breakthesky.net » Technology

I Might Be a Hypocrite But At Least I Have A Nintendo DS

Manda — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 13:53:36 +0000

Remember when I rediscovered my Gameboy Color and said I wouldn’t get a Nintendo DS because I couldn’t justify the cost for the console or games? Yeah, I do too. I also am now in the possession of a shiny blue Nintendo DS Lite.

How did this happen, when I was so adamant about the fact that a DS would be a waste of money, seeing as I had a Gameby Color? And the fact that I just really wanted to play Pokemon Silver on the Color (which I already had), even though the DS had the remake, SoulSilver? And I’m not employed this summer, so how did I magically justify the expense of a new DS lite?

There were a lot of reasons. I wanted to play the new DS games, SoulSilver is cooler than Silver, I am going to be doing a lot of flying and traveling in the next month so I need something to entertain myself with during the long hauls (which, to me, justified the expense – turns out boredom is pricey). However, what it really came down to was the technology: Gameboy Color has no backlight. Nintendo DS does. Either my eyes are crappier than they were when I first played my Gameboy Color ten years ago, or in those ten years my eyes have been spoiled by the wonders of backlight technology. No matter which, I wanted something where my eyes didn’t have to strain after fifteen minutes of game time… thus, I got a DS.

I know there are lots of DS fans out there, so anyone want to recommend some awesome DS games?

© Manda for breakthesky.net, 2010. | Permalink | 4 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: games, photos, recommendations

The Oxford (or Serial) Comma

Manda — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 15:11:42 +0000

I am home from my trip to the East Coast! Overall, it was a very enjoyable trip. I visited friends and family and did a lot of sightseeing, as well as shopping. The best part was when I got together with my friends from school and we were all reunited – the last time we’ll be reunited for a year, as I’m going abroad for the year and most of them are going abroad for at least a semester.

Anyway, now that I’m home again, time to return to my regular blog programming. Stephen Colbert interviewed Vampire Weekend on his show in June 2010 and the following interview took place:

Stephen: Can I take you to task for something, for a second?
Everyone: Sure.
Stephen: In one of your songs, you have the lyrics: Who gives a fuck about an oxford comma?
Ezra: Yes.
Stephen: I’m here to tell you, I do. Shall we explain what an oxford comma is to the people?
Ezra: Oh. It’s always a little tough to explain… an oxford comma would be a comma that you’d put before the and or the or, at the end of a list.
Stephen: Red, white, and blue.
Ezra: Exactly.
Stephen: I mean, red comma white comma and blue.
Ezra: Do you really need the comma?
Stephen: Yes, you do need the comma.
Ezra: Why do you need the comma?
Stephen: Because otherwise it’s: red, white and blue. Our flag is not red, white and blue. That’s red and baby blue!
Ezra: There are situations where it’s necessary.
Stephen: All situations. All of them except it’s, like, a law firm. That’s every other— No, listen, have you heard of Strunk and White’s The Elements of Style?
Ezra: Yes.
Stephen: Heard of that? I refer you to… (opens book) page fucking two: In a series of three or more terms with a single conjunction, use a comma after each term. (snaps book shut in Ezra’s face)
Ezra: Yeah, but I mean -
Stephen: Does that sting? That’s E.B. White, you heard of him?
Ezra: Respect to Strunk and White, but it’s just protocol. It’s not— there’s no real reason.
Stephen: Yeah, it’s language. Why don’t you just take all punctuation out, be like the Romans?
Ezra: Sometimes we do.
Stephen: Really?
Ezra: I mean, we’re a band. Y’know? (shrugs)
Stephen: I weep for our nation. But, I do enjoy your music. Will you stick around and do one of your songs that is properly punctuated?
Ezra: We’ll see.
Stephen: All right, we’ll be right back with a performance from Vampire comma Weekend!

I always used to use an Oxford comma, but then when I started taking journalism classes in college I had to stop using it because AP style forbids it. Still, I prefer an Oxford comma over none; it’s what I was taught all throughout school (until college) and I think sentences look neater with one!

Question of the Week: Do you use an Oxford comma?

e-Readers: Kindle or Nook?

Manda — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 14:16:53 +0000

I am in the market for an e-reader.

I know, I know. When I first heard about e-readers, I was very skeptical and vowed that nothing would ever be able to replicate or replace the feeling of an actual book in hand. I still stand by that sentiment, but logically, an e-reader makes more sense in the long run, at least for me.

I travel a lot, and I always, always bring books with me. Not only do I travel, but I also move from place to place a lot. Basically, I’m almost always en route from Point A to Points B, C or D. Not having/bringing books is not an option for a bookworm like me, so I have schlepped my books to the ends of the world and back in my lifetime. However, it is not feasible for this to continue. Books are expensive (I have an aversion to libraries, but that’s a long story), books are heavy and books take up space. These are problems I’ve had with books and my lifestyle from day one.

E-readers solve most of these problems. Yes, they are expensive – certainly more expensive than any lone book. But e-reader versions of books are cheaper than print versions, and e-reader books that are in the public domain are free. They are also very light and can store over a thousand books on the device, which solves most of my book woes.

Sounds great, right? But there’s still a problem. I don’t know what type of e-reader I want. Or rather, which type of e-reader is the best fit for me.

I’ve narrowed it down to two: Amazon Kindle and Barnes & Noble Nook. Both look very good. I’m leaning towards the Kindle, but I don’t really have a reason for that except that it has a longer battery life. Honestly, both look really awesome and I’m completely torn as to which one to get. If I were to get the Nook, I’d be able to get it (relatively) soon. If I were to get the Kindle, I’d be debating whether or not I should wait a little longer and see when the Kindle 3 comes out before purchasing anything, as that release ought to be soon… right?

Anyway. Kindle or Nook? Anyone have experiences, stories, etc with either, or e-readers in general, to share that would be helpful?

On Calling 911

Manda — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 22:27:13 +0000

I called 911 for the first time today.

I was in the backseat of the car, with my mother behind the wheel and my brother in the passenger seat. I was looking out the window, listening to my iPod and not paying attention. All of a sudden, I heard my mom scream, “Oh my God, oh my God,” and I yanked my earbuds out of my ear and frantically tried to figure out what on earth was going on.

There was a sedan two cars ahead of us that randomly pulled out of our lane and angled his car so that it was perpendicular to the flow of the traffic in the opposing lane. I’m not sure what was his train of thought was or if there even was one, but next thing I knew his car had collided with an SUV that was driving in the other side of the street. The front of the sedan crumpled and the fender of the SUV fell off; the airbags deployed and everything seemed to happen so much faster than it actually did.

The SUV pulled over on the side of the road and the two passengers climbed out, both unhurt. The driver of the sedan wasn’t in great shape; his face was bleeding profusely. However, he was well enough to get out of his car and take his shirt off so that he would have something to stem the steady flow of blood (I’m assuming he had a broken nose as there was a lot of blood). My brother went to go talk to the SUV passengers and the man in the car in front of us went to talk to the driver of the sedan. Meanwhile, I placed a call to 911.

Help arrived within several minutes. The cops arrived first, then an ambulance pulled up and the medics checked on the driver of the sedan. After that, there wasn’t much else we could do, so we hoped that everything would work out okay for those involved and then drove away.

It’s so strange to look at my list of recent contacts in my phone and to see 911 listed.

Gotta Catch ‘Em All

Manda — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 15:23:35 +0000

This is what I re-discovered yesterday.

Yes, that is a red Gameboy Color. (Excuse the poor quality of the photo. The lighting where I am is bad and I am too lazy to do anything about that.) It is approximately 10 or 11 years old and is surprisingly in great working condition. My game of choice? Pokemon, of course! Part of my re-discovery when it comes to my Gameboy is a few of my Pokemon game cartridges. Currently I’m playing Silver and realizing two things: first, I have completely and totally managed to forget everything I once knew about the details of the game; second, it is just as fun as I remember it to be.

I know that they re-released Silver as SoulSilver for the Nintendo DS, but unfortunately I can’t justify the cost for a DS or any DS games. It’s just as well, really. Since I’ve been playing Pokemon on my Gameboy, I feel like I’m about 10 years old again. (Having said that, my 10 year old self would be appalled at how much I’ve forgotten about Pokemon in general.) Playing Pokemon has been like talking a walk down memory lane, which is pretty awesome!

My Gameboy, as well as a book and my iPod, will be keeping me entertained while I wait in the hospital today as my mom undergoes surgery. The surgery is meant to be fairly routine and low-risk, but I’d appreciate it if you guys kept her in your thoughts today. Thanks <3

Constantly Connected

Manda — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 17:27:09 +0000

Rebekah tweeted a quote about Rahm Emanuel yesterday that made me legitimately LOL. It’s from the book “The Promise: President Obama, Year One” by Jonathan Alter, pages 165-166:

[Rahm] didn’t appreciate it when he reached only voice mail or when someone failed to call back immediately. One day in early 2009 he left a message for George Miller: “This is your best fucking friend, your only fucking friend in the world. Are you ever going to call me back?” No hello or goodbye. It had been two hours at most since Rahm called the first time.

I will be the first person to admit that I am attached at the hip to my iPhone. Having 24/7 access to my email, Facebook, Twitter, texting, calling and the Internet in general? Whoever decided it was a good idea to let me get a smartphone obviously wasn’t thinking straight.

It drives me absolutely crazy whenever someone takes days, weeks or eons to reply to an email/call/text/voicemail/tweet/Facebook message/etc. It gets really bad if I know the person I’m trying to correspond with also has a smartphone, because I just don’t see the point in getting a smartphone unless you’re going to use the “smart” part of the phone. (Or even the “phone” part, if that person isn’t responding to my calls or texts!)

Usually, I’m pretty good with not getting too anxious or annoyed about waiting for people to get back in touch with me. It only really gets to me if it’s a timely thing and I have to hear back from so-and-so by a certain time. For example, if I am put in charge of planning a surprise birthday dinner, I need to know what time works for everyone and what everyone is contributing to the party. If people don’t tell me, I can’t plan the party, which leads to no party (surprise, surprise). Pretty easy math, if you ask me. However, most people don’t see it that way and pin the blame for the lack of party on me. Or, they get me the necessary party planning details in the eleventh hour and have the audacity to grumble about me bothering them for said details. (Let’s remember that I wouldn’t have had to ask more than once if they replied to me the first time!)

While I wouldn’t say I’m as bad as Emanuel, I very well could be in the next few years. I already have a smartphone and my degree is best suited for PR and media… I may as well start drafting a marriage contract between myself and an iPhone or Blackberry (or Android, since they seem to be the next up-and-coming smartphone).

Blogging on the Go

Manda — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 17:46:07 +0000

I finally got around to downloading the WordPress app for iPhone and now I can blog on the go. Hooray!

Too bad I currently don’t have anything of importance to blog about.

…

*crickets chirp*

Somehow, I assumed simply blogging from my phone would make my entries seem much more epic. I guess not.

At Least It’s Not iTampon

Manda — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 00:39:25 +0000

Of all the names Apple had to choose from for the new tablet that was unveiled today, the company chose “iPad.”

Really, Apple? Really?

I hope Apple realizes that not only is iPad one letter away from iPod (bad idea right there) but that the word “pad” usually has a connotation to feminine hygiene products. There is a reason why “iTampon” has been a trending topic on Twitter ever since news broke concerning the official name of the Apple tablet, you know.

It’s a shame names such as iSlate or iTablet were discarded in favor of iPad. Anything would have been better than iPad… well, except for iTampon.

iPhone Game Apps

Manda — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 13:00:45 +0000

This blog entry about free iPhone game apps is my follow-up post to iPhone Apps. Since none of the apps I listed in the other post were games, I thought I would do an entry related solely to (free) iPhone games!

Solitaire Free
I’ve always been a solitaire fan, and Solitaire Free is a great app for every solitaire geek. Not only does it has the traditional solitaire game with the option of drawing one card or three (Klondike Deal 1 or Klondike Deal 3), but you can also choose from variations of solitaire like Baker’s Game, Baker’s Game Easy, Demon, or Spiderette. My personal favorite is Demon.
FarmFrenzy
While the full version of FarmFrenzy is a paid app, the lite version is really good and I’m not even sure I would bother with the paid app since the lite one pretty much has all of the game’s features! It’s the quintessential farming game, where you raise geese and collect the eggs and send the eggs to refineries and cart off your goods to earn money. Along the way, you have to plant grass for geese to feed on, capture attacking bears that will eat your livestock, and raise other animals like sheep, cats, dogs, or even cows!
Tetris
I’m pretty sure this one needs no explanation. ;)
Lemonade Tycoon
This, as far as I can tell, is exactly like the computer game version of Lemonade Tycoon. You set up a stand, order lemons, water, sugar, cups, and ice, and every day you sell lemonade to try and make a profit. When I first downloaded this app, I couldn’t believe that it was a free full version rather than a lite version because it seems like all games only give you a free lite trial!
Falling Gems
Falling Gems is quite similar to Bejeweled. You slide the gems so that you make a combination of 3 or more same-colored gems, but unlike Bejeweled, the combination doesn’t have to be in a straight line. It’s incredibly addictive and you can save all of your scores to create a high score scoreboard.

Down for Everyone or Just Me?

Manda — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 13:00:57 +0000

In light of last Thursday’s DDoS¹ attacks against Twitter, LiveJournal, and Facebook (apparently Blogger was also targeted too?), the website Down for Everyone or Just Me? was very handy to use when checking whether or not these outages were experienced by everyone or if it was just my computer being iffy before news was released that the cause was a DoS attack.

Basically, Down for Everyone or Just Me? checks to see if the site is up and running and will tell you whether the site is experiencing actual downtime or if it’s just your ISP/browser/computer that can’t view the website. I’ve been using it more often than I’d like to as of late as it seems the quality of my internet connection has decreased in the last few months, but it’s much more convenient to use Down for Everyone or Just Me? rather than frantically asking those on Twitter whether or not others can see a site I can’t load in my browser!

Distributed Denial of Service.