NbilzDY

Review: Gunnar 'Legend' Gaming Glasses

2012-02-12T22:45:00.000-08:00

Love gaming but your eyes gets tired after awhile?? Wish theres something that can help you improve your game? Well fear no more because the Gunnar Gaming Glasses is finally here. Specially design for intense computer use, theses glasses will guarantee you a prolong your view of the monitor, giving you a much more defined view of the environment. The Gunnar 'Legend' gaming glasses is MLG certified, so you know its ready for some hardcore gaming.

First Impression:

Before I begin, theres are a couple of model out there that you can pick for. But I picked this one because i though it looks pretty cool; sadly it looks pretty weird when you wear them in person. Apart from the awkward lense design, this particular model is design for gaming. It is light weight and the legs is designed so you can wear headphones without it putting too much strain on your temple. Its very light weight and comfortable, and you wont feel anything after a long period of using it.

The Glasses:

Main portion of the review, does it work? Well I noticed when wearing, you vision is slightly zoomed in and due to the nature of the color of the lenses, everything you see will have a yellow color overcoat. When wearing this glasses, i notice i can look at a computer's screen better when you have a dark room. The yellow overcoat filter the bright colors to where its easier for your eyes to see made dark colors more brighter. This means you will have a balanced view of your game (not too dark or not too light), and because of the balance of color, it made your eyes more relaxed, hence prolong computer use.

Conclusion:

This is a very short review, but there is really nothing to say. The glasses do help in computer use since it makes you eyes easier to see the screen (less fatigue) and gives a better vision of the game environment. The glasses is well design for gaming use, it made my eyes easier to see the screen, so less fatigue. Sadly the particular model I got looks better in picture, not when you are wearing it in person.

Im not so sure whether or not these pari of glasses will increase your gaming ability, but it does relaxes your eyes more; which in turn gives you a longer endurance. The balancing of colors will also gives you a better perception of the gaming environment in any light.

Review: Acer Iconia W500

2011-12-22T15:33:00.000-08:00

So I've posted the difference between the two Iconia tablet. Of course I was just scraping the surface to give you guys the general Idea of what to expect from each of the table. However, this post we will be going in-depth on the Acer Iconia W500.

First Impression:

We know this is a Windows 7 device, and unlike what other people has speculated, the Operating system actually works pretty smooth on this device. The tablet itself (without the keyboard) is very light, and designed in a way where you can hold it with one hand without disturbing the touch screen. It can detect screen orientation and locks it as desired. Built-in mic picks up your voice very nicely and it has a built-in camera (both 1.3M) on its front and rear. It has a built-in card reader for expanded memory, HDMI slot and a volume button. The screen feels a bit small compared to other net-book, and it felt like a lot of space is wasted with the blank gap between the casing and the touchscreen itself. Well, if the gap wasn't there, our hands will be touching the screen when we move it into "tablet mode".

The W500 is slightly thicker that the A500, but this is because it has air vents to cool down. The entire net-book (the tablet and the keyboard) is made out of plastic, however the build is very solid. When attached to the keyboard, additional ports becomes available to use (2 USB port and an Ethernet port). The keyboard also acts as a screen protector as it shuts like a regular net-book. Sadly, the W500 only have 32Gb as an internal memory, which over half of it has been taken for the Operating System itself. Acer has include some of their home brew program that will "enhance" the user experience, but we will get on that later.

Performance:

Yes, you shouldn't expect much from a net-book that can be separated into a tablet performance wise. However, I am pretty satisfied on what is it capable on doing; because it is a net-book, my main approach is using the cloud for productivity since saving everything in it's internal memory will not get you far. For a dedicated Internet device, it has satisfy all my need. 4 to 6 hours of battery life is enough to get me through my whole day of work, and it boots relatively fast. Since this is a windows device, I don't have to worry about file compatibility (since the file's we encounter usually will be readable in the basic windows program). The speakers are loud and crisp (pretty surprising), and the screen is bright and sharp. The touchscreen response well and fast and multi-touch is also supported, but since there is not a lot of programs that supports it, it goes basically unnoticeable (yes you can pinch in/out for zooming!).

Acer noticed the lack of multi-touch enabled program and created their own application to satisfy it. The program is called the Acer Ring (activated by touching the screen with 5 of our fingers), when activated, a ring will appear with 3 "app-cards" that you can use. These "app-cards" are programs that will utilize the touchscreen to its potential. In the circle, there are several other shortcut that will open some programs that will also optimize your touchscreen usage (Calculator, games, Zune, Windows Media, Windows Surface College). The most important aspect of the Acer Ring is the device manager (located in the middle of the circle), this will give you easy access to the power control of the tablet (such as screen brightness, Wi-fi, volume) without the hassle of finding it in the toolbar.Although the Acer Ring is very useful, you cannot modify (add shortcut or App-cards) its content, therefor limiting its usage.

Opinion:

I enjoy my W500 for one reason, it's there when I need to work. It doesn't do more than just office work, which works perfectly (means I wont go side tracked on my work). Although it seemed cool that I can detach the screen from the keyboard, there hasn't been much use to it other than reading PDF files and showing off your friends the fact that it "detaches". The touchscreen come in handy at times, I used Virtual DJ and had fun with the touchscreen, reading will be a breeze as it works like any other tablet. I'm really disappointed with the small size hard-drive, since the speakers is very promising, i though i could be a portable entertainment system (clearly with that size we can't keep much in).

The keyboard is great, but it almost has an awkward weight distribution. When you put the W500 on a soft surface, the tablet part will make it unbalanced. Another footnote is the fact that the keyboard is at locked down angle, although there is not blind-spot from the monitor, it just irritates me sometimes when I want my screen slightly angled more for a more comfortable viewing. Finally the coolest thing is the W500 has a great Wi-Fi card, so far i have no problem in connectivity and it picks up signals perfectly.

Overall, the W500 is a very portable device for those "on-the-go" users. From how I use the device, it is really dependent on Internet as all my files is on the cloud. Fast boot and long battery life will get you through a whole day of work. The Windows gives it ease for file access and organization. The coolest thing is when you simply want to browse around, by changing it into tablet mode, it erases the need for a table and makes it easier for you to read the web.

Acer Iconia A500 v. W500

2011-12-15T16:25:00.000-08:00

Tablets are taking over, and they all come in many form, size and even OS! Acer made a bold move with the Iconia series by releasing 2 of somewhat equally the same tablet except with one huge difference; The OS!

Acer Iconia A500 is android based (Honeycomb) while Acer Iconia W500 is Windows 7 based. Both are very reliable tablets in their own ways, but of course there are differences that would probably gives you the "purchasing" option. Obviously the A500 is more focused for entertainment purposes while the W500 is focused on portable work.

The looks:

One notable look of the W500 is the keyboard that doubles as a case while the A500 is slightly smaller. Although the size difference, both have the same screen resolution size. The W500 is lighter (when not docked with the keyboard) but it is thicker than the A500. The A500 has the mini HDMI plug, slot for MicroSD, mini USB and a normal USB plug. The W500 has a normal HDMI plug, an SD card slot and air vents. Both tablet has dual camera, however the A500 has FLASH built in on the back.

The W500 wins in the keyboard dock since the keyboard dock (although awkwardly designed) it has 2 USB plugs and an ethernet plug. The A500 on the otherhand hs the USB plug for USB storage file access or use keyboards.

What Fits you?

Both can satisfy you need in any ways. Since the W500 is windows based, you should not have any problem is accessing various kinds of files because there will always be a way to access them. However, the A500 is more to the entertainment purposes; this means file access is a bit hard and you may feel a little lock down when in comes to "productive" work.

The A500 houses Honeycomb (or Android 3.0) which is the OS built for tablets. It runs smooth and hardly crashed. Since this is an android device, you have to know what apps you do want to run and find it so that you can be productive. Accessing files will be a bit hard since there is no "file browser" (there is an app for that though) and editting the files in your android will be as hard/easy as the apps you found.

The W500 windows is amazingly fast. Note that this is a netbook, so it should only be limited to office work and web browsing. The keyboard makes it easy to type and windows made it easy for you to download and immediately access that file. You can pop the tablet off the keyboard and make it portable just incase you need it "on- the-go"

My Opinion:

I've actually owned the A500 for a month before purchasing the W500. I was satisfied on how the A500 managed to help me be more productive for the "on-the-go" kind of work. Since I am using the tablet for college, there is more times for me to move around from one place to another. Having something that is "ready" helps me tremendously in doing my homework.

Depends on the App you downloaded from the market, the A500 can really do some serious stuff aside from entrtainment. Since my basis is the cloud, i can access my files litreally anywhere as long as i am connected to the internet.

Granted you can plug a keyboard and immedietly put to the A500 to work, it doesnt feel as satifying as the W500. The A500 is treated as a mobile device, meaning websites will sometimes open the mobile version of it, and apps are sometimes a short run version of the real thing. The W500 can access any kinds of website and download files more easily. Becasue of the normal browser capibilities, i have no problems acessing web pages with heavy Java or Flash. the A500 would NOT let me access lectures while the W500 does.

However, the A500 does give me a quick relief for entertainment purposes as music are easy access, many games and various apps that would entertain you very quickly. the W500 on the otherhand does not have a high end processor, therefor the games that we can play with it are not intensive, and accessing music and movies would be a little bit of a pain.

Again both have their ups and downs, in a way, the A500 is focused on entertainment, while W500 is focued on being prouctive.

A more focused review of each device will be uploaded hopefully in a short time. until then,

Cheers!

New Year Resolution!

2011-12-08T16:18:00.001-08:00

Hey guys,

first of all thank you for checking out my blog regularly nowadays. The view count is satisfying to me. I know I haven't posted in anything for awhile, but fear not more is coming. I have things typed up already, but i havent got time to revised them and such since i'm still shocked with the new college life.

Anywho, i know it's early, but my resolution will be at least one new post every week next week (more maybe coming). Now I have lost some of my gadgest dude to some financial casues, but there is still enough to keep the blog going. Alright, maor update is gonna happen to to the page and stuff.

I'm looking forward for this winter break so I can do some major changes and hopefully keeping you guys interested in subscribing more to my page. Until then, Thank you for your support so far

Cheers,
Nabil Sutjipto

Review: MindFlex by Mattel

2011-12-08T08:54:00.000-08:00

MindFlex has been around for awhile, but their appeals and commercials hasn't been around until recently (of course!). I have manage to get my hands on them and actually played with it for awhile. This toy is pretty fun even for me as even though the challenge stays the same, our state of mind is not.

What is this MindFlex anyways?

MindFlex is a toy from Mattel that lets the players to control a ball to finish an obstacle (almost) entirely with their mind. Shocking! Some people might not believe it, but it is true.

How does it work?

They have a sensor that is measuring your brain activity (necessary for gameplay), as you brain activity increases, the sensors will read it and sends the feedback to the machine. The toy itself has a circular futuristic look. The knob in the middle of the object is meant to control the ball left to right (wait, i though we are using our minds?!). Yes, your mind only controls the airflow that directs the ball for a higher or lower altitude. The stronger you think, the higher the ball flies.

What do you do with it??

There are actually a ton of things you cna do with MindFlex (to a certain extent). The piece came with a set of "obstacles" that is customizable, also, you are the one responsible for placing the obstacle. This means there are over 1000s of combos on how you can complete the course. Each "obstacle" piece has their own characteristic on how to solve, and all of the are possible to crack.

For example:
The ring - you have to loop around

The Gate - Go over or under

The Fan - the most difficult piece

The toy itelf came with a couple of pre-made game types. Free Style lets you play the course anyway you like without any time limit. Mental marathon is a race to see how fast you can complete the course. Light tag is positioning the ball to where the light is and death trap (which i do not understand how it goes)

The difficulty of the game depends on how you set it up.

Conclusion:

This toy is fun for the Think a lot kiddo's, it also helps them control their own brain activity (pretty nifty!). They should find this toy very interesting since the possibility to "spice up" the difficulty is almost endless. For a price range of $70 ~ $100 its a good addition to have in your toy collection

Reason I haven't posted this was because I haven't got time to get a picture of the toy before it was taken away from me. Luckily a video was already made prior to this. Enjoy!

Review: The SkullCandy UpRock

2011-08-19T21:24:00.000-07:00

First Impression:

Great size, great fit, eye catching color and some nice sets of speakers. With a low price of $29.99 the SkullCandy Uprock is worth the bargain. When you first lay eyes on these UpRocks, the unique color options will trap you in the store for hours literally trying to pick which is best for your gear. The unique design is compact enough for travel yet highly visible to the eye of the others. With a highly rugged built, flexible headband, and a tangle-free cord this pair of headphone is ready for any kind of action you can throw on it!

The Sound:

Sure this is not a noise canceling pairs of headphones, but the design and speaker quality might as well make is into one. The 40mm driver manage to give crisp noise and deep bass, the sound everyone is looking for. When you put the SkullCandy Uprock around your neck, this headphone might as well be a pair of portable speakers; yet when you put them on, the pads will seal all that noise. When worn, neighbors will not hear your blasting music. The sound is for you and you only!

Comfort Zone:

The SkullCandy Uprock has become one of my arsenal for long distance travel. Its compact size and light weight makes it easy for me to move around, the tangle free cords means i can throw it in my bag and the cord stays tidy, and the rugged built means it wont break from normal to intense use. Like other SkullCandy headphones, this pair is design ergonomically, which means its going to be a sure fit to the head; The pads are soft and doesn't burn up easy. You will literally forget that you are even wearing a pair of these UpRocks!

What I Think?

I Absolutely love this pair of headphones. It's light weight and high durability makes it a perfect get up and go headphones. I have literally wore this headphones for a full day! Thanks to its ergonomic design, most of the time I even forget I am even wearing one. The pads are covered with an other layer of fabric, which means it reduces the heat trapped in your ear. The sound from this pair is pretty good for $30; you can definitely pick out instruments and feel the bass from the music.

The SkullCandy Uprock manage to grip your head without giving too much pressure on the sides. You can use this for a light jog or any light exercise if you will. So far I have no problem with the cord, the tangle-free design has proven its tittle. There are over 5 color design for this pair of headphones, so it's gonna take you awhile before you can probably decide what to get.

PLEASE NOTE: While I was on my trip in Asia, there are various imitations of the SkullCandy Uprock. I did not purchase them to test the quality because they are selling it for the same price as the original UpRocks ($30). Difference between teh fake and the real SkullCandy Uprock will be uploaded in my next blog post.

Manga BDR; iPad App Review

2011-08-09T17:10:00.000-07:00

Paper books are soo last year, but what about those fun to read mangas? Sure we can find them online, but we're not connected to the internet 24/7. We can download them, but its such a hassle to put it in your iPad, and worse it won't be sorted by the tittle! Fear not, the Manga BDR is here; it's purpose? to put manga reading literally on your finger tips! This app does not have its own manga website, which means you can obtain your favorite type of read at the comfort of your own favorite website. With an easy to use interface, great storage system and the ability to read it offline gives this app a thumbs up for those manga lovers.

Interface:

The interface for this app is a bit unique. As usual the tutorials is always recommended, although the app is very easy to use, to download a new manga gets a bit tricky at first. When you open the app, there are only a few buttons up on the top of the screen and on the bottom of the screen.

The top of the screen:

Menu; where you access your manga collection and download new mangas
Slider; tracks your progress in your read
Lock; to lock your screen orientation

The bottom button:

Left and right arrow; to go to the next chapter or the previous chapter

To download a new manga to your collection, you can access your favorite website from the "menu" option. The window is a bit small, but once you successfully picked a manga, you can add the manga to your collection using the "+" button. Once it is saved you can access it through the reading tab, from here on out all manga chapters are downloaded and saved in your iPad. You can download by chapter or the whole manga at a time.

Note that chapters do not update by itself, so you have to update it manually. you can zoom in and out easy, and when the chapter end you have to go to the next or previous chapter with the arrows. Another footnote, to reset a chapter you have already read, you need to use the slider to move the pages back to page 1. Although mangas are downloaded and stored in you iPad, it will not eat you storage by a lot since the pages downloaded are not HD.

The Good:

Extensive collection of Manga
Easy to read Manga
Excellent sorting system
Offline Mode

The Bad:

Menu bar is too small
No chapter tittle
Eats up storage

NOTE: apologies for the bad pictures, I currently have limited access to my iPad

SmartNote; iPad App Review

2011-07-28T01:22:00.000-07:00

So you owned an iPad thinking it’s the best thing in the world, now to actually find what’s its best at! The portability and size makes it a perfect candidate for your virtual notebook, but when you decided to download one from the app store, you are overwhelmed with the amount of apps that has the same function. Which one is the best for you? I’m not sure, but I do know which one is perfect for me. SmartNote by Christopher Thibault and Brenda Lee has manage to cover all of my needs for a virtual school notebook; ranging from separate notebook options to excellent backup system, this app is surely the “must have” for high school to college student who are seeking to turn their iPad into use!

This is not going to be like my average iPad app review since there are so many sections to cover! So I’m going to make bullet points and explain it as I go.

NOTE: this app is best use if you have a pen for the iPad.

· Main Screen

o Notebooks

§ Right off the bet, you will be introduced with an empty screen where your future notebooks will be displayed here. There are unlimited number of notebooks that you can create (as your hard drive permits); each notebook can have a custom cover that you can pick from you own picture gallery. In addition to that, to add security reasons, you can assign different passwords to lock unwanted visitors to read or temper with your notes.

§ Notebook can be duplicated and/or deleted at your convenience.

o Import/Export

§ Imagine all your notes in one device lost because you lost your grip on that bottle of coke. Well, SmartNote also features and export function where you can turn your notes into image files where you can download either from iTunes (after converted) or through you account in their website.

§ What if you skipped that one day of class, and it’s the day where you took 10 pages of notes. Well, SmartNote also implement an import feature where you can insert notes you took from another SmartNote users.

o Adding Files

§ You have the diagram in PDF, but you’re too lazy to print it; however the need for you to make footnotes directly on the diagram is necessary. SmartNote has the options for you to add files to your notes! Either you can download the file directly online, or you have it lying around in you DropBox folder. The files you downloaded can be added to any part of your notes in your notebook or stand alone as its own separate notebook.

· In the Notebook

o Page setup

§ Like any other school notebook, you’re greeted with nothing else but a blank screen with writing tools located on the bottom of the screen. Fear not, the blank screen is not your only option of landscape! Through the navigation of your writing tools on the bottom of the screen, you can change you main writing area into those in suit of your needs (grids, college rule)

· NOTE: They even have sports fields for those “high tech” coaches who wants to use their iPad on the field

§ In addition to that, when you use SmartNote in landscape mode, there is an additional area where you can type notes on the sidesbar (NOTE: these notes ONLY appear when you iPad is on the Landscape position)

o Writing tools

§ Writing with blank ink on a digital screen is not the only option SmartNote has to offer; the app includes various kinds of brush strokes and colors. Can’t write on a tablet? SmartNote also allows user to type the notes by option (either a whole page or by section)

o Widgets

§ There is a section where it includes all of the widgets you can use during your note writing sections, some examples are: inserting pictures, proofreading, pagetools, music, science, etc. I can literally go on for pages just explaining what is included in this widget section! But fear not, it probably and most likely have what you have been looking for.

§ Although its not in the widget section, I think its also cool to point out that you can also record lectures and attach it to your note page; you can bookmark those important pages; and a little bar where you can preview the pages you may want to one later

· Your Files

As you can tell by this point, this app is very versatile for its low price of $2.99. The app takes awhile to get used to because of the various tools and options available, but a quick trip to the manual will quickly resolve your problem. The reason I picked this app for my day to day use is because of the separate notebook options will keep my notes very organized, and the ability to put password protect in my notebook ensure me that no one will temper with my notes when they are borrowing my iPad.

The good:

Various Options
Various Writing Tools
Password protected notebooks
Fully customizable
A free online backup feature
Easy file transfer

The Bad:

Not first-timer friendly
Online interface is a bit premature
No "Read Only" feature

Blog: Its growing without my notice

2011-07-02T09:30:00.000-07:00

So this is the lowdown,

My last post has been ages ago, and since then a lot of items has come into my footstep ready for me to review. But alas! My procrastinating self is denying everything, and my trips are not making any of my "work" done. To tell you the truth, I am visiting my home country Indonesia right now. So this means some, but not all, projects are left behind unfinished. I was planing to finish it as I relaxed here (about 3 month), sadly the equipment needed are nowhere to be found (for now).

I'm just checking in to make sure i'm now to far behind in this typing business! Just to give you a lil' something to visit this website again, here are the list of things i will review in this 3 month period of time:

SmartNote
Chaos Ring HD
Manga BDR
Need for Speed SHIFT
Zenonia 2 (Android)
Etc.

Yep, there's more to come! So please bear with me and check in regularly for these posts!

Until later!

-NbilzDYear

Cut the Rope HD; iPad Game Review

2011-04-26T08:53:00.000-07:00

Always want to feed a green monster who loves candy? Well now you have the chance to! Cut the Rope is a simple action-puzzle game where your objective is to simply "cut the rope". It may sound easy, but developer will throw everything they have to make sure you can't just cut it to win it. Constant updates for new levels, beautiful graphics, and an easy pick up and play, Cut the Rope is surely a good fetch for those on-the-go gamers.

Gameplay:

Just as the tittle shows, this game objective is to cut the rope. What's on the edge of the rope? Well a green monster that we will have to feed. With gold stars thrown in each level for those achievement freaks, the challenge will never end. The objectives gets more challenging as the level progresses as developer throws various kinds of tricks and traps we need to avoid. For example, there will be levels wi moving spikes, disappearing stars and candy eating spiders. As the level progresses, timing and a concrete planning is getting more viable.

To keep you entertained, developers design the levels to be themed. Each theme will have it's own obstacle; although some looks similar, it will still keep your brain going. This game required quick reflex, and thankfully the game can compensate by having a highly responsive controls. The colorful graphics and a simple gameplay, this game will appeal to any ages.

Conclusion:

A simple yet challenging game, "Cut the Rope" will keep you entertained for some time. The theme for each level gives a new challenge every time. Although a level can be skipped as fast as possible without grabbing any golden stars, those achievement seeker will keep on pondering on how they will achieve all the stars. With constant update, family friendly graphic, and pick up and play gameplay, "Cut the Rope" will be a fun game for any age.

-> Constant Update

-> new challenge every time

->easy pick up and play

-> Nice HD graphics

"A game that will keep u entertained" 5/5

Quirky Cloak iPad Case review

2011-03-18T19:40:00.000-07:00

The Quirky Cloak iPad case had taken me by surprise, from literally hundreds of different model for an iPad portfolio case, only the Quirky Cloak manage to fulfill all of my expectations. To start off, portfolio cases are the ones that has a cover for the screen, making the iPad looks like a "book". A normal case will not protect your iPad from drops, but rather protect it from scratch from normal use. A portfolio case usually have a "stand" that allows you to place your iPad landscape for either watching a movie of simple typing.

The Quirky Cloak case fulfill all of the above requirement with an extra addition to make it stand out.

First impression:

From when you hold the box, you will noticed that the box is heavy. While I was unboxin this product, I was hoping that the weight was various papers of instruction and ads; sadly, all the weight of the box came from the iPad case itself. In addition to the iPad 5 pounds, this case will add it's weight into a hefty 8 pounds, making it a drag for traveling. However, the case itself is solid and well-built, with a material choice of silicon rubber (instead of leather) this case will not slip off your hand.

As mentions, a portfolio case usually does not protect your case, however the Quirky Cloak has manage to break the boundary. Your iPad will be placed in a "snug-fit" silicon case with a wicked attachment. On the left side of the case there is a hinge attachment, and to that the flap of the case is attached. The flap is designed to be able to hold the iPad in high landscape since it is also made of of rubber (non-slip). The one that made the Quirky Cloak special is because the lid has 2 piece of plastic that allows the iPad to be placed in keyboard mode (slightly lowered landscape) and portrait mode (a feature that most portfolio case is lack off).

I have used the case for some time, aside from the weight, the case has managed to secure my iPad very well. It makes it easy for me if I want to read a Manga while I'm eating, and typing on the go; all while my iPad is being well protected. Overall this case has managed to fulfill my need of multiple angle views while giving the maximum protection. With a price tag of roughly $26, this case is worth the shot.

The good:

-> relatively cheap

-> fully protect your iPad

-> multiple angle views

The bad:

-> heavy

-> hinges raises durability concern

Quirky Cloak - "Fully protects your investment with multiple viewing angle" 5/5

NFL Madden 11; Ipad Game Review

2011-03-16T15:16:00.000-07:00

What can we say about American football?? It is intense, with somewhat high pace action. Now you will always need at least 10+ people to play a game of football, with that in mind, of course a video game about football will be a good catch, and now EA Games has managed to bring that dream into a reality. Madden 11 for the IPad has tried to bring this sport for your portability.

Gameplay:

To be plain, this game is basically like any other football games, you call plays, run it and score. However, being that the iPad has a full touchscreen interface, there is not a lot of rooms to put complicated movement. To compromise this, the programmers has made it into a "see as you go" buttons, which means the movement option will "pop-out" when the move is available to be performed. For example, when you are on defense and the block is light, you have the option to run around him, but if it's too heavy, the option will change into a dive.

In football there are two options of play, offense and denfense, each gameplay has a significant options. In Offense, to pass the ball, the player simply pick a play and run it. To pass, simply tap e players that are running around, they have color indicators to tell which players are save to pass and which are a risk. Quarter back has various options in then play, even tossing the ball in.

In defense, a unique addition is added, players can use the "action button" that literally stops time and lets the players control the direction of his players movement and even assign what kind of move the indicated player is going to perform. By using the combination of the action button and observation, the game should be pretty easy to earn a sack every once in awhile.

The extra addition that the usual console football game that the iPad version is the fact that there's an timer button, that slows time, giving the player an extra reaction time to either dash right p, left or spin to evade a tackle. A regular joystick control is located on the left while the right side is filled with various action button.

Of course these extra addition makes the game-play ridiculously easy, but you will see that it is not because of the ridiculous drawbacks of its horrible controls. Although the layout of the buttons and the joystick is evenly spaced, the controls seems to be non-responsive at times. Also, when you are on offense and has snaps the ball, the green/yellow/red box that surrounds your player sometimes overlap with the other buttons that you may need to access, causing an early and usually unsuccessful pass.

Conclusion:

Surprisingly, the developed has implemented various kinds of options to make sure that you will not get bored with just a regular football game. With your favorite team, you can access the season mode, where you will play with other team and win the championship. Players can also access the vintage voltage mode, where the the game is played on a electronic board, a much more relaxing gameplay.

One down side with any sports game is that if dint know the rules or how to play the sport it self, then you will be trapped in a hole. Although this game offer a tutorials, it is only a text tutorials that barely explain the gameplay, and most of the tutorials only shows the special feature of the iPad version.

With the price tag of $12.99 this game is really something you need to reconsider before purchasing. If you are a football fan, clearly this game is a must-have. The high-definition graphic and various controls can always bring a variation to your gameplay. Overlooking the controls, this game will entertain you on the road just like that.

Overall:

-> great graphics

-> variations of movements

-> high replay value

-> no tutorials

Madden 11 - "perfect time waster for the sport fans" 4/5

iLuv TATZ Scarz THP902 Headphones Review

2011-02-13T19:57:00.000-08:00

"the un-boxing of the iLuv TATZ Scarz (black) edition model THP902

Special specs include:

Memory foam earpads

Precision acoustic engineering

In-Line volume control

Thank you for watching - questions welcome"

This is a review of an item i have awhile back. Purchase it for the cool looking cat's eye and the general look. The sound was great, although sound leaks and the bass was rather weak. I returned the item due to the size (it basically consumes my head). I managed to squeeze this little video before i even manage to create a proper typed review for the thing.

My apologies, since it is an un-boxing, i kinda just review it as i go. However, everything you need to know is right there in the video. Thank you!

Brothers In Arms 2 - Global Fronts; iPad game review

2011-02-01T17:56:00.000-08:00

Overview:
After hearing about his brother's death and the cause of it, Wilson is determined to dig in to the the matter and find out what really happened to his brother. His determination led him to travel around the globe fighting for his country, while at the same time, still wondering the reason of his brothers death. "Brothers in Arms 2" is one of the many titles Gameloft has created for the ipad. The game has manage to maximize the iPad potential for 3D games and HD potential to give you the best of what iPad can offer.

Gameplay:
As you can imagine, this game will be a First Person Shooter kinds. This means you have a virtual joystick, on each side, the left joystick is for movement purposes and the right joystick for other actions (aiming, firing, grenade, etc.). The developer has tried to incorporate various kinds of FPS like movement that would add variety to the gameplay. For example, above the "firing joystick" they include buttons that allows you to: sprint, duck, throw grenades, and hide between trenches or walls. Developers also includes classic weapons for the players to use throughout the game play.

As you may imagined, a WWII game always have a linear pattern, which players can already see the pattern of movement as the other roads are "blocked". That being said, the developers has tried to add variety to the game play by giving you various "objectives" before you can advance, or by changing the mode of weapons and transportation that the player use. The story mode is lengthy and well written, as it has a twist on the ending. I enjoy the flow as it brings curiosity to know how Wilson's brother dies.

After playing this game to the end, i noticed a horrible downfall of this game. The controls for this game will most of the time makes you want to stop and delete the game. The size of the iPad makes it quite a stretch for your fingers, and because there are various actions that can be performed at once, the game would most likely get stuck in loops while we are trying to get from one place to another.

What am i talking about? When you run onto a corner of a wall, an automatic animation of our character "finding cover" to the wall will stop your movement. When you run to a place where you can duck, you will automatically duck. However, when you are in cover position there are 2 options, either jump out of your cover, or fire without aiming; these two options sometimes got confused and can risk your game.

In order to keep you coming back to the game, developer has added a multi-player feature, a feature on which needs a high amount of tweak in order to make it credible. So what makes this feature a downside? First of all, you cant do anything, players will spawn on the same spot - this means an enemy player that has a superior weapon such as the rocket launchers can pin you down by shooting a rocket every once in awhile on the same spot. I have tried to play multi-player, but it always ended up me being in the spawn area, dying long the way.

Conclusion:
The story mode is worth the shoot, since the plot is brilliant and it will keep you wondering. The controls can be lived by once you "may" get used to it. However, if you are hoping to get a little bit of fun from playign the multi-player mode, then you most likely ran out of luck. The great graphic and sound are worth the try; i purchased this game when it was on sale for $.99, and it was well worth it.

Points:

Great Story
Great graphic
Horrible Controls
Disappointing multi-player mode

Link to game: http://www.brothersinarmsiphone.com/

Cannot purchase Riot Points with Paypal? -League of Legends

2011-01-26T15:47:00.000-08:00

Did you saw that new skin that your favorite champion have and wanted to buy it? Yet, when you tried, the page just went back and you did not get your Riot Points. Well, after snooping around in the Forums, i found a way where you can easily go around this problem and still get your RP :) Good luck

Pic: After choosing how many Riot Points, you are then transfered to the PayPal page. After entering your password, the page just turned blank.

^ when this happen, your money did not get taken, and you did not obtain your Riot Points. To solve this problem, after you entered this page use on the keyboard TAB, TAB, SPACE. After these combo is done on your keyboard, your Paypal page will refresh itself and you can continue your purchase.

NOTE: They are fixing this problem, the page error came from Paypal itself when LoL changes their outline.

The Green Hornet Movie Review

2011-01-15T17:16:00.000-08:00

Green Hornet - "Crazy action filled with humorous action" 90/100

Short and Sweet Summary:

Britt Reid is the son of a news paper giant. Being the usual successful parents,Britt is neglected sine childhood. making him a "party boy" without any moral background. Soon after, however,James Reid, the father of Britt died; leaving the newspaper giant to the hand of his son. In the midst of confusion, James Reid old employee Kato, a Chinaman with an extra-ordinary mind and an expert in martial art, stays to accompany Britt. Together, they vowed to "spice-up" their life by roaming L.A as the crime fighting Green Hornets

Evaluation:

This movie manage to combine both action and comedy; even in the midst of battle, some comedic relief always manage to find its way without cooling of the tension. The plot is unexpected in my point of view, i was hoping this would just be a random "beat-them-up" with no particular direction. Without trying to spoil anything, the writer went over the board to find a way to make the story unpredictable. This movie gives the impression that it is possible to be done in real life, however a couple of scenes in the movie just shows how it is probably impossible to be done in real life.

The camera work in this movie is amazing, the use various kinds of shoots to emphasize the movement of the story just perplexed me. Sadly, the movie fail to appeal in their 3D side; the environment and story flow did not try to emphasize the fact that the movie is in 3D. This just gives the impression that the 3D is just made for racking up some cash. I have been going around the movie, but what about the actors? Seth Rogen played his character well, as do Jay Chou. Some people may find the character Kato to be extremely stereotype, but i like it. When i watched this movie, it somewhat reflects on my life (since i have a Caucasian as a friend), and our conversation and action is somewhat around this movie (excluding the expensive cars and destroying Meth labs).

Overall Concern:

The 3D is just a gimmick
Kato is pretty much a stereotype (not much of a problem)
The physics are pretty much impossible in this movie, but still fun to watch

Review: SkullCandy Icon 2

2011-01-12T15:57:00.000-08:00

First Impression:
The SkullCandy Icon will really catches everyone eyes when you wear them - the bright colors yet compact size gives portability to the users. When i was walking around with these headphones, people saw it and gives me compliments. The wires are somewhat a bit long for portable player use, yet the wires are reinforced, so there are very little chance of it being tangled.

Another fancy attention is that the headphones include built in Mic that can be used for smartphones/MP3, so now you can jam out and be ready to answer the phone without missing a beat.

The Sound:
This headphone is an "on-ear" style, which means the sound will be a bit spread out. The sound is excellent if you just want "music" playing in the background. A good footnote regarding this headphone is that although the speaker won't blow your ears out, the design makes the sound "spreads" to your surrounding. So, even though the volume is at a good level, the person sitting next to you have the chance to be able to hear what you are listening to.

Comfort Zone:

When i first opened the package, i was pretty much surprised by the size and shape of the SkullCandy Icon 2. It gives the impression of discomfort, but little did i know, once you have this headphone adjusted right to your head size, it is super comfortable. The SkullCandy Icon 2 gives a good grip with your head, so it wont fell off when your jumping or running (which is perfect!). The best part is that, the SkullCandy Icon 2 did not make my ears feels "hot" after a pro-long use.

My Opinions:

The compact size makes it easy for storage. Usually, an "over-head" headphones always (for me) have the problem of choking me when I simply put them around my neck, yet the SkullCandy Icon 2 did not have that problem. The built in Mic/control is a good addition to this headphone, giving me a much more complete control on the music i'm listening while running or doing other stuff. One more thing, The headphone came with snap-on's, where you can change the graphics on each side of the speakers

The SkullCandy Icon 2 is not that expensive, around $25 to $30. However, this pair of headphone may be the hardest one to choose since they came with a large variety of color (around 9 different styles!). I manage to purchase the white/orange one before it was out of stock. I am fairly satisfied with the purchase, in conclusion, this headphone is perfect for those who simply want music as a background sound and style

SkullCandy Icon 2 White/Orange 9/10

Fruit Ninja HD - iPad app review

2011-01-03T17:31:00.000-08:00

Fruit Ninja HD

Overview:

Ever wonder how it felt like to be a ninja? well, now i have the full power of the iPad to slice those menacing fruits! Fruit Ninja HD uses only the touch screen to play the game, by making slicing effects, players can spend hours slicing away the fruits that most likely be healthier to eat. The iPad version has some additional feature that gives it the worthy HD title (we will look at that later), and HalfBrick have done a fantastic job in transferring this game from the popular iPod version into the iPad.

Game Play:

Fruit Ninja HD is an arcade style game, this means that you have the time in the world to play this game. As stated, game play is fairly simple, swipe the screen when you see a fruit flying and you will instantly cut the fruit. Also, when your swipe manage to cut multiple fruit in 1 stroke, it will give you a combo bonus, to which gives you extra points. In some game feature, bombs are included in the mix, and it is proffered to avoid slashing them. Game Center is included in this game, so you will have tons of time spent trying to achieve what is almost impossible.

Fruit Ninja HD came in 2 sets of game play, single and multi-player (split screen, on which the iPhone version does not have). In single player mode, additional game types can be found; all bearing somewhat similar element. Classic mode is a normal slash-em-up with a limited number of fruit miss and bombs are instant game over. Zen mode only gives you the fruits, which gives you the time to practice you combo and what not. Lastly, Arcade mode, which will show off your awesome fruit slicing ninja skills, with banana bonus and fast phased, game play.

The Multi-player mode has somewhat similar feature as it is as in single player, only with the addition of being able to do a split screen to share the game with neighbors. Final part is the dojo, which is the second part of your achievement obtaining process. The dojo gives you skin bonus which, when obtained, can be switched and giving you ninja skills a much more menacing look.

Overall:

High Replay Value
Great graphic
Hands-on game

"Will entertain me for hours 5/5"

Merry Christmas to all!!!

2010-12-27T15:44:00.000-08:00

I know its been well over 2 days since it is Christmas,

but hey, i am on my Christmas break, therefor have little to no time typing up anything. Granted, a ton of stuff has been achieved since my last post (i don't know how long ago that was) and i will try to keep up with it and start back up. I tired a different review method to tackle, but while making the review video, it somewhat felt like its not being rehearse well (no lie). However, i love the new form so most likely i will use that, but with complete preparations beforehand.

And hopefully, to add traffic to this website, i will type up a bunch of stuff first before i even reconsider making the video. I don't know how or why I though about making the video is easier than typing, video reviews are easy for the "recording" part, but for editing purposes, it is very much painful.

Sadly, no new camera is obtain during the Christmas process, so i'm still stuck with the little pink one i have. I am, in fact, saving up to buy a new camera that will capture HD videos, so that will be something to look forward to in about 1 or 2 month time. Again, if you guys are keeping up with my web page, thank you and merry Christmas, future content will be added in a moment while i settle back in to my house.

Finally some updates

2010-12-06T08:51:00.000-08:00

Yeah,

finally I got a lot of chance to make reviews and footnote about all of the new things i got in mind. Well not all of them are new, but still - it's been awhile since i can actually make updates on my doings. I know this blog seems to be random considering i have almost everything and anything in it (almost!), but thats the point of the main thing right??

"to share the ideas to the world"

I'm enjoying this and hopefully as my post number increased and more stuff is cramped in, i can make a regular post and even ask request. Well that is once i got more traffic in my webpage. Good news though! according to the "stats" from blogger, people can now find me if they search for it in "google" in either my name or the post type.

Typing things for a long period of time is not really my thing, making video reviews seems more easier than making a typed review simply because its much-much faster. But i will in fact try to make more of that (typed review) more often with my video review linked.

Again, i am glad that this is growing as i try to make it into a regular habit - its fun. I am hoping i will get further to where i am now!

Motorola Backflip Android 2.1 Update

2010-12-05T19:14:00.000-08:00

My phone is updated - so this is a quickee update on whats new on it. A more detailed version will be written once i got all of my homeworks done

The Next Three Days movie review - by NbilzDarkYear

2010-11-27T07:54:00.000-08:00

The Next Three Days - "Boring, uneventful, fail in trying to appeal" 40/100

Short and Sweet summary:

John Brennan (Russel Crowe) and Lara (Elizabeth Banks) was a happy couple, until one night Lara was framed into murdering her boss due to her past arguments. Lara tries to denies the accusation, but the evidence were too clear that she is the murderer. John being a faithful husband knows that Lara would never do such action and is dedicated into bringing her out of jail. With no lawyers able to help John on his mission, he is dedicated to seek help from others to take his wife out and get their life back.

Evaluation:

Before we start anything else the trailer suggest that this movie can be considered as an action/mystery due to the background music used and the scene used. To that I am in hope of seeing a movie around the same grade. Granted to the writers, this could be a brilliant setup for a story; sadly they stretch it out too long and are confused into which genre this movie is directing towards.

What am I talking about? According to websites this movie is in the category of drama, horror, romance, mystery & suspense. The movie tries too hard to fulfill every single genre and sadly they fail. Each genre is shown but is too weak for it to make a difference in the movie, lastly, the fact that no “action” is actually in the movie; it was rather a heart breaker. So now we are presented with a movie that does not know which direction it is going for.

Enough talking about the movie background, what about the movie itself? Russel Crowe (in my point of view) is a really good action movie actor, but in The Next Three Days he is playing a loving tender parent, which is a total opposite of his usual character. He plays pretty good in this movie, but it just doesn’t feel right. Also, for some reason the characters in this movie is somewhat naïve. Lara seems to give up in life, the cops seem to be blind, and people are ignorant.

Lastly, what makes this movie in such a low grade? Aside from the fact that it is weak in showing any type of genre, the movie takes a long time to get to the point. It is stretched out longer than it needs to, the first 40 minutes of the movie was brilliant, as John is fighting for his wife and sneaking around trying to find a way to get her out of jail. But the last 90 minutes where he has to actually get her out was rather disappointing and slow.

Overall Concerns:

Weak in trying to show a genre for the movie
Parts are stretched out too long than it needed to be
Character in the movie seem to be blind

iPad iOS 4 – A revolutionary update

2010-11-25T20:42:00.000-08:00

For those who have an iPad, by now you guys are probably happy that IOS 4 is finally here! The official update day was November 23^rd, so yes I am 2 days late to post this. But this is because I was trying to find the major one’s that is very well noted. Before the update, there was a thick list of the new nifty things that Apple has promised to give. But after playing around with it, I only manage to see a handful where it is useful for me.

1. Mute Switch

If you have updated you iPad to the new version, you probably noticed that the little side switch that is very useful for locking the screen orientation is no longer has the same function. The switch is now functioned as a quick mute button.

Concern: You can mute it by holding the volume down button for 2 seconds; therefore a “mute” switch is basically useless.

2. Multitasking bar

Like the new iPods, now you can have the nifty multi-tasking bar by double clicking the “home button”. As expected, this will bring out the recently opened application. This is very much useful because now we can switch back and forth between apps without even closing it.

3. Function bar

The function bar is the best part of the update. I don’t really know what you called it, but you can access it by swiping to the left when you access the multi-tasking bar. This function bar will give you a quick access to the two important things I really need in my iPad. The Screen Lock is now located in this bar, it relatively give you quick access to it. Another nifty thing is the fact that the iPod and volume functions are in this part to. The last thing is that the screen brightness is also there, which is good because this way I don’t need to go to the settings to simply change the brightness.

4. Word Search

Remember those days when you have to read the entire passage before finding what you really need? Well the new update lets you find the word with the search bar, a familiar but new feature in the apple iPad

5. Game Center

Another little feature Apple has added. Having a similar function as other available gaming leader boards, the game center will allow you to keep track of your achievements, rack up points, and compete with other game center users.

6. Folders

Yep, forget about tedious work of trying to find your app buy sliding from side to side, now you can make a folder together by simply moving the app on top of each other; an automatic folder will be added accordingly.

Now as I mentioned, there are other updates, but these 6 are the ones I mostly used.

Oh wow - i'm way behind

2010-11-21T11:34:00.000-08:00

First of all, school has been overwhelming. But the highest form of activity that i have last weekend was the fact that my projects that i have been working is lost due to a crash on my external hard drive. This means i have to mostly re-do all of them, on a footnote, this means i have to ask some RMA's. Also i haven't got time to go out and watch movies and what not, i could've rent some movies and make reviews, but i haven't got time to go to the closest rentals to rent some.

But as soon as i got everything back together, i will start my projects together again. I just need a little friendly reminder on things so that i know what i can post. Jut now i posted a video of a game play, that might also be the new "thing" i'll be doing. This will all depends on my time schedules, i'm hoping i can keep on doing since it is actually fun to play.

League of Legends Anivia Spotlight - By NbilzDarkYear

2010-11-21T06:58:00.000-08:00

Review: SkullCandy Agent Mixer

2010-11-06T11:13:00.000-07:00

First Impression:

The Skullcandy Agent mixer catches everyone's eyes with the pictures it has on each of the ear-

pads. As the name implies it, it is a picture of a DJ mixer table, with a good mix of gray and white. It is an On-Ear headphone with a "shoe-laces" covered

wire. The wire has perfect length for an MP3 player. From playing

around with it for a couple of minute, I noticed this headphone is well-built and I believe that this headphone will have a long termuse before the next one is not the list.

Another footnote: the 3.5mm is reinforce, this way it will hopefully prevent you from unplugging headphones by pulling it from the wires

The Sound:

I have tested these headphones in many measures: gaming, sound editing and simply just casual music listening.

The sounds are crisp, and it does not crack on high volume. As for the bass, it is just right for me (considering bass is a personal preference). The ear pads gives a great insulation, it blocks outside noise pretty well considering it's not an active noise cancelling.

Comfort Zone:

Like most of on-ear headphones, it gets uncomfortable after a prolonged use. This one is different; the Skullcandy Agent does get a little discomfort after a long use, but after awhile it feels comfortable and you won’t even noticed it’s there. Another interesting fact is that the pads are angled to its headband. The angle gives a perfect cover for your ear while the headband rest on a comfortable spot on your head.

My opinion:

I am highly satisfied with the Skullcandy Agent headphone. It is comfortable and the sound is crisp. The decal have gives plenty of compliments from strangers as they are curious if the buttons on the headphone are "functional" or not. For the brand junkie, this specified model is not really the "flashy" ones. Granted the logo is slapped in various locations, but it’s not in the location where people can take a one glance and identify. The reinforced wire gives a twist to its look, and it also protects and keeps it from getting tangled. The reinforce jack keeps my bad habit of pulling it from the wires away. This headphone is great for

style and the sound. I purchased it from their website for around $49.95

SkullCandy Agent Mixer - 8.5/10

R.E.D Movie Review by NbilzDY

2010-10-27T09:16:00.001-07:00

From Nbilz_DarkYear

R.E.D – “Avoid the usual cliché, but they still got it” 75/100

Short and Sweet summary:

A team of retired C.I.A agent is on the hit list as propaganda is sent to try to cover a person’s big mistake. Some retiree has tried to adjust themselves to live in the “normal life” while some can’t leave their past behind. The team gets back together as they are on a mission to find a stop whoever is putting them in the list. With their area of expertise and help with past adversary, they will stop at nothing to finish what they have started.

Evaluation:

Walk in the theater room expecting for a movie with the same “intensity action” as “The expendable’s” but with a more solid plot. Walk out with a grin on the face, in regards to DC, they know how to make an action movie attractive without making it as gory, or having a pointless array of violence. The movie have great way to give a twist with unpredictable and probable plot.

I felt a bit cheated though. The trailers suggest an intense action with some comic relief mixed in it, and what you see in the trailer is what you get. The trailer did not explain the movie more than a group of retiree kicking-butt. But all the action seen was it, additional scenes were there obviously to complete the plot. Sadly the only good action was the same as the action in the trailers.

As you probably noticed by now, I am bummed out for the fact that the movie was not “intense”. This however gives a fair trade of the character development and plot explanation. So far I did not noticed any plot holes in the movie, all the actors played a good role in playing their part. Although some a bit bland.

Overall this movie has a lack of “umph” for an action movie. Plotline was great, acting was brilliant, it manage to gives me the impression that the actions the government takes is highly possible and true.

Overall Concerns:

Not a lot of action
Morgan Freeman did do enough in the movie as I hoped him to.

This is a movie review I made. It’s a pretty bland one, but I am trying to to give spoilers away. Note: I’m only writing it like this for a recently out movies. If I happen to watch it on DVD or what not, I probably make a more specific review with a complete summary of the plot and character introduction

Another Blocked Post

2010-10-15T20:41:00.000-07:00

Yeah, this is probably the third time in a row where I did not publish something that will help or entertain you (the reader) with my views and insight. Instead I have been busy with my second blog page, granted its not a main blog page that i will be posting. Rather it is a blog that I am held responsible to monitor and update. I think the info about the other website is already written else where before this one.

For the sake of it, I still want to promote the little blog page we made hhrobotics.blogspot.com. The site contains my robotics team at schools progress, updates and creations. Right now both site (this one and that one) hasn't been receiving any update upon posting. This is because the robotics website is going to be entered in a "web design" competition. Yes, blogger is "ok" to be used in that competition. The reason we decide to use Blogger is so that it will be a simple update when we need to make journals and what not.

Right now the robotics website is somewhat finished, i need to make some publishing to make up with some missing links. But as of major updates, such as layout changes, will probably be no more (unless of course i found some time and awesome codes that could follow along with that). I'm actually enjoying messing around with Javascript and CSS, note that I did not make the codes by my self. Rather I will find good ones, and in a way try to merge them together to make them to a desired result.

When it work, at the end of the day i will feel extremely achieved. Otherwise it will be a sleepless night for me. Again, I posted this just so I can keep up a good habit upon writing a blog(A.K.A Do not Forget!). Check out my other page and enjoy your day.

Art: Motion of Life

2010-10-11T19:08:00.000-07:00

Another successful piece i made for my college art class. In here we are supposed to take a picture of something that we know its there but we can't or never really check on it until it is exposed by the camera. This is what i called "capturing the moment", noted that i don't really have an HD $3,000 camera to follow along with this picture, so i'm using what every High school students have, a cheap'o digital camera.

here's the follow up of my ideas:

Using a digital camera, i record my golf swing with an extreme close up. Later on i put it in a video editor, take a frame-by-frame picture of it and pick the one i like (which is this one). After that - i crop it to give a better focus, change it to black and white for tone and gives a color splash to the tee (which is brown) to bring out the "golf" emphasis.

As usual, feedback is welcomed.

Fill up the gap

2010-10-10T17:55:00.000-07:00

Oh my, i've been held back by my hectic week. Its actually just a regular old week, but i got side tracked causing homeworks over the weekend. I got that settled and is now writing this blog. Yeah it sounds pretty fast forward and kinda just writing to fill the gap, but hey, better write something before i forgot and lost my habit.

See thats the bad thing about me, i will be dedicated if i do it every time. If I, for some reason decide to skip some days, yeah i will eventually forgets that i have something or somewhere to write and get on with my life. I usually fill up my time with gaming, although by now of course, realized that if i subtract my gaming time by at at least 1/10, i can actually get something done.

Yeah its a short post, i got a lot of post planned out, reviews and whatnot. I just have to take some pictures and prof read it (which again, is very hard for me to do without any motivation backing me up). Also, i have plenty of gadgets i can review by now, but i am having a hard time trying to find them. I know its somewhere in my room, but i don't know where to start.

Well, the ranting went longer then planned, i guess what i'm trying to say is just i need to do this post as a check point so i wont forget to keep on doing. But i will get my schedule cleared up and start writing what "you" want to read. Till' next time.

Puzzle of Life

2010-10-06T17:59:00.001-07:00

Just though i might post a few art piece that i make through out this year, no i did not do this for random times, i'm doing it for my college art class. Still i wanna show the world the ones (which i think) is pretty good. Well enough of that, here's what i think about this picture:

"For this art piece, i am using a Clock and a Rubik's 360. On the background of the Rubik (If you noticed it) there are tons of puzzles i arranged. I used these two items because both are made out of clear plastic, it reflects the same lite, it has the same shape and structure (although the Clock image needs more lighting).

Why this two items?? The Rubik 360 is a puzzle, that emphasize how life is not "something to go by". Which means we have to figure out our own purpose instead of letting others or time solved itself. The Clock emphasize the "time limit" i have in solving the puzzle of my life"

Feedback welcomed, until later guys

Another side project

2010-10-04T16:27:00.000-07:00

Well guys,

before i even got time to get adjusted with my schedule, i got sidetracked and is now burdened by another project that i have to do. It's not anything bad, its just having another blog page to monitor. The other one is not really a personal blog though, its one for my school. Heres a link for it , if you decide to check it out, its a blog for my school robotics class. More stuff and explanations will be included in the page, i just still couldn't decide whats going to happen in the class.

Why my choice? well i kinda self induct myself as team leader, and right now (learned from previous years) i learned that not keeping a due dare or a well kept work area will be a drag in the end result. So now, i am being a dictator and write every single schedule and lesson plans on the board before and after class. Theres no such things as homeworks, for them.

This is just a small chunk of what i want to say, i got a ton of homework and updating the page will be the least of my concerns (but it will be updated periodically). What i mean is that blog post numbers will increase, but making the website fancy looking is not the goal (not that i "have" manage to do it with mine anyways). Alright, that should wrap it out. I have a picture i really want to post, but that will be for later on in the day when i am free from this blinding homeworks.

Blog: Finally i decided

2010-10-03T18:51:00.000-07:00

So yeah, i've been going around places trying to decide where to find a perfect cozy home for my thoughts. After a long consideration and a little snoozing around, test drive and what not, Blogger seems to be the place where its "just right". I have been posting a lot in the other forms (clearly except this one) but i will start transferring the post to here. *sigh* since the old blog post was from another website, i guess i have no other option but to copy paste.

No i'm not going to repost every single things i typed before. That would take For Ever. I would probably post like reviews and what not (since those are the only ones that i saved in my computer). I will miss my 1 sentence movie reviews that i typed up since i never saved them ad i forgot to back-it up before i cancelled my account(s) in the other site(s). Oh well, i know its somewhere in the web and its not going to take long for me to retrieve them.

Heck, i can always watch the movie again and get the same result, and that would still be fun. Any who, before i actually got sidetracked from this post, i'm just saying that i am going to start posting some stuff hopefully interesting to the readers. Inputs are welcome as i am open for improvements (yes, i do think personal blogs with a little extra's needs improvements).

I am not even sure what this blog is going to have. Probably (and hopefully) every single thing that i feel like doing. From reviews to pictures to just whatever is in my mind, hopefully you (the reader) will still be around to enjoy the fun with me.

Great Wolf Lodge, Grapevine, Tx - My Review

2010-10-03T14:58:00.000-07:00

Great Wolf Lodge experience

What a place, a hotel with 80000 sq. feet of indoor water park. Whats so special about this hotel? Well first off, its not just a hotel, its also a water park, arcade center, gaming center and it houses a large interactive game for the kids that is spread through out the hotel. Now we weill talk about them in details later, whats important is the large indoor water park that this hotel houses. Before we start, I need to mention that this is a place where you want to hang with little kids or with your group of friends that can make everything seem funnier.

Why did I say that? First of, the design of the water park (in my opinion) wasn’t really meant for teenage at the age of 15 and-up. Sure there are slick water sides and what not, but it felt like the place was meant to be built for kids as the wave pool is shallow and the wave is not intense and the river pool is slow and shallow. However, if you’re the kind that can make almost everything fun or your in the group, yes this place is the “shizz” so to speak.

Right when you walked in through the door, you are greeted with the friendly lifeguard and a basket with towels you can take and later on drop-off after your swim (yes, you don’t have to bring your own towels!). Right off the bet, you will see a huge fort that the kids can run around and splash with, journey continues on to the right where you can enjoy a relaxing hot pool that connects itself to the outside part of the pool.

Journey continues and you will see the disappointing wave pool. Granted its pretty fun to play in it, especially when the wave starts, but I just missed the huge wave and thrill that other wave pools can offer. Move along and we stumble on the “lazy river” which felt like it was just merge in there because of its short length. There is no “sit back and relax” kind of ride on this one, as the fort is equipped with water blasters and what not and is designed so kids (or bored adults) can shoot/drop water on unsuspecting bystanders.

Enough with the river and get to the main attraction, the 5 big slides inside the building. The 3 slides for single/double rider where a good note is the Coyote Cannon™, puts you in a bowl where you spin and sink in the middle. The 2 higher ones need at least 2 people or up to 4. The River Canyon Run™ gives you a raft and have a fast pace splash slide and the Howlin’ Tornado™ drops you in a vortex like structure that swings you left to right till you reached the bottom.

Besides this, there is a couple of places where little kids can just plash around and play with the toys they setup. Also, you feel like just leaving you kids play around while you relax? Well there’s an adult only hot tub where kids are not allowed to jump in.. That’s basically everything on the inside pool, now on to the outdoor. Another disappointment for me as the pool are to shallow and is designed for little kids especially, but there are 2 other sildes out there, which nothing special but a different speed and direction on both of them.

A good header would be that you don’t need to carry the balloons from place to place as there is a designated place where all of them is located, some are not permitted to be removed from the pool they are in (this prevents floaters pile-up). The friendly and always on alert lifeguard is always there and the provided towel and amazing design is just a good place to spend the after-noon at. But there is one downside (probably just for me only), being that it is an indoor water park, your ears will be filled with the sounds of little kids screaming, water splashing, and a huge humm from either water filling up the bucket, wave pool, or the air conditioner. The heat outside also makes the inside humid, which made gives me a hard time to breathe.

I cant believe that is already this long and I was just talking about the pool. Oh well, moving along I mention that have a gaming center and an arcade. Yes, nothing really special about them. The gaming center hosues a couple of computers with some blazing fast internet and have a large screen Xbox and a Nintendo Wii available for play. This is the only place where its “Teens only” (aside from the clerk) and you can have a blast here if the wterpark is not your thing. The arcade houses a lot of chances game on which (if you have an awesome amount of luck) will get you ridiculous amounts of tickets that can be traded to a variety of knick-knacks from pencil tops up to a Nintendo Wii.

The last but not least is the game that makes the kid run around the hotel, gives them exercise since the use of elevator is prohibited, and knowing that its little kids that play this, parents will have no option but to use the stairs as well. Its called Magic Quest, a game (once you purchase) that lets you see the “other side” of the Great Wolf Lodge as the use of the wands can activate various mechanics located all over the hotel. Its really hard to explain what it is because it’s a thing you have to try it for your self. But to put in simple, you are a magician that is set forth on a quest to slay a dragon.

I know by know I sound like I’m wrapping this thing up pretty quick, but that is exactly what I’m doing. I’m not going to just stop right here though, I haven’t talked about the rooms. Now there are 3 types of rooms (from what I observe), frist is a normal room with 2 bed that houses 4 people, next is the “kids kamp” which houses 6 people, 2 of them is a special room for kids where the bed is a bunker and the last on is the “wolf den” which houses 8 people and I have not got a chance to take a glance in the room.

Overall, it’s a new experience having a hotel with soo much to offer being it in the middle of Texas. Its worth checking if you need to get a weekend getaway (if your in Texas that is) as the place seems to be filled with people with the same purpose as that is. I enjoyed my stay and wishes to go back since there is a lot that I missed during my stay (yes the hotel is that big). Anywho, I put my name on the arcade high scores list, anyone reading this and is willing to check em out, I played “Ghost Squad” and placed 2^nd under my online name “Nbilz”.

Peace out, I’ll see you guys later.

Review: Iron Man 2 Spoiler

2010-05-11T16:40:00.000-07:00

A sequel of the acclaimed "iron Man; 2008"

The story continues after the first which Tony Stark (Robert Downey) opens up to the world that he is Iron Man. This causes the world to become his enemy by creating their own Iron Man suit, this enemies includes various country such as Korea, Afghanistan and even the Department of Weapons for the US (I think). While this was happening, in Russia there lays Ivan (Mickey Rouke) has his Cockatoo mourning over his father’s death and promising him to have their revenge upon Stark.

As time progress, Tony Realize that his mini reactor that keeps him alive is also killing him. Knowing this, he decide to let it out and live like there's no tomorrow. His change of trait causes Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) to be stressed out. To my understanding, Natalie Rushman (Scarlett Johansson) came as an attorney and work for Tony. As Tony's depression came about, he decides to drive in an F1 race replacing the driver he sponsored. While he was racing, Ivan was there waiting for Tony, and as the race continues Ivan reveals that he also have a mini arc reactor and make an electrified Whip (hence his Blacklash nick name) that can cut everything and start causing havoc in the race. Ivan manages to attack Tony, but his assistant manages to get to him and gave him his new "portable" Iron Man suit. Then the awesome portable Ironman Suit was revealed.

This cause an action sequence happens and the only concern that runs in my mind is the fact that no one has a gun to shoot the guy. Anyhow, Blacklash got owned and is put to jail. This sparks the US government and brings back the main topic of others has the technology to create a weapon such as Iron Man. While Tony is in this limbo, Ivan was in jail being free by Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell) a CEO (I guess??) of Hammer inc. that is also creating an Iron Man suit. He needs Ivan to finish his prototype suit to defeat Tony.

Ivan agreed and creates an army of drone through with the help of Hammer. Tony was being more and more depressed by this time and is returning to his old self, who always drinks and parties. This makes his best friend James (Don Cheadley) to be mad and took one of Iron Man’s costume and have a little brawl with Tony to prove a point.

After a huge explosion, Tony was defeated and James flew off with the armor to give it to the US army. This gives Hammer an opportunity to upgrade the suit by giving it a million weapons. Hammer then imprisoned Ivan again and decides to reveal to the world the droid Ivan have created. This gave Tony some moment to realize what he has done and Natalie reveals herself as BlackWidow and was apparently in an organization called S.H.I.E.L.D led by, I don’t care anymore because too much character have been introduced to me in such a short time.

The organization gave Tony a locked property from his father. From this, his father apparently already knew that Tony is going to perfect his Arc reactor and leaves an element that is much more stable than the one Tony have. This brings back Tony’s spirit and created the new arc.

Hammer then is revealing his droid, and while his show is running, apparently Ivan has escaped and manages to hack in the army of droid and causes havoc in the convention. Tony then gets back to Iron Man and came to save the day. An Epic battle is then continued.

Verdict

The movie has more action than the first one, although if you are not much of a comic book fan, this new characters will overload your brain. The characters are mostly developed, but I think some character is not even necessary to be in the movie. Otherwise, the sub-plot connects, although some are pushing it. NOTE: i watched this movie in a crappy theater just opened in the middle of downtown so i can't really hear anything. It’s a fun movie and very watchable 70/100.

Blog: A loner from a small city

2010-05-09T10:20:00.000-07:00

In a small city in Texas where technology just sounds a bit obsolete, here I moved from an urban area. People here are different, no influence from the urban people. Sure they occasionally visit bigger cities around, but that’s quite rare. They hate change, as the old ways seems to be the best. The city is not much impaired from technology, it is developing. Thanks to the wind farms that continuously grew around the city, it creates a great atmosphere and gives people from outside of town job opportunities. I of course am talking about the city with the largest Wind farm in Texas, Sweetwater.

As I said before, it’s a beautiful city, filled with friendly people. As usual of an old city, it is filled with old people. This does not bother me a whole lot, what does is the opportunity to do more than what it is being able to be done. I know a lot of things I can be doing to make an advantage to myself, beside a job. But in a city of 10,000 and only one small strip of downtown, there is not much of job opportunities opened. I work with computers, but with a city filled with people whom hardly uses them, what’s the use of my knowledge?

Still, this is a new life, and I have to stick and enjoy it. After 2 years living in this town, it's not bad at all, sure most of the time I got bored, but that is the right time for me to explore something new. No traffic, no worries, you can literally leave the garage door opened and no one in the right mind would even bother taking them. That is of course if you live in the right side of town, which is the majority of people living in Sweetwater. Not a whole lot of events occur in this city, but once there is something going in, it will be a big thing, or at least to most people. One example is the annual rattlesnake round-up.

NbilzDY

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