New Systm Available For Download!!!

Systm Episode 2 is up. In case for some odd reason you missed the last Systm, it is about Warspying, and is a great show. This one is about building your own Personal Video Recorder. It is called MythTV, and uses Linux to stream in data and watch it, then rewind or record. It looked like it would come in handy, except that you will need to make a whole new computer because it erases the HDD. The Revision3 team is doing an awesome job! Go check it out at Systm.org!

Finally, a Halo movie....

In other movie news, we have Halo. One of the best selling games OF ALL TIME! Of course it needs a movie! Well, read this snippet from gamespot.com about it...

"Receptionists at most major studios reportedly got a shock with their morning coffee yesterday. According to Variety (subscription required), all the major movie studios' Hollywood offices were visited on Monday by messengers dressed as the Master Chief, the armored hero of the Halo games. According to the film-industry trade, the costumed couriers presented each studio with a script for a movie adaptation of Halo. The script was penned by screenwriter Alex Garland (28 Days Later, The Beach), who was reportedly paid $1 million for his services.

One would think studios would fight tooth and nail for the film rights to the Halo series, which has sold more than 13 million units--including nearly 7 million of Halo 2 alone. However, Microsoft's demands have apparently led many to pass on the project. Variety said that New Line and DreamWorks declined to pick up the script, which was reportedly not offered to Columbia Pictures, which is owned by Microsoft's main game-industry rival, Sony. As for the remaining studios, which include Fox, Warner Bros., and Paramount, the trade said that "several others are at least potentially interested." Read the rest of the article at Gamespot.com

The Simpsons Movie!

Ever seen the Simpsons TV show? It's funny. Go downl---I mean watch it on TV! You'll like it most likely! Read this from darkhorizons.com

"From Nancy Cartwright, voice of Bart Simpson "You know what? We've just done the table read for the 'Simpsons' movie so although we've been promoting that we're going to do it, now we're actually doing it and are in production. I'm sure it won't take any less than a couple of years. I don't know the name of it and I can't go into details about it and we'll just have to see how it goes, but I think it's going to be great and the fans are going to dig it" said the voice actress. "The Simpsons" will begin its seventeenth
season on the air later this year."

Yay, this will be one of those must watch movies!

The Many Abilities of Windows...

John Dvorak recently predicted this before the Apple Keynote speech on the "This Week in Tech" podcast. Apple and Microsoft living in one computer.... WOW!!!

Microsoft reiterated plans to launch its own Windows-based "hypervisor" software for running multiple operating systems. Bob Muglia, senior vice president in the Windows Server Division, said on Tuesday that the software will be "built directly in Windows and will allow companies to virtualize multiple operating systems. " Muglia, speaking at Microsoft's Tech Ed conference, said the hypervisor software will be delivered in 2007, following the debut of Longhorn Server. Such software lets multiple operating systems run on the same computer, a feature that's useful for extracting as much work as possible from a single system.

Come on Apple, just because you say OS X won't run on a PC, doesn't mean people aren't gonna make it, now that Microsoft announced this!

Free Nintendo DS Games......:)

I don't know if I should say "This is horrible! You should never download games on the internet that are pirated!" or "This could really come in handy, but for something other than games!" What I want to say is "This totally rocks! Free DS games through a flash memory card! Major w00t!!" Just read the article from Gamesrader.com

"Internet piracy groups have now managed to 'crack' Nintendo DS, with games now freely available for download on the web. Numerous games, such as Nintendogs and Super Mario 64 DS have now been illegally leaked on to the internet, with players able to download and play them via specially designed flash memory cards (pictured on the right). These flash cards come in two sizes, 512MB and 1GB and are fully rewriteable, giving gamers the ability to swap downloaded games around as they see fit."

But remember, this is illegal, and we do not want you to do this! I am just telling you that it is possible!! ;)

Regarding the Xbox 360...

We all thought the backwards compatibility for the Xbox 360 was going to make us buy the game again, or just be the best games re-made for the system. Then again, we thought the Revolution backwards compatabilty would be free! Read the following new snippet from ga-forum.com

"In a meeting with Microsoft management, we confirmed that the company has agreed to pay a small royalty to Nvidia to allow the Xbox 360’s ATI chipset to emulate the performance of the Nvidia chipset in reading certain Xbox games. For games written in a single layer
(management assumes that this is a large percentage of Xbox games), the hardware emulation should perform well. For games written in multiple layers, a further emulation must be provided. The company intends to create software "patches" (i.e., separate emulation programs) for top-selling Xbox games written in multiple layers, and intends to sell the Xbox 360 with a hard drive that is pre-loaded with these patches. We presume that the majority of Xbox games will be backward compatible, and the company assured us that it intends to add patches should consumer demand warrant such action.

Microsoft stated that "neither you nor consumers will be shocked" at the price. This implies to us that the device will be priced below $400, and may possibly be priced at $350 (From AC-91, Admin : I think it will be $300, and would be surprised for a $350 or $400!) . As discussed below, we expect Sony’s entry to be priced higher, potentially providing Microsoft with an additional competitive advantage."

So there ya go, I think we will be playing Halo 2 on Xbox 360 Live until Halo 3 comes out!

Major Site Revamp!!!

This site is going to be under a lot of changes in the next couple of weeks. I got a .tk domain name for it, at techgeek.tk I also have got the rights to a .com, but I do not have one yet. It will still be a blogger webpage, just with a .com, so the only changes are namewise. I haven't thought of a good name for it. All the ones I though of are taken, and I am not sticking with Star Wars Geek. I am hoping to have a Star Wars Geek domain name sometime, with Star Wars news, but right now all I really want it one devoted to tech, video games, and the like. If you have a great name, post it in the comments section. I really need good ideas. I am wanting something original, yet telling it is a tech site. I am thinking something with the words geek, tech, cpu, hardrive, processor, usb, and anything else computer related. I'm also thinking a short two word type thing. Maybe cpuportal.com or cpududes.com. I could really use your help! Even if you think techgeek.tk is a great site name, say so! Please help!!!

Summary of the Good Stuff

This is a summary of all the stuff (besides crazy statistivs nobody cares about) talked about at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) by Apple.

The next Mac OS X will be named Leopard and will be released in late 2006 or early 2007. - Why are they making another version of OS X? I think they should put in what they want into one good Operating System. Name it OS X Feline!

QuickTime, with its H.264 video codec, is now available for Windows. - YAY!!! I have heard this is really pretty and want to try it out. The only reason I don't have QuickTime 7 yet, is because it is said to still be buggy, and kind of in a beta stage.

iTunes is adding podcasting support, to take podcasting mainstream, because it is "TiVo for radio" and "the hottest thing going in radio", with 8,000 podcasts and more all the time. - iPodder doesn't work on my computer right, it only downloads The Laporte Report and TheForce.net's podcasts. I have to send them to iTunes when done, since it won't work from inside the client, so if I can get them straight to my iTunes, I will be happy. And yes, I download legally from the iTunes music store :)

And of course, Apple moving over to Intel, ditching IBM! - Big news, and I also heard about some dual boot with Windows and OS X....awesome. Then I read that Windows can be ran on a Mac, but OS X won't be run on a PC.... I guess I will have to buy a Mac and dual boot from it :D
A video stream of the speach by Steve Jobs and company is online now, find it at http://stream.apple.akadns.net/

Counter Strike - FPS Goodness

Have you ever played Counter Strike? Have you ever played Half-Life? If you said "No" to either of these questions, you owe it to yourself to go pick them up! I even think you can get Counter Strike 1.6 free with Steam, but not entirely sure. Anyway, I have had Counter Strike since the day after Thanksgiving, at Best Buy for $5, with Half Life, Blue Shift, Team Fortress Classic, and Opposing Force, too! I have played through Blue Shift and Half Life, and am part way through Opposing Force, but TFC and CS are both multiplayer games. I needed updates for them, but the server wasn't working. The other day, I found out why. Valve had it's Steam servers running everything, so I had to get updates from them. Why was I so interested to get it, you ask? I played it at the Gaming Cafe, Cyberia, the other day, and had a blast! I downloaded the Steam client with Counter Strike 1.6. I'm not sure if it was with updates to make it Counter Strike 1.6, or the full client, but I am leaning towards the latter, as I have never seen an update for and FPS that big! (Steam is only 600 kb) Anyway, play Counter Strike for a weekend or so, then look around the list for weird names like simpsons or pool, as they are mods, and are downloaded before the game. The downloads for the mods are so easy to do...you don't do anything but join the game and it does the rest! You don't even have to download another client for the mods *cough* Halo Custom Edition *cough*

Apple Speaks!

The Apple Keynote speech at WWDC is happening as I post this. The speaker is Steve Jobs. I am on MacRumorsLive.com and watching as the updates roll in. I am also trying to get into the chatroom, but that is failing :( I will update the site with all the cool happenings at WWDC, but the only thing I am seeing great now are the confirmation of Intel helping Apple, and Quicktime 7 coming to Windows. The rest are really a lot of statistics. Steve Jobs is wearing all black by the way...

This Week in Tech - Volumes 7 and 8

The "This Week in Tech" Podcasts 7 and 8 are both up now. 7 Took a while to get out, and before I even listen to it, I see 8 is out!
This Week in Tech Podcast 7
* Using our new high fidelity recording technique
* Sharp Aquos 45" 1080p LCD TV
* Patrick Shoots for a Darwin Award
* Bad Caps? http://badcaps.net
* The best recall ever
* Leo buys a tablet PC (HP tc4200) and he likes it
* Robert says he prefers the IBM T40
* We talk about ideal screen resolutions
* DSL price wars
* DSL versus Cable modem
* Kevin talk about the madness of the systm launch
* 800 people in IRC
Podcast 8
We discuss Apple moving to Intel, WiMax, .XXX, and more.
I haven't listened to 8 yet, I will when I eat lunch :)

PlayStation 3 not to have Hardrive!!!

The PlayStation 3's showing at E3 was awesome! The games looked amazing, even a racing game in there was cool, and the only fun racing games I like are Mario Kart and Burnout! The graphics were just amazing (even though they were pre-rendered :S), and the CPU having all that power was great. PS2 has had some trouble in the online realm, since it doesn't have a full fledged service like Xbox Live, and you had to buy a Hardrive to download new maps and content. Well, the PS3 is rumored not to have a built in HDD! If you ask me, it's crazy! They need the Hardrive to compete with Microsoft, and even Nintendo for that matter! They said that you might be able to buy an external hardrive for the device, but let's look at how that worked for the PS2! Can't they learn what they need to succeed!?! The Xbox 360 will LOSE $75 with each console bought, but they will get that back with games, and their Xbox Live service. The Xbox Live Marketplace will be money in the bank, because even I like to, after I play a game, build a new map or mod one, customize my character to be ME and nobody having the same character as mine. I think Sony isn't thinking straight, and even if it means a cheaper console (it is speculated at around $400-500) most people will have to buy that HDD...

.........Oh yeah, and we all the controller.

Nintendo Games Free!!!

The past few weeks, in the gaming industry, everyone is talking about the PlayStation 3, and the Xbox 360. Nintendo also has a new console coming out, but nothing to show yet. Still, it is the one console most people are excited about, according to a poll conducted by Famitsu, a Japanese magazine. This 42.2% of people are all Japanese, and the American response could be different. Nintendo did announce one thing at E3, besides shwoing the console. That all of Nintendo's 1st-party games from the NES,SNES, and N64 will be available for download. Recently, another announcement was made. That all of Nintendo's games will be downloadable for FREE!!! As will all online gaming from Nintendo titles. Something that is still in speculation, is how much will 3rd-party video game companies charge for olden, and online, games? Free? $5? Pay per hour? Some say they will be free, to get hyped up about new games from classic franchises. (Maybe we can get the MegaMan games from back when they were good!) Another thing that could be great for future play are GameBoy titles. Either way, Revolution owners know now that they will be playing Super Mario for free!

No More AOL CDs!!!

Everyone knows about AOL's free trials from their CDs. Theoretically, you could go on forever with their service and never have to pay a penny! You can find these CDs everywhere, from a BlockBuster to a theater, even in your own mailbox! I have heard of a ton of projects with AOL CD's, like covering a car with them or making lamps, magnificant works of art done with free Cds. Now, there is a site that is going to give AOL a taste of their own medicine. The website is trying to gather 1,000,000 AOL CD's, and they are going to dump them all on AOLs Parking Lot! Sounds like fun to me! Follow the title link!

My Fixed Xbox :D

The other day, I posted about how my Xbox was broken, and the laser and/or mirror on my disk drive wasnt clean. Well, yesterday, me and my dad fixed it. I did not get any pictures since we were in a big hurry so he could go to work, but I will describe the experience!

First, I had to print off a compilation of different resources on how to actually take it all apart. There are 6 screws in the bottom, under the "feet" (black plastic things) and under some stickers. Then, we pulled off the cover, and I saw the inside of the box! It was awesome! I was like "No more warranty, yes!" Even though it had already been up. We went through a series of manuevers to get the Hardrive out, then the disk drive. Once we opened the disk drive, we had to clean the mirror and lens. Once we found them, thanks to some pictures, we had to wipe them with lens cleaner, a Q-tip, and "compressed air" (we blew)



After all over and put together, I borught it upstairs, and when I heard the Halo music start up, I yelled "YES!!!" and played a few levels of Halo 2...for the first time at my house in over a month.

This is my advice to you. If you are scared of breaking your Xbox or anything, first, make sure you have 2 people (I would've failed with just me!" Make sure your warranty is up, and then just do it! It was very rewarding, and now I am trying to get my parents to let me take apart and put back together our old computer.

On my other site, starwarsgeek.4t.com, I will have this up, once the site is re-made. That site will be content based once I am done with it :D