I love wireless controllers. My Nintendo WaveBird (of “Is that a WaveBird?” fame) is indispensable, and having purchased a PS2 I didn't want to go back to dealing with cords. I asked around and most said that the New Logitech 2.4 GHz wireless was the way to go.

Experience the freedom to play anywhere you want and eliminate cable clutter in your living room. The second generation Logitech Cordless Action™ Controller delivers the performance, convenience, and comfort you've been looking for. It's engineered to be small and light, yet it still uses Logitech's highly reliable 2.4 GHz radio frequency technology to deliver precise control with no lag.

[ Logitech ]

Since I just had to buy a new phone because my old phone didn't play nice with my WiFi I was a bit nervous, after checking out the options it seemed that all PS2 wireless controllers that looked even 1/2 way decent utilized 2.4 GHz technology. I figured that worst case scenario I'd have to try and return it from whence it came.

I am happy to report that there are seemingly no interference issues with the Logitech and my WiFi network. In addition the Logitech uses hi-grade parts all the way through, giving the controller a very solid feel, and feels like it will last quite a while. I think it is also a bit bigger than the standard PS2 controller, which suits me fine. Unlike the WaveBird, the Logitech has rumble built in, and oddly no on/off switch or channel selector, I haven't spent much time trying to figure either one of those out, as I am so sucked in to Ico.

I give this controller 5 thumbs up, and I would recommend buying it.

Each console has exclusive content, my preference tends to be toward Zelda, so I get anything with "Nintendo" emblazoned on it. I had thought that my “killer app” was surely to be Kingdom Hearts. Kingdom Hearts has both Square and Disney behind it, it's sure to be a winner (and may turn out to be so, once I get used to the crappy controls).

However, what I am finding is that another gem is truly reason enough to get the PS2 (at least for the price I paid), and that is Ico from SCEA:

Ico weaves the tale of a young boy trying to escape his imprisonment in a large, vacant castle. Along the way, he discovers another captive — a beautiful princess named Yorda. Players control Ico with the goal of escaping the castle with the princess safely in hand.

[ Buy Ico from Amazon ]

I encourage you to check out the homepage for Ico, which will give you a feel for the game. As disorienting as the site is, since all navigation needs to be discovered and unlocked, the game is more-so. It plays a bit like Prince of Persia, and is as beautiful a game as well, but a bit more spooky and more confusing.

The Amazon.com description lists one of the “cons” of the game is the short play time, but I for one would much rather have an A+ gaming experience in the 10-20 hour range than an average gaming experience in the 50-100 hour range, quality over quantity. And if you have an aversion to Japanese culture, this one is dripping with Japanese style, and (although subtitled) all speech is in the original Japanese.

Effective with this sentence, Wired News will no longer capitalize the "I" in internet. At the same time, Web becomes web and Net becomes net.

[ Wired News: It's Just the 'internet' Now ]

And here's the problem, the title of this piece is wrong. It should be “It's Just 'internet' Now”. later in the article it clearly states:

Web will continue to be capitalized when part of the more official entity, World Wide Web.

And I can only assume that this goes for “internet” and “net” as well. Which means the 'i' in “The Internet” is still capitalized, as would be the 'n' in “The Net” though that's just slang so Wired News would likely not capitalize it. This editorial has caught a good deal of flack, and I think undeservedly so. Sure, at first I was ready to go off just as I always do when it comes to this stupid capitalization thing, but I think that Wired has not swung the pendulum way to the other side, but in fact has just corrected the mistake they've been making.

My only remaining question is, does Wired know that “the Internet” is just one thing, and it's name is “Internet” and therefore, by their own new rule, should be capitalized?

Of course, in the remote possibility that Wired still doesn't understand how to capitalize, join me on the Virtual Quill bandwagon and embrace the chaos of English spelling and grammar (unlike some)!

Update: What about “the matrix”?

Step into the 128-bit universe brought to you by PlayStation 2. You’ll enjoy the look, sound, and feel of unbelievable, near-cinematic realism as you play. PlayStation 2 offers the most advanced games across every genre, DVD video playback as a standard feature, Dolby Digital 5.1 theater-quality sound, and the ability to play the immense catalog of PlayStation games. So, what are you waiting for?

[ PlayStation 2 System ]

I'm not sure why this copy hasn't been rewritten since the launch of the PlayStation, as most of it is quite laughable, but apparently what I was waiting for was a price reduction, and a lull in games for my beloved GameCube. So, with a tip from N8 and the lack of inventory of a brand-new PS2 at the new $149 price tag, I ordered a refirb from eCost and it's on it's way.

The question I pose to you is, what PS2 games need to be on my GameFly list?

May she rest in peace.

Julia Child, whose warbling, encouraging voice and able hands brought the intricacies of French cuisine to American home cooks through her television series and books, died in her sleep three days before what would have been her 92nd birthday.

[ CNN ]

Julia Child shared the passions, philosophies, and products of this kitchen in her home, with family, friends, colleagues, and fans for 45 years. Now she is sharing the kitchen itself with millions, having donated it to the National Museum of American History in 2001.

[ Smithsonian Institute ]

Bon Appetit, Julia.

I usually enjoy John C Dvorak's columns, but this time I think he whines too much.

The user has to now determine if line breaks are to be added and must choose between 4 different EOL (end of line) options and whether or not to allow character substitutions. Microsoft must have concluded that there is no such thing as a plain-text file; this new option box proves it in some sick way.

[ Yahoo! News - Kill Microsoft Word ]

I personally have never had any of the issues that he mentions in this article. I, however, don't collaborate across office versions and OSes, but I think a properly installed Office won't error or ask for installation disks. In this day and age, when Office is likely his #1 application and his hard drive is likely 60-80 gigs, I would assume that Office is installed “in full” and/or installed from the hard-drive itself, either of these, and certainly both, would alleviate his issues of having to haul the CD around and go looking for it all of the time.

As for the new “plain text” options, any multi-OS shop should greatly welcome those. I don't imagine that the average user would dain to save as plain text, and if so the “Windows (Default)” type of plain text should be good enough for anyone. There is even a handy preview, so you'll know if you are doing something “bad”.

HTML from word? Word is not an HTML editor. This choice is not for making web-pages out of your word documents. Anyone who still thinks that that sort of thing is possible from any word processor or DTP is offending those of us who live and breath on the web. If you want your word docs to be displayed on the web, please hire a consultant to build you a CMS that does it up right.

XML format word is awesome. He clearly hasn't talked to techies who fully understand what Microsoft has done here. In the past if you wished to create an Office document on the fly it was a freakin' pain-in-the-butt. You had to use COM objects and programmaticly build these things and likely use VB, and ick, ick, ick. Now (providing you know and understand the Office DTDs or XML Schema) you can programmaticly make an Office document with anything that can create a file (though preferably with some XML helping goodness).

If Dvorak truly wants to complain about word, how about complaining about the resources it hogs, the load time that's through the roof, the odd way it creates new windows frequently leaving an alt-tab icon that is useless, or the poor handling of spell check with source code in a word document. Those are things I could get behind complaining about. Plus, Mr. Dvorak, which word processor is better?

How about freshly cooked crepes and Italian gelato? The sweet aroma of crepe and gelato fill the shop!

[ Shopping & Dining ]

I love the Japanese graphics too. When I read this I can smell the coffee, the gelato, the crepes. Oh yummy!

Note: I just recieved my bilingual map of Tokyo, so excuse the posting that makes me seem like a 12 year old Japanese school girl. Arigato Gozaimashita!

One of the most common types of questions I see in my inbox goes like this. "What is BAR?" or "What is a vibe pump?"

If I had a nickel for each time I got an email asking about vibe pumps...

Terminology exists in all things. Camera guys talk about ISO and f stops. Espresso people talk about BAR, shot times, ristrettos, etc etc, and it gets quite confusing for the newbie. Because of this, we're currently working on the massive Espresso Guide, and a big part of that guide is the Glossary Section.

[ Coffee Geek ]

Seriously, a good Coffee Glossary is indispensable when learning about coffee, or taking your enjoyment to the next level.

Nintendo must be hardcore, they have mild explitives on their website!

Starting Aug. 15, Nintendo's Metroid Prime Bonus Bundle gives consumers a Nintendo GameCube system and not one but two free discs. The first disc contains a complete version of the award-winning Metroid Prime game, while the bonus disc contains a playable demo version of the highly anticipated sequel, Metroid Prime 2 Echoes.

[ Nintendo News ]

Basically if you don't have a GameCube, and you've ever enjoyed playing any video game, and you don't buy one now, you are a hopeless Nintendo-bigot. This deal is sweet, too sweet to pass up. And, yes, my bonus disc is on the way, courtesy of my registration of multiple systems and games in my “My Nintendo” profile.

At least that's my assumption. And he's finally realized that Nintendo is hot. Can anyone say X-Cube? GameBoy X? XBox VR? Ok, not that last one.

Microsoft Corp's founder Bill Gates has expressed his interest in acquiring computer games company Nintendo Co from the Japanese billionaire Hiroshi Yamauchi.

[ Forbes.com ]

After this, Nintendo could reveal the secret labratory of Square Enix, and Gates could “aquire” them as well. Shortly after Naugty Dog and Insomniac would ditch Sony, and the One World Order would be in place.

Of course if Bill wants Nintendo that bad, Amazon sells GCNs...

Props: G$

OK, it's not actually a date, but it's better than nothing:

One of the most highly anticipated sequels to hit Hollywood this year, the T-Mobile Sidekick II will be making its debut at an exclusive, VIP party featuring a performance from The Black Eyed Peas. In conjunction with the beginning of the ESPN X Games X, this star-studded event will feature celebrity Sidekick fans from sports, television and film and musicians from all over.

The public will be able to get its hands on the T-Mobile Sidekick II this fall.

[ Danger ]

It seems that I'm not the only one impressed with Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow. G4(tech)TV's G-Phoria has it nominated for Best Handheld Game. On their promo show, it seemed like everyone agreed that Aria of Sorrow brought back the old school look and feel, more so than the other two Castlevania games for GBA, and much more than the attempts to bring Castlevania into the 3rd dimension.

I also see that Konami has announced that Castlevania will be making an appearance on the DS as well. Hopefully in 2D, hopefully with the map on screen at all times. I find that Castlevania games, more-so than any other game I play, require flipping back and forth from the map screen.

Ever want Task Manager to be helpful? Sure it has gotten a tiny bit better over the years, but there is so much information that it could be displaying. Apparently SysInternals once again knows how something should have been done.

Process Explorer v8.41 Find out what files, registry keys and other objects processes have open, which DLLs they have loaded, and more. This uniquely powerful utility will even show you who owns each process.

[ Utilities for Windows NT and Windows 2000 ]

Perhaps not your typical story about the hometown boy, but he's not your typical hometown boy....

In what could be the biggest talent deal in basic-cable history, comedian Dave Chappelle has re-upped with Comedy Central for two more seasons of Chappelle's Show and will get a hefty cut of its DVD sales.

[ Yahoo! News - Chappelle: Laughing all the way to the bank ]

And no, I don't mean boy like that, you horrible, horrible people.

Way to go Dave! You da man!

I'm spending a day in Tokyo, and expect to have pistachios with me, so I had to find out if Japan allows them to transit.

Most types of nuts (with the exception of walnuts, which are prohibited) may be brought into Japan, particularly if they are salted, dried, or roasted.

[ Consulate General of Japan ]

I'm sure this will come up on Jeopardy in the next week, or be a vital fact that a friend needs to know.

Update: The prohibition of Walnuts is not due to a dislike of Walnuts, or an aversion to Walnuts, but an attempt to keep pests out of Japanese crops.

Cowboy Bebop is the tale of a futuristic maverick, Spike Spiegel, a space cowboy and his band of partners (Jet Black, Faye Valentine, Edward, and lets not forget Ein the dog), as they race across the galaxy on daring adventures. They are Bounty Hunters struggling to survive in a world that is a strange combination of past, present, and future. There are fantastic space crafts and interstellar casinos side by side with droopy sombreros and slow traffic lights. With each new bounty that they go after, new characters are introduced, and new cosmic landscapes are explored.

[ 3,2,1 Lets Jam! Emily's Cowboy Bebop Page ]

I heard it was good. And I resisted. But then, after a night at D&B's with da boys, I needed some wind down time. Low, and behold, on Adult Swim, Cowboy Bebop. And, now, I think I'm stuck. Just added vol 1 to my NetFlix queue, and looking forward to seeing the movie.