Apple iTunes 7.6 is out and now offers movie downloads. You can rent movies for 24 hours and watch them on a PC with iTunes or on Apple TV. I think Apple is offering some really great services, but at the same time iTunes is getting really bloated. iTunes has aways been slow and laggy. It seems with every release that they add more junk running in the background. Is it too much to ask the user if it’s ok to install this extra stuff. I like to use my PC for gaming and when iTunes is not running I don’t need all the background stuff waiting for me to start iTunes. Lets look at what is running in the background with iTunes 7.6:
- iTuneshelper
- iPodhelper
- Quicktime Updater
- Apple’s Mobile Device Service
- Bonjour (has 3 things running)
That sure is a lot just so I can download music and put it on my iPod. I have been thinking of uninstalling iTunes and using Amazon MP3 Downloads
instead. It’s the same price at iTunes, doesn’t install bloated software and it’s DRM free. In the mean time if I uninstalled Apples Mobile Device Service and Bonjour through the control panel and used HighJackThis! to remove all the other junk iTunes added. You have to remove Quicktime Updater every time Quicktime runs though.
I just wanted to share this great video about Nikola Tesla. Who is Tesla you ask? Tesla was an inventor that invented a great many things that you probably think someone else invented. Things like AC power, wireless communication and the Tesla Ball.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gt8Y93k0pB0[/youtube]
If you want to find out more about Tesla, Tesla: Man Out of Time
is a great book to read. Also, check out Tesla on Wikipedia and The Tesla Foundation.
Found a huge list of PC games for 2008 at the Gamespot forums complete with links and images. Thanks to AdrianWerner at the Gamespot forums for posting them all!
Technorati Tags: game, pc, 2008
2008 is upon us and 2007 is gone. Here is a little look at some of the movies and television coming in 2008 that I am looking forward to…
Movies:
Iron Man (May 2, 2008)
Speed Racer (May 8, 2008)
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (May 16, 2008)
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (May 22, 2008)
The Incredible Hulk (June 13, 2008)
Wall-E (June 27,2008)
Wanter (June 27, 2008)
Hellboy II: The Golden Army (July 11, 2008)
The Dark Knight (July 18, 2008) Trailer
Star Trek XI (December 25, 2008)
Television:
BattleStar Galactica
Heroes
Knight Rider via Slashfilm.com
Lost
I recently received the Logitech G9 Mouse for review and have posted it here:
Logitech G9 Mouse Review
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Gaming is a huge industry and a gamer has to stand out some how. Logitech has been making quality gaming equipment for years and has now released the most customizable mouse I have ever seen, the G9. From the feel of the mouse to the weight to led color to button function the G9 is ready to be adjusted to fit any gamer. Go from fragging away at a close range with a high sensitivity and drop into sniper mode lowering the sensitivity at the press of a button. Anything is possible with Logitech’s G9 Gaming Mouse.
In the box:
- Logitech® G9 Laser Mouse
- Two custom grips (Wide Load and Precision)
- Adjustable weight cartridge
- Tuning weights and case
- User guide
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Features and Details:
- Ultra high gaming grade precision and speed
- 200–3200 dpi (user-selectable) laser resolution
- USB report rate up to 1000 reports/second
- Image processing: 6.4 megapixels/second
- USB report rate: Up to 1000 reports/second(user selectable)
- Interchangeable Grips
- Wide load grip that has a soft satin finish for comfort
- Precision grip that has a more compact shape and is coated with a drygrip surface
- Adjustable Weight Tuning
- Comes with four 4 gram weights and four 7 gram weights in a tin
- Add up to a 28 grams of weight (using four 7 gram weights)
- MicroGear™ Precision Scroll Wheel for precise clic-to-click scrolling
- Custom-color LEDs to show the current sensitivity level and profile settings.
- Custom Macros and profiles built into the mouse (no software needed).
The Software:
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Logitech has outdone themselves with the Setpoint software for the G9 mouse. usually mouse software is something I dread using. I end up with an icon in my taskbar that I never use once my mouse is setup to my liking. Setpoint is a little different as the G9 has memory built in so you can save 3 different profiles to it. This is great for people who like to tune Windows for gaming by turning everything they can off or the gamer who attends lan events. Once you have your profiles stored on the mouse, simple plug it into any PC running XP or Vista and you setting are ready to use. Everything on the mouse is configurable through the Setpoint software and ease of use was surly in mind when Logitech created the Setpoint software.
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The Review:
All the specs in the world don’t mean anything till you use the mouse. My first impression of Logitech’s G9 mouse was that I would never you half the features that come with it. I’m usually the type of person who likes to setup something and leave it that way when I use it. This wasn’t the case with the G9. I found myself setting up the DPI for what I found to me comfortable under normal play, this was 1500 DPI and lower setting of 800 DPI and 500 DPI. These lower setting were extremely useful when I was sniping in games like Battlefield 2 and Counter-Strike Source. I finally ended up with setting like this: 500 DPI, 800 DPI, 1500 DPI, and 2000 DPI. The highest, 2000 DPI, was very comfortable in Guild Wars. Second thing I messed around with is the weight system. I put 28 grams in first and worked my way back to 22 grams for what I felt was my sweet spot. I chose the wide load grip right off the bat thinking I liked a bigger grip. I shortly switched over to the precision grip. Both grips feel great and come down to once again personal preference. I also played with the macros in for use in Guild Wars. The macros were very easy to program into the mouse and worked flawlessly. All the buttons on the G9 are easy to get to and use. None are awkward to reach.
The G9 is absolutely fabulous to play with and is worth the $99 price tag attached to it. I found that in first person shooters, my normal score had increased and I was getting frags I would have normally never gotten. My only complaint is the scroll button. The middle scroll button is very sensitive. You barely have to press it to make it click. With most mice I have used this is the opposite. You have to click it to get it to work and really just something to get used to with the G9. Once you do it’s not a big deal. The G9 is an amazing piece of gaming hardware that I would recommend to any gamer and without a doubt is the best mouse I have ever used.
Logitech G9 Mouse
