The ScooterBlog

Sure, you could use the free VMWare tools to run a machine, but this stuff’s open source, and might be just as cool. It’s called VirtualBox. I haven’t used it yet, but I do invite everyone to try it and let me know how it is.

Before this past three week period, I had not bought any new XBox Live Arcade games this year, maybe not since November. However, I’ve bought the last three, and all three seem like they will be good buys for the price.

•  Alien Hominid HD - A fun looking Flash-shaded (more accurate than Cell-Shaded) game with a lot of humor and difficulty. When I played it for the first time last week (played it 2 or 3 times now), I could not get any farther than Level 1-2. It was enough to earn me the not-so-respectful number of 5 achievement points, but I figure with some help, I can advance farther into the game. Like any platformer, it’s about the patterns of your motion.
• Worms - So far, loving this game! It’s a port of the classic PC and console series that’s been around for 10 years, with a nice graphics upgrade for the 360, and the all-important online multiplayer aspect, which without it, the game, cool as it may be, would be a worthless download. That, and the achievements seem like they are very possible with consistent play.
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - I know that the movie is coming out in a couple of weeks, but this is where it’s at for me. The original hack-and-slash quarter-munching game was a great arcade game for its time, and while the graphics (not enhanced) look dated now, the game is still a lot of fun to play. And, the price is right (400 points, 5 bucks).

Only one slight problem … Symphony Of The Night comes out next week .. for ten bucks! That’s not even a question. More of a MUST BUY.

Be afraid, be very afraid! Now, not only do I play the role of an IT Professional on TV, but now I have a cerification to prove it! As of last Thursday (the 8th), I have passed my Microsoft Certification Professional exam!

For me and certifications, this isn’t the “end-all”. I want to go on and get my MCSE for Windows Server and continue to progress in the process, as that will make me more and more capable to grow at the job I’m in now. But, it’s good to get the first step out of the way, and this is that.

For those who roll with the iPod like me, Lifehacker’s iPod roundup has a ton of great articles on how to get the most out of it, even if you’re not a iTunes fan.

Check out the links for adding content without iTunes, fixing a non-bootable iPod, copying DVD’s to your iPod (or TV Shows), two nice bits of access and encoding software (one for Mac, one for PC), and an easy way to wrap the headphones (I need this).

All good links, an excellent site all around.

Maybe we can get Greggy (now that he’s with IGN!) to ask this question to the guys at EA. Instead of blowing away servers for games that aren’t even a year and a half old (and that at the time, didn’t have a newer version in existance, like NBA Street V3, why not virtualize the machines to condense, say, five servers into one?

I’m becoming more and more apparent of the gains that are to be had with virtualization every day. I use it on my Windows Vista machine to have full compatiblity with applications that only like Windows XP. I use it at work so that I can quickly set up environments for testing, and for supporting multiple actions at once that one machine cannot do (multiple Outlook sessions for example).

Our company is beginning to leverage this technology in what has become a very popular method for this … server compression. Instead of having ten servers that aren’t using all of their power, combining them into more efficient blade servers (or even using older servers that are decently powerful) can turn these 10 physical boxes into ten “virtual” servers that only use a single box.

I get EA’s stance from a business sense. If the game’s following is dwindling, and you have put together a dedicated server (or two, or three) to handle the online play for the game, it doesn’t become efficient from a power or resource sense to maintain them. But, you do still have many gamers who want to play these older games, and losing the online component can alienate those players. Not to mention (note the bias here), EA tends to be more about the money, not the gamer.

Not knowing what platform that EA programs their server content with, but assuming it is on x86 servers, virtualization could easily take bunches of these old servers onto one physical box. Mony saved, resources saved, gamers left happy.

Now, we are ignoring a likely component behind some of these games on this list … EA doesn’t want you to play NCAA Football 2005 when they have 06 and 07 out there … a simple money grab. But aside from open sourcing these servers (not realistic, private intellectual property), why not virtualize?

One of the main focal points of our company is looking at “green” building and sustainability, not just for the sake of being environmentally friendly (although that’s a push), but for being more economically efficient. This, and the constant want to not run out of power at any point (I was downright obsessive about this with my PSP) led me to finding out this … USB chargers are the way to go whenever possible, and having extra power for anything isn’t expensive.

THE CHARGING THROUGH USB

When I went through my bag, I found lots of tools which can charge by USB … my DS, my iPod, my cell phone, and my MP3 player, all are USB devices. It’s become a standard port for both data and basic power needs for me, and the cables are so much less bulky than carrying around adapters. The downside of this, of course, is that you need some sort of power source for USB. For me, a laptop carrier, this part is easy. For those who don’t, one of the battery packs that I will show below would be the perfect answer … smaller and more sleek than using adapters, but with the power to keep you working.

WHAT ABOUT NORMAL BATTERIES?

Obviously, while I love USB, there’s the side market of everything else that uses battery power for me in the form of AA’s. My Wii Remote, PS2 Air Style controllers, even a crappy MP3 player from Bath and Body Works (bleh!) all reply on the lovely AA or AAA battery. I’ve definitely become a complete convert to rechargeables with this, but have generally found high quality chargers to be few and far between. At work, we have a really nice Sony CycleEnergy charger which does a fine job of intelligently charging batteries over and over. We re-use batteries at work hundreds of times in digital cameras.

But, our focus here is USB. How do batteries play in? Why, charge them WITH USB! ThinkGeek sells an awesome USB battery charger for $11.99 which can bring batteries into your USB equation, and keep you from wasting a power outlet to keep up with this valuable resource.

You can even buy USBCells. Actual AA batteries, which flip out to show a USB port to directly plug and charge from your PC! They’re pricey ($19.99), and have about half the power of the best rechargeable batteries out there now (1300 mAH compared to 2500 mAH), but they do have a ertain cool factor that will wow your friends when you pull them out of your Wiimote!

(Another word of warning. This blogger advises against using rechargeable AA’s in a 360 controller. Because of the design of the 360 pad, and rechargeables being ever so slightly thicker than Alkalines, I had to use a plier to get them back out! I use the Nyko Charge Station, came with 2 batteries for the controllers, was a good rechargeable solution)

PORTABLE USB CHARGING

The other part of this equation is that many people are not like me and won’t be carrying a laptop with them all over the place to use as a USB charging station of sorts. So then, if your portable device runs out of power, and all you have is this dinky USB cable, how are you going to get it back online?

• USB Battery Box - Another great ThinkGeek product, it’s perfect for the player on a budget. You can use either four AA or AAA batteries as a quick charge for any USB device. It’s extremely small, the price is right ($6 for the AA or AAA model), and it will keep you in the game if you have no other options. These make great emergency chargers, or a good addition to your backpack not taking up much space.
• APC Mobile Power - This rather petite battery box is made specifically for USB devices, and can charge anything with a USB or MiniUSB port. It has a decent amount of power to recharge your cell phone or iPod fully a couple of times, and runs about $50. There’s not a lot of documentation out there on this, Sam’s carries this device in their store, so exact battery quantity isn’t noted, but it is noted here more for its versatility then for price (which seems a tinge high)
• XPower Powersource 100 - This device, of which I am a current user of, has the versatility AND the power to make it work. It has two USB ports AND an actual AC port, and can charge all three at once. It weighs about a pound, and is about the size of four decks of cards, and has the capacity similar to that of a laptop (4,000 mAH). That’s enough power to charge an iPod 3-4 times, or run your laptop for up to two additional hours, and it’s normally marketed to that group for that reason, and for the price ($90-$100). But, it can make your long session of gaming or computing totally doable, with power to spare. It’s the high end device of the set, but if you need it, it’s worth it.

Combined with other small tweaks I’ve found (such as my iHome iPod Shuffle alarm clock being a USB charger when it’s not being used for playing Shuffle music), I only have to plug in two devices regularly into outlets … my laptop and my battery box, and while I can’t claim to have a smaller bag yet (I am a packrat), this will eventually allow all chargers to come out of my laptop bag. A perfect situation indeed!

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