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we have moved!

2009-02-28T16:01:00.005-05:00

thank you for visiting this blog.

please visit the new one: blog.designosaur.us

biking: catskill rail trail

2008-10-29T09:52:00.004-04:00

biking: a bike-friendly broadway

2008-10-28T09:34:00.000-04:00

New York City replaces car lanes on broadway for bike lanes and benches. Click here for more.

biking: new york city's summer streets

2008-10-26T09:10:00.003-04:00

New York City is becoming more bike friendly with events like Summer Streets, three Saturdays in August when the streets are car-free for bikers, rollerbladers and walkers. The route follows Park Avenue, beginning from 72nd Street and ending all the way downtown at the Brooklyn Bridge. For bikers, it feels like a dream to see the city absent of cars.

delaware river

2008-10-23T22:27:00.010-04:00

For the last mild weekend (72 degrees) of the year, canoeing on the Delaware River at Pond Eddy is the plan. Pond Eddy is a 2-hour drive from home. It was 3 years ago, when I began this blog. One of my earliest posts included a canoe trip from this same place, Indian Head Canoes at Pond Eddy, on the New York State side. Last time, we were the only ones on the 9-mile trip downriver. This time, there are more people - college kids on inflatable rafts, and a school of kayakers. It costs about $75 for two to rent a canoe. I have a fishing pole, and megaworms, and see some of the largest bass off the side of the canoe, but it is late in the afternoon and nightfall approaches quickly. Plus, the whitewater, although exciting for me, requires attention to navigate. Or else, it would be a hypothermic dip, if we were to capsize.

mass effect (xbox360)

2008-10-19T01:34:00.004-04:00

In mood for a sci-fi videogame? Try this one from BioWare, also known for releasing other RPGs like Knights of the Old Republic and Jade Empire. It's been out for a year now, so it can be found for half price at $30. The story is so engrossing, it will blow your mind. (video credit: ign.com)

horror movie pick: 30 days of night

2008-10-06T16:41:00.011-04:00

Vampires in entertainment continue to be ever-popular and can be a guilty pleasure for its sexual undertones and desire for possessing such power. There are many ways to depict vampires. In "Underworld", vampires are ultra sexy and fashion conscious, as if on a runway show. They sport high-tech James Bond-type gadgetry. As a bonus, "Underworld" has werewolves called Lichen and the captivating Kate Beckensale. In HBO's "True Blood", vampires are welcomed into red-neck society, for better or for worse, and the situation is comical. Coppola's Bram Stroker's Dracula had potential and good movie sets, but lacked suspense. Last year's "I Am Legend" vampires are super-human monsters, but because they are computer-generated and bounce around like cartoons, the vampires are less than "believable".

30 Days of Night, has believable sinister Vampires. Be warned, this is not your mom's vampire movie. In the spirit of Halloween upcoming, you will be on the edge of your seat, from beginning to end, watching 30 Days of Night... in a good way, that is, if you enjoy the thrill of being scared. It is on the level of 28 Days, as far as graphic violence goes. But is 28 Days a Vampire movie? Personally, I think 28 Days is more of a zombie flick, so it belongs in a category of its own... for next time.

In "30 Days of Night", the vampires are terrifying. They are clearly out to kill, kill, kill. They are strong, smart, sneaky, and speak their only language. You will have to read subtitles, unless you understand vampire grunting and hissing. The vampires are not glamurous hollywood vampires. They are very ugly with mishapen heads and pirhana teeth. So cuddle up with your hubby, and hope you that you will see the light of day, after experiencing this "30 Days of Night".

Rated R for violence. Starring Josh Hartnett, Melissa George. 30 Days of Night is based on a graphic novel. The filming took place in New Zealand, giving the town its isolated feel. The costuming and FX were done at Weta Workshop, the same creative studio that brought us the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, and the upcoming film adaptation of the Halo game.

Turtle-tron Seal of Approval. Rating: 8/10.

The following is my Vampire list...

Honorable Mention: Blade
Worst Vampire flick: Bram Stroker's Dracula

Top 5 Vampire flicks (countdown to the best):
(5) Interview With A Vampire
(4) True Blood
(3) I Am Legend
(2) Underworld
(1) 30 Days of Night

wall street: economic crisis

2008-10-05T14:27:00.005-04:00

During this economic crisis, I would be remiss if I didn't include views from my hood (as in where I work). In these shots, the bailout bill is about to be approved, or disapproved, by the House.

biking: paramus, nj

2008-10-05T14:01:00.011-04:00

Dunkerhook Park contains the longest paved bike path, approx. 10 miles total, in Bergen County, NJ. It stretches from Saddle River to Ridgewood. As a bonus, there are some hidden dirt trails. Plus, you can go fishing along the stocked river and lakes. This is where I find myself, when I have a need to bike locally, or else I would have to go into New York City to ride on paved trails such as the Greenway. NYC can get busy on a nice day. It now cost $8 to cross the bridge or tunnel from NJ, plus parking in the city can be tricky.

apple store grand opening

2008-10-05T13:47:00.006-04:00

I always wanted to attend a grand opening of an Apple Store, mainly to feel the vibe of fellow Apple fans. I have been a fan of Apple products, thanks to my college, School of Visual Arts. When a foundation class required students to learn on this strange-looking computer (Mac SE or Mac Classic), all I could think is "What is this?" Little did I know this was the wave of the future - the beginning of digital technology. At the opening of the Willowbrook Mall, NJ, it is like attending a rock concert, except it is for iPods, iPhones, and Macs. I think it is a bit overkill to have the staff cheer you as you enter and leave, but it is amusing to feel like a celebrity. My second reason for being here is to get a free t-shirt. Too bad the shirt only comes in XL size.

corian is nice. plus, it's not radioactive.

2008-09-19T14:56:00.010-04:00

One year ago, we demolished the kitchen for renovation. Today, the countertop is installed... finally.

iphone apps: streaming radio

2008-07-30T16:55:00.004-04:00

Apps greatly expand the capabilities of the new 3G iPhone... and breathe new life into one-year-old "classic" iPhone. One of the first apps i sought, was AOL Radio which has a license with CBS radio to stream their stations. Happily, they include the smooth jazz genre, among all other kinds of categories. The app, Pandora, also streams music, though it dynamically bases the playlist to your first song choice. Quite ingenious.

Although NPR does not have an app, did you also know you still can get streams of their shows? Because the iphone has a browser, known as Safari, you can go to NPR's mobile website, m.npr.org. Just look for your category and then choose your city, and stream away!

iphone blues

2008-07-28T15:07:00.003-04:00

iPhone launch day? No, actually, this is taken more than two weeks after the July 11th, launch day! It is the flagship store in Soho, New York City. The immensely popular 3G iPhone has been very scarce in both Apple Stores and AT&T stores. The new iPhone is being sold on eBay for up to $1000. Even the first-generation iPhone sells for above $600, which pays off the original cost of the phone, and then some. That goes to show how much re-sell value Apple products have. I had placed an order for the 3G at AT&T about a week and a half ago. And I have not received a call from them yet. Plus, the order status tool on their website does not work. When I called AT&T, callers are greeted by a automated voice, stating that "due to the popular demand of the iPhone, you may experience longer than normal wait times." I called the Soho Apple Store, at 11am, and a customer service rep said that the 16 GB model is available. But you have to wait on line, and that would be 3 to 4 hours. She was rather rude, and hung up abruptly as if she had enough phone calls about the iphone. Perhaps, I am not as high on the Apple fandom scale as some peeps. But I guess I am considered a semi-apple fanboy, starting to feel like im falling behind, and kinda... lost, not having one of my own yet. So, I must "learn patience", to quote the wise Obi-Wan Kenobi. In the meantime, I'll keep using my crappy Sony Ericcson cell phone.

In Memorium: Stan Winston

2008-06-17T17:27:00.004-04:00

In memory of the great Stan Winston, the special effects, costume and make-up guru of many of our childhood fave movies, we geeks salute you. He is most known for his work on Terminator, Jurassic Park and of course, Aliens. He made our hearts pump with fear and excitement, not to mention, pop out of our chests! Most recently, his team created the awesome suit for this summer's superhero hit, Iron Man. Personally, I will remember him for his work on one of my all-time-favorite sci-fi/horrors, John Carpenter's "The Thing". And, I quote a friend of mine who commented on Stan's monsters, "He has some imagination!"

iPhone 3G – faster, but not exactly cheaper

2008-06-12T10:07:00.007-04:00

The new iPhone, aka iPhone 3G, was finally announced this week. Yay! But is it really cheaper? No. Booo! Last year, at its June launch, the 8GB had cost $599. This year, on July 11, the new 8GB version will cost $199. (Note: there is also a 16GB version for $299) Sure, the iPhone will cost less to buy, but remember... AT&T is supplementing the cost, to reel you into a two-year contract with their plan. For the 1^st generation iPhone, AT&T monthly plan was $59.99. But now, for the new iPhone, it will cost an extra $10 per month to be $69.99. Granted, the phone has faster wireless connectivity on the 3G networks. But you might want to check if this toy can fit in your budget, because it will actually cost you $1880 over two years. That is, $199 for the 8GB iPhone + $1680 for the entire life of the AT&T voice and data plan. So the iPhone is not exactly cheaper as Steve Jobs states.

fried fish with stir fried vegetables, baby corn and egg

2008-05-18T21:54:00.001-04:00

simple asian noodle soup

2008-05-18T21:53:00.001-04:00

a sad day

2008-04-16T22:55:00.009-04:00

Sabrina had kidney failure for over a year. Every time, she was brought to the vet, her weight kept dropping. This past weekend, she became dehydrated, nauseous and weak. A very tough decision was made to euthanize her. She was very sweet, always wanting to rest on us and cuddle. She is in peace now. We will miss you so, Sabrina.

Oscar and Gaming

2008-03-29T16:54:00.005-04:00

Jon Stewart hosts the 2008 Academy Awards on ABC. Apparently, he is a geek. He shows off his iPhone and its ability to show off video to the audience. (As if people have not seen the Apple commercials.) And during commercial breaks, he plays tennis on the Nintendo Wii (in front of the whole world, for that matter)! I like this guy.

mall shopping and a new hard drive

2008-03-10T11:04:00.002-04:00

steph has been going to work at 5:30am, including saturdays, because of two movie projects going on. i am entering a music remix contest for Leo Laporte, my hero, The Tech Guy podcast theme. only have one week to do this. gladly, it will only be a one minute song. i am using garageband, and learning more about the software as i am composing riffs and beats for the remix. it is actually a intuitive program for being included with the Mac OS. look in circuit city for Nintendo Wii. still no wii's. salesperson tells me they got a shipment of 50 units on monday morning and they were sold out in an hour. dam. get new acorn blue plush slippers 40% off in ramsey outdoor store. almost get 2008 nj fishing license, but they require $31 in cash, including a trout sticker. browse in paramus park mall for pants. no pants found in abercrombie & fitch where i normally get them. find $12. 99 pants on sale in aeropostale. eat three chocolate chip cookies from meredith's bakery (farmers mkt @ bowling green). i shop for new backpack at campmor. back home. i clear the dining table to use it as a area i can put my desktop computer. the original mac 60 GB hard drive which is from 2001 is very noisy, so i know it is about to die. (originally thought it was the fan making that noise, but a test proved negative.) had ordered a 160 GB seagate hard drive from amazon.com for only $68, which really a great deal. the cost for high capacity drives are so affordable now. open the desktop trapdoor, temporarily remove the secondary internal hd to transfer all important files to the new hd. not quite as easy as swapping firewire or usb cables.

macworld 2008

2008-01-18T22:46:00.000-05:00

The end of HD-DVD

2008-01-08T12:35:00.000-05:00

At this week's CES in Las Vegas, Warner Bros. chose the Sony's Blu-Ray format for its movies, swinging a major blow at the HD-DVD camp. And now, Paramount will follow? There was the rumour that Bill Gates' was going to announce an HD-DVD equipped Xbox360. But we may never know because the HD-DVD press conference was abruptly cancelled following Warner Brothers' announcement, hence Bill's speech was empty and only about his farewell. He may as well have bidded farewell to HD-DVD also.

kaaterskill falls, new york state

2007-11-27T21:53:00.000-05:00

everything on sale

2007-09-16T15:31:00.000-04:00

We are missing a main ingredient to have a garage sale. Well, I do have a garage, but not a house. Steph found a white elephant sale happening at a library several towns away. Just drive up the car to an open space in the parking lot. Then, open the trunk. And sell, sell, sell!

ladies and gentlemen... a beetle !

2007-09-16T12:27:00.001-04:00

When I was walking my dog, Pumpkin, in a local park, a rather large insect caught my eyes. It was stuck on its back in the sand of a baseball field. Its six (or was it eight?) legs were flailing in the air. I was nervous to touch it, but then I realized it was just a beetle. A very big beetle. It looked exotic to me. Kind of like a Rhinoceros beetle. I didn't know that Jersey has big bugs like this. So I took it home to observe it. Looking it up, I found out that it is a Stag beetle, and they like to eat wood. I put a piece of wood next to it, and sure enough it eats wood. Steph and I release the beetle the next day in a "real" park - one with lots of woods.

a brush with greatness

2007-08-11T23:23:00.000-04:00

On a humid weeknight, my friend Mike asks me to join him to see the New York Yankees. I rendezvous with him near his job on the Upper East Side. As we walk to the subway station, I see my mentor walking by, I freeze for a moment in shock, and come to my senses. I have to talk to her, a celebrity in cooking! Her name is Lydia Bastianich of Lydia's Italy. My favorite cooking, second to Chinese, is Italian. That is probably because both cuisines involve delicious spicy sauces and noodles! Or pasta, rather. I give Mike my camera to take our picture, but he does not follow after me, nor does he know how to use a camera's zoom. So this is the only evidence of me, meeting my hero, Lydia.

my iPhone: update

2007-07-13T13:35:00.000-04:00

Sadly, I returned my iPhone today - two weeks later, within the two-week return limit. The cons out-weighed the pros. But I promise, iPhone, I will come back to you in future generations, if it is the last thing I do!

Here is how I broke it down :

pros:
- the finger navigation technology.
this is cooler than any james bond gadget!
- the amazing display is a pleasure to view video and photos, in landscape!
50" LCD TV? fugettaboutit!
- perfect size.
not too small, not too big, just right, said baby bear.
- google maps and you tube.
while walking the dog. coolness!
- the caculator, the calendar and the alarm.
oh dammit, all of the apps rock on this phone!
- it is finally fun to use a mobile phone !
when you throw out your old phone, please take it to recycle bin at best buy

cons:
- battery is not replaceable, needs to be sent to apple for service.
hey, apple, do you have to corner the battery market as well?
- does not support flash viewed in the browser.
wow, youtube has alot of work to do
- mini-jack is inset, making most standard headphones uncompatible.
oy, another accessory to buy
- when texting, it is too easy to make mis-types with the small keyboard.
LOOLOO, uh, i mean LOL
- the most affordable AT&T plan starts at $60/month.
can't decide which is more important to spend on, this subscription, or HD cable
- camera is only 2MP.
well i guess it isn't called the iCamera
- cannot use your own custom ringtones.
aw, no star wars ringtone fo me
- syncing with iTunes is the only way to manage your videos, photos and music.
what! no drag and drop?
- the price of $500 for 4GB or $600 for 8GB.
i need a second job
- as beautiful as the screen is, finger prints
oh no! is my skin too oily? give me some soap!

All Hail, the iPhone

2007-06-29T12:12:00.000-04:00

The Playstation 3 release drew alot of people to wait overnight, but the game console turned out to be a dud. The next biggest thing I can recall that did deserve some hype, because of the limited supply, was the launch of the Xbox360. It was the first of the next-generation gaming systems to be playable on hi-def TV's. Heck, some even waited on line for Microsoft Vista. But let me just state for the record, the Apple iPhone is the biggest release event... EVER! Technology-wise, that is. It comes out today at Apple Stores and AT&T stores at 6pm. It's all over the news, including the monsterous Apple Store on 5th Avenue, yeh, the one that is open 24 hours a day. My friend, Tracy, called to tell me there's a line in the Pentagon City mall Apple Store, just outside Washington D.C. I will run over to the SoHo Apple Store, after work.

raymond esposito rail trail

2007-06-16T00:39:00.000-04:00

I find this rail trail on May 20th, after browsing the annual antiques and crafts street fair in Nyack, New York State. I've heard about a bike trail in the area. While driving into Nyack on Route 9, I see a trail follow the roadside. It starts from a basketball court/playground. I am pleasantly suprised to see that this is actually several trails connected, extending through the hillside of Piermont for about 8 miles. The trail passes behind million-dollar homes. One problem is 1/3 of the path is rocky. But eventually it turns into fine dirt, and then paved road. The view overlooking the Hudson River makes this a pleasure to ride.

ahh... summer

2007-06-16T00:32:00.001-04:00

Halo 3 news: Master Chief Doth Cometh

2007-05-16T12:08:00.001-04:00

800 Million is the amount of hours played in Halo 2 multiplayer over Xbox Live. It's still going on strong since its release 2 1/2 years ago. The usual lifespan of a game is about 3 to 6 months.

You can find Steph and me, playing it almost every night at 10pm, even on school nights. My gamertag is Apollo13spins. We play side-by-side with a TV and Xbox of our own, so we get the full-screen experience. It's fun to yell at the screen. Yes, you can call it an addiction. We are both sci-fi fans and love the high of battling other real players online with laser guns. Not to mention, guns, rockets, grenades and vehicles too. It's not as tactical as Gears of War or Ghost Recon Advanced Warfigher, but it's easy to just jump in, and play. Personally, I find the first person point-of-view easier to control, than the third-person of GoW and GRAW. I sold GRAW on eBay to someone who appreciates military action more than me. Gears is an amazingly beautiful game enough to keep, and I sometimes re-visit it to remind myself how terrible I am at it. Still, I believe Halo 2 has a much, MUCH longer replay value.

Today, begins the 3-week long beta-testing of Halo 3. Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to partake by getting in on the "Rule of Three's" way to access the beta, or by purchasing Crackdown for the invitation. I am happy enough, for now, with Halo 2 and its recently added two new multiplayer maps added last week. One of the maps, called Tombstone, makes for a crazy team battle. We were creamed last night by a team who clearly practiced and mastered the terrain.

Also, today Bungie announced the release date of Halo 3 for September 25, 2007. This will be the Day of Days because videogame releases are occasionally compared to movie openings - both are major studio productions of media entertainment. It is quite possible that Halo 3 can surpass the opening day earnings of Spiderman 3 which took $59 million in the US. Halo 2 took $125 million on opening day in 2004.

More Heroes for NBC

2007-05-16T12:06:00.000-04:00

NBC is hurting bad, being in fourth place, amongst the network battle for television viewership. Besides the guaranteed hit of the Law & Order franchise (going on 18 seasons which I realize is one more year than the Simpsons!), there is only one winner this past season that swooped in and came to the rescue - the comic-book-style inspired series, Heroes. NBC is having trouble with the comedy genre ever since the success of Seinfeld and Friends, so now they are announcing more fantasy/supernatural-themed shows instead for next season. "The Bionic Woman" is being updated for our times. "Journeyman" is a news reporter that travels through time. "Chuck" is about a computer geek who somehow downloads secret government information into his brain. Personally, I very happy to see that being a geek is the new cool. NBC is turning into the Sci-Fi channel, which, incidentally, NBC Universal owns.

Gandalf Goes Corporate

2007-04-24T19:26:00.000-04:00

Remember Midway ? They are the gaming company that began with pinball machines. They brought us the Defender and Robotron in the 80's. And in the 90's, there was the then bloodiest game called Mortal Combat, including spine breaking action ... literally. Well, now they bring us Lord of the Rings Online. Midway is struggling in the ever-competitive market of videogaming. Look at Atari which was bought by other companies over the years. (Going... going...?) And if that wasn't enough, LOTRO is going head-to-head with the leading MMORPG, World of Warcraft. This morning, Midway rang the opening bell to the New York Stock Exchange, along with some friends from the series. What happened to Gandalf the White ? Oh, Sam, Gandalf has gone Corporate.

For Star Wars Fans

2007-04-04T23:01:00.000-04:00

The US Postal Service will be releasing Star Wars stamps on May 25th. In honor of the 30th Anniversary of Star Wars, a pane will include 15 stamps. Vote for your favorite character now! The image I made here in Photoshop was actually in anticipation of Wimbledon, but still appropriate for SW fans. Heh.

My job

2007-04-04T22:53:00.000-04:00

Today, the NYSE merges with Euronext, the European exchange, to create the first international stock exchange.

Companies Choose Their Path

2007-03-28T22:21:00.000-04:00

Microsoft has announced the Xbox 360 Elite version set for an April 29 release. For $480, it comes in black, and sports a 120GB hard drive, and wireless remote control. But sadly, no HD-DVD ! How elite is that ? It looks like Microsoft is already abandoning the HD-DVD format, so that it can concentrate on its Xbox Live Marketplace service. Although there is still no clear winner in the formats wars thus far, this is a score for the Sony Playstation 3 which can play Blu-Ray discs. At the same time Microsoft is going head-to-head with Apple's iTunes store which is number one in video downloads. Microsoft's Live Marketplace selection is sparse in comparison, but it does have a one-up over iTunes in that it has the only Hi-def-quality movies and tv shows available to download. But beware of Live because it uses a point system rather than dollar and sense, if you know what I mean. You'll need a conversion chart as if you're in a foreign country in order to figure out how much your spending. Being that I have an Xbox 360, and favor it over Playstation 3, I hate to see Microsoft shoot itself in the foot the way Sony has. To list a couple of bad moves, Sony forced those with a PSP to use their proprietary UMD format for watching movies. Sony never paid Immersion for their rumble technology (until losing in court), and that's why there is no rumble in the Playstation 3 controllers. So now with Microsoft killing HD-DVD and bad Live point system, I will only use the Xbox for gaming, not for watching movies. Let's hope Apple will make the right choices with their AppleTV. Say… add HD movies and tv shows to the iTunes Store, or enable Tivo-like features to record.

Gung Hay Fat Choy

2007-03-12T22:14:00.000-04:00

This is the Year of the Pig. But really... this is the year 4704. To celebrate, I make chicken pan fried noodle.

Tech Turtle Tip: DVD to Video iPod

2007-02-27T21:00:00.000-05:00

Are you bored staring at strangers during your commute to work? Need something to do while waiting for an oil change for the Prius ? Well, then don't let your Video iPod go to waste. You can watch the Star Wars or the Devil Wears Prada DVD on your iPod. For PC users, go to videora.com, or iSquint. For Mac users, use Handbrake. Both freewares extract the MPEG2 video from DVDs, and convert it to MPEG4 which is the format playable on the 5th generation iPod. Note: It's is not legal to make DVD copies to sell them on the sidewalks of New York City... or anywhere else.

Update: Handbrake is now MediaFork. Different name, but still the same awesome-ness. You can download it from MacUpdate.

Comicon NY

2007-02-25T20:17:00.000-05:00

Where No Man Has Gone Before

2007-02-23T20:28:00.000-05:00

Are we on track with the Star Trek timeline? NASA made a 2-year agreement with the Virgin Galactic space-tourism company. (Yes, Virgin, as in Richard Branson's Virgin Records. The millionaire is creating a fleet based on the first privately-funded SpaceShipOne.) Together, they will work on new technologies that will include hybrid rockets. The goal is travel five-times the speed of sound. 2 years is actually an ambitious number to push travel that fast, but still a long way from the speed of light. According to ST: First Contact, we will have achieved warp technology by the year 2063. So don't forget to put that on your calendar.

iPhone Thoughts

2007-01-10T21:06:00.000-05:00

It seemed like eternity to me that the rumors about a phone by Apple were floating around, especially since I was at the last two MacWorld conventions in San Francisco, with eyes wide open. It is an amazing feat, even for Apple, to enter the highly competitive cell phone battle. Well, unless you were lost on a deserted island recently, Apple iPhone was finally announced on Tuesday, January 10. Apple stock soar above 92, white RIMM and Palm stock plummeted, changing the playing field in an instant. But wait a second, with Linksys jumping on the name iPhone trademark, first, for their own VoIP phone, is Apple going to go through more legal woes again? Cisco, the parent company of Linksys, says no. They told Marketwatch that they are signing agreements.

For the iPhone service, Apple has teamed up with Cingular Wireless. That is out of character for Apple to join forces with another company. For example, Steve Jobs had the ambition to build Apple’s own online music service, iTunes, using their own massive servers, bandwidth and hard drives. But team up with Google too? That’s because Google perfected the satellite mapping technology. Why reinvent something that works so well already?

If I do get one, luckily for me, I had chosen to move to Cingular. I wanted an unlocked phone - the kind of phone that countries like Japan and China enjoy the benefits of. I like the rollover minutes too. (I must say for the record, though, that Cingular claims to have the least dropped calls, but I've experienced the same amount, if not, more so.) What about the millions of others who are bound by 2-year-contracts, or those who don't want Cingular as a service? That will leave many isolated Apple fans in the dark.

The release date is set for June in the US. For Asia, it will be released sometime next year. Finally, we get a cutting edge cell phone before Asia does.

Many people, including me, were looking forward to a video ipod with a larger display. And now that it's here, Steve Jobs seemed to downplay that feature. That's the feature that interests me the most, actually. I have a cell phone and iPod, already. Although the flash memory saves on battery juice, the 4 and 8 gigabyte options are a paltry size if you're used to a 30 gigabyte iPod for your movies and music. The addition of Paramount to the iTunes movie library is a welcome addition given that we geeks can now download and watch Star Trek movies.

Will it play games? With the versatility of the multi-touch screen, that's a definite yes. With the power of OSX and the customizable interface, the possibilities are endless. It makes the Sony PSP look like a toy. Well, actually it is, since it's specificly made for gaming and movies.

I have a feeling one of the many accessories for the iPhone will be a screen protector. If the iPhone's screen is anything like the current iPod's screen, plenty of glass cleaning fluid and a rag will be necessary. Without anyone getting their hands on an iPhone at MacWorld, it's difficult to say how the fingerprints will affect it.

Microsoft, Apple and Video, Video Video

2006-12-10T12:14:00.000-05:00

Microsoft + Apple

It's good time to be alive. The lines between the past biggest enemies are being blurred. No, I don't mean America and Russia. I mean Microsoft and Apple. I never thought I'd see the day, Apple would make a software for PC users. iTunes to be specific. Or the inside of an Apple computer have a PC processor, an Intel chip.

Well, here's another one. Did you know you can connect your iPod to an Xbox 360? You can play music from your playlists, navigating them from the controllers and tv screen.

Video
The video, however, won't play into the 360 from the iPod Video. That's because of proprietary software each company uses. Microsoft has Windows Media and Apple has Quicktime. Plus, Microsoft wants the Zune to have this capability.

Anyway, you can connect the iPod directly to your television's composite jacks. If you have a current digital video camcorder, it comes with a mini-jack that splits into three RCA jack wires. Just remember... the red wire is for video, not the yellow, in this case. So put the yellow and white wires into the audio ports. Apple was trying to be tricky, to sell their own brand. As much as I am a fan, I never said Apple was a saint.

Come next year, the landscape of your entertainment center will be changing. The Xbox 360 already has the power to download movies via Xbox Live and hard drive for storage. And for several months now, Apple has "near DVD quality video" available on iTunes. In January, the Apple iTV will be unveiled, giving people the power to watch video content straight from their Macs. But don't forget Tivo with its Series 3 Hi Def and Digital Video Recording.

Among the three set-ups, Apple has an advantage because family members of all ages can have a Mac. Plus, larger screen version of the ever-popular iPod is in the horizon. Portability is what people want. The Xbox 360 mainly appeals to the teenage demographic. And Tivo requires a monthly subscription on top of its $800 hardware cost.

Fall In Englewood

2006-11-17T09:37:00.000-05:00

Turtles are basking during this Indian Summer.

Fall In Tribeca

2006-11-17T09:35:00.000-05:00

Sony Playstation 3 Launch

2006-11-17T09:15:00.000-05:00

There is no suprise here about the holiday buzz and long lines for a game system. Since I tried three times last December to get an Xbox 360 only to succumb to failure. I went early on the eve of the release, but there were others who camped out over 24 hours. Then, supplies just dwindled to what seemed like forever. (I finally got one... 6 months later.)

I'm not as interested in the PS3. You see, gamers take allegiance to the system they feel comfortable with. (Although I have both.) Fans of the Xbox, will want the 360. And fans of the Playstation 1 and 2 will want the PS3. It's a natural progression. For me, I guess it is more of a price issue, starting at a hefty $499 for the 20 GB PS3, then $599 for the 60 GB version. For someone who views it as a videogame console AND a Blu-ray player, may find the system to be worth it. I think I will more likely wait for the Nintendo Wii (Nov 19th), because it will be affordable at $250. Plus, I always liked Nintendo's look and feel. (ah, memories of the Super NES) AND it's just pure fun.

Pictured here, is a waiting line for the PS3 at a NJ mall. Unlike other lines around the nation, nobody is in a tent here because security guards keep breaking up the line. In fact, one came right after I took this shot. Hardcore investors wait as long as two weeks before the release date, such as in Burbank, CA. Notice I said investors, not true gamers, because after all, most people intend to sell it on Ebay for as much as $2500 per unit. I can't blame them because the thought has crossed my mind too.

Macy's Getting Ready

2006-11-15T22:26:00.000-05:00

Macy's department store is preparing for the parade. Plus, the windows are getting a facelift. Holes are being drilled into the marble wall for massive framing assembly. As a home-improvement aficianado, I wonder how they are going to patch up the marble.

Happy Halloween

2006-10-28T11:21:00.000-04:00

It started out to be a homemade photoshoot complete with all of the lamps in the house, pointing at a plain wall backdrop, in the dining room. I just needed a new photo for my passport. The set up was so elaborate, I didn't want to waste it on a tiny portrait of myself. So Steph, Pumpkin and the four cats all took turns on the chair. This one of our cat, Sierra, seemed appropriate for Chills.

Blogging: Just a Small Note About Something Big

2006-10-10T20:25:00.000-04:00

If you have a lot on your mind and enjoy writing about it, why not try blogging? It gives you a website of your very own which you can direct people to. And those people, friends and family - all can reply with comments. In a dynamic way, a blog site archives all your entries by date, and grows as you add more and more entries. A virtually limitless hard-drive online, so to speak. And you can update it, wherever you have access to the internet. I was skeptical about it, at first. Partly because the name is stupid. Kinda like... Google. But look at how hu-u-u-ge both blogs and google are. They are a part of life and the 21st Century. You gotta be in it, to win it. Or, at least, to be in the know. One of the biggest bloggers is Markos Moulitsas Zuniga who started DailyKos, which brings together a nation-wide community of people who are against the current state of America. Most blogs sites are free. All that is needed is registering your name and email. Personally, I prefer this site, Blogger.com, because it is clean, simple and free. My friend, Dave's site, on MySpace, is a bit heavy on the imagery, movies and music. But he likes it that way and it is fun to gather all your favorite things for the world to see. Young bloggers, like my brother, use xanga.com. WordPress and LiveJournal are also free. TypePad costs money, but gives you more power - like residing on your own domain name, managing your community of readers, and supporting podcast feeds. Think this is all geek speak? Well, haven't you heard? It's now cool to be a geek.

Ashuwillticook Rail Trail, MA

2006-10-10T18:37:00.000-04:00

Ashuwillticook Rail Trail is located in the Berkshires of northwestern Massachussetts. It is a 11-mile paved path, traveling from the town of Lanesborough to Cheshire to Adams. Rail trails are old unused railroad track routes reborn into a paths for us to enjoy. Dogwalkers, joggers, rollerbladers, and bikers, can use them for healthy happy hearts. Conservation groups clear away the iron for recycling. Then, the pathways can be turned into a variety of surfaces such as dirt or pavement. Visit railtrails.org for a rail trail near you.

Digital Photo software

2006-09-25T22:43:00.000-04:00

As a Mac user, I use iPhoto. It is a free (with Macs) and powerful program that downloads from digital cameras automatically. It organizes your images in the user's photo directory. But I'm not completely satisfied with submitting all control to the software. I would like to save my digital photos in my own folders and name the file archives the way I want them to be. PC-users have a similar photo program by Google called Picasa. At the Pro-level. Aperture is a big leap forward, but $299 is a steep price to pay for photo hobbyists. But enter, Adobe with Lightroom 1.5. It is in its beta 4 stage right now. And it is free to download and use until February 28th 2007. The Lightroom beta can be downloaded for both Windows and Mac. It will competing directly with Aperture.

US Open 2006

2006-09-01T19:19:00.000-04:00

With the rain delay, earlier in the first week of the US Open, it ruined my Thursday attempt to get a same-day ticket to see Agassi vs. Bagdhatis. The crowd attendance rolled over into the next days. The box-office line zig-zagged. People complained of the chaos. Still, I stayed on line to get tickets for admission to an evening at Arthur Ash Stadium, next week. BTW, if your a tennis fan and a gamer. Try out pong.

Best of friends

2006-08-28T02:57:00.000-04:00

These two - a turtle and alligator, are sharing some bonding time together. The Baltimore aquarium has a magnificent turtle aquarium, including exotic species from Australia.

What to do with that hole in the wall...

2006-08-28T02:36:00.000-04:00

If I want to be able to flip this house. I better be able to use a saw and hammer. So to prove to myself that i can actually build something from scratch, I take on the challenge of making a recessed cabinet in the bathroom. I am happy with the result. And especially happy that the materials cost only $20. Where as, a cabinet would have been $80 to $120 at Pottery Barn. Now to see what color the lady will paint it.

Aglio olio pasta

2006-08-28T00:45:00.000-04:00

Thought I'd try making a nice cold pasta for summer. It is easy. Mostly olive oil, fresh tomato. Salt and pepper to taste. Cook the pasta al dente, then run cold water over it in a strainer. The breaded chicken cutlets are optional.

Welcome To The 21st Century, Hollywood

2006-07-13T13:48:00.000-04:00

Remember Napster? I mean the original Napster from six years ago. The peer-to-peer software, created by a college student, enabled people all over the world to trade and download music for free. The music industry went fanatic. They complained, they sued and killed Napster. Of course, in this ever-changing digital world, other savvy copycat software companies, like Kazaa, popped up to take Napster's place. Well, the file-sharing landscape has changed dramatically since 1999. Virtually any kind of digital file, including movies are being exchanged legally or not, via Bit Torrent, thanks to the greater availability of high-speed bandwidth connections to the internet. DSL and Cable rates are more affordable for the masses. People want more, and they want it faster. We want the King Kong movie the moment it comes out in the theaters. Hollywood is afraid that it will suffer in sales the way the music industry did. So in a suprise move, the movie industry is cutting deals with BitTorrent and Guba to distribute films over the internet. As they say... If you can't beat them, join them.

Cape Cod (June 21-26)

2006-07-12T16:50:00.000-04:00

Bike Ride After Flood

2006-07-12T11:33:00.000-04:00

One of my first logs, posted a map of a rail trail that ran along the Delaware river. Mostly as a reminder to myself to go there when the weather permits. Well, it rained a lot, lately, and I am anxious to get outdoors. So Steph and I drive 75 miles to Frenchtown, New Jersey. There is evident damage to the river's edge and people's homes. One homeowner is draining out their house with a rented heavy-duty hose system. The water level is still very high and muddy-brown-colored. Amazingly, the flood did not damage the bike path. However, fallen trees, on the trail, are sawed apart.

Old Navy Mascot Search

2006-05-26T13:01:00.000-04:00

I wish I could enter my dog in this Old Navy event, happening in Union Square, NY. But she is in Virginia, for the moment. There's a lot of dogs and proud owners. Some of the dogs are even dressed up in costume.

Spiderman Sighting

2006-05-26T11:05:00.000-04:00

Film crews are set up this morning, crowding the corner of 23rd and Broadway. Just across the street from the Flatiron building. The same spot where the military tried to capture Godzilla (the US version). They are shooting a scene at a newstand. On the cover of the New York magazine, it reads, "...NY Loves (heart) Spidey".

Table Tennis? What Will They Think Of Next?

2006-05-25T12:49:00.000-04:00

I must say, Pong has come a long way. Remember the first game that came out for our home tv? Slow blips and bleeps, back and forth. A square dot bouncing between two rectangle paddles, a divider line down the center, and the score at the top of the screen. My dad had it. It was a full-sized console that played just one game! No cartridge slots. Well now, Rockstar Games has released a ping pong game called Table Tennis. Yes, the company that brought you Grand Theft Auto, which rewards you for killing cops, mugging innocent by-standers, and hooking up with prostitutes. This is a smart move for Rockstar - to lighten things up after the "Hot Coffee" mod. Tennis videogames, like the Virtual Tennis and Top Spin series, have been popular for console systems. I am a tennis fan, so it is funny to see the court shrunken down to a table and flick of the wrist. Back to basics. This will be popular amongst the Asian peeps. After all, ping pong is big in China. In fact, it includes Asian characters. Way to go Rockstar!

I'm Famous

2006-05-24T09:57:00.000-04:00

See me? This is at the CNN news studios in midtown New York City.

Name Game

2006-05-04T16:47:00.000-04:00

Nintendo shocked many gaming fans by rebranding its next console as Wii, pronounced wee. Americans don't like it because it sounds like a bowel movement. But the French like it because it sounds like yes in Francaise. The two i's next to each other are supposed represent the unique remote controllers for the system. That explanation maybe a stretch. But the big question is why would Nintendo ditch the previous name when they put so much money into the Revolution campaign? Well, it has been part of Nintendo's rebellious track record to shake things up. For example, N64 was codenamed Project Reality and then the GameCube was codenamed Dolphin. One would figure since GameCube is in third place behind Sony's Playstation and Microsoft's Xbox in sales, Nintendo would be burning money in the whole renaming. However, Nintendo's handheld gaming line has cornered the market in its GameBoy, GameBoy Advance and DS products. So Nintendo can afford to rock the boat. Come to think of it, strange names have always plagued the gaming industry. (Not to mention game titles.) Which of the following game systems do you think have funny names?

Intellivision
Colecovision
Nintendo Entertainment System
Sega Master System
Super Nintendo Entertainment System
Sega Genesis
Nintendo GameBoy
Atari Jaguar
Atari Lynx
Sega Saturn
Sega Dreamcast
Nintendo 64
Nintendo GameBoy Color
Sony PlayStation
Nintendo GameBoy Advance
Microsoft Xbox
Nintendo GameCube
Nintendo DS
Sony PSP
Microsoft Xbox 360
Nintendo DS Lite
Nintendo Wii

Steamed Sea Bass

2006-04-20T16:58:00.000-04:00

Steamed Sea Bass, Cantonese-style, is a must-have dish in Chinatown. This is actually tilapia. It's cheaper than sea bass, but it's just as flaky and tasty. I've also used cod and haddock. And it only takes 15 minutes to make !

My First Impression of LA

2006-04-20T14:59:00.000-04:00

I don't know much about Los Angeles. So I left all the planning to Steph. But upon entering downtown by train, I saw endless graffiti along the canal system. Freedom of speech is the American way. I must say... phat!

Intel AND Windows Inside

2006-04-13T12:39:00.000-04:00

Recently, hackers figured out how to run Windows XP on a Mac-Intel despite the differing subsystem. This was inspired by a contest called the OSx86 Project. It was for anyone who could figure out the puzzle of how to put together the OS of one company, Microsoft, and the hardware of another, Apple. The award was money raised online by contributions from around the world. Virtual PC had made it possible to run windows on Macs but it was painfully slow since it is, after all, only an emulation program.

Introducing... Boot Camp. Apple's official answer to the popular demand. It is in the Beta stage, and open to the public for a limited time. It will be released as a part of Leopard, the next major Apple operating system, due later this year. Installing Boot Camp involves partitioning your hard drive for both operating systems. You will need your own full copy of Windows XP. One problem with Boot Camp is that you cannot run both at the same time. You have to choose upon startup which one you want to run. To switch to the other OS, shut down the computer and start again.

Parallels Workstation 2.1, pictured, is an alternate way to run Windows in OSX. However, it has a more complex install procedure, especially for those who are not so tech savvy.

This is all legal, as long as you purchase your own copy of Windows. It works out for both Gates and Jobs, in the end. It's just like when Darth Vader, turns good and saves Luke from evil. It's just like when Jaws helps James Bond go back home from the Moonraker. It's just like... well... you get what I mean. Hell hath frozen over.

So why would a Mac user want to run Windows? Forget music recording software. Forget movie editing software. Forget photoshop. We, Mac heads, have all that. Gaming, of course!

And I'm not the only one.

DS Lite Is Not A Beer

2006-03-15T17:15:00.000-05:00

The Nintendo DS Lite was released in Japan this past chilly Saturday. And the response was fanatic with eager crowds lining up around the block, grabbing 70,000 units. It comes in Crystal White, and will have additional flavors like Ice Blue (or light blue) and Enamel Navy (or dark blue). The DS Lite looks like another sleek gadget from Apple. Although it is not quite as small as an iPod. At a 40% smaller size than the original, the DS Lite has a better chance of fitting in your pocket or bag. Still sporting the clamshell cover functionality and Game Boy Advance compatibility, it does have notable improvements. The DS Lite now has four levels of brightness. The brighter-than-before screen setting makes the graphics even more sharp. The bigger stylus makes it easier to hold, and its storing location easier to reach. And the buttons have a sturdier feel.

When can we expect it to be in the US, you ask? There is no disclosed date of release. But a good guess would be by early summer, for us restless kids.

Blizzard of 2006

2006-02-14T15:17:00.000-05:00

I always wanted to ski in Aspen. This serene scene is actually in New Jersey. The blizzard started at 4pm Saturday February 11th, and continued until 4pm the next day. Surpassing the blizzard of 1947, this storm broke records with the heaviest snowfall in the New York area history at 26.9 inches.

There's No Rules In Cooking

2006-02-14T15:08:00.000-05:00

Chinese fried rice sometimes includes a fatty pork sausage. This one I made with... Nathan's hot dogs. A mix of Chinese and Jewish influences.

PC Goes to Halo-wood

2006-02-10T09:41:00.000-05:00

Good news for Halo fans. Xbox's Halo 2 has such a monolithic fan base that Microsoft feels it is a worthy investment to port it from the Xbox to the PC. Halo 2 will only be playable on Vista, not on any earlier versions of Windows. Microsoft hopes to encourage PC users to migrate to the new operating system, coming later this year (supposedly). It announced that its gaming team will work closely with Bungie to make this happen.

Using a mouse and keyboard is the proper way to navigate in a FPS, not on an analog controller, in my opinion. Although the rumble feedback is a nice interactive feature on the Xbox control, the directional movement is like molasses. Turning quick enough to make a headshot on an approaching opponent is critical. It just feels more natural for twitch gameplay.

Happy Chinese New Year

2006-02-07T13:09:00.000-05:00

There is no time to go to Chinatown and see the dragon dance or have true traditional food. So to celebrate, I make Hoisin chicken with bok choy, ginger and red pepper. This is actually a quick dish to stir-fry. Within 15 minutes.

Opening Up a Mac

2006-02-07T11:09:00.000-05:00

In the dawn of the new Mac-Intels, how do we extend the life of our PowerPC G4's? Upgrade, of course. I've played with the guts of the desktop before, by adding a secondary hard drive and PCI cards for better video. But this time, I am entering a more ominous territory - replacing a drive. Browsing at MacWorld, I was approached by a salesperson. He was representing FastMac, a company that encourages do-it-yourself computing. I wanted to continue walking, but I froze. The words 16X internal Superdrive dual-layer DVD burner mesmerized me. My eyes glazed over, sparkling, with the thought of such beauty. The brand is the well-known Pioneer. And the price was a steal at $65. I thought to myself, I can do this. I can install it and make it work. But the catch is Apple does not officially support drives not bundled with their packages. At least, they would prefer that you buy a whole new computer, say, like the G5. So essentially, its like hacking. I would have to install a patch to make the Mac software recognize the DVD burner. Back at homebase, I open the computer, pull out the old original 2X DVD burner, install the new Superdrive, and download a patch. Not quite plug and play. And here goes the test - to burn DVD's at lightning speed and at higher capacities. I am happy to announce, that it does indeed work. FastMac offers 1.4Ghz processor upgrades for about $250, but that would have involved messing with the motherboard. I am for plug-and-play, but not solder-wires-and-play.

MacWorld 2006 in SF

2006-01-14T13:09:00.000-05:00

The future of the Mac is a big question mark, now that the Intel chip will be the heart of new Apple computers. Because the architecture is the same as PC's, Steve Jobs made it more vulnerable to the same viruses and spyware that plague the rest of the world. That's the bad side.

On the good side, it is now easier for developers to create or port applications for the Mac. Meaning more games. For the longest time, while there would be rows and rows of PC game selections at your local BestBuy, there would only be a diminutive shelf reserved for Mac gamers, if any at all. Now the playing field is leveled.

The new dual-core processor makes benchmark performances more than 2X faster than the defunct PowerPC chips. The extra bonus will be the possibility of running dual operating systems, namely Windows and OSX, on the same computer. Apple says they will not help make this happen, but they also will not stand in the way. So to all you hackers ... on your marks, get set, GO!

A Good Time for Soup

2006-01-06T10:46:00.000-05:00

With the new Crueset oval pot, mumsy gave me recently, I wanted to cook something. I don't know how to make a cassarole, so I made soup. This dish is inpired by a combination of Italian Wedding soup and Spanish Caldo Gallego. I tried to make the meatballs tiny. But as usual, they puffed up again.

How We Spent New Years

2006-01-06T10:35:00.000-05:00

Approaching the stroke of midnite, Steph had fresh dough, tomato sauce and mozzarella ready for some home-made pizza. I set up two tv's next to each other - one to watch the ball drop, and the other to yell Happy New Years over a multiplayer game of Halo 2.

When the Dog is Away

2006-01-06T10:26:00.000-05:00

Donuts are for the birds. The dogbed is like a king-sized donut for the cats now.

Merry New York Christmas

2005-12-08T17:23:00.000-05:00

Use Protection

2005-12-01T16:05:00.000-05:00

Helmets are to football players, like seatbelts are to passengers. Don't forget cupcakes. They need protection too. Steph improvised this proto-type.

They're He-re

2005-12-01T15:52:00.000-05:00

The Greenwich Villiage Halloween Parade was popular as always. The weather was the warmest halloween ever at about 55 degrees.

Sony Is Still the Giant

2005-11-30T16:41:00.000-05:00

With the shortage of Xbox 360 shipments to stores, again Microsoft will lose, inspite of being the number 1 sought-after christmas gift. Consumers will flock to other available systems like the Sony PSP or the Playstation 2, this holiday season. Microsoft hopes to capture the Sony's videogame marketshare, and it will only have four months to do so, before the PS3 release. Only 450,000 Xbox 360 consoles were available on November 22. How does Microsoft expect to steal Sony's storm with such a limited supply? To put the competition into perspective, PS2 sales recently reached 100 Million units sold Worldwide, four years after its debut. But the original Xbox had only sold 22 million units since 2001. (The Not-So-Portable PSP on the billboard, pictured, is on display on Houston Street, NYC. These posters of the Xbox 360 are on 23rd street/5th Avenue.)

Bike Trail on the To Do List!

2005-11-11T15:43:00.000-05:00

Darn. It is getting cold already. But I swear... we will do this trail, if it's the last thing we do. It runs along the Delaware River, dividing Pennsylvania and NJ.

Columbus Day Weekend In Chicago

2005-10-11T17:13:00.000-04:00

I don't get to Chicago, often. My uncle, Ed, who lives there, jokes that I pass over him, when I fly from the East Coast to California, yearly. Ed and I spend time together on ski trips, and when he visits the New York area. But this time, I visit him on October 6th. He picks us up at Midway airport. This is the first time, I get to ride in his over-sized diesel truck. The first thing we do (as a tradition in whatever city we're in) is go to Chinatown. Wonton noodle soup sounds really good on this cool eve. Afterwards, we go back to his home in Oak Park. The rumbling engine of the truck, triggers the barking from an awoken Gigi, his American Eskimo dog. On Saturday, we play tennis at the Oak Park High School. Cheering fills the air, in the nearby football field. The school is having a Homecoming parade. I like the school's team name, the Huskies. The parade passes the tennis courts, including floats, and a grey Husky mascot, complete with fluffy mane, long nose and curly tail. Uncle Ed brings me to Johnnie's so that i get to try an italian beef sandwich which is uniquely Chicago. On Sunday, we cycle along Lake Michigan, the same time the Chicago Marathon is happening. It is not easy negotiating traffic on a tandem bike. A Chicago cop is amused to see us on this antique, and asks, "Is that a Schwinn Twinn?" At first, I am concerned about balancing, and being in synch with Steph's pedaling. Suprizingly, we get the hang of it. Eventually, we end up in Millenium Park to see what the city spent on to attract tourists like me. I am impressed, especially of the bean. On Columbus Day, our last day here, we tour the architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright, in Oak Park, because this is where his first home and studio is.

Row. Row. Row Your Canoe.

2005-10-11T16:16:00.000-04:00

Rivers are a nice out-doorsy alternative to the beach. Not as crowded, especially off-season, during the fall. In fact, no one else is on the Delaware River this Sunday afternoon. To me, it is cleaner. No stickiness or salt to have to wash off afterwards. Just choose your starting point, and choose a helpful canoe livery. They drive us 9 miles up-river. It takes about 3 and a half hours, including brief breaks for sandwiches and swimming to get back to the home-base, where the car is parked. But, of course, if you are adventurous, with more time to spare, try out long-distant canoe trips and overnight river-side camping.

Halloween Is Coming

2005-09-22T12:01:00.000-04:00

There are already signs that Halloween approaches. (My favorite holiday, ever.) I was shopping in Target for a clothing hamper. And there it was... ghoulish sounds, coming from the distance. The child inside me remembers. And my eyes glare like a zombie craving brains. My body turns in the direction of the repetitious screaming. When I enter the forbidden area, I have to play with every creepy battery-powered contraption. There is a trick-or-treat bowl that snatches back at you. And a coffin that pops open with the scariest face you ever saw, just like at the haunted amusement park rides. But what I really want is the gargoyle statue to greet trick-or-treaters. So I grab it. I never get the hamper.

That's Hot

2005-09-21T16:30:00.000-04:00

... As Paris Hilton would say. And that's the way red-eared turtles love it. Under the sun or heat lamp. It's good for a healthy shell. So don't forget to put floating logs in your turtle tank! (Note: This picture is not included in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue.)

... And There Was Tile

2005-09-20T12:26:00.000-04:00

The entranceway is now complete. Visually, I wanted to create a non-pattern mix of cool colors, complimenting the cherry hardwood flooring. I would have added a third color or shape if it was worth the effort. It is such a small area, though. Maybe when I get my next mansion. There is, now, a place to put shoes. (It's an asian thing.) I can rest a bit and watch fall season tv. Then, the fireplace is next... or is the bathroom?

Let there be tile

2005-09-16T15:34:00.000-04:00

This is what the entrance looked like when the carpet was stripped from the floor. It was disheartening to see how much of the sub-flooring was warped. That was extra work for me to fix. About month's worth. Hardwood is now layed down (not pictured). I wanted to protect the wood from doorway foot traffic, so I installed cementboard for where the tile would be. This week, I rented a wet saw from HD, but it kept shattering the test piece, no matter how gently I passed it under the blade. I returned it, complained and got my $85 refunded. Go to Plan B. Have them do it for me. Most HD's have wet saws set up in the tile department. So I marked the cuts with crayon. Bringing a handful of tiles at a time, I made five trips to different HDs. The whole puzzle fits nicely on the floor. And, patiently, I did it ... for free! Dad would be proud of me.

Be afraid, be very afraid.

2005-09-16T11:03:00.000-04:00

From behind the veil of a dark shadow in the corner of your empty house, lurks a silent monster awaiting to pounce upon an unsuspecting victim. And you are its next prey. Red eyes peer in intensity. It is only a few feet away when you realise you are not alone. Too late to run. The monster hisses in absolute rage, and you suffer the most unbearable slash of pain ... a lick. It's only Sabrina. Our pet cat.

This is a perhaps a dramatization of what my dog and cat experienced when Stephanie moved in. Steph has two female maine coon cats. Both of which are temperamental with my pets. When passing each other, they hissed. Sabrina would actually swipe. I was afraid of her nails actually contacting my dog, Pumpkin, who doesn't know anything evil. My cat, Mac, is declawed, and is a bit more street-smart. 6 months later, her cats have mellowed out and just tolerate the living situation. Now if I can only save my new couch.

Oldie But Goodie

2005-08-03T10:57:00.000-04:00

This is more of a retro-review and commentary of Unreal Tournament, now known as UT Classic or UT 1999. UT Classic is much more fun and faster than the UT 2004 blown up incarnation, also available for the Mac. Granted the addition of stategy games like Onslaught teamplay and vehicles (thanks to Halo) are nice additions to UT 2004, the feel is not as good as the Classic version, in my opinion. UT 2004 requires steeper system requirements, mostly because of the highly detailed worlds and characters. Heavier graphics doesn't make for a better game. I thought, perhaps, I was out-of-touch of the graphics and mechanics of the newer game. However, even when I played Unreal Championship (a spinoff of the franchise) on the Xbox, the movement was choppy in the same way. Something is terribly wrong with the integration of the coding and Invidia graphics card. Still, UT 1999 has a plethora of customized maps that are downloadable and playable online. Enough to satisfy any FPS gamer for a very long time. I've been searching for a way to keep the great classic shooter in OSX. Alas, sadly, even the one beta patch update available out there doesn't work properly. It crashes. I read plenty of forums and there is still a popular demand for the game to be playable in OSX. Unfortunately, developers don't want to support Unreal Tournament 1999 anymore. If you can afford the hard drive space, keep OS 9.2 on your Macs a while longer, my friends, so we can keep playing this Classic together!

Ying and Yang

2005-08-02T16:48:00.000-04:00

Charles Schultz once said, "Happiness is a warm puppy." Can I add warm cats to that? Introducing my cats - BooBoo (left) and Mac (right). BooBoo likes to play hide (and seek), especially when a stranger comes over. But he is a soft loving hug when everything's back to normal. Mac is truly user-friendly. Named aptly because when he was a kitten, he'd sit on my lap and look at the screen whenever I was surfing on my computer. Plus, he is friendly to all, even to new comers.