It was only a matter of time...

The Sony Playstation Portable (PSP for short) is one of the hottest hand -helds on the market since the original Gameboy debuted back in 1989. I want one, but I need to focus on some other things for now so the PSP is later on down the road. When I do get it, I will be hacking it.

Someone has already loaded an old version of Mac's O/S 7 and other than a 4 hour boot time, it actually runs!

They have a hack for the iPod to run Linux, and if you run Linux, you can still use your iPod to connect and transfer songs.

Sounds like sweet music to me!

I SO wish I was one of these testers

Everyone who knows me knows I am a sucker for the Gran Turismo franchise featured on the Playstation consoles, and everyone knows I can consume hours in front of the controllers playing till my thumbs are numb & raw (I have blisters on my thumbs). I bought into the hype about it being the "Real Driving Simulator". It's as close to the real thing as you can get.

Or is it?



I had always sat on the edge of my chair playing the game imagining what it would be like to actually take the corners at Mazda Raceway Laguna SECA and embrace the spoils of a race win. Imagine the challenge (HA!) of testing whether or not the videogame was EXACTLY like real life? Someone already has...

Just think, you're given the keys to a Ford GT, the track at Laguna SECA and a custom made Gran Turismo race seat for the videogame for one full day. You get tired of one reality and switch to the other. Then you switch again. Then again. Then another time.

Don't wake me up from this dream...

You're gonna have to face it, you're addicted to...

... The internet.

Last night, after doing my half of the shift, I let my co-worker take over the monitoring station and I took up position behind the computer in Central Station. I clicked on the Internet Explorer icon and nothing happened.

I click it again.

Same result.

I reboot the computer.

Click the Internet Explorer.

Nothing.

So I do the next, natural thing an I.T. guy does. I cuss at the screen. That yielded nothing more than a chuckle from my co-worker. Frustrated, I plug in my iPod, crank the volume and start playing Solitare, Spider Solitare & Pinball. Pinball was the most fun, it passed the time ever so slowly but effectively.

It was around this time I realized how addicted I am to the internet. I have a problem, yes I know.

Apple secrets you really don't know about!

Yeah, I know, I know. I've been a real glory hog showing off my collection that's slowly being amassed in the iPod (see right column for updated list) and I am toting the virtues of the iPod wherever I go, but a lot of people don't actually look at what the Apple website actually has. What it offers would really amaze some people into seriously looking at Apple products!

When you visit the Apple home page, click on the tab labeled Apple Store. From here, most people are enamored by the advanced computer technology being flaunted by extreme examples of minimalist advertising. Most people just click the pretty pictures and are waxed over by the text, go straight to the details of the electronics and not notice anything on the special side panels on the Apple Store page. If you read some of them more closely, you will see an unassuming panel labeled Great Deals flanked with a Red SALE tag. It's nearly at the bottom right above the Education Discounts. Click it...

-GASP-

Did you see what I saw?

They have iPod Shuffle for $79!

They even have other Apple products for sale at a discounted price. How can they do it? The discounted prices are for refurbished Apple products. I wouldn't care if I bought a refurbished Apple Mac Mini. They're on sale on this small portion of the Apple website for $399.

The internet is full of some false hopes and dreams, and tons of pornography (WOOHOO!!!) but often times, there are some really great things for the general populace to take hold of and really embrace.

*I cannot supply links to the sites, often times Apple's links have expiration timers to them. Going to www.apple.com and following my directions will yield you the same shocking results.

This laptop is now clean

Last night I tried to play a DVD on the laptop. Seeing that both of my Playstation 2's are inoperable, I popped in Austin Powers Goldmember because I can't get enough of Goldmember's Roller Boogie introduction which uses Earth Wind & Fires Shining Star.

Well, a long story short, it didn't work. I popped in another DVD, nothing. I re-installed the DVD software. Nothing.

So then I got serious.

I re-installed Windows XP & eliminated my dual-boot.

That'll learn it.

I have already finished updating the O/S, now its time to reload all of my programs. The 30 gigabyte HDD I have as my external backup is currently being used to house all of my exported files. I made sure I backed up everything. I won't miss a beat when I re-load the iPod software either. All the songs were saved so I don't need to reload every single CD.

I don't think I will do a dual-boot anytime soon. There were issues with Ubuntu & Kubuntu that I will mention in a later posting.