sony ericsson, where's my W810i????

man, this last phone purchase has been the bane of my existence lately. all i wanted was a mid-level phone since i'm holding out to get a high-end once the new 5mp Cybershot phone is out.  but man, first phone i get is DOA, second one i had to send back to Sony, now they can't seem to find my damn IMEI number on the Proof of Purchase order.  seriously, i sent a copy w/my phone along w/my paypal receipt and they still say they do not see the IMEI number..

oooo.. its so purty... where are the visualizers?

i don't know about you but i love graphic equalizers and visualizers. theres something about seeing music converted into random forms that makes me happy (perhaps a few flashbacks from the college days, hehe).

osx86 and a pc.. a brief read...

well, today shamanstears inquired on what it takes to get osx up on a pc so i thought i'd get up a quickie on osx on an amd/intel pc.

first thing you will need to have is a p-ata harddrive.  thus far, you can not install on a s-ata drive since the current builds for pcs of osx86 do not have the driver support....

the format wars and current state of the union.

blu-ray and hd dvd formats have now been at war for about a year and half.  many have compared the latest formats war to one we saw just a few decades ago, vhs vs betamax.  so sony (main backer of blu-ray, prev of betamax) is no stranger in a format war, in actuality they really have been big backers/creators of other formats that succeeded (ms duo) and also failed (minidisc, umd??). while toshiba (main backer of hd dvd) is somewhat new in this regard but has some big backers such as microsoft and intel.   (wiki pages for bluray and hd dvd ).

the two formats are not compatible with each other and each has different storage capacities.  hd dvd offers single and dual layer disks w/max capacities of 15gb/30gb while blu ray offers 25gb/50gb.  both offer a similar encryption system to twarth unauthorized copying (usually requires using an hdcp hdmi connection).

online purchasing and researching tips...

well, i'd consider myself a veteran if not expert on buying products online. i joined ebay about 8 years ago and prior to ebay had used Amazon.com and Newegg.com since their inception. however, after speaking with co-workers and friends throughout the year; i realized that there are still a lot of newbs or first timers out there when it comes to online purchasing.

so this blog is a very quick overview on things to watch out for if you are a newbie.

last madden 08 note, pc vs ps3 versions.. PS3 version still sucks!

well, i promise this is my last madden post for a while.

i loaded up good ole madden 08 on my pc and have to say, holy shit; its good, very good.  my system is not the fastest or ideal gaming rig (Athlon X3 2ghz, 2gb ram, X800 ATI vid card) but man, it plays so smooth. 

i have my settings cranked up to 1900x1200 at 60hz and i have no delays.

madden 08 problems narrowed down, more w810i updates..

well, thought i'd just post an update to my two current love/hate relationships i have in my geek lovelife.. hehe. i love them and hate em but hopefully atleast one of them i'll just love in a few weeks. :)

seamonkey's daily twitter recap [2007-08-16]

• giving madden another chance.. not as bad as i thought after a while... still, expected too much from madden.. lots of options = good! #


• @shamanstears i like the blog of twits.. :) easy summary.. #


• wow.. 300 look spretty sweet on bluray.. #


• doing some more bb setups.. found out i may get to meet the organizer of DefCon and possibly get access to next years convention! very cool! #


• @shamanstears coffee is the fuel to my geek fire.. 'nectar of the gods' as i say.. hehe.. #


• off early, in the words of ice cube "Today was a good day"!... :P #


• good deal on 2gb microsd for $23 at newegg http://tinyurl.com/2cfafw://www.kingston.com&ktcpartno=SDC/2GB-2ADP&referid=28 #


• oh yea, while on deals, quality hdmi cables @ monoprice.com got me 2 3ft hdmi cables for $14 shipped.. the hdmi switch didn't come w/cables #

seamonkey's daily twitter recap [2007-08-15]

• loading up my new addiction! madden 08 for the ps3... doing the oncall thing again tonight.. gotta get more ot for my geek purchases! :P #


• finally! a madden is worth purchasing! has online vids, nfl news, and other sports news.. not bad!! now lets see how it plays! #


• first madden win! yea yea! #


• beatles and beers... mmm.. tasty.. hehe. chatting abouts the need of tech in education and need for the youngns to learn the old ways.. #


• a bit pissed about the framerate issues and stuttering of madden 08 for ps3. man, ea just keeps dropping the ball in the madden series! :( #


• @davak the x360 version runs at 60fps and has not had any probs w/freezing. the ps3 runs only at 30fps and maxes out to 720p vs 1080p (x360) #


• @davak yes and no, i love the bluray/media player in the ps3. the games are still behind the x360.hopefully devs make the game, not port it #


• more recipe ideas! hmm.. will be adding later tonight.. after some 300 in bluray! :) #

Madden 08 and the PS3.. what the hell happened????

yes,  its true.  i broke down and bought Madden 08 for the PS3.  i've played Madden football since its first release back in the day on the Genesis; back before it even had a number behind it and they had the Championship Editions.  through the years i saw madden go from a pretty decent/basic football game to its current state.

the first playstation versions of madden were amazing in regards to graphics and gameplay.  however after a few years, each new year's version of madden really never expanded on the fundamentals of football and really just looked a little better and had updated rosters. 

seamonkey's daily twitter recap [2007-08-14]

• just watching some dvr'd simpsons and family guy.. #


• @qmchenry i really don't need it but couldn't say no to a deal like that, usually they run about $100+ and don't have a remote to switch.. #


• nothing like another t-storm.. dang, some crazy thunder and lightning #

seamonkey's daily twitter recap [2007-08-13]

• oohh! i want the HTC Shift!! UMPC may have a savior after all! http://tinyurl.com/2bbo6g #


• great deal on a 3 source hdmi switcher! $29 at buy.com
  http://tinyurl.com/2bl9m5 #

seamonkey's daily twitter recap for 2007-08-12

• doing the oncall thing... playing a little NHL2K7 on the PS3.. #


• working on banner for blog header... #


• banner done.. off and away.. hehe.. hmm.. blog didn't create a twitter for new post.. weird. #


• @shamanstears thanks! thanks Q for getting it up and going so fast.. #


• the Meizu M8.. ie iphone clone.. hehe http://tinyurl.com/2b9sc8 #


• interesting read, us spy agencies view bloggers as journalist, http://tinyurl.com/2b5p7k #


• my pals bottle-opening sandals! good for the weekend at the lake http://tinyurl.com/2658kt #


• ps3 exploit found in tiff, now able to play ps1 backups? will post results after trying! #

being a "geek" and its evolution...

well, i am a geek and i'm proud of it.  but what does that mean? what is the definition of geek these days?

the term/word "geek" has gone quite a few major changes/definitions in the past 20 years.  like most language/words, they evolve as we evolve and their defintions can change drastically to the point that the context in which they are used can be flip-flopped from say a decade prior. 

merriam-webster currently give the following definitions for the word "geek"

Main Entry: geek
Pronunciation: \ˈgēk\
Function: noun
Etymology: probably from English dialect geek, geck fool, from Low German geck, from Middle Low German
Date: 1914
1 : a carnival performer often billed as a wild man whose act usually includes biting the head off a live chicken or snake
2 : a person often of an intellectual bent who is disliked
3 : an enthusiast or expert especially in a technological field or activity

seamonkey's daily twitter recap for 2007-08-11

• @21c i ain't in asia but i'm asian and up.. hehe. blogging and posting a quickie ps3 recipe #


• @qmchenry hehe.. hard to even try to gain on shamanstears! :) just added new recipe for outlook 2003 and printing probs.. #

my w810i woes continue..

well, i was pretty pumped to get my w810 (twice that is since first had to be rma'd, DOA) but so far have been having some very annoying problems.  mainly the phone does not seem to hold a charge or even charge properly. i will plug it in overnight and check it in the morning its only 55% charged. tried 2 different batteries (the K750 uses same battery type), once of which was brand new and same problem.

internet is back up!! go justin from comcast!

well, on tues night, my good ole internet and cable tv both went down.  in the past year or so i've had this happen off and on but usually a few hours later the signal would come back and i'd be good; if not i could usually wiggle the cables by the outlet enough to get it to work.

however, this time i had a feeling that i just needed to get the cabling to my apt redone.  so i called up comcast, setup a time for  them to swing out and took the day off (also had to get my work license, long story short i got a dwi but got it dropped to a careless). 

comcast sent out justin (a younger tech, about my age or so, worked 7 years or so in the industry) to take a look.  he replaced my inside jack and still had major connection problems/negative signal; after investigating some more he decided to run a totally new line to my apt.  we went and talked w/my apt management office and got access to the roof and got a new cable strung.  the cabling i had was prob from when the apts were built (the cable was dried out from water and sun and just being old).



after he finished running the cable and reconnecting, bam! internet was up and hd and cable was looking very crisp.  also, he suggested to use the Pass-Through setting on my Scientific Atlanta Explorer 8300HD to get the best picture quality (prev i was using the upconvert-2) and i did notice a slight increase in quality of my hd channels.  however the quality boost may also be in part from the new cabling. 

so all in all, its good to have my tv and internet back.  evdo tethering was a great inbetween time solution but nothing beats good ole broadband.

now to call comcast and give justin some props! thanks dude!

Blackberry 8830 follow-up review

well, prior to working at my current job, i had always been either Palm or Windows smartphone user. blackberries were for the business elite not the geek, or so it went in my head.  however, after using a blackberry for quite some time i've come to love my blackberry and loathe the palm treo or moto q or other smartphones.  the blackberry just does the job so well.

up until the last year, blackberries were not really the nicest looking phone.  they were big black bricks.  however the introduction of the sleek Pearl and now the 8800 series seems to be changing this mold. 

a while back ago, i posted a review over at techrx ( here ) and gave it a very respectful/great 9.5/10. 

iPhone: unlocking that sim and browsing those filez? seems so!

well, i and the rest of the world knew this was coming; a way to unlock the iPhone sim card.  prior to this newest hack (which will run about $90-100 for the blank sim card and sim card reader/writer), the non-ATT/Cingular users could activate the iPhone via a hack but were still unable to use the phone (basically it made it a wifi ipod).

however, the good folks over at hackint0sh forums have found a way around this!  here's direct link to the forum post on the how-to.

http://www.hackint0sh.org/forum/showthread.php?t=2215&page=1

so, it seems like i may perhaps end up w/an iphone at some point if this hack works w/Tmobile USA.  i've  always wanted to get into the whole SIM card hacking but really never had a reason to and now i may.  i know, i am still an iphone naysayer (but thats mainly because i didn't want to switch to cingular/att) but may sway to the dark side.  we shall see.

oh yea, on top of this, Windows users now have a nice iPhone file browser. check it out at modmyiphone.com:  http://www.modmyiphone.com/forums/downloads.php?do=file&id=301

so.. anyone wanna send me an iphone to unlock and then in turn post up a nice tutorial?? hehe, had to try.

more PS3 requests of mine...

well, was playing The Darkness today and messing around on the PS3 and decided i'd write down a few more requests/features i'd like added/changed.

-Ability to send full resolution images attached to messages in the XMB. come on, i have my photos all scaled to and hd-ready, why can't i share them?

-Ability to send images as part of the Triangle option when viewing the phots

-Playlist feature for music/vids (still!)

-Ability to pair PS3 w/Sony Ericsson phones to then use BT Remote Control to control movies (like bluetooth remote control does).

also just received back my remastered Fifth Element Bluray.  i purchased the original Bluray of The Fifth Element and after some complaints in conversion, Sony has remastered it again and actually is replacing copies of the original w/the new mastered one.  so far it seems the pixelation probs have been fixed!

By the way, here is the address to send your request to get your copy of the fifth element (bluray) replaced w/the newly released remaster.

To receive an exchange for the remastered Fifth Element Blu-ray disc, please return your Blu-ray disc (case not needed) to the following address:

SPHE Consumer Support
PO Box 157
Neenah, WI 54957
Attn: 760239

Please be sure to include your return address (no PO Boxes) and a copy of this email. Your replacement will be shipped to you via Fed Ex Ground. The disc will be sent out after July 17th.

Regards,

SPHE Consumer Affairs Team

my next tablet pc?? dell's latitude xt tablet

well, since getting, i love my tablet pc.  however, recently though it has been starting to show its age and can't quite keep up to what it needs to do.  nonetheless it might be time for an upgrade.

the tablet pc market really wasn't too big or successful initially, however recently it has started to take off.  the selection of tablets is pretty big and prices have dropped quite a bit too (previously tablet pcs were usually more a 'premium' type of laptop, 2K+ ranges). 

after looking around, found out about Dell's Latitude XT.  so far the specs look pretty sweet.

 rumors say it will be out in Q3 (perfect for me since i get my bonus in dec.. :P ) and have these type of specs (specs from engadget: http://www.engadget.com/2007/08/03/more-details-revealed-on-dells-latitude-xt-tablet/)

Single or dual-core Intel ULV CPUs (with integrated graphics)

LED-backlit WXGA 1280 x 800 display option

Outdoor viewing WXGA 1280 x 800 display option

Pen and touch support (digitizer and touchscreen)

(3) USB 2.0 ports, Ethernet (duh), 1394, VGA out

WiFi options up to 802.11n, optional Bluetooth

Optional 3G (HSDPA, EV-DO Rev. A)

ExpressCard slot, optional Smart Card slot, fingerprint reader

i like the idea of the LED backlit display and outdoor viewing.  i wonder if you can get both features or if its a one or the other type of option/upgrade? 

however the TC1100's form factor is still one i wish another manufacturer would take up.  its so nice being able to detach the keyboard and go pure slate mode.  perhaps HP will resurrect the TC1X00 someday, i can always dream!

the craziness of life

well, not sure if most know this or not but i live in Minneapolis, MN and if you follow any news lately, you probably have heard about the collapse of the 35W bridge that spans over the Mississippi River.  the bridge collapsed on wed around 6pm during the tail-end of rush hour.  around 50 vehicles were involved and so far the death toll has been very low for such a catostraphic event. 

i was shocked when my pal called me around 6:15pm after hearing about the collapse on the radio.  i flipped on my tv and was awed by the pure shock of seeing the bridge, collapes and in pieces. 

if you live in Minneapolis or near it, you probably have driven on that section of road quite a bit.  that area is considered to be one of the main veins into downtown minneapolis, usually seeing about 200,000 vehicles passing over it each day. 





the scary thing about whole incident is that there was no warning of the collapse.  it just literally fell to the river.  most of my pals live in the southern part of minneapolis (aka uptown) however i still made sure everyone was accounted for and thankfully no one i knew was involved or at the scene.   even crazier is that if this would have happened on Thur night instead of Wed, i might have been on that bridge around that time since i was meeting some pals for a reunion-tour happy hour over on the UMN campus.

my heart goes out to all of the victims and family/friends of those injured/killed.  hopefully the cause of the collapse will be found and lessons are learned.

props to my fellow MNers and their willingness to always help those in need or at the scene, always great to see/hear!

blog theme updates, twitter, and randomness

well, figured it was time to update/change my blog theme.  finally found a decent theme to use that met my criteria, black and basic.  davak then uploaded it for me and made a few tweaks and thus the new look!  thanks again for updating it so fast!!

after reading about twitter on the other techrx blogs, decided i'd join up and take it for a spin.  its pretty sweet.  i've been using the text messaging option of posting since its so easy and i can do it anywhere.  plus, its fun seeing what davak and q and shamantears are up to throughout the day.  sure seem like a bunch of busy guys!

and finally, some randomness on randomness and shuffle.  why is it that most media players have such a limited shuffle/random playback options?  i really hate it when you put a bunch of songs (ie 100 to 300) on shuffle yet after each time i start playback it shuffles the same order as it previously did.  this is a really huge annoyance i have w/my Civic Si's sound system.  i have the navigation package and in turn have the PC Card reader for music files.  i noticed that when i turn on shuffle/random it uses the same random list.  come on, it can't be that hard to make the random playback order random on each time the feature is turned on!!!! you'd think its a very basic random function in the software. i remember making a few basic java script applets and the first excercise was to make a random number generator; so its not like i'm asking for anything complex or hard to do.  just seems like most manufacturers just don't think that people use the feature or don't put much effort into it.

so thats my randomness rant on randomness. :P

peace