of Zelda: I really enjoy Smash Bros Melee, obviously. Who doesn't? But I also think Resident Evil 4 and F-Zero GX are amazing games that should be experienced! I am referring to GameCube. Haha! I did try out WarioWare: Smooth Moves at a friend's house though! That will be my first game when I get a Wii! It is really fun!
Cameron: Nice. Eh, I am mixed on WarioWare. We reviewed it on our show, you should check out our review sometime.
Master of Zelda: I was watching it a minute ago before the interview started, actually.
Cameron: So, you recently received quite a bit of attention on Digg.com. How did that turn out?
FireGS: Amazingly well. The week we hit the Digg homepage, we received 3.5 Million hits. average of about 250,000 visits a day, from a 10,000 visit a day average.
Master of Zelda: We've also sustained 125,000 unique hits per day since then.
Cameron: Wow. Amazing! I guess that will help motivate you with the project.
FireGS: Indeed, we have been recognized by a few people worth mentioning. Valve Software is a subscriber to our Announcement list, as well as EA Games in Salt Lake City.
Cameron: Congratulations, you really deserve the attention. It is an amazing project.
FireGS: I recently got an e-mail from Gabe Newell, co-chairman and project lead of Half-Life 2, who enjoys our music and our site. That blew me away. The guy's worth millions!
Cameron: Wow, that is amazing. Well, we are about time with the interview. Any last thing you would like to let your fans know?
Master of Zelda: It's really weird to be having these big-rig people visit our site. But it shows how widely spread the love for Zelda really is! Zelda brings us together.
FireGS: Yes, there is a LOT more projects from ZREO in the coming months, and check our site every week, we will always be updating! Thanks for listening to it all!
Master of Zelda: Last thoughts... keep visiting the site, because we have a lot of cool plans and such that will really blow your mind away!
Cameron: Thanks for the interview guys! I hope to do it again in the future!
FireGS: Likewise!
Master of Zelda: Thank you!
2.26.2007
2.21.2007
5 reasons why the Wii launch was more successful than the PS3 launch...and five reasons why it was worse.
0 comments at 9:53:00 AMWhen a big name video game console launches, heads turn. Last fall, a heavy-weight titan launched a week before the little white console that could. Three months after these launches, it is much easier to compare the pros and cons of each launch. As a Nintendo fanboy, I am quite content with the fact that Nintendo has out sold the PS3 thus far at nearly a 4:1 margin. However, it has not been a complete cake walk. Today, I want to take a look at how Nintendo could succeed so well while making many mistakes with their North American launch.
Five reasons why Nintendo has a better launch then the PS3.
1. Launch games - Some people have stated that the Wii is currently in a software drought. I would highly argue this. Hands down, the Wii had a stronger line-up of software then the PS3. Many Wii titles might have been last-gen ports, however those titles still produced relatively great games. The Wii also has a great amount of GameCube games which are much more relevant to gamers because NO ONE owned a GameCube. These games are brand new to many of the 4.5 million Wii owners. Nintendo has also dished out some great games through the Virtual Console. Many great hits are now available for cheap downloads.
2. The system is fun - I arrived home at about 1:00 AM on November 20th, 2006 after waiting at Wal-Mart over 12 hours for a launch system. Upon entering the house, my mother was waiting up in order to play "that tennis game I saw them talking about on CNN and NBC." People like my mom don't understand Blue-Ray and what it does for gaming. They do realize that swinging a remote control like a tennis racket can be fun.
3. The Wii is a social hit - The "Wii would like to play" commercials were a hit. Playing was believing. Upon returning back to college with my Wii, I found my room full of people nearly twenty-four hours a day playing Wii Sports. WarioWare and ExciteTruck have kept our interest lately. The system is a social phenomenon.
4. The price is right - $250 was about $50 more than I had originally hoped the Wii would be. However, nearly everyone I have met finds this price to be more than satisfactory. The system is the cheapest of the next generation consoles and it arguably offers the most fun. What a bargain.
5. Modesty - I have not seen the Regginator offer $1200 for any Wii found lying on a store shelf. Miyamoto did not state that the Wii would sell 5 million units even if it didn't have any games. Nintendo has been much more modest then their competitors thus far. Consumers seem to be loving this corporate attitude.
Five reasons why Nintendo had a worse launch then the PS3.
1. Nintendo failed to build up enough hype - People waited in line for over 48 hours in order to buy a PS3. This pre-launch hype might not benefit Sony right now. It will benefit Sony in the future when the price of the system drops and parents see "that thing that people waited 3 days for" at an affordable price.
2. Lack of an on-line vision - Sony seems to have a decent plan ahead of them with their online network. Nintendo has been a mixed bag. The Virtual Console has been a success, but what about the other online components? We know very little about Nintendo's future online plans which has scared away many potential buyers.
3. Availability - While the PS3 hasn't sold as many units as the Wii, Sony has been outgoing with the fact that they have ramped up unit production. I have seen PS3s in store and have had the opportunity to purchase about 20 of the units if I wanted to. I have not seen a Wii in store since launch night. Nintendo needs to ramp up production in order to meet demand. This also applies to the DS Lite. The portable brother of the Wii has been almost as hard to find in the same period. People can't buy units if they aren't available.
4. Wiinjuries - Injuries caused by playing the Wii have been the only cause of bad press for the system so far. Web sites have been formed in order to showcase horrific bodily injuries. Wiimotes flying through televisions have also been the focus of many fansites. Nintendo did take quick action by changing the Wiimote strap design. However, that doesn't help the guy who tore his ACL or the family with a hole in their new 42' plasma.
5. Nintendo still has the kiddy image - Games like Sadness and Manhunt 2 look to fix this problem. Nevertheless, Nintendo still has a "kiddy" reputation in the gaming world. Nintendo needs to fix this problem by luring in several big name third-party developers in order to ditch the long standing image and win over the hard-core gaming audience.
These are 10 small things that I saw present throughout the Wii launch. Like the list or not, Nintendo still had a very successful launch. Still, 3 months do not determine a console race. It will be interesting to see how Nintendo's system preforms in 2007.
2.20.2007
Note from Cameron - Here is a great review that Tom Platte, tech director of the WiiChat.com Show, put together for our show. You can find the short version of the review in episode 4 of the WiiChat.com Show. However, I highly suggest that you check out this full-length review in order to get a good idea of what the game offers.
Tom's Review for Those Cheap at Heart
Beyond Good and Evil - Review by Tom Platte
Let it be known I love RPGs and good stories. Such views may change the outcome of any and all reviews.
STORY:
I’ll get right to the meat of why this game was so good and why it let me down on occasion. First, the best part of this game: the characters. No other game has had such amusing characters. I use the word amusing because, of course, your longer games (RPGs) are going to have better character development, more dynamic characters, etc. On the other hand, Beyond Good and Evil has by far the most entertaining characters in any game I can remember playing. Although the main character suffers from the all too common cliché stock character of the enigmatic individual out to safe the world, this time with a camera, the supporting cast will blow the average gamer away. From the main characters that the player doesn’t control down to the simplest walrus-man walking the streets, each has intensity and humor not found in any characters in other such games. What other game has a pig with fart powered boots, or a blundering knight who routinely shouts “Carlson and Peeters!” (the local code of ethics), or Jamaican Rhino repair men. I guess that I’m selling the main character a little short. It is rare to see a female hero that isn’t oversexed, and despite the slightly revealing clothing, Jade is probably one of the best heroines this side of Samus. All together, the characters help to not only complement the plot, but also to provide ample amounts of comic relieve to a surprisingly dark game. Which brings me to the main story: there is only one problem with this story. I mean, it’s slightly cliché, yes, the evil alien race and the mysterious foreign army combating it are (surprise surprise) working together (you realize this within 10 minutes of booting up the disk). Without giving away too much I can say that a slightly epic story springs forth detailing the adventures of main character, Jade, and varying sidekicks, gathering information for the local resistance newspaper. This story does have a good dynamic in the “photographing evidence” portion and the characters move it along fantastically. It is also surprisingly dark for the art style and the oftentimes childish humor (which is very well done, but still Nicktoons friendly). It’s difficult to explain the reason for this darkness without revealing the plot, so I’ll move on. There is one huge problem with this game: just as your questions are beginning to be answered, the end hits you like a ton of bricks. It sucks. It’s downright horrible. The final boss leads you up to some great epiphany and instead, THE END. That’s it. My friend loves the ending, but I needed more closure, mostly because the game is short (10 hours, maybe 15 if you try everything). The developers were clearly hoping for a sequel, but that doesn’t look promising the way this one sold, so instead we’re left with a sorry excuse for an ending.
Pros: Amazing characters
Good story dynamics
“CARLSON AND PEETERS!!!!”
Cons: A bit Cliché
Horrible, horrible, horrible ending (maybe even worse than FFVII)
Story: 7/10
GAMEPLAY:
Yeah, this is really what matters I guess, at least to the “normal” gamer. So here it is plain and simple. This game does a lot of things amazingly well. The game play at first feels like a Zelda clone (the stick combat felt a lot like sword). However, as you progress through the game, you realize this game is much more based on stealth, after all it would make little sense for a rogue reporter to run busting in and beat the living crap out of all the bad guys and then collect evidence. Actually the combat and stealth systems are very like the Prince of Persia games, also produced by Ubisoft. Stealth aspects of the game were well done. They are neither too hard, nor necessarily painfully easy. However, at times the lack of enemy type (after the first “dungeon” or so get used to seeing the generic soldier enemy, as that will be more or less all you’ll be facing) leads the combat as well as the stealth to be a bit of a chore. The game makers clearly made up for this by making the aforementioned soldiers incredibly fun to defeat. If there’s one thing I can say for sure about this game is that it was meticulously put together. Puzzles were relatively easy and never felt like much of a bother, but once again, they were generally something everyone has seen before. All in all the combat, stealth and puzzles were average; entertaining, but not really innovative. Luckily all of these features functioned fantastically. Although somewhat dull, I never got frustrated with overly difficult stealth or painfully difficult combat (the exception may be the final boss, but once you figure out a pattern, even that proved manageable). I would say that overall the difficultly seemed very on par for the length of the game and the type of combat. It defiantly felt more balanced than, say, Twilight Princess (in which relatively difficult dungeons led to painfully easy bosses). However, what saves the game play from being overwhelmingly average is the photography portion of the game. Taking photographs of the wildlife is your main source of income, and is, mercifully, very entertaining. Overall the process is very reminiscent of the “scan” feature in the Metroid Prime games. (Huh, Zelda and Metroid, I wonder if Ubisoft was going for something here…). Photographs also played a big part in the main story, as you would have to collect enough photos of evidence for the ability to move farther along in the level. This was a cool feature in relation to the stealth. I really enjoyed the way the game made you feel as if you were in constant danger that was not easily overcome through your sub-par combat skills. Each “evidence” photograph not only advanced the story but felt like a true accomplishment. In addition to the photography aspect, every once in a while the game would through in a very innovative or fun sequence. Whether it be an interesting boss sequence (which, although very few in number, proved to be quite fun), or a fixed camera sprint away from guards, Beyond Good and Evil defiantly threw its share of curve balls with a skill and wit. Overall although dull at points, and unoriginal in many senses, the game play easy keeps your attention for the 10 or so hours it takes you to complete the story.
Pros: Reporting/Camera aspects well done
Fun sequences
Stealth/Fighting well designed and relatively entertaining
Cons: Fighting can easily become a chore
Needs more enemy types
Short game
Gameplay: 8/10
LITTLE STUFF:
By “Little Stuff” I mean controls/camera/sound/graphics. First of all the controls worked perfectly fine. Occasionally the “zoom” feature of the photo camera seemed sluggish, but it wasn’t a big deal. The game camera worked very well with the c-stick controlling. The fixed camera which popped up at times was helpful for solving puzzles. Every now and then, generally while fighting, the camera became a slight issue, but this occurs in all action/adventure games, so once again, no biggie. The sound was perfect. The music was amazingly done. The voice acting complemented the already amazing characters excellently. The little things the music crew accomplished in this game are likely the most amazing thing. I would go as far to say as this game has the sound of any game I’ve ever played. The graphics were cartoony in the style of Timesplitters. Character looked nice, although environments looked slightly flat. All in all not great graphically, but it is still merely a Gamecube game. These little things may seem slightly unimportant, but they are what brought at best was an average game to be a game that everyone should defiantly try to play.
Pros: Perfect sound/voice acting
Responsive controls
Well controlled camera
Cons: N/A
Little Stuff 10/10
OVERALL:
Despite the fact that Beyond Good and Evil was a very average action/adventure game, the things it did well, the little details, the characters, and the simple feeling of fun you had when playing it made it a great game. If this game were to be perfect, I would have liked to see more depth in length, more enemy types, and a good ending. I would say that if you are able to find this game in a bargain bin or used that the 10 hours are well worth around a bargain price.
Pros: Characters
Music/Voice Acting
“Reporter” aspect
Cons: THE END
Short
Not many enemy types
Overall: 8/10
2.13.2007
2.12.2007
Really, I am not trying to game the system. Hell, I will even submit this story myself. If you are going to bury the story, bury it because I did a self-submission. Don't bury my idea. I want to propose an idea to the Digg community.
Is it remotely possible for 5% of the Digg community to "Digg" one single story?
I am a huge Digg user. I visit the site 2-3 times a day in order to get my tech news. I listen to Diggnation weekly. I pretty much bleed yellow, blue, and that olive green color.
So anyways, I was sitting in bed last night after checking out Digg. A quote popped into my head. It is a recent quote from Kevin Rose.
Now, as the site has matured and we regularly get 5,000+ content submissions per day, we believe there are better ways to discover new friends based on your interests and what you’re digging. So if you have been digging stories about digital cameras and Oolong tea, you will be introduced to other top users with those interests.
We’re currently working on designing and refining the technologies required that will help enable our nearly 900,000 registered users to make real connections that we believe will greatly enhance the Digg experience – whether you’re brand new to the site or have been on Digg since the beginning. We plan on rolling this out in the coming months along with features and programs that do a better job of rewarding positive contributions to the Digg community.
The 900,000 users kept sticking out in my head. I was curious; would it be even remotely possible for only 5% of the users on Digg.com to digg the same story? It really doesn't seem like that hard of a task on paper. 5% is nothing. If only half the registered users on Digg actively participate on the site, only 1 out of every 10 would need to digg a story. Not too bad, right? At least 5% of Digg should be active diggers.
It sounds easy until you actually look at the numbers. 5% of Digg users digging the same story would result in over 45,000 diggs. The most story on Digg with the most about of diggs is the Apple iPhone announcement with 21186 diggs as of this writing.
45,000 diggs would double the amount of diggs for the most dugg story of all-time. A story which was dugg by 5% of registered users would see more diggs than the deaths of Steve Irwin, James Kim, and Saddam Hussein COMBINED.
Is it still possible to have 5% of Digg users digg one story? Most likely not. Digg has grown into a internet behemoth where only a small portion of members actually participate. Hundreds of thousands of people might visit the site everyday and click a few links. However, stories on Digg will never be an accurate representation of the interests of the viewing population until more users actively voice their opinion and digg stories.
So, will any story ever be dugg by 5% of the Digg population? I doubt it, however it would be quite interesting to see the reaction around the community if one digg. I can only imagine the comments.
2.10.2007
I have a friend who kind of pushed me to write this post. He is a big fan of internet fads and tenancies of internet users. We were discussing our loves for the internet and everything that goes along with it. After several minutes of conversation, we decided that several fundamental rules applied to the internet. These are ten commandments which should be comment knowledge to all users.
I hope you all find this entertaining.
All right, let's do this...TEN INTERNET COMMANDMENTS!!!!JEEEENNNNKKKIIINNNSSS.
10. If you don't know, Wikipedia that shit. - Need to find out who was CEO of Ford Motor Company from 1985-1990? How about the history of Sega? If you don't know, Wikipedia has the answer.
9. NSFW really means, NSFW. - If you see a little (NSFW) by a link on any web page, don't click unless you are willing to deal with the worst possible image of all-time. This can apply in many situations. Goatse, Tubgirl, and anything involving an infection are usually great links to stay away from. Don't believe me? Try a Google Image search.
8. You are never the 1,000,000th visitor to a web page, you will not win a prize. - I don't know why people ever believe that these are true. However, if you ever receive an pop-up stating that you are some milestone visitor to the page, forget it. You didn't win shit.
7. Why the fuck are you not using Firefox? - I apologize for the harsh language. However, if you are using IE, what the hell is wrong with you? Save your computer and use Firefox as a web browser. You will thank me, I promise.
6. Since you downloaded Firefox, try other open source software too! - Firefox works great, doesn't it? You know what the best part about it is? It didn't cost a penny. Great things in life can be free! Why not download OpenOffice? It is nearly identical to Mircosoft Office and it also doesn't cost a penny. Use Skype to talk to friends, get rid of spyware with AdAware, or try out Thunderbird for e-mails instead of Outlook. Tons of great things are available online for free!
5. Become bi-lingual. - In the business world, knowing two languages is becoming more important each day. In the internet world, the same problem has occurred. However, it isn't necessary to learn Spanish or Chinese. The internet language is l337 son. And if you don't know it, you're gonna get pwn3D!
4. Use RSS feeds for news. - Nearly every news site on the internet today has an RSS feed. Check out the RSS feed for your favorite site so that you don't have to load the web page every time you want information. Don't know what an RSS feed is or how to use one? Wikipedia that shit.
3. Learn to use Google and learn it well. - Many people might claim that they know how to use Google, or any search engine for that matter. The truth is, most people have no idea about how to use Google effectively. You need to learn Boolean search techniques as well as which worlds help get you the best results in order to get the results you need.
2. Bookmarking works wonders. - Do you ever find a site that peeks your interest just a little? Bookmark it! You never know when that site will become useful once again. Firefox has bookmark folders which work great for keeping large amounts of sites on file. You could also try out a social bookmarking site like Digg or del.icio.us
1. Don't pirate with Limewire! Use BitTorrent, it's faster! - If you need to download anything off the internet, be it a video podcast, legitimate programs, or legal music; use BitTorrent over Limewire or direct downloads. It is a faster service. It also doesn't use precious bandwidth that a direct download takes from a web host.
I hope you guys enjoyed the list. If you have additions, feel free to e-mail them to TeenageFanboy@gmail.com or leave a comment.
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To find any kind of info about a person or business, you should always start with internet yellow pages. It doesn't matter if you want Seattle hospitals, Fort Knox schools, Phoenix restaurants, yellow pages can assist. Yellow pages can assist in finding just about anything you can dream of!
Here is the second episode of the WiiChat.com Show. In this episode, we take a look at a Wii ModChip, Godzilla, and reader e-mails!
Check out WiiChat.com!
Subscribe via iTunes!
Digg this podcast!
Hey everyone, here is a new little project I have been working on. This is episode one. I am a little bit behind with posting these on the blog. I hope you check it out! Be sure to leave me your opinion.
Also, I ask that you check out the site that this podcast is for, WiiChat!
Subscribe via iTunes!
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2.05.2007
I was reading through Digg.com today when I stumbled upon this. The preceding link is a list on Wikipedia which consists of unsolved problems in many different scientific fields. While the Hadwiger-Nelson problem and the existence of one-way functions are interesting, these topics do not make great blog articles. I have decided to work toward something of which I have slightly more expertise. Thus, I present the top ten unanswered questions in the world of Nintendo video games.
10. L is real 2401.
Ten years have passed and some questions still haunt the millions of gamers who have played Super Mario 64. Is L real and will he come in the year 2401? Many have speculated that this refers to Luigi being a playable character in the game. However, Luigi is not a playable character in the original Nintendo 64 classic. Nintendo has never commented officially on this matter.
9. Is the Tri-Force in Zelda: Ocarina of Time?
Today, it is accepted fact that the Tri-Force is not obtainable in Ocarina of Time. Back in 1998, this was one of the most highly debated topics in the gaming world. Today, many still search for the Tri-Force in this legendary game.
8. What happened to Nintendo Pennant Chase Baseball?
The game was all but finished when it was shown to the public about two years ago. Many speculated that MLB licensing agreements led to the cancellation of the game. One would believe that Nintendo would not scrap a finished game which was so close to launch. They would of created a fictional world for the game or something. Today, it is still a mystery as to what happened to Pennant Chase Baseball.
7. Does SEGA realize that Sonic sucks?
Sonic and the Secret Rings will see a Wii release in about a month. Will it suck? SEGA has almost enjoyed killing off their best intellectual property over the last five years or so. Does Sonic still have enough speed left to out run the forces at SEGA which are trying to kill off his existence? I guess that we will find out in a month or so.
6. Why don't the Miis in Wii Sports have arms?
Miis have arms when they are being created. However, once an innocent Mii is thrown into a game of Wii Sports, he or she immediately loses their arms. I mean, just look at this picture. It doesn't even make sense.
5. Why doesn't Zelda have a definite time line? At least, why doesn't Nintendo ever explain the story as a whole?
I was searching for Zelda time line data and I found this little time map by SteveT and Masamune. This time line is ridiculous. No offense to SteveT or Masamune. They did a great job. I just think that Nintendo should answer some of the questions regarding the story for their fans. The story is way too complex with too many conflicting events. Zelda fans deserve story closure.
4. What the hell happened at the end of Beyond Good and Evil?
This game screams sequel. The end of story is epic, yet it leaves many unanswered questions. Just what exactly happens to Jade and friends?
3. What will EA Sports do with John Madden Football after John Madden dies?
Does EA have a vault full of thousands upon thousands of hours of John Madden voice recordings? Just what will happen to this series years down the road? I guess only time will tell.
2. Is Master Hand playable without a GameShark in Super Smash Bros. Melee?
Can Master Hand be unlocked somehow in Super Smash Bros. Melee? Some have argued that he is hackable with a GameShark and that he has a valid move set. This might not ever happen, but it is interesting to think about.
1. Will we ever see a release of Super Mario 128?
Many claim that Super Mario Galaxy will actually be "Super Mario 128." However, I disagree. Many would love to see a true sequel to Super Mario 64. We want a sequel which takes place in the Mushroom Kingdom. Will we ever see a true Super Mario 128?
I hope that you enjoyed my look at 10 gaming mysteries. If anyone has any information which would answer any question I proposed, feel free to e-mail me at TeenageFanboy@gmail.com or by leaving a comment.
2.04.2007
For those of you who are unaware, I have started have been working extensively on a project for the website WiiChat.com. It is a video podcast which focuses on the gaming world. If you haven't checked it out, I suggest that you visit the forum for the vidcast here.
Some members of the WiiChat.com forum sent us e-mails requesting to see the set in which we work. Right now, it is a pretty low-budget operation. We taped the second episode last night and managed to grab some pictures of the shoot.
Dillon and I are going over some last minute stuff before we begin the shoot. The Cherry Coke really helps a sore throat.
Our expensive lighting solution. Total cost, $14.78 at Menards. If take a look at the difference in lighting between episode one and episode two, you will see a nice improvement.
My final read through of the script before we begin the show.
An overhead view of the set. 
Finally, here is a shot from the finished episode.
Hope everyone enjoyed this small look into the WiiChat.com video podcast. I will work toward getting episodes of that show on Teenage Fanboy this week. For now, if you would like to view that show, check out the link to the forums here.
You can also subscribe to the show on iTunes by clicking here.
2.02.2007
Ah, good old Dashboard. This feature of OS X is usually the most loved or most unknown part of the operating system for most users. Dashboard has a nearly limitless amount of uses. Some widgets are for fun, like hangman or Texas Hold'em Poker. Widgets can also help increase your productivity. Today, I am going to focus on some Dashboard widgets which can help increase productivity.
Widgets are great because they only require a button push to open. Web searching or specific internet tasks can be sped up greatly with the help of widgets. Here are 10 great widgets with a short description as to why it is helpful.
1. Dictionary - I use this widget all the time. Great when reading a homework assignment which uses scientific words which you might not know the meaning of. This widget also comes in handy when writing a paper. It has a build in thesaurus in case you can't quiet decide which word you want to use to describe what you are feeling. This widget comes built into OS X.
2. Calculator - Don't dig around your computer desk for that old solar-powered calculator. Use the calculator widget. This widget also comes standard with OS X.
3. Business - Do you often find yourself searching through the Yellow Pages? This handy widget will find any business you want. Just enter in what you are looking for and you will receive a number and address in no time. This also comes standard with OS X.
4. People - Pretty much the same concept as the Business widget. This works great when mailing party invitations. Don't search through the phone book for each name. Just type in the first and last name of the person you want and search. This widget comes standard with OS X.
5. CallWave Text Messaging - Send text messages for free to any cell-phone in the U.S. or Canada. This is great if you want to send someone a quick message, but you don't want go find your cell-phone. It also works with Address Book so that any name and number you have in that program is easily selectable. This widget can be found here.
6. Gas Price Finder - Need gas? Check the prices of all local gas stations before you head out. Could easily help you save a couple cents per gallon every time you fill up. This widget can be found here.
7. Google 2 in 1 - The ultimate Google addition to your Dashboard. This widget has a lot more features than the standard OS X widget. You have the ability to search maps, images, froogle, video services from Google. It also gives the recent news stories below the search bar. This monster search widget can be found here.
8. iStat Pro - Want to know how your Mac is running? Check out this widget with an impressive feature set. Check out your disk space, memory info, and the temperature of your system with this sweet widget. Extremely customizable. This widget can be found here.
9. Translator - I am currently in my second semester of Japanese. This widget is very useful when I need to find a word to use in an assignment. Translates into 13 different languages. Very helpful for anyone foreign language student. This widget comes standard with OS X.
10. Digg RSS Widget - Great if you like keeping up with tech news like I do. This widget checks the Digg.com RSS feed and gives you all the top stories through your Dashboard. Click on any story subject and a link to the story is immediately opened in your browser. This great widget can be found here.
I hope everyone finds these widgets useful. Obviously, this is is only a small list which contains some of the best widgets OS X has to offer. For more great widgets, check out Apple's website here. Feel free to tell me about your favorite widget by e-mailing me at TeenageFanboy@gmail.com or by leaving a comment.
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