The Gadgets Page

Hey, all you people who think video games are just a bunch of people shooting each other and driving cars really fast, try Sims 2 for Nintendo DS. I know, I know… I tried The Sims back when they came out and hated them too. I had one of those zen moments when I was making my Sim wash the dishes and I could see the dirty dishes in my own sink from the computer. I never played that game again. Sims 2 for Nintendo DS is different, I promise.

Firstly, there is a lot less dish washing, showering and sleeping in this game than in the original Sims version. I don’t know if it’s because they had to simplify it for the DS system or if they realized that watching your Sim wash her dishes isn’t all that fun. Either way, the Sim maintenance is still part of the game, but it usually happens when I have to go to the bathroom, so it’s just fine with me.

Secondly, they have added a simple story line to the game. In Sims 2 for the DS, I have to run a hotel and get its score higher by building guest rooms and other attractions. I have to deal with a mobster in my Penthouse. I have to deal with invasions of aliens and robots (I’m building a Rat Cave next so I can create weapons to fight off those meanies). Strictly open game play like the original Sims was just not fun for me, but I love having a list of little tasks to achieve.

Now, Sims 2 DS is not perfect. I am particularly disturbed by the angry and loopy Sims. It’s my responsibility to calm them down. If I don’t do it right, they take a swing at me. I really don’t like that the only way to stop them from punching me is to “beg” them. It is even more disturbing to me when the Sim is male. In “real” life if a man acted like that around me, he would be evicted from my hotel and barred from ever coming back in. That’s not an option in this game, so several times a day, I have to beg Sims not to punch me. I took a video of an interaction so you could see what I mean:

The angry Sim apologizes and gives you a gift after you calm him down, but I am disturbed by the punching. I know people get angry in real life, but begging them isn’t the way to stop them from punching you. I think it bothers me because it’s my job to make people happy, calm or stop acting so drunk. In real life, I have found that I can’t really change other people’s emotions. Their emotions are strictly under their own control. I like how Animal Crossing does it instead. When my animal friends are angry or sad, they tell me to leave them alone for a little while while they work through their feelings. That seems a little more realistic to me.

I was also bothered by the fact that the first thing you need to do to revitalize your hotel is to build a casino, but I haven’t seen the entire story arc. I have purposely stayed away from walkthroughs and spoilers as much as I can because I want the game to surprise me. I don’t want to know everything about the game before I even get to play it.

On the whole, this is a great game for adults. If you kept hearing about how The Sims is a wonderful game, but couldn’t understand what everyone was so excited about, try Sims 2 for the Nintendo DS. It’s almost good enough to draw my attention away from Animal Crossing.

I’d like to say that I don’t really care about my bras, but to be honest, they are damn expensive. I hate to wash them by hand, but the washing machine messes them up. The little hooks on the back catch on other articles of clothing. Garment washing bags are even worse and end up in a tangled heap with the hooks. That’s where the BraBABY Bra Washing Holder is supposed to save my day.

The only problem is: I suspect that if I’m too lazy to wash my bras by hand, I’ll probably be too lazy to put the bra in this caged protector. Sure, the Brababy is really inexpensive (a 2-pack for 17 bucks), but it just doesn’t look like something I am willing to use for the rest of my life. I guess I’ll just keep forking over my cash to the lingerie store instead of bothering to take care of my undergarments. Buying new frilly things is fun, right?

Right?

Via: Shiny Shiny: Look after your bras with BraBaby

This online gadget review show is over thirty minutes long and they review a lot of products. The segment that was most interesting to me, however is the review by Hahn Choi of the new wireless “standard” 802.11n. If you let the episode download and fast forward to 28:49 minutes, you’ll get to the wireless segment:

My current wireless router is having problems and is requiring a reset every day or so. It looks like it’s time for us to buy a new one. Should we just replace the old one or go with the newer and faster wireless routers that do 802.11n? I don’t know much about wireless routers, but faster is better, right?

Not necessarily…

The 802.11n standard has been around for over a year, but they still haven’t finalized the standard. That means the one company’s router might not work with another company’s computer. That’s a big “might” but that is still a risk of adopting right now.

If that’s the risk, what is the benefit? How much faster is it? That’s the cool part of Hahn’s review. He tested three routers:

• Apple AirPort Extreme Base Station

• Linksys Wireless-N Broadband Router

• Buffalo Airstation N-finiti Wireless Router

He sent a huge file to all three routers and here were the results:

• Apple AirPort Extreme Base Station: 2 minutes

• Linksys Wireless-N Broadband Router: 3 minutes 41 seconds

• Buffalo Airstation N-finiti Wireless Router: 4 minutes 29 seconds

The same test with 802.11g routers took between 5 and 7 minutes, so you could potentially cut your wireless transfer time in half with the new wireless routers. This could make a big difference if you just bought yourself the new Apple TV and want to send over that new movie you just bought on iTunes. For normal surfing the web with your laptop, however, you might not notice the difference. If you are a power laptop user in your home, then the new wireless standard will probably be a good investment for you. If you just casually use the wireless in your home, then you can probably wait until your old router breaks down before upgrading.

I don’t have that option, however. My wireless router is on its last legs now and the appeal of half the download times is enough to entice me to get the Apple AirPort Extreme, even if it’s more money than the other two. I won’t have to worry about compatibility with the MacBook Pro and I’ll be able to take advantage of the quicker download times.

Thanks for the review, Hahn!

Via: WWdN: In Exile: InDigital episode 13 – The Rear View Mirror

As Ponzi points out in her excellent entry, there is one true design flaw of ALL laptop computers: the power cord.

• Ponzi’s Schemes » Blog Archive » The one true design flaw of all laptop computers – that is an easy fix. Who is listening?

What kind of power cord user are you? Ponzi says there are three types:

There are “The people in denial”. – They get rid of it all together and act like it’s not a problem – until they have to deal with it. They put it out of mind and out of sight – pack it in the suitcase. As svelte and cordfree as these people are in the airport secretly they are the ones who frantically throw everything out of their suitcases looking for it when they have a black out in the taxi on the way to the hotel.

The people who don’t care. – This group just stuffs that whole cord into the backpack or bag and say that’s part of carrying the laptop, deal with it. Then all their crap comes pouring out when its time to use it.

There are the ones who try to act like they have some control. – This would be my crowd – for the moment (I tend to bounce between all three). They roll up the cord and use the piece of velcro if they have it (IBM tried to give us a solution) which usually doesn’t fit the whole cord.

I’m one of the “pretend I have some control” people. I found these Velcro One-Wrap Cableties at Home Depot several years ago (pictured in the top photo). They come in an 8 inch size that wraps around my power brick AND the cord to create one easy package to stuff into the laptop bag. As Ponzi points out, however, it’s still a BIG thing to cart around. It takes up as much space as my Nintendo DS. If my bag were any smaller, I would have to choose between the power cord and my personal entertainment device.

Zip-Linq has created the ZIP-LINQ Retractable Notebook Power Cord, which is a pretty good deal, but it doesn’t replace your power brick. I could use it to replace half of my cord, but I would still have to wrap the cord to the power brick. If I have to be wrapping cords anyway, I might as well do both. It’s an inexpensive replacement that is pretty tempting, but it doesn’t solve the whole problem.

Another option is the Smarthome Small Cable Manager, but it will only help you if your brick isn’t in the middle of the cord. Otherwise, you’ll use one cable manager for the cord from the laptop to the brick and another for the cord from the brick to the wall. Wrapping cords twice isn’t very efficient, so the Velcro Cableties seem like a better option.

Apple has done the best job of making their power cords useable. The power plug unfolds to plug into the wall and folds up for travel. They have the brick plug directly into the wall and have an attached wire wrap on the brick. It’s still a big thing to keep in your laptop bag, but it’s VERY easy to wrap up.

Sadly, the only other option is to include the power brick in the laptop itself, which would make my tiny laptop MUCH bigger. It’s the whole reason they put the power brick on the cord in the first place. Just think about how much bigger your very portable laptop would be if you had to include that power brick in the case.

In the end, my laptop battery only lasts a couple of hours and I have come to accept the fact that I need to cart around the power cord with it. There are some design frontiers that are waiting to be discovered, but until then, I have become a good friend of Velcro Cableties. Of course, there’s always the “Living In Denial” option.

Via: Chris Pirillo on Twitter

If you are in need of contact management software, then it’s time to try JibberJobber. It is available right now for a good price. You can read more about it here:

• JibberJobber Blog » Blog Archive » Extra! Extra! Read All About It!

JibberJobber has a focus of career management. We should all be managing our careers at all times, not just during the times when we are looking for a new job. Don’t wait until you’re laid off to start looking for your next position. For all you know, the job of your dreams is right around the corner and all you need to do is take a peek.

If you have enjoyed being a rock god with Guitar Hero, you will be happy to know that they are taking it one step further: Rock Band. Four players, four instruments: bass guitar, lead guitar, drums and lead vocals. Now you and your three favorite friends can join a rock band and become rock legends instead of just rock gods!

• USA Today: Harmonix announces Rock Band for Xbox 360, PS3 [update 1] – Joystiq

There is more information here:

• Music games won’t be solo gigs anymore – USATODAY.com

Here is the most important feature:

Online connectivity is a key to the game. The developers envision additional songs for online purchase beyond those in the retail version. And players need not be together to jam. “You could have one guitarist in Germany and another one in Texas, a drummer in New York and a singer from somewhere else, and they can play together online,” EA’s David DeMartini says.

It seems the Guitar Hero folks have been a busy bunch because they also announced plans for a mobile version of the game:

• Guitar Hero going mobile, just like The Who – Joystiq

A special thank you to Nicole Lee for giving me the heads up yesterday! Thanks Nicole, I would have missed this if it wasn’t for you!

Via: Nicolelee on Twitter

For years, I have been complaining about how I hate the watch designers of the world. They cannot create a digital watch that is both pretty and useful. In the end, I have been wearing my Armitron watch that I got for about fifteen bucks about five years ago. It has all the features that I love, but it’s ugly.

The other night, I had an idea. I would make my ugly Armitron watch beautiful. Here is the story of Watch 2.0:

(Continue Reading…)