Phew - finally after I much frustration and a crappy picture - I am making the move to HD. We wanted to get HD a year or so ago when I first bought the big HD TV, but Comcast did not offer the Big Ten Network (for all our Penn State games) and DirecTV could not get all the needed HD signals because of a few trees in our yard. This week I was determined to get HD so it was a matter of either getting some trees trimmed or hoping Comcast and the Big Ten Network finally … [more]

When it is time for the Olympics - I end up getting sucked into watching all kinds of sports that I never would think about even enjoying (ice skating, track and field, swimming, etc) and I keep thinking - what is it about these sports that draws me in from “eh…to a heart racing suspense finish.” Normally the last thing I want to watch on TV is figure skating. After about two minutes into the Olympics opening ceremony, I figured out what it is that draws me in - the stories….and everyone seems to have one. The … [more]

I have to say - it has been a long time since I was excited about a game or a gaming console…probably since SoCom II, but lately I have been super excited about the Nintendo Wii. We got Wii Fit and MarioKart over the last week and have been loving both. I am also now on the hard level of Guitar Hero 3. I am super excited to show my sister both of those! I look forward to playing MarioKart online with some friends. If any readers have it - let me know your … [more]

For the first time in over 10 years - A, E, and I took a week and went on vacation. We usually take weekend trips to see family but have never taken anything longer than a weekend trip (vacation) together…until last week. We flew down to Florida to see some of my family and then off to Walt Disney World where we sent seven days at the for main parks (Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney Studios, and the Animal Kingdom). The trip was great except for the fact that I sprained my right big toe on day … [more]

I have been reliving life as an 8th grader in 1990-1991 again the last few days by playing my once/once again favorite game: Super Mario 3. I picked up Super Mario 3 for the Wii via the Virtual games and have been loving every second of my game play. It is amazing how much I remembered (secret areas, etc) and I just checked out a site that lists some goodies that I had forgotten about (coin ship, warp from world 1, etc). I always had fond memories of this game - and spent a lot … [more]

I listen to music almost all day, everyday. Yesterday I grabbed the latest NIN album from: http://theslip.nin.com and it made me think about how the music stage is really evolving.

I realize there have been several recent changes that have really made everyone look at music and music distribution differently - but this was a big eye opener for me. I spent a good part of my life in music stores 60 miles away from my house (because that was the closest) while my mother was clothes shopping in the mall. I spent Saturday or Sunday afternoons … [more]

Finally - I made it to a Best Buy that had a Wii over the weekend! I saw the flier in the Sunday paper that Best Buy had some in stock so I jumped in the car with Amy and E and we got there to get a “ticket” which guaranteed a Wii. So far I only have 2 games (Wii Sports and some other game that came with a second controller) but look forward to getting some more games soon. Anyone play the newest Mario?

Well now that Fidel Castro resigned as Cuba’s President (by a letter!) and HD-DVD is dead (yeah for Blu-ray), I think we can all say it was one long awaited day!

Someone that I worked with for eight years came to town this past weekend for a meeting and I was fortunate enough to meet up with him on Saturday. It was quite interesting to me that I felt as though he never left - we just picked up where we left off. (Except for the fact we were both working different places and happy working) A big thanks to Ben for a nice Saturday, his chauffeur services, the dinner at Lawry’s, and the wonderful picture I have hanging in my office! Rock on!

My company does consulting for Delta Air Lines and while watching the latest “Planeguage” video - I laughed out loud. I happened to have this experience a few years ago on Spirit Air when I happened to be in the very last row. Needless to say the flight experience was horrible and I have since to fly in the back row - or on Spirit Air. If you have not checked out the videos (or the Delta Air Lines blog) check it out: http://blog.delta.com/

There have been some great HBO shows that almost everyone has at least heard about…Sopranos, Sex and the City, Curb Your Enthusiasm, but not many people are aware of one of their best series (in my opinion) Carnivale. This is a great look at good v. evil in a great, yet mysterious time after the first World War. If you are looking for something interesting to watch during your upcoming holiday break - put this series on your Netflix list.

A few weeks ago, I wrote about how you can legally watch almost all network shows on their web site. I wanted to follow up with some comments and afterthoughts. First, I feel it is necessary to say something about each network’s video player. (ABC, CBS, NBC)
Best Online Video Experience Rating

1. ABC. By far, ABC has the best player. There are plenty of shows available, the video is crisp, it loads fast (little to no waiting), the commercials interruptions are not too frequent, and the UI is great. Overall, it is well put … [more]
   

Well, after hearing my brother-in-law was a hardcore Battlefield 1942 player still, I decided to pick it up so he could experience my wrath. I also pulled in a few friends (Ken and Doug). I finally got it installed and even played a quick round this afternoon to get used to the controls. So - if you still play this old, but good game, I will be playing under the screen name of [beckett]. (Thomas Beckett)

I have been watching TV shows on the web through the big Network’s web sites (ABC, CBS, NBC) for a little over a year now when the TiVO or the TiVO user fails to catch a show I am interested in, but I really had not checked out all the big network’s full episode catalogs in awhile. I mainly go to ABC to catch up on Brothers and Sisters and had also decided to check out a few new series (I really like Car Poolers). I then decided to go to CBS and NBC’s catalogs and … [more]

If there is one thing I absolutely love about McDonalds (besides their superior Coke mixture) I love their Monopoly game. I even dreamt about the game a few nights ago that I pulled off Park Place and Boardwalk from the same Coke…and won $246. With that said - the excitement of pulling off the little game pieces from my medium Coke and putting them onto the board is usually enough to make me smile. I happened to have a pile of pieces at my house (maybe 6) and decided to go online and check out their “… [more]

People that know me, know I like to listen to my music with the volume cranked up, that I work better with music in the background, and that I am passionate about great music. For the last few years, I have really gotten into vocal trance (dance music that is a bit more edgy/hard than what you would hear on the radio). I listen to a lot of great podcasts and wanted to let others out there (like my sister) know that there is some great music (free) out there.

• Mondo Sessions (Check out June 2007 - this is … [more]
  

It has been at least a year - probably 2 since I stopped playing SoCom II but a few weeks Doug started playing again and got me interested again. I have to say, playing it on my new TV which is almost twice the size of my old TV is definitely nice. It is equally nice that the same old grumpy men and wannabe 12 year olds are still there to make it interesting. I forgot how much I missed listening to these 2 types of people argue - it is really pretty fun - … [more]

Life does not get too much better than Penn State football Saturdays…and this year should be one of the best years of all time. Why? First and foremost - this will be the first full season for my son. He was born last December and saw his first Penn State bowl game (PSU won), but I really look forward to the entire season. Second, we now have the Big Ten Network. Third - we should have DirectTV HD installed as of next week. Here is to another great season with JoePa!

Any idea what happened in 1945 on this date? Is it me or do we not as Americans hear much about this? I can think of a lot of movies on World War II, but I cannot really think any that deal with the nuclear bombs the US dropped on Japan. As I type I am watching the HBO documentary: White Light, Black Rain which is very well done (at least what I have seen so far). If you get HBO, I would recommend watching.

It is now after 8pm and I just got through my email for the day. I am not sure how it is with other self employed people, but by far Monday is always the busiest day. Time to sit back and watch some Big Love before I have to enjoy a day full of meetings. Hopefully by the end of the week, I will be able to finish up my CSS containers series.