Peanut Butter Jelly with a baseball bat!

[ Banana ]

I couldn't have said it any better. (And yes Nate, I know you blogged about this months ago...)

"You Sent It, But Did They Read It?" is the mantra of DidTheyReadIt.com, who promise to be able to tell you when, where and for how long a recipient is reading your email. They don't actually mention how they do this, but it isn't that difficult to figure out. Lot's of spammers (and crackers) use what are called "web bugs" as a way of tracking by whom and when a bit of email is read. Its a tool well known to the sleazy.

[ The Virtual Quill ]

Taking a cue from Ximian (at least that's where I saw it first) Microsoft now (by default) doesn't download the pictures in your email (as of Outlook 2003 and Outlook Express with WinXP SP2) and thus stops this method from working. Hopefully all other clients will follow suit, and this horrific practice will stop. (Even if my RSS feed can support the same scheme).

Regular readers will know that (unlike Doug2) I share few personal details on my blog. However this being a quick place to communicate important details, I will say that my trip to Indonesia was a success, and I am now engaged to be married. (Now continue to gossip amongst yourselves...)

5,000 rupiah to the first person who can identify where in the world that is, exactly.

It's a PDA, it's a GBA, it's a something else, what is it? Will it replace my Axim? Will it replace my phone? Will it talk to me? What will it do. So much power, so many questions, so what are you waiting for, check out the site...

[ GBA SSP PDA And then some... ]

The Nintendo DS will play GBA games for backwards compatibility, but that's all, no GameBoy or GameBoy Color support. I don't think that's a bad thing, though. I'm sure that will help keep the price down, and I have so few GBC games and no GB games, and 4 GameBoys (2 GBA SP, 1 GBA, and 1 GBPlayer), so finding a console to play the couple of pre-GBA games shouldn't be hard.

As for interactivity, they already have more good ideas about what to do with the DS than all the ideas they've come up with for GBA to GCN connectivity, so I think the DS is going to be a winner.

Update: Can't tell the form factor from the pix? Check this out:

Perhaps there is some insight in the 1UP.com review:

Seeing StarCraft: Ghost at all of its major surfacings over the past year and a half has been interesting. The game has looked pretty cool each time, but it's also looked different each time, suggesting that Blizzard is continually reworking what it wants to do with the game's level design and controls.

Some might take that as a bad sign, but it depends on your perspective. I'd rather see them keep working to create something they're happy with than simply steamroll ahead and release a game with a design that isn't the best they can do.

[ StarCraft: Ghost ]

And I think I have to agree, waiting an extra year to year and a half for a game is fine, if you know that it is improving the game by a year to a year and a half, and the delay isn't for other, stupider reasons...

Control DK by Bongo?

Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat Watch this trailer to learn more about the innovative gameplay only available in Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat.

[ Games : Audio/Video : Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat ]

Microsoft has been readying its update to its flagship Windows XP operating system -- Windows XP Service Pack 2 (XP SP2) -- for some time now. At the moment, it is in Release Candidate 1 (RC1) status, which means the product has reached a certain level of stability and is more or less feature-complete. In this article, I'll walk you through some of the features you can expect to see in XP SP2 when it is finally released in the second half of this year.

[ WindowsDevCenter.com: An Inside Look at XP SP2 [May. 04, 2004] ]

The WiFi settings look much, much better. The Automatic Updates seem much easier to find. The fact that Windows knows if Virus protection is installed seems like a long time coming. All-in-all I can't wait to get my systems upgraded...

Harry asked me if I could think of a movie without a chase scene, and before it takes over my existence, I figured I'd get some extra brain power on this thing. I can't promise a shiny donkey to the first person who gets a movie with no chase scene of any sort, but I can promise that your street cred will increase.

And please:

• Full length
• American (or Canadian)
• Movie that we've heard of

Which isn't technically all movies or anything, but much more satisfying to find a movie in that subset...

I believe that this puppy is going to use WiFi, which means that theoretically I could browse the web on it, though I probably wouldn't want to. Still this could mean a whole new kind of Gaming Night...

Pokmon FireRed and Pokmon LeafGreen, scheduled for a Sept. 7 release, will come packaged with the Game Boy Advance Wireless Adapter. The adventure lets players chat, battle, trade and play mini-games with other wireless users. The adapter will even alert players if other users are in the area. Other games that will use the adapter include Mario Golf: Advance Tour, scheduled for launch on June 21, and Hamtaro: Ham-Ham Games, set for a July 26 release. In total, more than a dozen games now in development will make use of the Game Boy Advance Wireless Adapter.

[ News : Article ]

Game players need only use their imagination to see how the DS promises to transform the portable game industry by changing the way gamers relate to their games – and each other. Two screens offer two perspectives on the action at once. The touch screen could make accessing items, moving characters or navigating menus as easy as a tap or drag on the screen. Voice recognition could let players simply tell the game what they want it to do. Chat software will let users transmit text messages, handwriting and even drawings to one another. And wireless functions could link players in the same room – or across the country. The unique features of the Nintendo DS hold a wellspring of potential for the future. Game players will be wowed.

[ E3 2004 ]

It's a PDA, it's a GBA, it's a something else, what is it? Will it replace my Axim? Will it replace my phone? Will it talk to me? What will it do. So much power, so many questions, so what are you waiting for, check out the site...

Update: They are aiming to release this in the US and Japan this year!

Update: The WiFi will let you play across the Internet! I heard them say it. Really I did!

Time passes, the pages turn ... and a new chapter unfolds in an unfamiliar land! Get ready for a two-dimensional role-playing adventure for the ages as Mario returns to paper form in pursuit of a threat unlike any he's ever faced.

[ Games : Paper Mario 2 ]

It may look gimicky, but it is pure gold. I was a bit dissappointed in the coordination necessary for M&L: Superstar Saga, but this should win me back to Mario RPGs...

In this highly anticipated sequel to Metroid Prime, become the bounty hunter behind the visor once more and travel to a planet torn into light and darkness.

[ Games : Metroid Prime 2: Echoes ]

What is a word that means more highly than highly. This is the #1 reason that everyone should own a Nintendo console. Either Metroid: Fusion, Metroid: Zero Mission, Metroid: Prime, or this upcoming game (and the only one I haven't beat, and if I have to explain why, you're on the wrong site...)

And if you have never played a Metroid game, I hope you don't think that you got game...

I enjoy a good Mario Party, but it can't be played at the park, or on a picnic, or when I'm camping. Or can it?

Discover the 60 mini-games as you play through the single-player game boards. Earn coins as you play the mini-games, use those coins to unlock Gaddgets, and link up with your friends to duke it out in a two-player battle game, or trade Gaddgets, mini-games and coins to share the party fun.

[ Games : Mario Party Advance ]

OK, I haven't been camping in years, but it could happen.

Lest ye think that the Big N is all about sequels, see what else is in store. I expect this to be highly original with the “possession” ability that I believe they have in store:

As a ghostly Spectral Operative, players must search for their physical body, which is mysteriously being kept alive somewhere in the enormous complex. Players won't always be alone though--as they explore, they must collect the energies of indigenous spirits to help unravel a mystery and build their own power. Some will help ... but beware, for not all the spirits are friendly. Prepare for a first-person adventure with a spectral twist!

[ Games : Geist ]

And I was thinking of getting an X-Box... ('course I still might do that, but shh, don't tell Nate)

Two games, one cartridge! Final Fantasy I and II get the Game Boy Advance treatment with updated graphics, bosses from later games in the series plus brave new Final Fantasy II extras like the Soul of Rebirth storyline. Check back here for more information as it develops.

[ Games : Final Fantasy I & II ]

Cid, power up the “air ship”, we're ready to save the world! (And that goes for pretty much any Final Fantasy game and/or movie...)

So the cartoony Wind Waker didn't do it for you? And Nintendo is going to use the same engine for the next? Think again, and check out these screen shots...

In 2005, Link will be let loose on a new and exciting Nintendo GameCube excursion to fight evil and seek treasure. Stay tuned for more information!

[ Games : Legend of Zelda, The ]

Methinks that Nintendo Rocks...

How did Nintendo keep the wraps on this? I don't think anyone had a clue that they were working on this one, and from Capcom no less...

As he searches an unfamiliar land for fragmented relics called Kinstones, Link will have to take a closer look at the ground beneath his feet. When he discovers a magical hat called The Minish Cap, he gains the power to shrink down to the size of the Minish people, who are in grave danger. As he travels back and forth between their world and his, he'll solve puzzles, fight through dungeons and slowly uncover the evil behind their plight and vanquish it.

[ Games : Legend of Zelda, The: The Minish Cap ]

When will TechTV and G4 merge into one network? The merged network will premiere on Friday, May 28th.

[ G4techtv.com ]

However the good news is:

• Thunderbirds made the cut
• Cinematech made the cut
• Emeril still has no show on G4, TechTV or G4techTV

And the bad news:

• Spork did not get to redo the G4TV.com theme song
• And therefore, N8 didn't hook-up with T-Dub or Thug
• If you got a G4TV tat at E3 2003, you'll need to update it to a G4techTV logo at this year's E3

[ Mazda RX-8 ]

We couldn’t be more pumped about all the stories we’re planning for, E3 Insider 2004. We’re sifting through thousands of games, hundreds of exhibitors, hundreds of products, and dozens of events to select the stories that will bring E3 to you. The handhelds will certainly be covered this year, with announcements expected Sony’s PSP, Nintendo’s DS, and Nokia’s N-Gage QD. We’ll bring you news of the new consoles on the horizon, including plans for Xbox, PlayStation, and GameCube, plus the InfiniumLabs Phantom, and the ApeXtreme/DISCover.

[ E3 Insider: E3 Expo 2004 ]

Perhaps I'm the only one who's excited, but I'm dying to see the Nintendo DS, and I hope that Micrsoft has details about the neXtBox...

Anyone else psyched for something in particular? Nate?

At today’s event, McDonald’s is introducing its first ever “Go Active! Happy Meal” for adults (available beginning May 11, 2004 through June 7, 2004 at participating restaurants nationwide, while supplies last). The Go Active! Happy Meal includes the choice of a Premium Salad, bottled water or drink of choice, a Stepometer™ and a fun, informative booklet that provides walking and exercising tips.

[ Mickey D's ]

This sounds like a good move to me. I know I have a hard time keeping myself active and healthy, as do most Americans. However, I expect that most of my readers will have quite cynical things to say, and I, for one, want to hear them.

(And who owns the trademark for Stepometer anyway?)

And I feel the need to pass it along:

Come celebrate spring with scrumptious strawberry treats at Clyde’s two-day Strawberry Festival on May 7 and May 8 at Reston Town Center Pavilion. It will be like Clyde’s Oktoberfest, with a fresh spring twist! The festivities will include live bluegrass and country music, delicious Clyde’s food, hands-on daytime activities for kids, live animal shows, and lots of fun for all ages.

[ Clyde's Restaurant Group ]

I don't know why, but I love the “Clyde's Group” and strawberries too. Looks like fun for the NOVA crowd...