New Years Spam!!!

Post whatever you want (offensive and inappropriate content will be deleted).

(Source: Acrylic Style Music Group Blog)

Why Google dropped Gears in favor of HTML5

I'm only writing this since a lot of people have been looking at the fact that Gears might be on it's way out and saying this is because the Gears install base was small, or that it was a failure or that they're just not being evil.

It's actually none of the above, if anything regarding the last reason this is could be considered more evil, even though it's for the good of the web (and they barely pushed the product as is to call it a failure or say that the install base was too small).

The thing is, Gears was always intended to be a sort of alpha test version of HTML5, it was just going to be a project where Google (or someone outside of Google) would add features the web doesn't have yet and over time they'd write these things up as standards and then slowly phase the feature out of Gears in favor of web standards.

Now I'm guessing one of the problems that have arisen with Gears was the phasing out part, being that many developers would just support Gears instead of bothering with HTML5 at all. Leaving a problem where browsers like Internet Explorer 6 would keep it's market share being that major HTML5 features are just being brought over to it.

And then here's the questionably evil part (it's not really evil but it is a very competitive move), the thing is the most recent WebKit builds support almost every HTML5 equivalent of every Gears feature (Web workers, local storage, offline database, application caching, geolocation... only missing features are complete Drag and Drop support, Binary data, and desktop shortcuts which isn't in HTML5) so at some point Chrome will have these features without the need of Gears.

Now Google can't guarantee that every browser will support these features, but they can guarantee that their own browser does. So in the event that a Google site may require an HTML5 feature and is not being viewed in a compatible browser, it may suggest installing Google Chrome, giving Google more market share and the ability to guarantee that their users get the browsing experience that Google wants them to have, forcing other browser vendors to adapt to new specs quickly else they risk loosing market share or being Chrome framed (this could also be tied to the many corporations that have been going Google lately).

Now Google isn't your 90s computer company, they don't want to control the playing field, really they just want everyone to play their best since that is to Googles advantage (more potential advertising money). This is why Chrome was made in the first place (think about the fact that Safari 4 and Firefox 3.5 have made huge jumps in speed compared to their predecessors).

So I got bored and made this

Acrylic Style iGoogle Gadget

Add it to iGoogle:

So far it works in iGoogle, Gmail, Google Calendar, Wave (though all it does in Wave is embed an iframe of the Acrylic Style site), I haven't tested it in anything else yet (my main goal is to have it running in every OpenSocial/Google Gadget container).

Oh and for IE8 users, there's a webslice on the site that displays this gadget also.

W3C Capture API draft

Ok, I was going to write a post about how Google is killing off Gears in favor of HTML5 and how a lot of the features that Gears was going to have won't see the light of day (mainly Camera/Microphone access), but now that doesn't matter much as Intel, Nokia, Deutsche Telekom (owners of T-Mobile) and the W3C came to save the day by writting up a draft spec for a Capture API that allows Javascript to access webcams and microphones.

Right now though the spec is pretty limited (especially since it calls apps on the device to do things and not the browser itself), and it doesn't do as much as Google had planned for the Gears spec, but as long as it's in the W3Cs hands for someone to step in and revise it (preferably someone from Google, Apple, Mozilla or Opera) I'm happy.

It'll take ages to hit a final draft though (as with all things in the W3C).

(Source: Ajaxian)

Boxee Beta

They also unveiled a Boxee Box by D-Link and the design team that worked on the XBox 360 and Ailenware computers, scheduled to come out Q2 in 2010 for $200.

(Source: CNet)

Just testing out Wave embeds

EDIT: Finally got it to work. ^_^

LouisGray.Com - Still Waiting for An Evil Google? It's Not Going to Happen.

He said it better than I ever could've.

PlayStation R∞m Video

I wonder if this integrates with games, or if it has any 3rd party developer access on the lines of Home.

(Site: PlayStaton Japan)

Chrome OS revealed

Demonstration


UI Concept


Look at that, I was on the mark.

Though a lot of features haven't been displayed which is to be expected since Gears has sort of been put on the back burner, though I'm getting the feeling that Gears might be disappearing over time so that Google can just focus on Chrome, but I'm not sure.

One thing that bothers me, which has continually bothered me is the fact that a lot of people didn't realize what Google was going to unveil. When Google first announced Chrome OS they said it's only going to do what Chrome can do, now there's all sorts of people saying it's a disappointment (even ReadWriteWeb has an article asking if it was) because it does nothing new.

It was never intended to be your Windows, Mac and Linux killer from the get go, it's really just Google getting a head start on what they envision for the web, though in the end the big strategy is to get more users on the internet, using the internet for more things, or using the internet exclusively over the old desktop OS I doubt they think that'll happen over night.

I was surprised to see that they haven't pushed out all of the planned features for Gears or Chrome before displaying Chrome OS, but then I realized that they plan to take their time with making this great as with every Google product.

EDIT: And to all the people who are bothered that Chrome OS won't work on your existing hardware (your Mac, Linux, or Windows PC), just install Google Chrome, BAM! there you're done.

Silverlight 4 rundown

Honestly if I wasn't such a web nerd, I'd swear from the first few things they mentioned about being "converted over to the Microsoft minions" and being a "Silverlight evangelist", I'd swear this was some colt introduction video.

But aside from that, Silverlight 4 is awesome boasting a 200% speed increase and a lot of new features such as multi-touch, camera and microphone access, drag and drop, copy and paste, right-click and mouse wheel support, app notifications, the ability to call external programs for tasks like editing documents or sending e-mails, the ability to read and write files (though limited to the MyDocuments, MyMusic, MyPictures and MyVideos folders or non-windows equivalents), the ability to access devices and other system capabilities (like grabbing files from a USB drive), and the ability to place HTML right in your Silverlight application.

Now all Silverlight needs is hardware accelerated 3D and support for joystick input.

(Source: Channel9.msdn.com)

Blu-Ray digital copy to PSP

How long ago was this announced?

I'm glad Sony's finally following through with things they've announced or said (I'm still waiting for Friends List access on the PSP though).

(Source: Joystiq)

Internet Explorer 9

(Finally I get to embed Silverlight videos in this blog)







Ok, so Microsoft announced that they're working on Internet Explorer 9, which they only started on 3 weeks ago so it's not very far yet, but already it's faster than Firefox 3.5 (still doesn't beat Chrome 3 in speed though). Best of all though, it already supports all CSS selectors and has support for border radius, and they plan to have this iteration pass the Acid 3 test which means faster javascript and SVG support.

Now all they have to do is support the CSS media queries, transitions, transforms and opacity, the audio and video tags (which they've talked about supporting) and Canvas.

This really made my day.

(Source: Ajaxian)

Facebook coming to PS3

I'm a little disappointed here, not really in Sony but more in the fact that Facebook is now on consoles of the big three hardware gaming giants (DSi, 360, PS3) it makes the social networking competitors look sad.

Maybe one day Sony will push their deal with Google to including Google account linking to the PS3 for several apps (they already have YouTube, but it'd be interesting to see Google Talk, Calendar and Picasa for communication, events and photos respectively).

(Source: Engadget)

At Last!

2010 is going to be a great year(at least for me). I graduate in January, I hopefully will see Utada "In The Flesh" in February, and in March a brand new Final Fantasy comes out and into my ps3. It's been worth the wait, If I had this game now I would be a D+/C student, but I'm a B+/A student because I have no video games to distract me. Anways I can't/can wait!

Team Typhoons 6.10 Hen on PSP Go

This isn't being released for whatever reason, but it's great for giving homebrewers hope.

(Source: QJ.Net)

Gundam 00 Movie Trailer

(Source: BakaMonster)

So... the Droid's good

Video Games - E3 2009 - Attack of the Show

Ok, the reason why I went with Attack of the Show to post this was because I've been aware of Kevin Pereiras habit of comparing every phone they review to the iPhone and I wanted to know how he felt Droid faired against it.

I'm glad despite the lack of style, small keyboard and useless d-pad (same stuff I've heard on every review) that it still got a 4 out of 5.

I think for a company that has long left a bad taste in my mouth, Motorola deserves applause here.

(I'm seriously waiting for a SnapDragon powered Android phone that supports LTE and/or WiMax though)

Ubuntu 9.10

Downloading the beta as I type this, I've heard a lot of good things about 9.10 lately so I decided it was worth posting.

EDIT: It's out now, go to Ubuntu.Com to get it.

Facebook Facelift

Facebook Facelift - Home & Profiles from wearetol on Vimeo.

Gotta love design nerds!

Old, but as relevant as life itself

For those who grew up watching Cartoon Network in the 90s like I did.

Gundam vs Gundam Next Plus

Yea, I don't get the title either (I still want this game though).

(Source: QJ.net)

PlayStation 3 motion controls

I find it a little scary that they would suggest this control layout (Wand + DualShock).

I hope Sony comes up with a better solution in the future, maybe a DualShock controller that splits into two halfs.

A freestyle

(Source: AcrylicStyle.Com)

PSP GO hacked

After having hacked my Wii and looking at the PSP homebrew scene before custom firmware, I honestly feel that we need something like the Homebrew Channel for the PSP.

An exploit that'll allow unsigned code to run on the PSP without modifying the firmware.

Custom firmware is great and all but this would be very useful as a backup option, especially for people who don't want to risk too much with their PSP.

(Source: Kotaku and QJ.Net)

Look at the URL and you'll understand

You can find more music like this at AcrylicStyleDotCom.

Yea, I'm not going to give any more hints or info on this.

Trying to start a trend

#AmIAlone?

Unnoficial iPhone/iPod Touch Widgets

You know, I've kept wondering to myself from looking at how Google Gadgets basically run everywhere, how comes Apple and Microsoft haven't enabled support for their widgets on their other platforms (web, mobile, gaming, tv, etc).

(Source: QJ.Net)

Ummm.... Yeah

Remix


Original


(Source: Engadget)

Google Chrome Frame

I've been waiting for something like this for ages (I'm not alone), and now Google provides it.
There's a lot of talk though, and people don't get the point.

I keep hearing "this is stupid, why would anyone want this, they should just install Chrome instead".

This isn't exactly for users, but more for developers, there are users who either don't know anything about web browsers (i.e. the ones who think that blue "e" means internet), people who can't because they're at work/school, or people who just don't want to because they're afraid to try anything new on a computer, etc...

Internet Explorer has been holding back the web for ages, and this is just a small work around for certain features such as the canvas tag, the audio and video tags, SVG support, faster javascript and faster rendering of websites altogether.

And with future updates to Chrome and WebKit coming such as the O3D plugin built in, Native Client plugin built in, WebGL, and the long overdue updates to Gears (camera support, microphone support, file system access, image manipulation, etc), etc... Chrome Frame will look more and more like an advanced, open standard and open source version of the Flash and Silverlight plugins.

They're not trying to push this as a substitute to using Chrome, they're just trying to keep Internet Explorer (especially IE6) from slowing down adoption of HTML5 and new web technologies.

Which is all apart of Googles plan, gain more supporters of the web as a platform by enabling it everywhere.

(BTW, I added Chrome Frame support to this site just for fun. ^_^)

This blog may switch back to Disqus soon

Here's why. ^_^

Also to note, I switched the Acrylic Style Blog back to Disqus (mainly due to ease of use).

I like JS-Kit and all, it's certainly full of great features, but sometimes that isn't a good thing and it feels like a lot of clutter for such a simple feature (plus Disqus' recent updates have been tempting).

EDIT: They just added Blogger comment syncing (almost instantly, lol).

Only posting this because I have nothing else to post

Video Game - E3 2009 - Videogames

I love how Nintendo execs talk, it makes the console sound better than it is.

Seriously though, the Wii needs some new features (preferably updates to it's online functions) or they need to release a Wii 2 or a Wii 1.5 (maybe a Wii with an upscaling chip), anything would be nice really.

Summer Wars

Looks cool, even though I've no idea what it is about (hopefully there'll be a translation somewhere along the line).

(Source: bulknews.typepad.com)

A Chrome OS comment

(Click to see what I commented on, and to comment on this)

http://creativeprocrastinators.blogspot.com/2009/07/on-google-chrome-os.html
^Already been said.

Lol, it's annoying to see the press all jumpy for the Chrome OS hype when a lot of it's features have been revealed in Gears, Native Client and O3D documents.

Like if you check here: http://code.google.com/p/gears/w/list

You'd know that Chrome OS will support a lot of features through Gears such as cameras, microphones, photo editing, file system access, and even binary data.

And I bet in a month or two, they're going to hype these features like they're something new.

and I don't know why everyone's assuming this OS will be entirely cloud based, even in the distant future that isn't ideal. It's why Gears was invented.

And even on this blog you revealed that GDrive will be a syncing tool (http://googlesystem.blogspot.com/2007/01/closer-to-gdrive-and-google-lighthouse.html) similar to Microsofts Live Mesh.

Google said everything from the start.

And everyone has to stop assuming that because of this the desktop is dead, it isn't dead it's just Google is pushing to have the web as the defacto platform for applications.

Remember they said this regarding mobile app stores (http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2009/07/google-app-store/), now take in mind that Gears is also on Android.

I'm done typing.

Snow Leopard So Far...

So I just installed Snow Leopard, which only took about a hour to 48 minutes. It isn't that different from Leopard if you have been keeping up with the updates. But I've been using it for about 5 minutes(which isn't enough time to see all that Snow Leopard has to offer ) , so here are just a few pictures below of what's new:

"Passions", "Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence - FYI" & "Flavor of Life" By Utada "Hikki" Hikaru

What should be an easy task of just picking out three songs from Utada Hikaru, a very talented J-pop/R&B/Experiential artist, became such a hard task. So I came to a conclusion that no matter what songs I choose from her it's going to be good.

The first song, which might be one of her greatest songs ever, "Passions". This version of the song honestly gives me the chills! I swear she is one of the best singer alive.


Next is "Flavor of Life", which was number 2 in worldwide digital download yearly single chart with over 7.2 million downloads in 2007.



Finally "Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence - FYI", which I feel like was one of her stronger songs off of her 2009 Album "This is The One".

Finally

Get your Portable ID!

(Explained in my previous post)

Google Wave

I'm extremely anxious to get my hands on this product and to get the ability to add my own extensions to it and so forth, but there are quite a few questions lingering in my head regarding Wave.

As usual with every site on the internet, I'm going to make a list.

1) Is Wave interoperable with regular XMPP accounts? Will it be?

2) When logged into Wave do you appear online to regular XMPP users?

3) Will Wave have any integration with e-mail?

4) What does Wave mean for video and voice chatting? Will Wave have this functionality?

5) In the end what will become of Google Talk and Gmail?

6) How will Wave replace e-mail alerts? Will it?

7) How will Wave notify you of messages when you don't have the client open?

8) Will Wave support storing messages offline?

9) Will Wave have themes?

10) Will Wave play nice with OpenID and OAuth?

All in all I have a few opinions but not many ideas (as this honestly milks a lot of them), so I'll just leave it at that.

Marissa Mayer X Digg

(Source: Blogoscoped)

On Google Chrome OS

So, I've decided to talk about it after all, being that the web hype has died down and that every site I seem to look at seems to blow what this is completely out of proportions and glorify it as the next best "Windows killer".

Chrome OS is nothing but Google Chrome atop of a Linux kernel, it'll do nothing that you couldn't do with Google Chrome on Windows, Linux or Mac. The applications that Chrome OS supports are the same one's Google Chrome supports, end of story.

Googles only goal in creating Chrome OS is to gain market share for Google Chrome, lower the market share for IE6, get people to use the web and web apps more (this doesn't necessarily mean the cloud though, I'll explain later) and get a larger userbase for web developers to be able to use HTML5 and standards compliant code in their sites.

Now the other thing about Chrome OS that alot of sites have seemed to skip is [again] the fact that all apps that run in Chrome will run on Chrome OS. So every time I saw a blog or a comment that said Chrome OS will fail since it can't run native code, I'd always point them to Native Client and the fact that Google plans to integrate Native Client into Google Chrome (thus meaning that Native Client will also come to Chrome OS).

And as for those who say Chrome OS will fail because it requires the internet, I point them to Google Gears(which it already built into Chrome so that's self explanitory).

And then the biggest assumption I keep hearing is that Google plans to use Chrome OS to push the cloud computing industry, now that's a large possibility but I don't think that means that they plan to abandon offline computing. I think one of the longterm goals here is to standardize the desktop the same way the web has been standardized whilst using that to push use of the web further, think of it as Adobe Air on every PC with a few much needed additions like Native Code support.

All in all, I'm waiting to see what this means and if my predictions are right. Plus I'm waiting for Mozilla, the company that never sleeps, to start on their own Firefox OS or something along that line.

Echo

Ok, so when I had first switched comments to JS-Kit, I felt the interface was ugly and that I couldn't wait for Disqus to add Blogger syncing and Friend Connect support to bring it back to this blog.

Now I find it bearable and I like the fact that the JS-Kit team was ahead of me and added the ability to change the theme of the comment box with CSS, plus over time they started to add features that other services don't have like Google Friend Connect support and so on, so I stuck with them.

Now my reason for sticking to JS-Kit is even larger as they've displayed a large upgrade to their existing commenting system called Echo.

Now I don't mean to advertise for them but Echo is this great expansion to commenting that in real-time draws comments from sites all over the web about your post to your blog, allowing you to increase engagement ten fold via sites like FriendFeed, Twitter, Facebook, even Delicious.

I think just for posting a blog post about Echo I've also posted on their example pages comment box.

All in all to end this post quick so that I don't go off on a rant, I plan to increase engagement on this blog through FriendFeed, I was originally going to code this crafty comment box that'd take comments from FriendFeed and Google Friend Connect but instead I'll just go with JS-Kits Echo.

EDIT: We just got the ECHO comment box on our site, still don't have the cool social gestures feature yet though (I plan to pay for it in the future).

No IE6

We don't support IE6 on this blog (because it's too much of a hassle to design for) and I hate it alot so to help the hundreds of anti-IE6 sites out there, I'll make a list of stop IE6 campaigns that I know of on the web.

IE6Update
Bring Down IE6
Hey IT
StopIE6
Stop Using Internet Explorer
End6

I'll update this as I go...

XBox 360 Ads

I find this to be pretty cool, I know most gamers will find some sort of problem with it but I honestly feel that it makes the 360 feel a bit more lively. I feel that sometimes we need ads, a nice short break to take your attention off of your repetitive gaming habits every once in a while couldn't hurt.

I'm wondering what happens when you click on the ads though.

(Source: Kotaku)

Become a fan of Acrylic Style on Facebook

Not much else to say but that.
(Source: Acrylic Style Blog)

Wow!

(In this case, treat the title as an acronym)

I'm not sure what category this goes in, whether it be a documentary or a comedy but I'll leave that decision up to you.

Chrome OS

I was going to post about Chrome OS as promised, but I've had too much work on my hands lately with the Acrylic Style website.

But fret not, Mashable has an article that states everything I've been thinking (and saying to friends).

New Coca-cola cans

Coca-cola has released 5 new can designs for the 2009 summer. I don't really have to much to say about them (I prefer Pepsi).

Official Google Blog: Introducing the Google Chrome OS

Official Google Blog: Introducing the Google Chrome OS

I'll comment on it in a bit.

The Chronic-What?-cles of Narnia!

I know I'm late (at least to heavy SNL fans), I just borrowed the Lonely Island CD from a friend and have been listening to it ever since.

HTC Hero

I've got to say I like this (except for the fact that it doesn't have updates over the air like the G1).
Running with Flash Player 10 installed, a social contacts system reminiscent of the Palm Pre and multi-touch this sounds like something close to an iPhone killer.

And it really solidifies an argument I've stated to my friends that the iPhone should support Mac OS X widgets (I'm really hopeful that Google will make an app that allows Google Desktop gadgets and iGoogle gadgets to be displayed on an Android device).

(Sources: Google Blogoscoped and Engadget)

R.I.P. - Michael Jackson

I won't bother posting twice about it (plus the whole web is covering it), just go here.

Lewis Black on North Korea

Old but still funny.

I'm being a sellout

Though I don't mind, this blog is awesome.

and by that I'm being serious.

Xbox 360 And Facebook Games Can Interact With Each Other

Anyone as excited for this as I am?

Sent via Google Reader:

Xbox 360 And Facebook Games Can Interact With Each Other

via G4 TV - TheFeed on 6/19/09

One of my favorite features on the iPhone version of Scrabble is the ability to play against other people through Facebook. They're the exact same game and through Facebook Connect, people can word battle one another, despite being on completely different platforms. With Facebook Connect coming to Xbox 360 later this year, could we see similar connectivity between Xbox 360 and Facebook games?

"Absolutely," Facebook's head of platform Ethan Beard told me back at E3. "Yeah, totally. That's a simple one -- that's an easy one. There's probably things that we haven't even thought of [coming later]."

Running with the Scrabble example -- Scrabble already exists on Microsoft's platform through Xbox Live Arcade. Electronic Arts has produced the Facebook, iPhone and Xbox 360 versions of Scrabble and was the first company to announce support for Facebook Connect on Xbox 360 with Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10. There's nothing stopping them from introducing this platform-to-platform connectivity.

"You literally can make a move on Scrabble on your iPhone [and] your girlfriend can make the countermove on the PC," said Beard, "and logically, you could make it on the TV now with our Xbox announcement."

The ball is in EA's court. If they introduced this feature, would you use it?

Things you can do from here:

• Subscribe to G4 TV - TheFeed using Google Reader
• Get started using Google Reader to easily keep up with all your favorite sites

The Outlet Wall

Tired of having to reach behind your entertainment system to plug in that new piece of gear? Well, here's your solution...

(Source: Ironic Sans)

...Gundam

I was going to avoid posting this originally, but as an avid Gundam fan I couldn't resist (especially since Gundam 00 was awesome).

USB rechargeable batteries

I know what your thinking,

Is this real? and Why is this not in stores right now? Click here to read more.

A blatant example of Disney having too much money

...is the video below.


This is pretty cool though.

Golden Sun DS

I've been waiting for this. Honestly though, this video says nothing, it looks more like a tech demo than a trailer (I'm just glad that Golden Sun is back, hopefully this warrants a playable character in the next Smash Bros instead of just an assist trophy).

The DSi seriously needs a Virtual Console so that I can play the first two games again.

The Zune HD

(Ok, I just realized that I had previously typed all of this up, so I decided to not let it go to waste)



Honestly because of all of the better news that has come out recently I considered not writing about it, but I kinda promised I would so here's my rant on the Zune HD.

I was actually excited about it and still am in a way, but there's a few factors that kill the excitement for me.

#1. It runs Internet Explorer.

I always mention in arguments that Microsoft needs to utilize the fact that they own a web browser and implement it in more of their products like the XBox 360, but one thing always comes to mind and that's the fact that Internet Explorer sucks.

IE8 was the first to pass the Acid2 test, which is nice but sad as Mozilla, Apple, Google and Opera are all well on their way to making their browsers pass the Acid3 test.

As a web designer with a love for new technologies it annoys me that IE8 a browser with alot of market share doesn't comply with the most valuable ones.

SVG, Canvas tag, Audio and Video tags, HTML5 Offline Storage, CSS Border Radius, etc...

All things I can't use because too many people that view the sites I design, still use Internet Explorer.

#2. No Apps.

Honestly for a company that is known for making operating systems and holds such a monopoly on them, it's a little sad to know that in the Zune HD announcement we didn't hear anything of applications.

I mean we may see an application feature over time (like with the iPhone) but to not have it at launch especially when it affects the decision of buyers greatly is a foolish move.

Especially since the Zune kernel is Windows CE, and Microsoft is doing so much work to make Windows Mobile look appealing to the public.

People aren't into buying products that only provide one thing anymore, more and more they want handheld PCs, and that's not something you can overlook.

#3. Reputation.

This one's easy. Microsoft still isn't viewed as a company as hip as Apple, plus the first Zune didn't do so well, and alot of people have already invested in an iPod Touch or iPhone.

I don't think I need to say more.


What I think.

Honestly, I think this thing has a chance. I don't think Microsoft is dumb enough to throw this out there without first noting that users love iPod/iPhone apps, and I think they're bound to unveil some interesting social features with it.

The big picture right now, especially with E3 coming up is that Microsoft has alot of competitors in this field now, possibly with better products.

You have the iPhone/iPod Touch and now the PSP GO! along with alot of Android powered stuff.

Edit: Now that Microsoft has revealed Facebook, Twitter and Last.fm support for Live I wonder if these networks will integrate with the Zune.

Metroid: Other M

Ok, so I was going to post about the Zune next but I just decided it wasn't worth this slot, so here's Metroid.

This just looks spectacularly kick ass and I'm not really into Team Ninjas games except for Dead or Alive 2 for Dreamcast.

Megaman 2.5D - Multiplayer Video

I've posted this before, but the last vid wasn't close to as good as this one, now I wish this were official, and 4 players would be awesome (I think I should tell the creator).



(Source)

What I'm doing

Well, just to make sure no one thinks this blog is dead, I just want to mention that I'm currently working on making this site look good on iPhones, the iPod Touch and PSPs (though the PSP work I've been doing for a while now).

I just got an iPod Touch and I have alot of friends who own one, so I've decided to work on this blog in order to get it looking good on these mobile devices.

I'm also doing some Friend Connect tweaking (since I now know that Google plans to push their Blogger Friend Connect support more).

So more or less, it's just work.

I'll get back to ranting later (especially after hearing news of the new Zune HD).

Gotta love this maniac

...and you gotta love how he replies to the YouTube comments from all of the skateboarders/enthusiasts that feel his style sucks because it doesn't conform to the same stuff we've gotten in the last 7 or so years (and you can't hate his music selection).

Updates to Google Friend Connect

It appears Google is making some updates to Google Friend Connect (which is why my Join our network button doesn't appear and why my Followers widget is cut in half).

If you go to the Friend Connect site, you'll notice if you have a Blogger blog that your blogs now appear in your list of sites, and that they seem to be bringing all of Friend Connects features to Blogger.

I'm hoping this'll mean change for the default commenting system in Blogger (hopefully powered by Friend Connect this time).

EDIT: Testing something out.

Changing the way I blog

I just wanted to say, that I'll be doing less of just posting videos, photos, music and stuff to keep this blog alive and more typing.

Why?

Because I feel there are enough blogs that do that already (even one I own).

Not to say these blogs aren't great (I mean I read em) and they do have relevant things to post, but I think some people would rather like to actually read something a bit opinionated, see another point of view, instead of just view something they could find elsewhere.



I'm not saying I won't post a song or video every once in a while, I just plan to type more of what I think (Not to say everything I post will just be all opinionated).

I mainly want to build a community on this site, so I might as well start with the first step.

I have a million things to complain/talk about, and I don't express that here, so I thought I'd start today.

L-Yet - Enigma

Can't stop listening to this song.

(Source)

JS-Kit Comments

Ok, so I betrayed Disqus, and to mention first I actually liked Disqus.

So my reason... JS-Kit integrates with Blogger better. Comments with JS-Kit become comments in Bloggers built in commenting system which is a plus for me.

So if/when I remove JS-Kit from this blog. All of the comments stay.

Plus JS-Kit also has Facebook Connect support just like Disqus and it uses my own API key, meaning that I keep the same number of Facebook users, no changes.

Plus JS-Kit is easier for me to customize (and I'm a big fan of that).

And last, I'm confident that Bloggers existing commenting system and comment API will be updated in the future to better compete with these products and to push Blogger into being more of a social network (and I think it has something to do with Friend Connect) so I'd rather add something that won't cripple this site once that happens.

Potato Chips

Google Chrome commercial

For some reason I feel like this is a weird cross between an iTunes commercial and a commercial about some sort of colorful candy.

I've got to say though it is really nice and unexpected for a browser (especially since I can't think of a time when there has ever been a commercial for a web browser).

lol, I'm already searching for the song in this commercial.

(Source)

Tyler Price

Split Second

A must see for those who play Burnout Paradise as much as I do.

Uhhh...

(Also posted on the ASMG blog)

K000l K0jak and Andy Milonakis - Twitter Dat

(Source = Andy Milonakis on Twitter)

LiVe - Unheard Track

Fan made Video Exclusive Track never Heard


Just keeping up the trend of posting stuff from the Acrylic Style blog.

(Source)

L-Yet - Deception

I've been planning to post one of his songs up here one day, I just needed the right time, so now is better than any since he just fell under the ASMG umbrella.

(Source)

Testing something out, for some new features

---

(^This has nothing to do with my work, I just never used the ChatBack feature of Google Talk and am curious to see if anyone messages me)





(^And this has nothing to do with my blog, I just thought I'd keep this here as a bookmark for later)

---

I still own about three of these

Disqus Comments

In order to push this blog to being more social, I've decided to switch the existing comment system to Disqus.

Honestly I wanted to avoid this as there's a strong possibility Google will jump into the whole commenting arena, and update Bloggers comment system using Friend Connect, but they're taking too long and I'm anxious to try something new.

I won't say this form of commenting will be permanent as I may run of to using something better, so consider this test #1 of a series of experiments based on bringing a small community of mine into this blog.

EDIT: Just dropped Disqus in favor of JS-Kit.

ASMG Site v1

I've hit a milestone with the Acrylic Style site, so I feel like bragging about it (fixed every glitch I've known of so far).

Just fueling the fire

http://www.tu4ar.com/

(Source)

And-Y - Luchini Freestyle

And-Y goin over the Camp-Lo instrumental.

(Source)

Games like these make me want an iPod Touch

(Source)

If I could I'd make music like this

If I could, I'd trade all of my current aspirations for a harp and get back at my neighbors above me for blasting rock music by playing my large ass harp in bed at 3:00 in the morning (I'd figure out how to hook and amp up to it and everything).

Then I'd have harp concerts where I'd sing songs somewhat like this, except about random things like how bad the Transformers movie was.

ADS emulator for the Wii

This explains itself

US


Europe




I was going to mention this earlier but I feel my first time mentioning this was enough.

Wii64 Preview

When you own a Wii with the Homebrew Channel installed sometimes you forget that there's two other [more powerful] consoles in your house.

DAMN!!!

Sickamore Style from Illecism on Vimeo.

He is nice as hell, found this thanks to whoever the hell this is. Not dissing em, just spazzing at the fact that this guy somehow knocked 25 rappers off of my 10 best unsigned rappers list.

(He also won 1/2 of this lil contest on 2DopeBoyz)

EDIT: Just to mention, what I said isn't some kind of April Fools joke (I meant it).

Charles Hamilton - Loser

I kept saying to myself, I wouldn't post this video till I watched it (guess what I did).

MegaMan 2.5D

(found on Joystiq)

My Background Music

Rapping Flight Attendant

Watch Rapping Flight Attendant and more funny videos on CollegeHumor

Online gaming as of current sucks

Recently Facebook had stepped into the online gaming community scene by allowing developers to use Facebook connect on the iPhone. I know most of you will say something like "the iPhone sucks for gaming", "touchscreens suck", "Facebook sucks" or what have you. But the iPhone and Facebook can be big contenders to the gaming market. From the launch of the Nintendo DS in December 2004 to March 2005 Nintendo only sold 5.27 million of their handheld console. While there have been 13 million iPhones sold from it's launch in June 2007 to December 2008 and I didn't even count sales of the iPod Touch in there.

And Facebook currently has 175 million users worldwide, far exceeding XBox Lives 17 million and the PlayStation Networks 20 million. And plus Facebook isn't tied down to the iPhone meaning that at some point they could end up being the network used on some PC games or some other platform (GP2X Wiz, Open Moko, Android, Nokia Internet Tablets, etc). And last Facebook also has games on it's website, now you could say that "web games suck" but with Quake Live gaining the attention it did and new technologies such as 3D graphics in Flash Player 10, XNA games in Microsoft Silverlight and Googles Native Client along with the accessibility of the internet and PCs versus game consoles, there's alot for the Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo to loose.

So without me continuing on with numbers and information, I'm going to make a list (just like almost every blog post that ends up on Digg or N4G) of a few things that need to change in our online gaming communities.

1. Screennames suck:
   I find it unacceptable that my friends on XBox Live or PlayStation Network will always be displayed to me as FatGamer2190 instead of something normal like Bob Michael. Yes, it's not a big deal, I could just memorize all of my friends, but after spending time using Google Talk and Facebook, you get  more comfortable seeing your friends actual name than some wierd combination of "cool" words and cryptic numbers.
   
   This is one of the only things with online functionality that I can say Nintendo did right with the Wii and the DS.
   
   
2. Avatars suck:
   Ok, they don't really suck but sometimes I ask myself "Why did I make that?". Each console (Wii, PS3, 360) has an avatar system, but each also has at least one issue with their avatars.
   
   Starting with XBox Live avatars. Why aren't there sliders for me to better design my avatar to look like me? Some of my friends have stated that they're not supposed to look like you or don't have to look like you, but having bought the Wii as my first console of this generation my avatar not looking like me is a bad thing, especially since unlike the Wii they're tied to an account that is supposed to represent me as a gamer. And what's with the small selection of hair styles and accessories? I know this'll be fixed at some point, but with the XBox avatars being my favorite when it comes to appearance, this is an issue for me. (Also what's up with the E for Everyone limit on avatars?)
   
   And now to Mii characters. My number one issue with the Wii is the lack of profiles and a universal friends list. I don't mind friend codes but I'd love to have my Mii character attached to a screen name of sorts that friends can get to know me by. I won't argue about how Miis look like pieces to the board game Sorry, or how they don't have accessories, since Nintendos business model isn't to have the Miis compete with games sold on the system (example: If the Wii had the ability to clothe Mii characters, then what hope is there for EA to make a Mii enabled Sims game on the system), but seriously why are my avatars as relevant as game saves on my system, it's kinda boring that way.
   
   And the worst of the bunch, PlayStation Home Avatars. First and foremost with Microsoft and Nintendo allowing their avatars to be used in games (and Nintendo capitalizing on this) you'd think that Sony would allow their Avatars to leave the boring pedophile zombie world of Home and get into a game that's actually on a disc for once.
   Yes, I know Home avatars can play games, and that they can be integrated into games using Home. But Home shouldn't have to be the middle man for me to see a recreation of myself defend the universe or what have you, in a game. Also regarding game integration, being the most realistic of avatars, you'd think we'd get to see our avatars run around in suits/armor Killzone 2 or Resistance 2. Instead their left to wander around and play a game of bowling.
   
   
3. Achievements suck:
   Now I honestly like having achievements and trophies in games for me to be able to play games and feel rewarded for pulling some feat of skill. But at the same time, how comes in the end all I'm rewarded with is a number? I could play Halo 3 for a week and get a gamerscore of 1,000 and some 10 year old could play Avatar the last Airbender and get the same score in less than a day.
   
   Honestly with all three consoles having some form of avatar system, I'd feel better if I got clothing and accessories for my avatar for doing something great. Like unlocking Master Cheifs helmet for clearing Halo 3, or getting the Soul Edge for beating Soul Calibur 4, it would be cool, more rewarding and would better display of what games I like to play to those who view my profile and not just rank every game genre under one giant number.
   
   Anyone who's played GunBound should know how intimidating it can sometimes be to see a somone enter a room online with an avatar all decked out with items that do absolutely nothing, it really tells you he or she plays alot and plays well, other than just telling you that he or she just plays alot.
   
   I've got to give Sony props for having a reward system in online zombie world PlayStation Home, sometimes creepy, but hey, no one else is doing it.
   (and yes, I do know Microsoft is planning to reward players with avatar stuff for achievements, but it's not done yet)
   
   
4. Profiles suck:
   How comes to represent me, I have to use a picture of some video game character?
   Now this is more targeted at Sony as Microsoft pushes avatars over gamerpics and Steam does exactly what I'm about to say.
   Why can't I just have a picture of my face to represent me?
   All three consoles have a camera of some kind (Nintendos being a game console on it's own) and all have the ability to store and view photos, so why can't I just use my own face?
   
   With Facebook slowly stepping into this market, I can see this changing soon, but competition honestly shouldn't have to be their reason for adding this.
   
   And also what's with the crappy about me sections? Seriously we should at least have a section for inserting a website url to redirect our profile viewers to a site that better represents us.
   
   
5. Community sucks:
   One argument I get into with quite a few gamers is that they say XBox Live is a superior service to the PlayStation Network, and I'm always quick to argue that XBox Live is really not much more than an instant messenger tacked onto a game console (Windows Live Messenger support backs this even further). Both services have some form of achievement system, both services have a unified friends list and messaging system. The only difference of XBox Live is the guide, being your #1 place to go for cross game voice chat, messaging, viewing friends, etc...
   
   All in all, this isn't a bad thing, it's actually great. But the issue I have is that it doesn't feel like a community, and this goes for the PlayStation Network and Nintendo Wi-Fi also.
   
   There are ocassional tournaments and what have you, but there's not much behind them. I'd love to see a news wall on all three consoles alike Facebook, that updates you on new tournaments and events regarding the games that you own.
   
   Again I quote GunBound, but I must say when they had their world championship I loved it, despite not being able to understand what my opponents were saying.
   
   I dunno, I guess the best way to answer this is to say they need to just have more events. But the ability to comment on, review and rate games in the marketplaces/stores would be nice.
   
   And yea there are great online experiences when playing certain games on all three consoles (Highlights being Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon for the Nintendo DS, Wipeout Pulse for PSP, Mario Kart Wii for the Wii, Little Big Planet for the PS3 and Halo 3 for the 360) but those games don't define every game on the systems, and it's not something that can be fixed with a firmware update, but it can push 3rd party developers to making better online games instead of companies relying on in house or flagship titles.
   
   This argument is the most difficult to answer though, because it's so open so I can't really impose any of my thoughts here.
   
   
6. Closed networks suck:
   
   Being a web designer that loves his field of work, I get excited when I find out a previously closed website has released an API for accessing information. XBox Live gets my highest regard for having done this (though that whole whitelist
   thing kinda sucks). The gamercard 2.0 app on Facebook really kills my whole instant messenger argument just because of the fact that Facebook is a full fledged social network and it makes up for Lives shortcomings (I especially love the achievement unlocked posts on my wall).
   
   Now regarding the PlayStation Network, Steam and Nintendo Wi-Fi, it sucks that they haven't made some sort of API for accessing data from these networks else where. All in all closed social networks are a thing of the past and with the web moving as fast as it is, these guys will have to jump ship or die.
   
   (Also I do know that there is a web API for Steam, but it's unnoficial and doesn't work as well as it should)
   
   
7. Cross platform sucks:
   One of my biggest issues with the online gaming networks of today is the lack of cross platform games. I feel Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo should push developers to focusing on making their games cross platform when ported to another console.
   
   In example, Pokemon Diamond and Pearl were huge games, and it's cool that their stadium equivalents can link up with the DS in order to transfer data but the horrible part is that the Wii version has it's own seperate online network that no one uses because more people own DSes than Wiis, so everyone that owns the Wii game is forced to not use it.
   
   There's not much else to say here, I could list a million games that should've had cross platform support (Halo 2 PC + 360, Wipeout HD + Pulse, Mario Kart DS + Wii, etc) but I'll avoid doing so.
   
   I'd say Microsoft gets the most credit for Live Anywhere, and Sony looses for not having the PSN Friends List accessible on the PSP (They boast about having 20 million PSN users, but yet they sold 50 million PSPs *shakes head*).
   
   
8. Everything else sucks:
   One thing I'd love to see a deeper integration with web services on the consoles, like Windows Live on the XBox 360 and Google on the PS3 and PSP.
   
   Since Microsoft has been in the internet business for a while I'll point at them. Windows Live integration with XBox Live is a given somewhat. I can't really say I use Windows Live, but it's a huge network boasting 260 million accounts and to avoid further integration with it apart from the Live Messenger feature would be foolish.
   
   It would be nice to have the ability to access music, videos and photos stored on Windows Live Mesh or Skydrive, share photos from Windows Live Photos (especially after having added photo sharing to the 360 with the party feature), profile integration with Live Profiles, Live Groups for making Clans, Live Calendar/Events support for scheduling game tournaments, And contact list support for actually displaying your friends names.
   
   Then pushing Live Anywhere they could have all MSN Games, Windows Live Messenger games, Zune games, and Windows Mobile games use XBox Live. Now some of these are planned or have been already done but they're not as in depth as they should be.
   
   Ala Zune users do use Live accounts, but they only get the screennames. There's no gamerscore or anything to really say that this is XBox Live integration.
   
   I'd say this could be a nail in the coffin for Sony and Nintendo, or vice versa if Microsoft gets beaten to it. Especially since Sony has a deal with Google and I bet there's alot of companies out there that'd love to cut a deal with Nintendo.
   

Ok, I'm done ranting (lol, there's grammatical errors all over this).

What do you think?