It’s has been a couple of weeks since the Apple iPad has been presented to the World.  I saw the keynote of iPad and, as the whole world has already mentioned, it’s a giant iPod Touch/iPhone.

I agree with them. But today at the office I started thinking about penmanship. We live in a world in which, I think, penmanship is not seen any more. So you may be asking what does the iPad have to do with penmanship since you type your messages? Well, I have a tablet PC, and it has been one of the best purchases that I have done. It’s about 3, 4 years old, but it still runs like new. The perks of it are that I can write on it with the styles/pen it came with and practice my penmanship. I still need to work on my penmanship, but at least I can practice my handwriting. I know that today, in universities and in the business world, people like to type out reports because it’s much easier to read than trying to understand your handwriting. Plus writing a 7 page essay in your handwriting is going to leave a major cramp in your hand.

Where am I’m going with this is? Well, maybe it’s that love is in the air or there is a certain chick flick coming soon, but keep penmanship alive and kicking people. Write something once and a while, like a letter or something, don’t become overwhelmed with the digital age of typing all the time.

My final thought is this, for this Valentines Day or in the near future, write a letter, not an email, to that special someone. They will appreciate an old fashion letter and treasure it for years. Plus, it’s a hit with the ladies.

Jose Out!

First a disclaimer. Contrary to popular belief, I am not an Apple hater. In fact, I really like some of their designs. I own a bunch of Apple gadgets and love them to death. On the other hand, I think iTunes is horribly designed and, although I understand the appeal of Mac OS, I feel much more comfortable running a Microsoft OS. So call me “Apple neutral.” Or maybe an “Apple skeptic.”

(Although, if there is something I hate, I hate with a passion is iDouchery.)

I was anxiously awaiting Steve Jobs’ keynote yesterday, as much as any other techie geek in the world, regardless of status as Apple fans. I wanted to see what the promised “iSlate” or “iTablet” would bring. The iPod changed the music business forever, and the iPhone was, arguably, the device that brought the smartphone to the masses. So, we were expecting big things from Jobs this time as well. The result? Undeniably underwhelming. Sure, there is potential, but like every bleeding edge device, I suspect this gadget will basically appeal to the Apple fans. The iPad will probably languish in relative mainstream obscurity, like Apple TV, something some diehard fans will fawn over but the rest of us will “meh” over. At least, in this its first, of probably many, incarnations.

It is undeniable that tablet PC have a future in the market. But, with the iPad (iPad??? Seriously??? [Insert Feminine Hygiene Product Joke Here]), Apple has come below expectations of what a game changing tablet needs to be. First, let’s look at where the iPad comes short:

1. High price

There is no way around it. The damned thing is too expensive. The basic model, the ones that lacks 3G wireless capability and has only 16 gigs of storage, will run you $499. I can get a netbook that runs circles around the iPad for hundreds less. Sure, it won’t be as “sexy,” but your wallet will thank you.

2. No built-in camera

Ok, let me get this straight. The freaking iPod Nano has a video camera, but you couldn’t cram in one into a max-sized iTouch? Built-in cameras have become a staple of almost all gadgets, from Game Boys to cellphones. Consumers expect them. Apple, please, put them in the iPad 2.0

3. No USB ports and no memory card reader

This severely limits the iPads’ functionality. Basically, the only way you can input data, such as photo and music files, is by WiFi. This assumes that the user has a home network set up that runs flawlessly, something that many consumers don’t. One of the beauties of the iPod, and one of the features that has made them ubiquitous, is that any user, no matter how computer illiterate they are, could just plug in their device into their computer and download music from iTunes in a jiffy. Apple should seriously consider adding an USB port or two to the second incarnation of the iPad. It will add a lot of value for the consumer to be able to plug in their gadgets, like their camera, and be able to automatically sync them with their tablet.

4. No multi-tasking

I can understand the lack of multi-tasking on the iPhone, it preserves battery life, but the iPad the same battery life as a netbook. Why limit its functionality this way?

5. No Adobe Flash support

Which means, all your Internet browsing will be crippled. No wasting hours playing silly Flash games, no watching Hulu. Once again, a netbook can do all of this, so why pay more for an iPad?

6. It’s Apple locked-in

Which means you can only use applications that you download through Apple. This makes sense for Apple, they get a nice cut of all app sales, but it cripples the platform as a whole. For a new concept like a tablet to work well in the mainstream, it needs to be flexible. Locking in the platform kills all flexibility. You can’t even run any kind of media you’d like. It only accesses iTunes videos and music.

7. Lacks HDMI port, comes with a 4:3 aspect ratio, not 16:9 widescreen

8. No built-in stylus support

Can you imagine how awesome a tool the iPad would be if an artist could draw directly into it? Or if it would recognize your handwriting and turn your notes into a text document? Now, that would be a great tool to have.

So, even though you have a stack of iTunes media you bought through Apple, you can’t stream it into your TV in its full HD glory. Peachy.

Still, the iPad is not without it’s merits. It’s sexy, will probably come with a huge marketing blitz and has potential to revolutionize the way we use our computers. If Apple manages to fix these omissions in the iPad 2.0, it will have a product to be reckoned with, an essential gadget for the forward looking geek. A game changing product that becomes a paradigm shift in the market, much like the second-generation iPod was.

But, as it stands at launch, what Apple has presented is a product with the same functionality of an iTouch or iPhone but with none of the portability. It’s basically a really expensive gadget to browse media, that’s either already in your computer or that you bought directly from Apple, and browse a crippled Internet. There is a market for that, no doubt, but don’t expect it to be the mega hit the iPhone is.

So, I’ll pass. For now. I’ll keep watching and waiting for the iPad 2.0.

Oh, and I am fully prepared to eat my words if the future proves me wrong.

My name is Pete and I’m a recovering WoWholic. I’m also one huge Star Trek fan. Which is why I’ve been feverishly waiting for Star Trek Online. I have been playing the open beta version of the game for the last week or so, and my verdict is as follows: STO isn’t a WoW killer, yet its enjoyable gameplay, combining space combat with ground missions, is a breath of fresh air in the typical MMO fare. The game does lack polish in its writing, user management and mission design and performance issues will hamper almost any rig, unless you have a Crysis playing monster, that is, but the game is a very welcome addition to the MMO world.

Let’s start from the beginning. I loved the character creation process. It’s incredibly deep, allowing the player to customize all aspects of their character, down to the length of their fingers. It’s easily one of the deepest character customization screens of any MMO out there.  Sure, all aliens are humanoids, but you can make some funky lookin’ extraterrestrials.

On the other hand, the ship customization is severely lacking. You can basically choose different parts of the type of ship your current vessel belongs to, and that’s it. I would have loved to be able to tweak these pieces, make nacelles bigger or smaller, change the shape of the saucer, that sort of thing.

Once you have selected your character, you are thrust right into the action. The introductory cinematic is narrated by Leonard Nimoy, something every Trekkie will appreciate, while Zachary Quinto does the proper with the tutorial. These little details add a lot to the game’s ambiance.

And it’s those little details that will make Trekkies happy. The sounds are all reproduced correctly, from transporters to phaser rifles. Each load screen is filled with bits of trivia that bridges the gap between the era of The Next Generation and STO. And the game world is filled with familiar characters and locations. It’s pretty clear that the people behind the game have a lot of love and respect for the franchise.

This comes across in the gameplay itself. The game is divided into instances, each space station, each star system is a different instances. In missions where you need a team to succeed, you’re automatically logged into an instance with other players, which makes grouping for one shot missions effortless. The furious space combat feels like Star Trek. The away missions are a mixture of fast paced combat and research and exploration objectives, just like we saw in the shows. (Alas, I haven’t seen any character do a drop kick…) There is a somewhat steep learning curve, especially in the space combat side. It’s very similar to the combat in Star Trek Legacy, but with “special powers” in a bar similar to WoW’s action bars. There is a lot of strategy involved and, once you get the hang of it, it’s a lot of fun and more entertaining than the old “click and sit back” combat of WoW. You need to maneuver your ship in order to protect your shields while trying to exploit the enemy’s weak spots. These are huge ships, mind you, so they don’t fly like X-Wings. Yet they do feel agile and loose, and have powers to make them even faster.

In my time playing, I identified a couple of problems. I noticed there is a lot of repetition in the missions, especially when a player is starting out. The litany of patrol mission after patrol mission wears thin after a while. Also, Cryptic needs to get better writers. Seriously. The mission text is sometimes laughably bad and the missions sometimes feel silly and not all that “Star Trek-y.”  Furthermore, something needs to be done with the game specs. I realize the game I have been playing is in beta, but it took me two days to be able to run the game without crashing and, even though both my rigs are far more capable than the recommended specs to run the game, I have to turn everything to half resolution on some away missions to make them playable. And I’m not alone. The forums are full of people with random hardware issues and problems running the game.

And then there are a couple of things that really annoyed me. First, I’m hoping there is something like a Role Playing server (like the have in WoW) when the game launches. I don’t want to play STO alongside the USS Orgasmatron and the USS BuTtZ. It takes me out of the universe completely, which is a big deal for a Trekkie. Second, the map system is staggeringly bad. It’s really hard to figure out where specific systems are located in the Galaxy. The Galaxy is divided into sector blocks you warp into, but there should be a list of systems within that sector block somewhere in the map, so you don’t have to warp into each sector block to search for the system you need to visit.

Overall, the game is a lot of fun. I haven’t been enjoyed a game this much since my first dabbles into WoW. If you like MMOs and you enjoy Star Trek, you’ll love this game. If you aren’t big on Star Trek yet are tired of WoW, give STO a shot, it might surprise you.

As a long time fan of late night television, I have been closely following the debacle involving NBC,  Jay Leno and Conan O’Brien. Now that it has finally been resolved, Conan aired his last Tonight Show yesterday, we can look at the whole mess and see who came on top. Without a doubt, both Leno and Conan have been the winners, while NBC has lost. Badly.

I remember a time when NBC was the hip network. With powerhouses like Friends and Seinfeld, everybody my age tuned in to the Peacock. One of our favorite icons in the network was a goofy, carrot topped geek who took the time to poke fun of the Star Wars line-ups and entertained us with the insane silliness our sense of humor craved.

What happened to that network?

By handing down the Tonight Show to Conan, NBC was preparing for the (near) future. Nobody young watched or cared about Jay Leno. Sure, his ratings were high, but they were mostly composed of older folks, which isn’t the preferred demographic of advertisers, and, let’s face it, won’t be here as long as the younger folk. It is just now that my generation, those of us who grew up in the 80’s and came of age in the 90’s, and who giggle like little children at a grown man doing the string dance, are coming into a position of economic and social power. We’re now the young professionals with cash to spend and in need for entertainment. By choosing Conan for the Tonight Show,  NBC would have locked us in as an audience and made the franchise relevant for decades to come. By going with Leno, NBC has turned us off completely.

I am pretty sure that Leno will pull in the ratings he used to and become the king of late night again, but for how long? A couple of years? A decade at most? I don’t dislike Leno, but he’s not as relevant to the younger generation as Johnny Carson was, for example. Carson still brought in the young people, even as an old man. Leno is passe.

But this goes even beyond the Tonight Show for NBC. This battle was hard fought in cyberspace. From Twitter to Facebook, Conan’s fans rallied around their beloved CoCo. Using these online tools, fans held rallies in New York and L.A. and they were rewarded by an appearance of the man himself thanking them for their support. In an age where viral is everything and image is vital, NBC has crashed and burned in both counts. The Internet backs Conan and has made the Peacock an object to be reviled and hated.

Good luck pulling out of that one, NBC. You’d better hope Leno was worth losing the good faith of millions of viewers and muddling your image everywhere.

Meanwhile, Conan got a fat check to get out of Leno’s way. And, most importantly, he got freedom. He can now go wherever he wants, do whatever he wants. And a Conan with freedom is a thing to behold. His last week at NBC has been his funniest, most amazing week ever. He no longer felt constrained by the limits of the Tonight Show. He gleefully went back to the silliness and randomness that made him an icon. That’s the Conan we all love, the one who drove his desk and danced with the masturbating bear.

Conan has won. He has galvanized his fans like never before and he can now get a show and make it completely his, without worrying about carrying a heavy legacy, like he did in the Tonight Show. With all the good will he has cultivated in this debacle, and the support of very loyal fans, Conan now has the world at his fingertips. No matter where he goes now, be it FOX, HBO or any other network, his fans will follow him. We’ll be watching. Always.

Bravo, O’Brien. Bravo.

The new Conan the Barbarian has been found and, it is Jason Momoa. You may know him for is role in SyFy Series Stargate Atlantis as Ronon Dex. I, as a huge fan of Stargate franchise, can say that this role is perfect for Jason, but he has some big shoes to fill, ’cause the original Conan the Barbarian made a long lasting impression that is still carried out to this day. CROM!

More info can be found here: /Film