Lifehacker's bittorrent tips

Bittorrent has become an indispensable way to transfer large files over the internet, from game demos and betas to the media files which cause the MPAA/RIAA so much grief. Lifehacker has posted a very informative article on how to get the most out of your bittorrent experience.

RezHD for 360 Arcade!!

Having never played the original Rez (known for its infamous vibro-accessory) for the Dreamcast, I am extremely excited to have the chance to play its updated (HD and 5.1 sound) version, RezHD on Xbox Live Arcade. Rez is the perfect candidate for such an update, as it relies on sight, hearing, and touch to immerse the player in the "experience" of playing the game, all of which are bolstered by the enhanced output available on the 360.

From the 1UP review:

Its designers' objective was to simulate synaesthesia -- which is essentially the union of senses and the stimulation of one sense by another (for example, hearing sound through seeing or imagining color through hearing). Russian painter Wassily Kandinsky, who was affected by this phenomenon and related the act of painting to creating music, served as one of the key inspirations (which is why the game was originally known as K-Project before it was ultimately named Rez).

Rez is one of the most original games out there, you should definitely check it out!

Microsoft to make XP hard to find...

PCWorld has an article which highlights the problems one will have in the near future in obtaining a new copy of XP, which many people (including myself) have "downgraded" to, thanks to a horrible Vista experience. Hopefully Microsoft will come to its senses and sell XP indefinitely or at least until it's sales are low enough that no one will care.

Barack gains key endorsements

Barack Obama, a candidate whom many liken to Jack and Bobby Kennedy recently gained endorsements from both Caroline and Senator Ted Kennedy.

In a NYT op-ed entitled "A President Like My Father" Caroline outlines her compelling argument for an Obama presidency, and it is believed that Senator Kennedy will begin campaigning for Obama shortly. Time Magazine has an interesting piece on the importance of a Ted Kennedy endorsement, and the Huffington Post has alluded to a possible endorsement by Al Gore.

NSFE: The Return

Gizmodo has taken up the mantle of seeker of the horribly-and-ungodly-ugly websites of the 90s. The one that jumps out at me is Apple's (very) old site, how could Apple have designed something as ugly as this:

After a little researching, it becomes glaringly obvious - this must have been designed during Steve's hiatus from the company. Click the here for a whole lotta ugly...

What did we learn from '07: Geeks become mainstream

The year 2007 saw the introduction of two shows featuring protagonists who are truly geeks. It's as if Steve Urkel finally got his comeuppance.

Chuck (NBC) is a dramaedy about a Buy More Nerd Herd employee (analogous to Best Buy's Geek Squad) who inadvertently opens an email which beams all of the government's juiciest secrets into his brain. The show is split between his normal life as a lovable beta-male and his life as a top secret human supercomputer. The real fun of the show is in his struggle to keep his two lives separate. I think that this is one of the best new shows of the fall season (behind ABC's excellent Pushing Daisies), and I give it a strong 8.5/10.

The Big Bang Theory (CBS) is a sitcom focusing on the life of a twenty-something Caltech theoretical physicist (also very beta), his equally smart and neurotic group of friends, and the hot next door neighbor whom he secretly pines for. While this show isn't as original as Chuck, it does have its moments, so I give it a 7/10.


The entire catalog of aired Chuck episodes can be seen for free on Hulu, and a few full episodes of The Big Bang Theory are available through CBS.com.

NSFE (not safe for eyes)

Wow, I guess webmasters were not consitered essential hires for most major companies in the 90s. These sites look like GeoCities pages created by 9 year olds, not by multi-billion dollar corporations.