The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass Nintendo DS Nintendo Everyone A

I've finally finished. It seems to take me much longer to finish DS titles, as I like to save them for when I'm traveling to ensure that I have a good game to play. Phantom Hourglass filled in a few travel spots on my recent trip to Indonesia, but I didn't finish it before returning home. Enter my Mother and her showing much that she was past me in the game, so I made a bit of effort and I'm done.

So, how was it? Contrary to what I've read on-line, I didn't find the game too short. The graphics, music, sound, and writing all seemed like a direct continuation of Wind Waker, but in a new side quest ala Majora's Mask. Oh, and that's a good thing. The Phantom Hourglass that gives the game it's name is a fun new dynamic, even though at first I dreaded it a bit (since I'm a "spend time and hunt and gather" kind of player - once you play you'll see what I mean). Of course if you are a Zelda fan boy like me, you've already got this, and probably already finished it, but I'm sure some people wouldn't mind a bit of a push to actually put the game in their DS (read: Nate).

Sarongs are worn by both men and women in many parts of the world, but especially in south and southeast Asia. This long, brightly colored fabric can be worn on a hot summer day, while lounging around the house, sitting by the pool, and even while entertaining guests for a casual, backyard dinner. Sarongs are extremely comfortable, striking, and versatile, and you don't need to be in an exotic locale to wear one.

[ How to Wear a Tube Sarong (Men) - wikiHow ]

I maintain, however, that the gentleman in these pictures is wearing it backwards. The stripe of extra color was worn in the back by every single Indonesian I saw in Indonesia, which makes sense because then the seam would be hidden in the folds in the front, a much more elegant solution.

Thanks Scot, your IM compelled me to visit spock.com:

And therefore social spam a dozen other people...

Well, I now can't get rid of my Windows Vista Sidebar. I had some Outlook gadgets on there like my schedule, and the weather, and a gadget that tells me when to pray, but now I have the one gadget to rule them all:

Listen to XM Radio on your sidebar! Modified from the GNU code developed by ShadoHawkShadoWorks and falconguynaz, we've added a few new modifications and improvements to the mix.

[ Windows Live Gallery ]

XM provides a web-based player which (of course) sucks because it's a web-based player. Does anyone use a web page player for their music? With a bit of research you find that XM can be played through Napster (which is just a skinned, hacked-up Microsoft player), but even though I had it installed I never used it.

This sidebar widget is about as perfect as you can get. It's there all of the time. Doesn't seem to take up many resources when not being used (and hasn't skipped yet even under heavy CPU usage). It can keep track of favorites, help you purchase the music you're listening to on Amazon.com, has a separate volume control, basically it rocks.

Eid-al-Adha is expected to be on December 20, 2007 (Thursday) in Middle-East, most of Africa, South America, and North America.

[ Moonsighting.com ]

DC Eid committee has coordinated one big Eid Prayer for the DC area, which is cool, but they aren't so convinced about the date:

Wed Dec 19 or Thu Dec 20, 2007

[ Official DC EID Site ]

Guess we'll have to wait another week to see what they decide...

Update: The Fiqh Council of North America has a press release that addresses the confusion. Apparently Eid-al-fitr is clearly defined by the moon and in their opinion fully calculable. Eid-al-adha, however, is defined by hajj and the actions of the hajjaj in Saudi Arabia, so in their opinion Eid-al-adha is set by Saudi Arabia when they set the time for the hajj activities. And since this year Saudi Arabia announced that the 1st of Dhul-hajjah is December 10th on our calendar, it should follow that Eid will be on the 19th. DCEid website hasn't been updated yet, though.

Update: DC Eid committee has posted that prayers will be on Wed. Dec. 19th.

Update: IMAAM concurs.

Wii Zapper with Link's Crossbow Training Nintendo Wii Nintendo B

Here's a gimmick for you, they've taken your light gun and turned it into a TV remote that you play games with, so this is a plastic TV remote holder that turns the controller back into a light gun. If you have been waiting for the return of Duck Hunt, then you probably already bought this. It was only $20 and I used my coupon from my recent Super Mario Galaxy purchase, so I'm not out much. Does it play like Duck Hunt? No it takes quite a bit more skill, you actually have to point it at the ducks stalfos, targets, etc. A much more varied game than Duck Hunt too, and with levels stolen straight out of Zelda: Twilight Princess, you pretty much know the engine is smooth and the sound is good. Is it a good buy? Depends on how much you like shooting. Perhaps a good *stocking stuffer for the Nintendo loving gamer in your life.

* Or Day 1 Hanukkah gift. Or for non-Jews and non-Christians a small gift on some holiday, or whenever. As if I had to explain all of that.

Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles Nintendo Wii Capcom USA Mature B

Comparisons to House of the Dead are expected, and well deserved, for this on-rails shooter title. Rented it from GameFly and just happen to have picked up the Wii Zapper today, so I gave it a whirl.

If you liked House of the Dead and wish you could play it at home but with a better story, and you loved Resident Evil or never had the chance to play the Resident Evil series than this is the game for you. If that doesn't apply, you still may enjoy this game anyway. The engine is smooth, the story is well known, and the action keeps you coming back for more. I only played through the first few levels before returning it for a few reasons: don't much like this genre of game, not enough thinking or choosing for my taste and they didn't plan on the Wii Zapper. There are a number of times you have to hit the A button, and with the Zapper that just isn't going to happen in time.

Since I am under the impression that I have tons of free time, I'm starting a second blog:

Welcome to my blog about being Muslim and having a mobile life (or at least craving your resources wherever you go). Ever since accepting Islam some 13 or so years ago I have tried to figure out how to get my resources to go with me. I want to know the prayer times, hear the Athan, read my Qur'an, and so on. Finally today I decided if no one else was going to publish a guide, I might as well step up and do it.

[ Muslim To Go ]

Crazy, eh? Perhaps crazy to think I have the time, but I don't know too many people who are as obsessed with mobile devices as I am, and even fewer who are Muslim. And since I've had multiple people ask me how I got my phone to do the call to prayer, and now I'm obsessing over the Amazon.com Kindle device (and how great it would be to have a portable library including religious texts) I might as well blog about it and share the wealth. So if you know a Muslim who is always staring at his/her gadgets and asking "why can't this do more for me", send them my way...

So many people are hatin' on the Vista these days, I still like it. However, as with anything, there are a few irritances. In my case I program in .NET on my computer, and sometimes I send emails with my code. I could easily test this in XP using the IIS SMTP server that was included with XP. For security reasons Microsoft decided to not only not pre-install the SMTP server, but make it disappear. This means you need an external SMTP server to test any code that uses email, or it throws errors. Erg. So I went searching for a replacement (since Microsoft isn't bringing one) that will allow me to get my test environment back, and today I found one:

SmarterMail Free Edition is limited to 10 email users on a single domain, and includes all the functionality of SmarterMail Enterprise Edition.

Unlike trial software or shareware, free SmarterTools products contain no time limits, popup nag screens, or functionality limits (besides the user limit mentioned above).

[ Free Edition | SmarterMail 4.x | SmarterTools Inc. ]

After installing I had to find the settings and move the SMTP to 127.0.0.1:25 so I didn't need to do odd settings on my programs, but since I no longer have any other SMTP server, that should be fine.

Three years ago, we set out to design and build an entirely new class of device—a convenient, portable reading device with the ability to wirelessly download books, blogs, magazines, and newspapers. The result is Amazon Kindle.

We designed Kindle to provide an exceptional reading experience. Thanks to electronic paper, a revolutionary new display technology, reading Kindle’s screen is as sharp and natural as reading ink on paper—and nothing like the strain and glare of a computer screen.

[ Amazon.com: Kindle: Amazon's New Wireless Reading Device: Kindle Store ]

This device seems to be getting panned in the comments on its page on Amazon.com, but I think the way millions of people have fallen in love with their iPods, this is the device for me. I have some concerns:

1. What is Sprint coverage like? At my house?
2. How long will the Sprint coverage be free?
3. What if the books I want never find their way onto the device?
4. Do I have to email files to be converted? Will I be able to USB transfer them?
5. How much does an SD card hold?

1. Free wireless access to Wikipedia!
2. Includes a Dictionary!

Just for those 2 items I'd carry this thing around everywhere and irritate everyone with my constant research on all sorts of minutia.

Update: It has arrived. Review to follow shortly.

[ Don't be a Jerky... ]

Zack & Wiki Quest for Barbaros’ Treasure Nintendo Wii Capcom USA Everyone C

Bizarre. I generally like Capcom games. After Nintendo and Ubisoft they are probably my next favorite game studio. I generally agree with critics, when they all agree. But apparently in this case it's the sales that I agree with.

What's right about Zack and Wiki? The graphics are nice, the sound is top notch, the game engine even seems pretty decent. The puzzles aren't so easy that it's just a clicking game. What's wrong with Z&W? It's cutesy, cutesy, cutesy. Zack's sidekick Wiki makes seriously irritating noises and just won't shut up. The puzzles? Too easy for me, and the universe is too "childish" to not get irritating quick. So it's a great title for kids? I don't think so. I think the world will appeal to 5-7 year old, perhaps, and based on how difficult the puzzles were getting, they'll never get too far in the game without resorting to "try everything until something doesn't kill me" and back that up with "use the hint/cheat book" or they'll never finish it. This means that it's "wrappings" are targeted toward one age group, but the difficulty and fun is targeted toward a much older group. And for me that means, I'm glad I rented it, and I'm not playing this one past the first couple of levels.

The new 3D Mario Platformer is here. Each Nintendo console gets some sort of Mario Platformer game, and staring with the Nintendo 64 they've been 3D. Super Mario Galaxy plays very similar to Super Mario Sunshine, but everything is kicked up a notch. The worlds are also now wrapped around little planets making for some brain bending requirements when jumping around. Unlike Sunshine you aren't paired up with F.L.U.D.D. but with a Luma (that's the little star guy on the game cover) that allows you to fly through outer space and to spin around and break things.

So far? I've already found myself playing longer than I had allotted. It's hard to put this game down. Day 2 and I've already completed all the basic requirements in the first Galaxy (though I still have to go back for bonus items when the opportunity presents itself). And I've already been to a planet where Mario gets to wear a suit ala Super Mario 3's Tanooki Suit, though I won't tell you what the suit is (play the game to find out...).

There are also some special levels that really test your platforming skills. As is usual for a 3D Super Mario platforming title, you don't need to get all of the items to complete the game, but as is usual I will attempt to get every last item. I'm not yet ready to score this title, since I haven't completed the game, but unless you are Dari, and you own a Wii, you should be buying this one.

Update: Rating this one A. Haven't finished yet, but I have rescued the princess...

Back in the day Dari wrote up a little piece about this time of year, but everyone who had it lost it. This year Dari has resurrected the piece in spirit, so read it, laugh, and then make copies!

Upon entering your local Starbucks, stride purposefully to the counter to place your order. You want a Gingerbread Latte, and you shall not be denied. Whether that latte be venti, decaf, or skim be sure to project your order with certainty and pride. Let all the other customers know what you are about to do. They will admire you.

[ Getting the Best Out of Your Starbucks Gingerbread Latte ]

Image Courtesy of georgie_grd on Flickr.

I have two daughters, and hope to have more, but at some point they are no longer little girls, and head off for higher education. Every parent has aspirations for their children, whether it is to follow in their footsteps, or aspire to bigger and better things.

Nate sent me a link today that helps me to know what direction to push my children. A comparison of universities around the world? Nope. A comprehensive breakdown of the best programs by subject? Nope. An article on the earning potential of the top universities? Nope. It was this:

the Cal marching band performed a slew of videogame related songs during the half-time show of this past weekend’s football game, starting with the Tetris theme.

[ Capcom US - The Blog » Blog Archive » Cal (Berkeley) Marching Band Plays Video Game Music ]

Too cool.

Vimperator is a free browser add-on for Firefox, which makes it look and behave like the Vim text editor. It has similar key bindings, and you could call it a modal web browser, as key bindings differ according to which mode you are in.

[ Vimperator :: Firefox Add-ons ]

But I do love vim. I may just have to switch to FireFox as my default browser...

Props to Nick.