Haven't talked much about kids, but it's a bit overdue, so here it is.
The kids have been rather cute lately, picking up odd little things wherever influence seeps in. They spent pretty much most of today chanting, "I don't like Candy Corn, no I don't like Candy Corn" which is rather cute.
And yesterday, they were signing one of the Snoopy songs from "Snoopy, Come Home," one of the lesser known ones that I just happened to rent. The one mystery song still remains whereby the two of them will start singing:
"I'm notttt perrrrr-fect. I'm nottttt Perrrr-fect..." I don't really know where they got it from, but it seems aptly appropriate most of the time, which is pretty ironic.
And one of the best ones so far that I think would be perfect for a trip to the bar is actually from me. Sometimes Alex gets a little overexcited while drinking and he'll choke on the water and cough at the dinnertable. So when I say something like that, it's appropriate. But just imagine what people must be thinking when they're out in public, and out of the blue they'll just say:
"Take it easy with the drink."
They might guess that's why Mommy always says about Daddy.
Oh yeah, yesterday during the refreshing walk, this happened: toward the end of the walk, even though I had my iPod on, I heard them giggling and laughing back there so I glanced back and say that they had a new game. Kissing. They would lean in, kiss, and fall back laughing. It was really cute, and sometimes they would go in, linger, maybe have they mouths open, and then kiss, and then laugh heartily. I thought it was funny - at first.
And then they kept doing it. And we were in public.
I didn't want to overreact about it, being how they've never done it before and it's not like they were making out, but it sure felt a little odd after they kept doing it. I know that it's completely innocent, but in my mind I'm thinking, it's always a bit fun to be doing that. After all, that's why we all do it, don't we? So I just gently told them they were being too crazy and by the time we got home, they were done. But it was a strange moment for me.
Kinda like this I suppose.
Oh, and Alex started Playschool a few weeks back, whereby he'll be at a facility whereby he'll interact with other kids, doing fun activities, and squeeze in some learning. He's been saying some cute things too, when a teacher exclaimed after noticing Alex's head that he was sweaty, Alex replied, "Oh. I'm sorry." Zoe started gymnastics, which is just a bit of jumping and climbing. She's doing pretty well, except she does want to constantly embark on her own agenda.
We were feeding the ducks today and Alex and Zoe were conversing with a two year old. Then Alex turned to the Mom and asked, "What's your name?" "Ronnie," she replied.
"That's a good name," reassured Alex.
We've been trying to teach him about talking to strangers. That's not going that well, as you can see.
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I took the risk and applied for a different position at work. I don't know if it'll come to anything, but it's a good company and I'd like to stay with it, although not in the same position I'm in now. I just think things won't improve and my patience will once day implode if I stay at my current position for any longer than 9 months.
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Today I took the PSP out to Starbucks and used T-mobile's promotional access to their hotspots to test if the internet connection did indeed work outside of my home. The internet worked just fine, and the Locationfree worked pretty good too. The video was a little muddy at first, but it found a better encoding and that worked just fine. So now I know it works for sure. Doing it from home at 100% quality was a little deceiving...
Not a whole lot going on over here. I am thinking about applying for an entry sales position in my company, just to get away from the manufacturing part of it. This past week has been really something for me. The supervisor has been doing time crackdowns - thus making us feel like little kids who've been late from lunch or sitting around talking. A couple of my co-workers effectively redefined laziness and poor work ethics, and one of the most annoyingly chatty people just filled a shipping position on Thursday. One of those guys that you'd never want working with you because he does Schwarzenegger impressions and can't stop talking about how much shipping experience he has. I think it's high time for me to move on.
I was feeling sluggish this afternoon - the kids had their downtime, but I was ready for a nap and they certainly weren't going to give it to me. I didn't feel like going on just to go out, and I don't feel like fighting the crowds at the malls or spending more money, since I have a poor sense of will power. So I decided that I should take the kids out on the wagon and go for a walk. And walk I did. iPod in my ears, I walked to the local mall, which is maybe a mile and a half or so, got the kids a couple of lollipops, and then walked back. It felt good to do the walking, even though I wasn't really dressed for it. I felt energized and not so sluggish. It might start a new trend. Might not. When it gets colder, I don't mind the walking but the kids might think otherwise.
I've been feeling better about the kids too, trying to really watch my attitude and tone around them, and they are so much happier now. I'm happier with myself as well, knowing that I've been a better parent, a more patient parent, and one that doesn't have to rely on volume and threats to get the kids to listen. So that's cool.
Well, bedtime for me. It's 2 in the morning and guess what? Monday morning I have to get up at 4:30am. Prove positive that I'm not cut out to be a morning person.
Not a whole lot going on over here. I am thinking about applying for an entry sales position in my company, just to get away from the manufacturing part of it. This past week has been really something for me. The supervisor has been doing time crackdowns - thus making us feel like little kids who've been late from lunch or sitting around talking. A couple of my co-workers effectively redefined laziness and poor work ethics, and one of the most annoyingly chatty people just filled a shipping position on Thursday. One of those guys that you'd never want working with you because he does Schwarzenegger impressions and can't stop talking about how much shipping experience he has. I think it's high time for me to move on.
I was feeling sluggish this afternoon - the kids had their downtime, but I was ready for a nap and they certainly weren't going to give it to me. I didn't feel like going on just to go out, and I don't feel like fighting the crowds at the malls or spending more money, since I have a poor sense of will power. So I decided that I should take the kids out on the wagon and go for a walk. And walk I did. iPod in my ears, I walked to the local mall, which is maybe a mile and a half or so, got the kids a couple of lollipops, and then walked back. It felt good to do the walking, even though I wasn't really dressed for it. I felt energized and not so sluggish. It might start a new trend. Might not. When it gets colder, I don't mind the walking but the kids might think otherwise.
I've been feeling better about the kids too, trying to really watch my attitude and tone around them, and they are so much happier now. I'm happier with myself as well, knowing that I've been a better parent, a more patient parent, and one that doesn't have to rely on volume and threats to get the kids to listen. So that's cool.
Well, bedtime for me. It's 2 in the morning and guess what? Monday morning I have to get up at 4:30am. Prove positive that I'm not cut out to be a morning person.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Sunday, October 7, 2007
A little something something
My wife mentioned yesterday that I never write on the blog anymore, and that much is true. Fact of the matter is, not much is really going on. Work, home, tired. That's pretty much about it. And stuff. I buy a lot of crap that I don't need, if that's worth noting.
The latest victim to my lust is the LocationFree Base Station for my PSP. Haven't gotten it yet, so I couldn't tell you exactly if it is everything it's cracked up to be, but basically it's the same as a Slingbox. It takes the TV cable signal and transmits it over the internet to your laptop. The only reason why I was looking at the Sony LocationFree was because it utilizes the laptop, sure, but it can also use the PSP as it's portable device of choice. So I could be at home watching episodes of DVR programs while the kids are watching a DVD, or I could be watching in some coffeeshop TV from home, right on the PSP. Unfortunately for Dansen, I cannot share this joy because the LocationFree's limitation of one license per unit means that I cannot share my TV with him in Japan. Sorry buddy. The other thing is that if I'm within range of the unit, the PSP will form a direct connection via Wifi to the PSP, bypassing the internet, providing a better streaming experience. Hopefully I should be getting this later in the week.
I worked a 50 hour week last week, and wouldn't you know it, Friday was the busiest day of the week. We were just pushing out units so quickly and doing orders left and right that I was just exhausted when I came home. And of course, the effects of that is directly felt on the kids, which I feel absolutely lousy for. Perhaps in the near future, my wife will be able to work lesser nights because honestly, I'm just too wiped out to deal with the kids patiently on some of the nights. On Friday, I dozed off after I got home before dinner, after dinner, and then went to bed early. I have become a parent I don't want to be.
Today in the morning, my wife and I decided to take a walk to the nearby store just to kill some time and we ended up having to walk home in the rain, which wasn't that bad since it wasn't too terribly cold. So that was interesting. I'm glad I didn't take my camera on the walk with me though. I would've spent so much time stressing about that.
Well, here's one thing worth noting. Last week at my work, there was a former astronaut who was brought in to give an inspirational speech and he was really something. Of course, most of the stuff that he had to say was told in a universal sense, with very little direct implication of our company and what it does for business. But he talked about things like teamwork, aiming high, and one of his stories really inspired me. Basically, this guy was born before space was a possibility, and he had wanted to be an jet pilot. But his eyesight had prevented him from doing so, so he became a goose instead, the co-pilot that sits behind the pilot on the jet. When the space program took off, one of the policies stated that to become an astronaut, one would have to be a pilot to qualify, which he didn't. But he went ahead and prepped for it anyway, tacking on airtime, working in that direction to be space bound even though the pilot policy stood firm. For 10 years. Then they changed the policy and suddenly this guy was qualified to do it. And he flew in several missions to space and basically he said, he worked toward a seemingly unachievable goal for 10 years and in the end, his laser sharp focus, his commitment, and his ambition allowed him to achieve his lofty goals. That was really something.
Anyway, it's bedtime for me soon here, so I better get the gears going.
The latest victim to my lust is the LocationFree Base Station for my PSP. Haven't gotten it yet, so I couldn't tell you exactly if it is everything it's cracked up to be, but basically it's the same as a Slingbox. It takes the TV cable signal and transmits it over the internet to your laptop. The only reason why I was looking at the Sony LocationFree was because it utilizes the laptop, sure, but it can also use the PSP as it's portable device of choice. So I could be at home watching episodes of DVR programs while the kids are watching a DVD, or I could be watching in some coffeeshop TV from home, right on the PSP. Unfortunately for Dansen, I cannot share this joy because the LocationFree's limitation of one license per unit means that I cannot share my TV with him in Japan. Sorry buddy. The other thing is that if I'm within range of the unit, the PSP will form a direct connection via Wifi to the PSP, bypassing the internet, providing a better streaming experience. Hopefully I should be getting this later in the week.
I worked a 50 hour week last week, and wouldn't you know it, Friday was the busiest day of the week. We were just pushing out units so quickly and doing orders left and right that I was just exhausted when I came home. And of course, the effects of that is directly felt on the kids, which I feel absolutely lousy for. Perhaps in the near future, my wife will be able to work lesser nights because honestly, I'm just too wiped out to deal with the kids patiently on some of the nights. On Friday, I dozed off after I got home before dinner, after dinner, and then went to bed early. I have become a parent I don't want to be.
Today in the morning, my wife and I decided to take a walk to the nearby store just to kill some time and we ended up having to walk home in the rain, which wasn't that bad since it wasn't too terribly cold. So that was interesting. I'm glad I didn't take my camera on the walk with me though. I would've spent so much time stressing about that.
Well, here's one thing worth noting. Last week at my work, there was a former astronaut who was brought in to give an inspirational speech and he was really something. Of course, most of the stuff that he had to say was told in a universal sense, with very little direct implication of our company and what it does for business. But he talked about things like teamwork, aiming high, and one of his stories really inspired me. Basically, this guy was born before space was a possibility, and he had wanted to be an jet pilot. But his eyesight had prevented him from doing so, so he became a goose instead, the co-pilot that sits behind the pilot on the jet. When the space program took off, one of the policies stated that to become an astronaut, one would have to be a pilot to qualify, which he didn't. But he went ahead and prepped for it anyway, tacking on airtime, working in that direction to be space bound even though the pilot policy stood firm. For 10 years. Then they changed the policy and suddenly this guy was qualified to do it. And he flew in several missions to space and basically he said, he worked toward a seemingly unachievable goal for 10 years and in the end, his laser sharp focus, his commitment, and his ambition allowed him to achieve his lofty goals. That was really something.
Anyway, it's bedtime for me soon here, so I better get the gears going.
Friday, September 28, 2007
Glanced at the blog and felt immediately bad that I hadn't updated in 10 days. And so much has happened too, with me having a birthday, and Alex having his first day of playschool. But then I realized that none of my friends update their blogs regularly, even on a monthly basis. Then I felt better. Yes, insulting my readers do give me a sense of resolution.
Anyway, the main reason why I've been absent is mostly to do with the PSP, but some of it has to do with my wife being on vacation. Unlike most of our counterparts, we're not doing anything on our vacation, just taking some time off for some sanity. My wife has been so overworked that this week has been a little better. It doesn't make our boy less crazy or our girl less talkative, but it certainly does make her life a wee tad stressful.
So, just to get the PSP out of the way, it's been a fun little multimedia device for me. And when I say multimedia, I really just mean videos and games. MP3s are for my iPod and having photos on the go is overrated. Most people don't use photos on the go unless it's like porn or something. I've never found that feature especially useful for my phone, iPod or PSP. But yeah, I watched "300" on it, and "The Descent" as well. It's nice to be able to catch movies at work, albeit the feature are interrupted - but the movie still gets watched. And podcasts do have to be converted, but it's worth the trouble for the most part. Just bought a cheap pouch for it today (cheap because the PSP Slim accessories aren't even out yet.) and so now I look like a bona-fide geek, with a PSP hanging off my belt loop. No worries, am married and have kids - doesn't matter how I seem to the opposite sex anymore. Just as long as I'm not creepy, that's good enough for me.
My birthday came and went mostly without incident - since the aforementioned gadget was my gift, I just got some sweets and cards from the family and that was it. Didn't do a whole lot, but I didn't work. Which was nice. Working 10 hours on my birthday isn't exactly my idea of a good time. But that was fine. Alex started his playschool which was very exciting for him, spending 2 1/2 hours twice a week in an environment with a teacher and other kids. He doesn't seem to like to share about his experiences, but he did miss Zoe when he came out of it last time. The first time he went though, it was tough to tell Zoe that she couldn't stay, that she couldn't play. Instead she had to have some Mommy time instead. Cost was a factor, but it was also about getting him ready for school, whereas she still have a couple years to go before we had to think about school.
I decided yesterday that I should start encoding all my home movies to mp4. I had begun a previous project like this, converting all my home videos to DVD, but the thing of it is that it is still sorta accessible, but still not. And I'm never happy with the encode because it gets to be too time consuming. With the mp4, the format is small enough not to kill my HD space, and actually plays on the PSP, though that is not really the main reason for doing it. I just want to have the access to all the videos at my fingertips. Don't know why, but it seems like a nice idea.
DUDE. Today we decided to go to Gene Coulon park because it's a nice park that my wife's never seen, and it had a pretty cool playground that I wanted to show the kids. We then went to Fry's to pick up the PSP case and then we were going to go to Walmart. But I was hungry so we wandered to that neighborhood to see what there was to eat. We saw Arby's, and was considering Popeyes' until I saw the drive thru window and decided that it was simply going to be another different kind of fast food. So we were going to go to Billy McHale's but in the same parking lot was an interesting sort of building - Sorta like a barn or a worn down house. My wife read the slogan "Steak. Crabcakes. Peanuts on the Floor." and I was hooked. Walking inside Jimmy Mac's Roadhouse was a bit weird, the front door looked like a screen door made out of chicken wire, and when we went inside, there were peanuts of the floor alright. The ambience is really something, like we had wandered into a Patrick Swayze movie or something. The menu dropped our jaws at first, most entrees were starting at 21 bucks. But we ordered the half-rack ribs, and the kids were splitting a kids meal.
The first hook were the rolls - they were warm and slightly sweet, and with butter they were just plain delicious. I ate two and wanted more, and my wife ate the other half. And right after we finished it, another tray of rolls came and got devoured. Our meal came and they had divided the single kids meals into two full baskets, which was pretty nice of them. Our half-rack of ribs were huge, certainly more than I had expected. The beans were awesome, and the sweet potato fries were... different, but not bad. The ribs were good, and I just sat there with a smile on my face. I truly appreciate good food and it makes me happy. I'd recommend the place even if it is a bit gimmicky, though I'd suggest going not during their busy time. Because they were busy during dinner time. We were there at around 5 and it was just about right.
So there, all caught up now.
Anyway, the main reason why I've been absent is mostly to do with the PSP, but some of it has to do with my wife being on vacation. Unlike most of our counterparts, we're not doing anything on our vacation, just taking some time off for some sanity. My wife has been so overworked that this week has been a little better. It doesn't make our boy less crazy or our girl less talkative, but it certainly does make her life a wee tad stressful.
So, just to get the PSP out of the way, it's been a fun little multimedia device for me. And when I say multimedia, I really just mean videos and games. MP3s are for my iPod and having photos on the go is overrated. Most people don't use photos on the go unless it's like porn or something. I've never found that feature especially useful for my phone, iPod or PSP. But yeah, I watched "300" on it, and "The Descent" as well. It's nice to be able to catch movies at work, albeit the feature are interrupted - but the movie still gets watched. And podcasts do have to be converted, but it's worth the trouble for the most part. Just bought a cheap pouch for it today (cheap because the PSP Slim accessories aren't even out yet.) and so now I look like a bona-fide geek, with a PSP hanging off my belt loop. No worries, am married and have kids - doesn't matter how I seem to the opposite sex anymore. Just as long as I'm not creepy, that's good enough for me.
My birthday came and went mostly without incident - since the aforementioned gadget was my gift, I just got some sweets and cards from the family and that was it. Didn't do a whole lot, but I didn't work. Which was nice. Working 10 hours on my birthday isn't exactly my idea of a good time. But that was fine. Alex started his playschool which was very exciting for him, spending 2 1/2 hours twice a week in an environment with a teacher and other kids. He doesn't seem to like to share about his experiences, but he did miss Zoe when he came out of it last time. The first time he went though, it was tough to tell Zoe that she couldn't stay, that she couldn't play. Instead she had to have some Mommy time instead. Cost was a factor, but it was also about getting him ready for school, whereas she still have a couple years to go before we had to think about school.
I decided yesterday that I should start encoding all my home movies to mp4. I had begun a previous project like this, converting all my home videos to DVD, but the thing of it is that it is still sorta accessible, but still not. And I'm never happy with the encode because it gets to be too time consuming. With the mp4, the format is small enough not to kill my HD space, and actually plays on the PSP, though that is not really the main reason for doing it. I just want to have the access to all the videos at my fingertips. Don't know why, but it seems like a nice idea.
DUDE. Today we decided to go to Gene Coulon park because it's a nice park that my wife's never seen, and it had a pretty cool playground that I wanted to show the kids. We then went to Fry's to pick up the PSP case and then we were going to go to Walmart. But I was hungry so we wandered to that neighborhood to see what there was to eat. We saw Arby's, and was considering Popeyes' until I saw the drive thru window and decided that it was simply going to be another different kind of fast food. So we were going to go to Billy McHale's but in the same parking lot was an interesting sort of building - Sorta like a barn or a worn down house. My wife read the slogan "Steak. Crabcakes. Peanuts on the Floor." and I was hooked. Walking inside Jimmy Mac's Roadhouse was a bit weird, the front door looked like a screen door made out of chicken wire, and when we went inside, there were peanuts of the floor alright. The ambience is really something, like we had wandered into a Patrick Swayze movie or something. The menu dropped our jaws at first, most entrees were starting at 21 bucks. But we ordered the half-rack ribs, and the kids were splitting a kids meal.
The first hook were the rolls - they were warm and slightly sweet, and with butter they were just plain delicious. I ate two and wanted more, and my wife ate the other half. And right after we finished it, another tray of rolls came and got devoured. Our meal came and they had divided the single kids meals into two full baskets, which was pretty nice of them. Our half-rack of ribs were huge, certainly more than I had expected. The beans were awesome, and the sweet potato fries were... different, but not bad. The ribs were good, and I just sat there with a smile on my face. I truly appreciate good food and it makes me happy. I'd recommend the place even if it is a bit gimmicky, though I'd suggest going not during their busy time. Because they were busy during dinner time. We were there at around 5 and it was just about right.
So there, all caught up now.
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
I Heart PSP
Yes, I actually managed to tear myself away from the PSP to go back on the laptop - I've been playing with the settings and trying to get the encoding figured out and I think I've done a pretty darn good job. Aside from the podcasts that I've converted to fit the PSP, (some podcasts run at 640x480 to accommodate the Apple TV, but PSP max resolution is 480x272, but actually even smaller if you wanna get technical.) I can now fit an hour and a half movie in about 800 MB, so that's four movies on my 4 Gig card. 4 Movies! And it looks fantabulous. I watched Deadwood at work and it was no different than watching it on TV, except portable. The resolution is clear, the colors are nice, and there's no stutter despite reading from the card.
Been playing mostly Chili Con Carnage, a third person shooter with plenty of stereotypes and irresponsible gameplay. The main character goes on a revenge spree when his father is killed on his birthday (present was a box of kittens) when a combine harvester runs him over. And then it's just crazy from then on. It's run and gun with points for style, loads of fun, even though the loading time to get to the game is actually longer than each individual level.
But I am more than happy that I got the PSP instead of the iPod touch, mostly because it's better all around. I love touch screen as much as the next geek, but there's still something to be said about buttons. I can rewind, delete, manage the data instinctively without wondering what to touch, which is good. Think keyboard versus touch screen input. It's cool and fancy, but mechanical memorization still beats pokey pokey.
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I don't know what the kids have been taking, but they're constantly on a crazy high. And when they're not, they're either very emotional or just whiny. But I found out that there's a direct correlation between how I treat the kids and how tired I am. We did the simply math of when I wake up at 4:30 in the morning, and when I get home at 4:15 in the afternoon, I've already been up for about 12 hours. And then to have these two kids who are excited to see their Dad and want to punch him in the groin and jump on his eyeballs, it gets to be a little overwhelming. Sometimes I come home and hide in the other room so that I could snack on something without them wanting some. No, I'm not a bastard, I don't mind sharing, but after I snack, I can still eat dinner. Kids are different.
But the kids are a lot of fun when the parents don't take themselves too seriously. For example, I was wearing my Nintendo DS shirt and there's a line graphic of a DS on the back of the shirt, so they like to poke my back and pretend they're playing a game. And their favorite game, unfortunately, is still shaking their little moneymakers and saying, "My butt, my butt..." Of course, I laugh because it's so amazingly silly and wrong.
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Anyway, I'm out of thoughts. Getting to be bedtime anyway.
Been playing mostly Chili Con Carnage, a third person shooter with plenty of stereotypes and irresponsible gameplay. The main character goes on a revenge spree when his father is killed on his birthday (present was a box of kittens) when a combine harvester runs him over. And then it's just crazy from then on. It's run and gun with points for style, loads of fun, even though the loading time to get to the game is actually longer than each individual level.
But I am more than happy that I got the PSP instead of the iPod touch, mostly because it's better all around. I love touch screen as much as the next geek, but there's still something to be said about buttons. I can rewind, delete, manage the data instinctively without wondering what to touch, which is good. Think keyboard versus touch screen input. It's cool and fancy, but mechanical memorization still beats pokey pokey.
---
I don't know what the kids have been taking, but they're constantly on a crazy high. And when they're not, they're either very emotional or just whiny. But I found out that there's a direct correlation between how I treat the kids and how tired I am. We did the simply math of when I wake up at 4:30 in the morning, and when I get home at 4:15 in the afternoon, I've already been up for about 12 hours. And then to have these two kids who are excited to see their Dad and want to punch him in the groin and jump on his eyeballs, it gets to be a little overwhelming. Sometimes I come home and hide in the other room so that I could snack on something without them wanting some. No, I'm not a bastard, I don't mind sharing, but after I snack, I can still eat dinner. Kids are different.
But the kids are a lot of fun when the parents don't take themselves too seriously. For example, I was wearing my Nintendo DS shirt and there's a line graphic of a DS on the back of the shirt, so they like to poke my back and pretend they're playing a game. And their favorite game, unfortunately, is still shaking their little moneymakers and saying, "My butt, my butt..." Of course, I laugh because it's so amazingly silly and wrong.
---
Anyway, I'm out of thoughts. Getting to be bedtime anyway.
Bored at Work
By the way, it's boxes of instruction manual, a tape machine, and a counter for the number of units shipped. Yes, I was there for 10 hours and we shipped 13. It was a slow day.
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Eloped with PSP
I thought about this long and hard last night, about really wanting a PSP and also about how everyone had the Black PSP, and then I decided to hell with it, I was just going to get the bundle today. I've read about the Piano Black PSP being a bit of a fingerprint magnet, and also from the photos I can't really tell if the Black PSP looks like a cool weapon or just a void. So I thought about the White, which was okay if not a bit glaring, and then I realized that the Daxter Bundle was actually Silver, which you can see, is a pretty nice color in itself. It's not just matte or glossy black, and though my iPod and iBook are white, I'm certainly glad it's not the friggin' birth control Star Wars one (I'm a big geek! Look at me!). All and all, I was pretty hyped about bringing the PSP home.
Impressions? It's perfect for me. In fact, I've played with the browser, the photo viewer, the videos on the memory card, and the music from the memory card more than the games itself. The video encoding is a bit fussy, so much so that most of the crap that I encoded in preparation for the PSP doesn't actually work. I think I have to encode it with Ffmpeg or something like that. Anyway, after some experimentation, I think I've found a setting that works just fine. The upside is that the video playback is nice. Smooth, high-quality (as high as you encode it), and nice bright crisp colors and contrast. Reading from the memory card is no problem. The photo viewer is a bit soft, but probably has to do with the resolution of my photos being too high than the viewer itself. The browser is tweaky, certainly doable in desperate times but it's as reliable as Netscape was in 1991. The music player is pretty slick, with some visualization that's slightly off but quite pretty.
But c'mon, the PSP is about the games, right? Although I haven't spent quality time with the games, from what I did play is pretty damn impressive. It is PS2 type graphics, and even a little crisper than that. The environments are nice, the colors are vast, and playing through a little bit of Vice City I just got nostalgic. Newer music (I got Vice City because of the licensed music, Liberty City has generic music), and I would just love to drive around and explore Vice City all over again. The loading time does take a bit of time, but I imagine it's to ensure that the gameplay is preloaded or something. I'm happy to sacrifice loading time for more in depth gameplay. The DS is fun, but a lot of times I feel like it either doesn't go deep enough, or it's too casual of a gaming experience. I'll let you know more as I play more.
I've read a lot about people complaining about the PSP, that it isn't as fun as the DS, that it doesn't have a lot of good games as the DS, and I have to say that it really depends on what kind of bloke or gal you are. For me, I'm more than a casual gamer/computer user, so I know how to utilize the different facets of the PSP, such as movies, music, and the Wi-fi, so it's a great little system for me. For the casual gamer who doesn't rip or encode videos, it's virtually a game machine, and yeah, it's probably not worth it. For the hard core gamer, the gaming is not going to be as immersive as your home console, and you'd probably be more into the hacking and the homebrewing - something that I'll stay out of. I read the reviews of the games and look at the screens before I buy, so there's going to be a handful of games that I know that I'll enjoy.
Anyway, those are the first impressions. I'm sure there's more to come.
---
I've been more relaxed the last few days - I think I'm glad that I didn't work Friday, or maybe something just clicked in me and I relaxed a bit more. I had more fun with the kids this weekend, just feeling more in control and thus being able to handle the kids better. We goofed around a bunch, and had a lot of fun shaking our butts and chasing each other. It felt good to have fun with the kids, because there's just been too many days of feeling like I'm a man on an island. I think being able to see my wife and be myself on Friday really boosted my spirits.
Well, more to do, and I gotta work early.
Friday, September 14, 2007
Go Ahead, Have a Cardiac Arrest
Because I can totally sustain blood flow to your brain until an AED arrives, at which time I'll be happy to shock you.
Yes, I applied for a CPR class at work because I've always wanted to take CPR - it just seems like one of those things that people should know, even if they never ever use it in their lifetimes. But because of either the cost or the time involved, I just never made it top priority. But if work is paying for it and I get to skip out on some work, then yeah, I'll go ahead and do it.
And I'm glad I did. If you've never had the opportunity to take a class, then at least watch something on Youtube where some people have made some pretty good videos about how to administer CPR. It's not official training and I wouldn't advise "practicing on a stuffed animal" as the video advises, but it's really not difficult. Of course, a class would be better, but you get whatever you can get.
The class itself was taught by a guy who seemingly walked out of a sitcom. He was over-the-top, cracking jokes and actually waiting earnestly for a laugh. He would say jokes at inappropriate times, and his facial expressions were probably too animated for a healthcare professional. But when he was serious, he was fine. And even though the class was aimed for the workplace (since we were working in a place that made AEDs, and it was assumed every third person would know CPR), I got enough of it to possibly do what I had to do if the situation came up.
The notable thing about yesterday's class wasn't so much the training, but the odd things that stood out. They were having some trouble with the video setup, and of course I stepped in and fixed the keyboard (batteries were dead), the sound from the video (kill the other input sources, boost input 1 which was the main audio) and even enact a choking patient while the instructor molested me from behind. I had to feign choking, and he gave me the maneuver, and made a popping sound, to which I responded by pointing to the ground and said, "My keys!" He got some laughs and I thought to myself -- I'm such an attention whore.
But seriously, I think CPR classes are a good idea for anyone who haven't had the chance to take one. Chances are, I'll never get to practice it on anyone. But it's a good feeling to know that I would know what to do if I found myself in such a situation.
---
Work was a little disappointing yesterday - while I was at the CPR class, they went and assigned the overtime spots, which meant that I missed out and why I'm home today. But more than that, the new co-worker that I was getting along with turned out to be a terrible worker with no work ethics. He had started out strong, but when it was busy yesterday, he just disappeared and was found chatting up another co-worker. Because there's only one real supervisor to the 50 something production workers, there was no real supervision or anyone to yell at him to get back to work. The other way that was going to happen was if one of his co-workers ratted on him.
I know that's the way things are, but I can't help but feel a little responsible because I had to train him. Of course, I didn't exactly train him to do that, but it felt like a trust was breached somehow. In the end, I didn't really say anything about that to him, but I suspect that it'll probably get in the way of my association with him.
It's so hard to find friends that you like.
---
Kinda having a lazy Friday - My wife and Zoe are sleeping on the couch and Alex is watching E.T. I like that movie but I'm just all blubber by the end of it. In fact, during the CPR training video, I was surprised at how uncomfortable I was seeing children in mock scenarios laying on the ground, pretending to not have a heartbeat. It was more than disconcerting, I was starting to get a little upset.
Probably stressed is what I am.
---
So I got three PSP games now, and still no PSP. Hopefully this Thursday is the release date, even though I know Sony will likely push it to the 24th or something. Buggers.
Yes, I applied for a CPR class at work because I've always wanted to take CPR - it just seems like one of those things that people should know, even if they never ever use it in their lifetimes. But because of either the cost or the time involved, I just never made it top priority. But if work is paying for it and I get to skip out on some work, then yeah, I'll go ahead and do it.
And I'm glad I did. If you've never had the opportunity to take a class, then at least watch something on Youtube where some people have made some pretty good videos about how to administer CPR. It's not official training and I wouldn't advise "practicing on a stuffed animal" as the video advises, but it's really not difficult. Of course, a class would be better, but you get whatever you can get.
The class itself was taught by a guy who seemingly walked out of a sitcom. He was over-the-top, cracking jokes and actually waiting earnestly for a laugh. He would say jokes at inappropriate times, and his facial expressions were probably too animated for a healthcare professional. But when he was serious, he was fine. And even though the class was aimed for the workplace (since we were working in a place that made AEDs, and it was assumed every third person would know CPR), I got enough of it to possibly do what I had to do if the situation came up.
The notable thing about yesterday's class wasn't so much the training, but the odd things that stood out. They were having some trouble with the video setup, and of course I stepped in and fixed the keyboard (batteries were dead), the sound from the video (kill the other input sources, boost input 1 which was the main audio) and even enact a choking patient while the instructor molested me from behind. I had to feign choking, and he gave me the maneuver, and made a popping sound, to which I responded by pointing to the ground and said, "My keys!" He got some laughs and I thought to myself -- I'm such an attention whore.
But seriously, I think CPR classes are a good idea for anyone who haven't had the chance to take one. Chances are, I'll never get to practice it on anyone. But it's a good feeling to know that I would know what to do if I found myself in such a situation.
---
Work was a little disappointing yesterday - while I was at the CPR class, they went and assigned the overtime spots, which meant that I missed out and why I'm home today. But more than that, the new co-worker that I was getting along with turned out to be a terrible worker with no work ethics. He had started out strong, but when it was busy yesterday, he just disappeared and was found chatting up another co-worker. Because there's only one real supervisor to the 50 something production workers, there was no real supervision or anyone to yell at him to get back to work. The other way that was going to happen was if one of his co-workers ratted on him.
I know that's the way things are, but I can't help but feel a little responsible because I had to train him. Of course, I didn't exactly train him to do that, but it felt like a trust was breached somehow. In the end, I didn't really say anything about that to him, but I suspect that it'll probably get in the way of my association with him.
It's so hard to find friends that you like.
---
Kinda having a lazy Friday - My wife and Zoe are sleeping on the couch and Alex is watching E.T. I like that movie but I'm just all blubber by the end of it. In fact, during the CPR training video, I was surprised at how uncomfortable I was seeing children in mock scenarios laying on the ground, pretending to not have a heartbeat. It was more than disconcerting, I was starting to get a little upset.
Probably stressed is what I am.
---
So I got three PSP games now, and still no PSP. Hopefully this Thursday is the release date, even though I know Sony will likely push it to the 24th or something. Buggers.
Monday, September 10, 2007
Sony Open Letter
Dear Sony,
It was always a little fishy that you set release dates for Europe and Japan for the PSP 2000/Slim/Lite but neglected to inform the American consumers on when exactly the US release date is. It was so much of a problem that some retailers accidently began selling the Daxter bundles a few days early before they realized it.
Well, I went by what lack of information was available on the net, namely Amazon which stated that the PSP would be shipped on the 10th of September. Today is the 10th, and nobody seems to be selling the Slim at all, and the few places that do list them are listed as pre-orders, with dates from Sept. 20th to Sept. 24th.
Now my birthday isn't technically till the 25th, but I've been anxious to get a PSP ever since it was announced at E3. However, I'd strongly suggest not goofing around with your US consumers and just set a damn release date and stick by it. It's just mean to mess around with my emotions like that.
Sincerely,
Diego
It was always a little fishy that you set release dates for Europe and Japan for the PSP 2000/Slim/Lite but neglected to inform the American consumers on when exactly the US release date is. It was so much of a problem that some retailers accidently began selling the Daxter bundles a few days early before they realized it.
Well, I went by what lack of information was available on the net, namely Amazon which stated that the PSP would be shipped on the 10th of September. Today is the 10th, and nobody seems to be selling the Slim at all, and the few places that do list them are listed as pre-orders, with dates from Sept. 20th to Sept. 24th.
Now my birthday isn't technically till the 25th, but I've been anxious to get a PSP ever since it was announced at E3. However, I'd strongly suggest not goofing around with your US consumers and just set a damn release date and stick by it. It's just mean to mess around with my emotions like that.
Sincerely,
Diego
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