TV Watch: Save The Cheerleader. WTF?

I continue to like Heroes almost, it seems, in despite of itself. Perhaps it's because the plot is finally feeling a little cohesive and it's fun to watch it gel. Maybe it's because of the extremely competent special effects and good directing of photography.

Course, maybe it's because there are so many subplots popping around that it's fun just to try and keep track of it all. If Flying Guy doesn't buy into all this malarky - why bother defacing a paint that isn't the future? Just how fast are all these jets that seem to be able to keep characters in the same time zone? Will Hooker Mom cap Shadowcat Dad? If so - will that keep PhoneFreak Boy out of foster homes?

And of course - what really happened to Hiro? Oh ... and will Angsty Teenager finally take those headphones off?

I think the show works because unlike Lost - which at one point had a coherent narrative - Heroes only superficially takes itself seriously. You get that great horn music or voiceover when you're supposed to really buy into it ... but everything else is just popcorn television. Lost begged to be overthought - to a fault even ... once those of us who overthought got tired of all the producers' "gotchya!"'s (What's that in the middle of the ocean?? HUH? HUH??? WHAT COULD IT BE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE OCEAN???? OH .. A .... boat? Oh. Um. .... k, thanks).

I mean, "Save The Cheerleader. Save The World." Honestly, it's just a dumb simplification of the basic premise of nearly every popcorn film ever made. But who cares? It has a cheerleader right there in the slogan.

On the funnier side of life, Studio 60 gets to finish the season and I still can't understand why there was any question of that. One TV reviewer said he loved the show primarily for the soundtrack - which I think is funny because if anything remains almost intact from Sports Night it's the music. Oh, and we got a cameo from one of the console guys. And that in joke about pushing a button.

OK, fine, I love Studio 60 because in my warped mind it's the next season of Sports Night. So sue me.

Tonights our date with Veronica Mars ... which has slowly only gotten better with time this season. I still think Logan is dead weight, the show has gotten a bit of a soft side and there's not nearly enough Backup this season. But it's still good watching.






tagged: game, heroes

360 HD-DVD For Your PC

You will need a powerful PC (Core Duo 2500, P4 3.2 Ghz or AMD 3500+) with 1 Gig of RAM, running Windows XP SP2, a decent video card to handle the decoding and WinDVD 8. To get started connect the Xbox HD-DVD player to your computer via USB which will be detected as Toshiba DVD/HD X807616 USB Device then install WinDVD 8 Platinum which supports HD-DVD and Blu-Ray media and automatically chooses HD-DVD between the two. Chapter selection, Audio setting etc can be done from WinDVD menus itself which are similar to any DVD playback software. In case your Video card has HDMI output you can connect it to your LCD / Plasma and enjoy high-def goodness on the big screen.

-- Xbox 360 HD DVD player and WinDVD 8 HD connect to your PC [NewLaunches]


Nifty. I'd say this be a pretty cheap way for someone to tack on a HD-DVD drive (considering they are just now coming down to over twice the add-on's price) - but the high end nature of the computer required seems to negate that - at least a little. Still, if you've got one of those high end rigs - it's an interesting options.



tagged: 360, gaming

PlayStation 3 "Not That Great"

By now, the New York Times' negative review of the PlayStation 3 is probably old hat. Most of the other reviews I've read have been fairly positive - but I can't say I can find much fault in the NYT's opinion. It's not that I've played the PlayStation 3 - it just matches my expectations.

For months now, Sony has just been saying - "trust us ... it's next gen." But they weren't really able to talk about how. Will the media capabilities be different than what we expect. No comment. Will the basic online gameplay be different. No comment. What's the name of the network. No comment.

Even in interviews, people who have developed for the console seemed tight lipped. And now that the final product is in the hands of consumers - some people are still waiting.

There's no doubting that the PS3 has potential. But the launch barely scratches into that potential. After the holidays, Sony will require something other than short supplies to get headlines.

Compare this to the Wii. Nintendo has been up front with what they're doing - what the machine will and won't do. They post videos of people playing the darn thing. Screenshots of the channels.

To make a really bad play on words: What You Wii Is What You Get.


Just saw this:

Sony Computer Entertainment America communications boss Dave Karraker dismissed the review, telling Next-Gen in an e-mail, “This is one person's view of the PlayStation 3 and is not reflective of the majority of great reviews the system has received to date."

-- Next-Gen

Another missed opportunity out the window. Couldn't even muster up a "we've got updates planned that should please people."

I don't even want to think how much money that guy makes to just dismiss stuff.



tagged: game, gaming

Real Sign

I'm not even sure if that joke is still relevant in this day of broadband - but I find it funny as hell. From cgancos' photostream.


tagged: computing

How Stupid

Does this get?

At a Wal-mart store in West Bend, Wis., a teenager injured himself when he slammed into a pole while racing for an opportunity to buy a PS3. Evidently the store only had ten PS3s, but 50 customers, so the assistant manager set 10 chairs in front of the store. On his signal the 50 potential customers raced for a seat and the opportunity to buy one of the coveted game systems. The 19-year-old male received nothing but a trip to the hospital for head injuries and an interview by a television crew.

-- PlayStation 3 Debuts on the Dark Side [OhMyNews]

Let's count the ways:

1. Sony knows that the PlayStation 3 and everything about it is currently undersupplied. Their network isn't complete. The launch library has a couple bright spots but is really pretty meager. There's only a handful of Blu-Ray discs to be played.

Now, I'm not of the conspiracy theory that Sony intentionally held back design in the hopes that some kid would bash his head on the nine o' clock news getting one or that some other jackass would decide to spend $15,000 on eBay for one. For one thing, I'm not willing to attribute that much intelligence to this launch. It's the same philosophy as the PSP and 360 launch - just get it when you can and when you might get the best PR for your buck.

Check your calendar. This wasn't a product launch, it was a media event. No, I don't think they intentionally withheld units. That doesn't, however, suddenly make it smart.

I gotta say - as someone has worked on e-commerce since before they called it that, I wish someone would just wise up and only do online orders for when the supply and demand is this out of whack. Guess how many poles the Internet has? None.

2. Store managers. Gotta love them. And I used to think that bullfighting or boxing was the last remnant of old school bear baiting. Good ole unadulterated violence. But no - any jackass who thought that making people race for lawn chairs in the hopes of beating out forty-nine of the people next to them clearly sees that if you think hard enough, you can bring the wonder of idiotic violence into the modern day.

If this jackass wasn't sued - they should surely be fired. And everytime they utter "well, I thought it was a good idea" - slapped. With a fire hose.

3. Our brilliant youth. Dear god kid - it was a pole. I mean - damn. That's pretty dumb. Eyes on the prize, kid - especially when you're running at full tilt.




tagged: playstation 3, gaming

Some Notes From Management

Couple changes for Cathode Tan:

For one thing, I dropped Joystiq off the RSS reader during the NaNo break. They had some crap post which for some odd reason had to tack one useless and somewhat idiotic ranting about how stupid Sony was ... again. It's not that I mind reading a little opinion with my news from time to time - but blogs like Kotaku and Joystiq simply have to start drawing the line somewhere. I mean, damn, I post an innocent question about how the PlayStation 3 will handle's its large PSU ... and Kotaku links to me stating the that PS3 will be twice as hot as the 360. Which is a) not what I said because b) it's completely inaccurate.

Opinions are one thing - but just making crap up because you've decided you don't like a gaming company is bad reading. Plain and simple. And especially since these blogs are purporting to be some kind of news outlet - it's just bad taste. For me and Joystiq, it started when they couldn't link to a simply survey without inaccurately describing it and just ended when they felt the need to editoralize a relatively neutral quote from Sony's Harrison.

Update: Gizmodo just got put on the chopping block as well. First they announce the PS3 is a flop because Sony cancelled a line of TV's. Now they just used "drops a steamer" in a headline.

And let me repeat - I'm no Sony fanboy. Right now, in order of likelihood, I would probably be a Wii owner, then a 360 owner and finally a PS3 owner. I think Sony's done bizarre and stupid things.

That doesn't mean I want to read bullshit about them. If you want to report the news, do it. Don't give me fanboy fodder I can find on any gaming web forum under the sun. Sony may be capable of doing stupid things, but stop tripping over yourselves to look like idiots.

Why do I mention this? It's not like these blogs will care. And I'm sure if I find a funny picture of a novelty computer, they'll still link this way. I just mention it for the readers - don't expect any more snarky commentary on other game blogs and if there is a particularly nonsensicle brouhaha afoot (like reporting that the PS3 runs really hot or that Twilight Princess sucks because its too brown) - don't expect me to even notice it's out there.

I think that's best for everyone involved.

And if you direct your attention to the right - you'll see three links to "starred" items in my Google Reader. I'm likely to keep this up and possibly even expand it. I often post what I think is interesting news without really feeling the need to make any commentary on it. It will change probably throughout the day.

Finally, I'll be updating the "no particular order" links in the near future to catch up with things like Gaming Hobo moving and the such. Some might get cut, some might not. If anyone has suggestions for blogs I should be reading daily but currently aren't (i.e., they aren't on the list ... I mean, it's not exhuastive but indicative) - send em to cathodemail. As a side note, I get an email about every week or three saying "I'm doing such and such - would you link to me if I link to you." I don't respond to these not to be an ass - but simply because I try to remember to check those blogs a couple of times and see if it is the kind of thing I would read daily. Here's a tip: send me your RSS feed instead. I'm more likely to put that into reader and see if stuff catches my eye. I'm not out to disrespect anyone - I just like keeping the list short and tight.

And that's about all. Did I mention I accidentally put the milk in the cupboard this weekend? Yeah. It's been that kind of month.

Movie Watch: Casino Royale

We saw this over the weekend with some friends. Now, I'm a dyed in the wool Bond fan. There's really not a single aspect of the franchise I haven't liked - and we should acknowledge the wide myriad of features that includes within the long history since Dr. No. Connery's bond sly and occasionally almost sinister. Lazenby had that brief stint of drama. Moore was mercurial, almost whimsical at times. Dalton was a pretty stock action hero. Brosnan somehow managed to blend everything I just said.

So when people say that Casino Royale is a re-invention of the Bond series - that is almost redudant. The series has constantly been redefining itself. So how does the Craig era start off?

Rather well, really. The concept is to "go back to the books", so to speak. I'm not sure how true that is - I only vaguely remember the books. I think they do manage to capture Bond as the rough-and-tumble soldier-in-a-suit rather than the gentleman spy pretty well, and I think that's more accurate. There is less of an emphasis on puns and wordplay in the dialogue - most of it is more realistic and in the end, tight. Many feared Craig didn't look the part - but Bond has had a lot of faces. Thing is - Craig is cut like a damn tank. When he walks, he has the foreboding stature of a soldier. It makes Bond's role as an assassin (remember what the 00 means after all) fairly credible.

However "close to the books" they wanted, some of the modernizations are interesting. Instead of a car chase, we get a lengthy free running chase (that stuntwork where people are hopping from wall to wall). Bond plays Texas Hold 'Em. He isn't picky about his martini (until a pretty bad drink scene later in the movie). Some of these are savvy nods to an audience which may have grown on Bond - but doesn't need all the trappings.

It's the kind of savviness that other movie series like Star Trek and Star Wars could learn from. I swear - Lucas actually thinks we get dumber with age.

And a lot of the Bond formula remains the same. There's a bunch of stuntwork intersected by pretty women and expensive cars - all threaded together by a plot based mostly on events crashing into each other. And hey, Judi Dench is still M. Which of course means that Bond is engaging in all colors of retcon here - but it's Dame Judi Dench ... who the hell cares? She is rock solid and a necessary counterweight to Craig's steely delivery.

And Craig is really one of the best things in the movie. To hell with the detractors - the man brings nuance to a role which so often didn't care it lacked any. A couple of scenes where Bond regains his composure are pure gold.

The only real problem with the movie is that in the latter part of its two and fifteen minute running time seems to drag down. Parts of the ending feel somewhat tacked on to an already complete story and the wait for the final stunt scene feels long It's worth the trip, I think, but if you see a late night show like I did - you might find yourself shifting in your seat by the end.

Martin Campbell definately deserves some kind of bonus - he also directed GoldenEye which for me felt like a breath of fresh air for the series when Brosnan took the role (that some would say he was made for).

In short, it's fun to take Bond seriously again.





tagged: movies, bond

I'm back

Sunset Winterland is "done" - in that wonderful way that could only be defined during NaNo. It's a complete mess. It's a jigsaw of different drafts around a common theme don't even really agree with each other. Some of the most core sections of the story just change. It was almost more like pimping a car than writing a story - I was worried about whether the rims matched the trim ... not if it got good mileage.

It's Thanksgiving week - so I don't know how much blogging or writing I've got in me. Probably get a flurry of posts which have been pent up since the start of the month and then I might disappear for a couple days again. I had thought I'd have another interview when I got back, but I never got a response so I suppose that might be off now.

Oh well. I hear some console like - launched or something. Anyone else hear about that?




tagged: nanowrimo

Buy A PS3 Without The Wait

The catch? It will cost you seven large. Seriously? Could anyone actually do that and still speak of it in public without getting like ... stoned from nearby villagers for fear of whatever possessed them might cause undo evil upon the world?




tagged: playstation 3, gaming

Quick Observation

I think it's funny as hell to read all these articles about people waiting in line for days to pick up a PlayStation 3 - facing weather, line-jumpers and even people armed with BB guns (damn - real life griefers while waiting for your new console ... that is harsh) and then scroll down to the comments and see gems like "wtf, how stupid - why wait for a PS3" or "PS3 is too hard to code for - the games will all suck you suckers."

And so on.

Need anyone more evidence that the majority of people commenting on the Internet do not represent the majority of gamers? Not that 700 people huddled outside a San Fran Sony store represent any kind of majority vote either ... but clearly there's a distinct division between much of the blogosphere and the reality on the ground.



tagged: game, gaming

Just To Talk Lost "Midfinale"

I'm breaking my vow of silence over last night's episode. I so very wanted to break it over last week's episode - which was the first Lost episode I pretty much unequivocally enjoyed from beginning to end since somewhere near the middle of Season Two. The flashback was tight and relevant. The island was dangerous and menacing. And we got to see a whole new perspective on part of "the mystery".

That is what Lost is about to me. It was fun. It was interesting. And for a change, I actually felt like paying attention to previous episodes had paid off.

So someone tell me what the hell last night was. Most of the episode was Kate mooning over one guy or another - be it Sawyer, Jack or Mal from Firefly (and as a side note - how did we get stuck with a pair of nobodies like Paolo and Nikki if Nathan Fillion was available? Seriously?). The Others are now an incoherent mess disguised as being enigmatic. Is Juliet trying to get Ben killed or not? If so - which is more important - making it seem like an accident or having Ben die? There was probably no less than fifteen times last night that she could have gotten Ben offed - even inadvertently.

Largely last night felt like pandering to the Kate-Jack/Kate-Sawyer crowds (I can't remember their nicknames and I can't pretend to care). Much of this "half-season" has felt like it was bordering on paying attention to this soap opera and now it felt like it simply boiled over. Who cares if they've escaped from their cages when there is a smoldering hot Sawyer in front of them? A sane woman, that's who. Kate has left that particular group now. Kate (and heck, Sawyer too) deciding to remain in captivity simply because they believe they are miles away from their old beach is a) counter to both of their personalities and b) counter to rational thinking.

It's nothing short of convenient writing to get a sex scene and to set up the end scenario. It was cheap and tawdry.

And while we're on the subject of insanity - really what is Pickett's damage? His vendetta against Sawyer is completely nonsensical rage. It's another concept which only fits to serve the overall plot. If the Others are really this set of half-cocked lunatics - how are we to buy that they are calculating and manipulative. Why must Pickett wait for Ben to be under to execute an innocent person? It makes as much sense as just waiting until he was ... asleep or something. Does Sawyer even know Colleen is dead?

Why can't Pickett just head off and kill those actually responsible? This one aspect of the last few episodse doesn't feel interesting like a mystery - it feels confusing like a mess. Pickett's anger - justifiable. His inability to exact revenge in any way that makes sense? Now bordering on stupid.

The only likable portion of last night was Jack's endgame plan. It makes sense that he wouldn't care if Kate and Sawyer shacked up (I know I don't). It makes sense that he wouldn't trust either Juliet or Ben. It makes sense that he would use his skills as a physician to gain the upper hand. I'm not entirely sure how medically sound the actual trick was (he ripped open Ben's kidney? And he can sit back and wait an hour?) ... but at least the concept felt sensible.

What's sad is that they didn't simply open with that, write a decent episode and leave us with something tangible for the hiatus. Honestly, I'm not even sure I care if Kate and Sawyer get away. They had their chance and they were reduced to whiny horny teenagers. Please, someone just shoot them so that we can get back to that monster eating people.

OK - I'm back into my hidey hole to try and finish NaNoWriMo. Happy November, y'all.




tagged: lost, television

I'll Be Back

Tomorrow marks the beginning of NaNoWriMo and hence I will be trying to direct all of my downtime to writing a really bad novel in one month. I will be blogging excerpts on occasion at the Sunset Winterland Blog.

For Halloween, I give you Seance, a (very) short story that I may send to Pseudopod for their "flash" series.

Also, I may have an upcoming interview that I will likely post upon my return. Until then, enjoy yourselves and have lots of candy and turkey.

(sign from revalani's photostream)

PlayStation 3 = Power Hog

According to New Launches, the PlayStation 3 consumes almost twice as much power as the 360 and over four times that of the PlayStation 2. While they wonder how much this will add to your power bill (probably not much unless playing daily) - I wonder how they manage to shove a PSU that hefty inside the case without melting the casing or installing a massive fan.

Update
Wow. This has actually gotten forum-bitten. So let me elaborate a little.

First, I just thought this was technically interesting. When I was wondering how Sony managed to get this kind of PSU into the PS3 case without melting the case or using a big fan - I was actually wondering how they went about it. I know, it's odd on blogs to say what you mean, but there you go. I don't assume PS3's will cook waffles, heat rooms or melt their casings.

Because Kotaku ran with that and suggested you could make breakfast on it doesn't mean I was.

Second, some have pointed out that a 380W PSU does not always generate 380W of heat ... that's merely it's maximum capacity. True, although I would guess Sony would be shaving this as closely as they could. Still, as pointed out the PS3 is a multi-functioning device and so it's hard to tell what would necessarily warrant that load. Do you have to be pulling HD movies into a game that's on Wifi? Who knows. I don't.

But the real point is that simply because a PSU generates 380W of heat doesn't mean that the console is the equivalent of a coal fire. Since the invention of fire, we've managed to find a few ways to distribute heat in ways outside of simply burning ourselves.

The fact that it's not a brick supply is a bit of a mixed bag, for instance. Because it's inside a chassis it will be more likely to retain heat within the enclosure - but at the same time has better access to whatever the chassis throws at it to cool it down. Brick supplies aren't necessarily the best route to keep things cool - but they are a cheap and easy one.

By comparison - your average Dell is probably using a 300W or 400W PSU. Course, your average Dell is a noisy bitch you wouldn't want under your television. My Mac Mini uses an 85W brick supply and generates almost no noise at all except for when under pretty high load.

The answer to this mystery, easily findable by anyone wishing to spend the five minutes to google something rather than debate it wildly, is that the PlayStation 3 apparently makes good use of heat sink and heat pipes to control the heat instead of a massive fan or fans. It's not exactly Star Trekkian by today's standards, actually, Zalman makes great CPU fans that utilize large copper sinks to require small, slower (quieter) fans.

It's not that it's wild high-tech stuff - it's just more expensive than the stock fans you usually get with your PC. Might even explain some of the PS3's price tag (and if so, hats off to Sony for spending a little more to keep the machine cooler and quieter).

OK - just wanted to clear that up. Sorry for not answering my own question earlier.



tagged: game, gaming

For Sunday: Cellar Door

According to Donnie Darko, it's the most beautiful phrase in the English language. Well, maybe, but this is a decent little indie short just for your Halloween fun. Although the terror that is a cat on a treadmill came as a close runner up.

Gotta love the Internet.

I Am Bully's Complete Lack Of Controversy

I would like to call out Joystiq's summary on Bully's non-controversy as the kind of thing that's rather grand to read. While certain people might try and zero in on this subject material as a sign of the decline of Western Civilization, it's nice to see the gamesphere take the high road and realize that, well, it's just really not. If guys like Jack Thompson want to hang their homophobia out on a public limb - let them. The rest of us can live in a rational world if we like.



tagged: game, gaming