by Matt | Nov 3, 2005 | Personal
Sweet. Danger and T-mobile have rolled out a new firmware version via their over-the-air update system. Moving from v2.0 of the phone to 2.3. The new and improved include:
-Customize your key guard screen using a photo from your Gallery.
-Create a new item from the splash screens (Ctrl-N, basically)
-Support for JavaScript on Web pages
-Use live email, URL, and phone number links on Web pages.
-AIM: Choose your buddy icon from your Photo Gallery.
-AIM: Use live email, URL, and phone number links in conversations.
-Email: Select multiple messages from the Browse Messages screen.
-Address Book: each contact can store up to five IM names, plus launch conversations from the menu.
-Camera: Create a slideshow from your photos.
-Camera: Rotate a photo.
-Camera: New “List” and “zoom” views.
…and about 100 other things. Most of them pretty substantial improvements to the system and the device. My theory being that they’re making an update like this as a step between OSs as they transition from a proprietary DangerOS to a Java based system. The announcement of their partnership with Sun came last year but this is the first signifigant upgrade to the device since I’ve had it. Also, rumors put a completely Java based Sidekick 3 in comsumer hands by early next year. That would be fantastic. I’d love a java capable machine that has access to T-mobile hotspots, bluetooth and an improved camera. Those are my three main compaints with the sidekick as it is. Anything else would be gravy.
by Matt | Nov 2, 2005 | Personal
Lauren and I celebrated our 2 year anniversary last night. Doesn’t seem like two years. Seems like 20, but in a good way. It seems like she’s been with me forever. I can’t remember when she wasn’t.
We actually took a bit of a drive down past our usually stomping ground and went to this place we had heard about from people Lauren knew. It was this little place called Claudios, a mix of bar, resturant and piano lounge. Actually, there was all of 15 people in the place. It was very friendly and it seemed like everyone knew each other, which was also kind of the problem. It was like stepping into Cheers and not knowing any of the characters. There were people sitting at the bar and at tables that probably ate there everyday. The food was good. I was in the mood for a steak and had a tasty New York strip, Lauren had the lasagna. Anyone minus, and it wasn’t their fault, but they sat us in the bar because we had mentioned wanting to hear the music. The bar was smokey to say the least. I smell like smoke even this morning.
It was good though. Not some place I’d go daily, but not bad.
Oh, and I forgot to mention what she got me. For our anniversary this year Lauren got me the entire 2004 RedSox World Series collection (all 7 alcs games and all 4 ws games) and a sweet cordoroy blazer like the one I lost. I had the original jacket in college and loved it dearly, it was the perfect jacket in everyway. Then, somehow, it disappeared when I moved to Texas. Now I have another, and this one is pretty sweet. I think I’ve been a jacket person all along and never knew it.
Oh well, at the moment I’m waiting at Discount Tire to get a replacement tire for my baby. Apparently, one of my $180 tires decided it was time to fall apart. The whole sidewall was splitting. Luckily, the tire place recognized it as defective and gave me the replacement for $90. Looks like they’re almost done, time to go to work. Later.
by Matt | Oct 23, 2005 | Aggravation, Movies
Saying Doom the movie was “good” somehow seems like dirty pool, especially after I lambasted The History of Violence for having too little background story. I’ll just suggest you leave your disbelief at the door for this one. It wasn’t bad, it just requires a certain appreciation for the genre… or blood, whichever comes first.
Also, correct me if I’m wrong, but wasn’t the character “Sarge” the hero of the Doom series (I’m thinking Doom3 was the only one that mentions him by name). Or am I thinking of the Quake series. I know one of them was simply a Marine and the other some sort of officer. My memory is fuzzy on which one was which. You can tell I was really into the “story” of the games can’t you?
At any rate, its sort of a shame they didn’t go with the whole “hell demon” angle. Then again, blunt references to demons, hell, and the evil escaping from it probably wouldn’t have made it past American censors. So, when you can’t make monsters the old fashion way, what do you do? Genetically engineer them of course! Oh well. At least the movie got made.
I was actually pleasently surprised with the first-person bit. Interestingly done I thought. Not quite as cheesy as I figured it would be. Then again, I was giving this movie a lot of slack.
Ok, so it wasn’t good. I tried really really hard, but its still represents the typical movie Hollywood makes from video games. They need to let some gamers tackle the next few. I have high expectations for Halo, especially with the guy from 28 days later involved.
So… Mexicans. I know you were wondering when I’d get to that. It seems that our hispanic friends have even less ability to watch a movie than most annoying movie goers. Yes I’m talking about you gangsta rappers and pain-in-the ass white teenage girls. Wouldn’t want to leave any groups out now would I? All of these groups have one thing in common, their inability to pay attention for more than 30 seconds at a time. Couple that with cell phones, boyfriends/girlfriends and not shutting the hell up and you’ve got a portion of the population that I wouldn’t mind detaining on a small far away island. The hispanic people bring a whole other variable to the equation however: small children.
Don’t even get me started on the fact that small children should NOT, under any circumstances, be allowed to see a movie like Doom. No, these wonderful folks bring multiple, sometimes DOZENS of 4-9 year olds into movies like this. Then, as if that wasn’t enough, they completely forget to parent them while they’re there. The kids run up and down the stairs and isles, throw popcorn at each other, STAND up in their seats, all sorts of shit. So, while a whole brood of birth control mistakes runs rampent, Dad sits there, on his cell, watching the movie.
Everyone needs to be extremely thankful that people like me are patient. I’m constantly “this” close to slapping the shit out of people.
I digress, just, for me, at least try to be a parent. Don’t be stupid. And hang up your fucking cell phones.
Out.
by Matt | Oct 20, 2005 | Games
In case you didn’t know Quake 4 came out this week… and I couldn’t care less. Apparently its single player is at least interesting but it multiplayer, the reason most of us would buy it, is a pathetic rehashing of Quake 3. Reviews mention that they’ve “recreated” the classic maps. Translation: they couldn’t think up anything new. I’ve done my homework on this one. I’ve checked out every official and unofficial video of the multiplayer gameplay. I’m completely and totally unimpressed.
I have no intentions of playing this one. I had grand ellusions about wasting the night away reliving some old school Quake goodness. Apparently all I have to do is find my Q3 cds.
On the flip side, Civ4 ships next week. That’s pure love in a box folks. Crack, personified. I have my preorder, do you?
by Matt | Oct 17, 2005 | Friends and Family
Well, the party on Saturday went great. We ended up having about 12 people over. The usually gang came, along with some folks we haven’t seen in a while and a few new faces. Lauren’s cousin Blake stopped by which was cool, we never get to see him. Lauren’s friend from work Jin stopped by with her husband Steve. My friend Steve, known to the rest of the world as -=TCC=-KidChronic also stopped by and brought his wife Shelly. I’ve talked to KC for quite a while, even had lunch with him a few times, but this was the first time we got to hang out socially. I think our wifes hit it off, so, who knows, maybe we’ve found a couple to do things with on the weekends.
We ended up having far more food than we needed, but party food makes great leftovers, so I’ll be eating 7-layer dip, sausage-cheese dip and Chick-Fil-A chicken nuggets from a nugget tray for the next week or two.
We also have a large quantity of beer on hand. We got some Carona, Bud Light, Shiner, Shiner Blond and Killians and we’ve got about half of it left. Everyone was drinking, so I think we just ended up with so many because we over-bought.
We fired up the Xbox for a while, played some Super Monkey Ball party games, along with some Dead or Alive 2 Ultimate and finished off the night watching Longest Yard, which, I won’t bore you with a review of since thankfully, I had already consumer quite a few beers and I’ve already forgotten most of it… which is a good thing.
So, that was Saturday.
Sunday we just hung around here watching the Astros game, which they won, followed by a in-law sponsered trip to IHOP. After which Lauren and I decided to go catch Wallace and Gromit, which was very enjoyable. Better than last years I thought.
That leaves us with today.
After a rousing morning of chicken nuggets and web surfing, I’m about to sit down and watch Kung Fu Hustle. I’ve also gotten in a few rounds of BF2. Say hello to Staff Sargent Doc 🙂
One last thing before I go, a question for Jason. Any recomendations on some new tunes to listen to? Lately I’ve been dipping back into some classics and haven’t gotten any new music in a while. At The Drive In and Bowling for Soup are the last things I’ve listened to. Any suggestions on something new and exciting?
As a thank-you, I present this link (here). I’m constantly surprised by the internet. Not only are there other game-playing, music downloading, hockey watching people such as myself, but that there’s enough of them sharring the wonder of hockey with the world that it warrents it’s own category, updated weekly with games anyone might have missed. It’s a wonderful thing.
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