It might not be a flying car but the future is getting closer.
The future was supposed to be fantastic. Movies like The Fifth Element and Blade Runner promised us flying cars, androids and living billboards that stretched the width and height of the skyscrapers down town. Well...no androids yet (or even robots that do more than vacuum our houses), no flying cars (although there's "work" being done that you can see here), we're at least going to get the billboard buildings. Sonny Astani, a 55 year old real estate mogul, is working to turn downtown LA 2009 into the 2019 LA from Blade Runner. The real estate mogul who already owns thousands of Southern California apartments is bringing his vision (and more importantly his money) to transform the sides of two adjacent 14 story condos in downtown LA into the living billboards portrayed in the opening sequence of the Ridley Scott classic. Astani, a self proclaimed fan of the movie is creating the billboards by installing hundreds of rows of LEDs. The LEDs, spaced about 6 inches apart and running from floor to ceiling on the windows, will allow occupants to enjoy an unobstructed view of the City of Angels but when the buildings are seen from from a distance (now here's where our flying car would come in handy) the lights will merge into an image (think pixels on your computer screen but way bigger). Sure, some would argue that there's no reason to see a Nike Ad from miles away, but why not? You can make a building as stylish as you like but when its all said and done it still looks like a building. And now that we live in the era of Amber Alerts and Terrorist Threat colors, what better way to get the message out so all can see? Now if we could just get computer chips and an Internet connection in our heads...
Don't worry, I'm not running around my neighborhood in a home made spider suit or trying to make spider webbing in my basement with a chemistry set (but now that I say it out loud it does sound do-able). I'm talking about the new Spider-Man game from Activision. We're finally getting a game that let's us be Spider Man with all his comic book capabilities. Just check out the video below to see our beloved Spidey in action in "Spider-Man: Web of Shadows".
It makes me feel funny, like when I used to climb the rope in gym class. You can find out more about the game here. It should release in December of this year. Can you say "perfect Christmas gift"?
Don't feel bad for my PS3. It gets used just not played. The media capability of playing almost any media file from a USB port and see it upconverted to HD has been a joy. Hey, its the only place to watch my downloaded Battlestar Galactica episodes. Really, you're not watching this show? EVERYONE is watching this show, but I digress. Of course Blu-Ray DVDs are the cat's meow too! But, back to the PS3. I have found the collection of PS3 games thus far rather under-whelming. Especially considering that there are very few exclusive to one console titles anymore. So I can play the same game on my Xbox 360 but I also get those crack-like addictive accomplishments. Yes finishing a game is great but getting the "unlocked achievements" notice at the bottom of the screen with the accompanying sound while playing a game is sheer gaming delight. Well, now that Sony seems to be in catch-up rather than lead the way mode they've developed their own "in game Trophies" for us achievement whores. The Version 2.40 Firmware update for our PS3's will gives us access to said "in game trophies". How that's gonna work I have no idea and it must be for future games right? I mean how would they back'code these "trophies" into already released titles? Version 2.40 will also bring an updated version of the Cross Media Bar (that Sony refers to as the XMB) that'll also be accessible during gameplay. So you'll be able to e-mail, chat and play tunes while deep into gameplay. That's right boys and girls...just like the Xbox 360 lets us do now.
But imitation is the greatest form of flattery. And at at the end of the day aren't we all winners in this? Aren't we? It better get here soon cause I'm getting tired of my expensive George Foreman looking grill Blu-Ray DVD player!
In what can only be described as buyer's remorse...
Yes, it was just a couple of weeks ago I was all excited and ranting about my cool Tony Stark LG VX9800 TV cell phone and now its gone. Yes, 80% of the reason I bought it was because it was Tony Stark's phone (Ironman movie, duh) and 20% was for the cool flip landscape screen for TV and video. But...we're not getting the Verizon TV network in my area until late '08 or early '09 and I still had to use a numeric keypad for texting/e-mailing (so 2003). So I had to march back to Verizon and get a new phone. And its so cool I can hardly stand it!
I present to you the Samsung SCH-u940 or "Glyde" as its known here in the US. This is a touchscreen phone from Samsung that's supposed to be competition with the iPhone. Or at least it gives Verizon subscribers an iPhone-like phone. Similar to the LG env2 and Voyager phones with a landscape screen and touchscreen capability but is smaller in size.
The Glyde is simple yet very good looking and stylish and you never get used to the "wow" factor of sliding the screen up to reveal a full QWERTY keyboard. There are only a few buttons on the side of the phone's case (volume, camera and power) and the on-board 2 mega-pixel camera (not great but good enough) is located on the back. The buttons on the keyboard are small but I have small hands so it works for me (but fat fingered people beware!). And if you thought the screen on the LG VX9400 was cool, you'll fall in love with the huge 2.75" WVGA (240x440 pixel) bright and crisp display on the Glyde. The phone also gives you the option of having a haptic response when using the touchscreen function (feels like your pressing buttons for those that can't deal with the "dead feel" of a touch screen). You can still use the phone in portrait mode (with the screen closed) to dial numbers and text but the joy comes in sliding that screen out and letting your fingers do the walking. So you get all the standard phone functions as well, the ability to play video and music (made easier by the micro SD card slot), access to all the Verizon mobile content and the web of course. Web pages load in their full size so looking around a page can seem awkward but hey you're using a cell phone for surfing!
Overall the phone is slick, stylish and does what it promises. All that and you get battery life even with the bluetooth on. The phone even comes with a PC cable and software to put content on your phone. Thank god for once I don't have to buy an accessory to get the most out of my phone (other phone makers take note). With a new plan or upgrade the phone'll set you back around $199 but if you're a Verizon customer its worth every penny.
Too often we focus on all the new sexy gadgets without ever giving any thought as to where we'll plug in all their power cords. And it seems that the smaller 3-pronged plug is being replaced now with larger plugs that include small transformers (keeping the gadgets smaller) that take up the space of two outlets. There've been a couple of power strips that have addressed the larger plug issue but could only accommodate one or two of the larger plugs.
The folks over at ezGear have the answer to our prayers with the ezSpace UFO. The UFO has a slanted design that inverts the plugs and cords upwards thus maximizing space saving. You can plug the UFO directly into a wall or configure it as an extension cord. You can also get them with surge protection (a definite must have to protect those high speed gadgets). The rat's nest of cables and daisy-chained power strips behind my entertainment center and under my computer desks have been replaced with the neat and tidy UFO (and I'm less concerned with a fire breaking out back where I can't see it. So you get a better protected, less cluttered way of taking care of all those plugs and it'll only cost you $30? That's why I have 3.
Sonny Astani, a 55 year old real estate mogul, is working to turn downtown LA 2009 into the 2019 LA from Blade Runner. The real estate mogul who already owns thousands of Southern California apartments is bringing his vision (and more importantly his money) to transform the sides of two adjacent 14 story condos in downtown LA into the living billboards portrayed in the opening sequence of the Ridley Scott classic. Astani, a self proclaimed fan of the movie is creating the billboards by installing hundreds of rows of LEDs. The LEDs, spaced about 6 inches apart and running from floor to ceiling on the windows, will allow occupants to enjoy an unobstructed view of the City of Angels but when the buildings are seen from from a distance (now here's where our flying car would come in handy) the lights will merge into an image (think pixels on your computer screen but way bigger). Sure, some would argue that there's no reason to see a Nike Ad from miles away, but why not? You can make a building as stylish as you like but when its all said and done it still looks like a building. And now that we live in the era of Amber Alerts and Terrorist Threat colors, what better way to get the message out so all can see? Now if we could just get computer chips and an Internet connection in our heads...
Sonny Astani, a 55 year old real estate mogul, is working to turn downtown LA 2009 into the 2019 LA from Blade Runner. The real estate mogul who already owns thousands of Southern California apartments is bringing his vision (and more importantly his money) to transform the sides of two adjacent 14 story condos in downtown LA into the living billboards portrayed in the opening sequence of the Ridley Scott classic. Astani, a self proclaimed fan of the movie is creating the billboards by installing hundreds of rows of LEDs. The LEDs, spaced about 6 inches apart and running from floor to ceiling on the windows, will allow occupants to enjoy an unobstructed view of the City of Angels but when the buildings are seen from from a distance (now here's where our flying car would come in handy) the lights will merge into an image (think pixels on your computer screen but way bigger). Sure, some would argue that there's no reason to see a Nike Ad from miles away, but why not? You can make a building as stylish as you like but when its all said and done it still looks like a building. And now that we live in the era of Amber Alerts and Terrorist Threat colors, what better way to get the message out so all can see? Now if we could just get computer chips and an Internet connection in our heads...
