Members Prepare to Update

November 1st is right around the corner, and coming with it is the Xbox Live Fall Update. How do I know it will be tomorrow? Well, all users of Xbox Live were sent an email that states the following:

Important Information About Your Xbox LIVE Service

On November 1, 2010, there will be a mandatory service update to Xbox LIVE. This update will both add new features to your service and also enhance the interface, navigation, and responsiveness of Xbox LIVE.

Full details of the new features being added to your service can be found onxbox.com.

 Obviously, this doesn't exactly tell you much about  the update, but it has been confirmed already by testers what will be coming. Sports fans, you will be getting an ESPN channel that you can tune into right from your dashboard. Music fans, who use Zune, will be getting a Zune music store. Movie watchers, Netflix will be getting an update that allows you to search for movies. Plus, everyone will receive in addition to those three, updated graphics throughout the dashboard and revamped Avatars. Just to make it clear, everyone will get all these updates, incase I made it sound as if only certain people would get certain ones. Happy Halloween to everyone, if you want leave a comment saying what you will be dressed up as.

~Dave

Are You Going?

Today I am going to restore my sanity/fear. I am crazy excited! Jon Stewart and Steven Colbert are having their rally today in Washington D.C. The rally has an expected turnout of 60,000 people, it is pretty crazy. I have to run now if I want to get a good spot. If you want more info you can visit either Rally For Sanity or Rally to Keep Fear Alive. Off I go, see you tomorrow!

~Dave

Get Your Pumpkin On

Well, it is that time of year again. Halloween is right around the corner, and thus Valve is pushing their second TF2 Halloween out. The new Mann Co. Store has some nifty items just for this limited time. For example, it now carries wrapping paper so you can gift people items during this festive time. There are also four new achievements to earn, in addition to last years achievements. To play this spooky release you must join a halloween server. Don't worry, you will be able to tell which one it is. If you wish to find out more about the update, check out this link. This update will run from now until November 7th, 2010. Finally, if you don't have TF2, now is a great time to buy! Valve is having a Halloween sale. You can see all the games on sale, including TF2, here. I have to play a little bit this weekend!

~Dave

Make Youtube Go HTML 5

People who use Safari probably know that Safari has extensions, like Firefox. Yesterday, I found an extension that makes Youtube videos play in HTML 5. Why does this matter though? Well, the reason is that HTML 5 is "the new thing". In addition, it does not use as much energy as Flash. The extension, called YouTube5, is simple to use. Once installed, open up Safari's Preferences (File--->Preferences) and proceed to the Extensions tab. Here you will find the YouTube5 extension. You have the ability to customize the highest video type to your liking. If you choose a video type that is not support by the video (i.e It doesn't go that high) then the video will play in the highest setting it can. So go ahead, take it for a spin!

~Dave

I can see...in 3D

Over the weekend I booted up my hackintosh and into my Windows disk to play some TF2. I then started to think "When was the last time I update my graphics driver?". The more I thought about it, the more I realized it had not been for a while. With this sudden realization, I headed over to Nvidia's website to find my graphics card. I looked it up, found the driver, and downloaded it. I then proceeded to run the installer. The installer only took about 5-10 minutes. When it was done I found myself with brand new options "Turn 3D on" and "Turn 3D off". I was quite amazed at the fact that my card, the Nvidia 9800 GT with 1GB DDR3, could do 3D! I don't have 3D glasses, but if I ever get some I will definitely try it out and see how it looks. Do your computer do 3D? If so how is it? Leave a comment below!

~Dave

Windows: Login Script

Alright Windows fans, it is your turn. We will start off by removing anything that opens on start. Click on the Start menu, then look for the folder labelled "Startup". In there will be any programs that open on startup. You can delete them from there, as we are going to be making a start up script for the necessary ones. After deleting them, open up Notepad. For this example, we are going to use Google Chrome, Pidgin, and Steam. Once Notepad is open, type the following:

start pidgin
cd C:\Users\YOUR USERNAME\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\Application
start chrome
cd C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam
start steam

Take note that YOUR USERNAME should be replaced with the name you use to log onto your computer. Essentially what we are telling the computer is "Got into drive C, go through all of these folders, and open this application". The location where your application may vary depending on where you installed it. If you don't know where you installed the application, you can easily find it.
   To find a application, simply open the start menu--->all programs--->right click on the folder--->Open--->right click on the shortcut--->open location. Now you will see where your application is installed by simply looking at the navigation bar. You can do the same thing with programs not in folders, you just skip straight to "right click and click open location".
   Now that you have compiled all the programs in this notepad file, we need to save it. Click File--->Save As. A new window will appear. You will be asked to name the file and give an extension. However, we don't want the extension to be .txt, instead we want .bat because we are dealing with a batch file. Click the drop down menu and select "All File Types". Then name it what ever you wish, I am naming mine "Start Run", then add .bat at the end. So it will look something like this: Start Run.bat
Save it to an easily accessible location. I put mine on the desktop.
   Finally, test the file by double clicking on it. If you followed the instruction correctly, you will have all the applications you put in open at once.

Please take not that I did this on a Windows 7 PC. Ways may vary slightly on Vista and XP PCs.

~Dave

Mac: Start Up

This will be the first of a two part section. I say two because I am not that familiar with Linux's start up. I can however learn if someone would like me to write an article on it. The Windows version of this post will be out tomorrow. Anyway, back to this. Those of you with Macs are like anyone else with a computer. You hate waiting for the computer to start up, yet you would like to have all your programs ready by the time your computer is ready. First, we want to remove any programs starting up unless you MUST have them on start up. To do this open System Preferences --->Accounts--->Your Account--->Login Items. Once here you can remove anything you like that is unneeded for start up. Next, open spotlight and search for Apple Script Editor. We are going to make a very simple script, nothing complicated. Let's say, for example, that you want Safari, iChat, and Mail to open when you run the script. To do this, type in  Apple Script Editor the following:

tell application "Safari"
launch
end tell
tell application "iChat"
launch
end tell
tell application "Mail"
launch
end tell

Once you have done this, hit "Compile" (that is the one with the hammer). It will look for any errors in your script. If there are none, you can hit "Run" to test the script. If all went well, Safari, iChat, and Mail will open up. Now you are going to want this as a script that you can execute by clicking on it, not opening it up. Next, click "File"---> "Save As". Title it something like "Login Script", and then save it to an easily accessible place, such as your desktop. Now the next time you log in, all you have to do is run the script and everything you want to open will open!

~Dave

Three Major Games This Week

Start this week off with three of the hottest titles. On Tuesday the games Rock Band 3, Fable III, and Star Wars the Force Unleashed II will be released. These are some of the holidays most wanted games. Rock Band 3 will be the first music game ever that actually teaches you how to play an instrument. Only down side to that is you must purchase an instrument controller fitted special for the game.  I myself would like to learn guitar, so in the future I hope to buy the guitar that doubles as a controller and a real guitar. Then there is Fable III, the sequel to Fable II. In the game, you play a brother/sister of a tyrant king, and you must lead a revolution against him. Finally, there is Star Wars the Force Unleashed II. This game, being the sequel to Star Wars the Force Unleashed, is an over the top jedi game. You are gifted with huge amounts of the force, allowing you to take out more then just a storm trooper. You play as Starkiller, Darth Vaders secret apprentice, who has found out he is a clone. He is being held captive by Vader until he is needed again, but he escapes. The story is his adventure through the galaxy to find out more about himself. All three of these games are very exciting, and I can't wait to get them. Are you going to get any of these games? Leave a comment below stating which ones.

~Dave

No! Don't Start!

Things would start up much faster on my computer if I didn't have to deal with start up items. In no way does a start up application help you. Sure at first it may seem like a great thing, but after a while your computer becomes really slow. I don't care if you have an SSD or an HDD, you don't need an application to start right when you turn your computer on. For this reason, I try to have less then three things start when my computer turns on. Even now I am considering removing them from the start up list as I hate waiting for them to load. I recommend to anyone who has start up items to remove them from the list and to create a start up file. What do I mean by that? Make a small script that opens all the necessary applications once you run it. This way, you can log in fast, then double click the script and have all the applications you need open in seconds. Give it a try, and if you'd like, I can do a post on how to make one of these scripts depending on which OS your on. Request below if you would like to see a follow up post on how to.

~Dave

Keep Your Battery Alive Longer

People have a tendency these days to turn things on, but never off. What most don't realize is, it is a GOOD thing to turn your electronics off every once and a while. For example, take my laptop. I try to turn my laptop off at least once a week. The reason for this is it lets the components rest. The heat evaporates from them, no electricity goes through them, it lets them rest from the constant strain of processing. This also allows the battery to relax. This will not only let your computer last long, but also your battery. Doing this can save you a couple hundred dollars in the future because you will need less maintenance. Apply this to any of your devices, and I can tell you your device will last quite a while.

~Dave

Old Hard Drives

Ever wonder what to do once your hard drive dies? Some may say the best thing is to just throw it away. Others say, wiped the data clean then throw it away. Well, I say don't do either of those things, because no matter what method you use to wipe your hard drive, the information will still be there. What you want to do is grind that drive to a pulp. Open it up and take out the CD. Then break it in any way you wish. You want that disk so broken that even the world's greatest puzzle solvers can't put it together. The reason for this, in case you are wondering, is that once you burn information to a HDD, it is never fully gone, no matter what you do. So if you are doing loads of tax work on your HDD, that will be saved. This is why you don't want to just toss away your drive. Although wiping it does delete most of the information, it is still there, just a little harder to get to. For this reason, it best to have some fun and destroy your dead hard drive any way you wish.

~Dave

"RAWR!" Is What Lions Say

Well, the Apple event today brought a ton of new stuff to the table. Some of these things good, and others not so good. Without further a do, lets get to it.

OS X Lion: First and foremost is the announcement of OS X Lion, as expected and hinted from previous posts. The point of the new OS is to make the Mac more like an iPad, or the way I see it, easier to use. I am saying this now, I don't like it. iPad is iPad and Mac is a computer, they should stay separate. I know that technology is converging, but this is not what I was hoping for. Anyway, new features include Mission Control, Launch Pad, Full Screen Mode, and App Store for Mac. Mission Control is essentially Exposé renamed and a couple of new things added. When activated, Mission Control shows everything you have open. This means your Apps, Full Screen Apps, Desktop, Dashboard, and Apps with many windows. See the image to the right (courtesy of Gizmodo) to see what it looks like.
  In addition is Launchpad. Once launched, Launchpad will lay out all the applications installed, most of which are managed by the App Store, and you will have multiple pages to scroll through. Just like the iPad, you can create folders to store certain applications. I see no use for this application because I can do this right now, it is called stacks. Sure it takes longer, but why do I need a separate program for it. Just stay organized, and you don't need another program.
  Next there is Full Screen. Not much needs to be said here. All applications will have the ability to work full screen. This is great for PDF documents and book applications like Kindle for Mac. Now although this is nice, what is even better is the fact that you don't have to close full screen to switch application. You can jump between applications without exiting fullscreen. This begs the question "Are windows being eliminated from an OS?". My answer, not quite, but it is on the way.
  Finally, the Mac Store. The Mac Store, or the App Store for Mac, is Apple's "Steam" as I see it. Those of you who use Steam know how it works. For those of you who don't, Steam allows you to buy a game and then install it on any machine you want, as many times you want. The same goes for the Mac Store. You can buy an applications, own it forever, and install it as many times as you wish anywhere you wish.


Facetime: Facetime has been ported to the Mac. It was only a matter of time before this happened. Unfortunately this is a standalone app, which is a shame as I would have like to see this incorporated with iChat as an addition to the Video Calling feature. In a nut shell, you can make calls to your friends who have an iPhone 4 from your Mac. Framerate is limited due to the amount of information the iPhone 4 can process. There are ways through jailbreaking that allow you to get more then 15 fps, but that will of course take up more battery and bandwidth. There is no real way to set up calls without using AIM, Gmail Chat, or what ever instant messenger you use. However, you can receive calls without the app open, and it will even stop your iTunes. If you like, or need this app, you can download it here. Please keep in mind it is a beta.




iLife'11: I see nothing wrong with the current iLife, but apparently things needed improvement. The apps effected by this are iMovie, Garageband, and iPhoto. iMovie allows novice movie editors to make amazing, high quality, movies. You can do anything from crazy effects, to making a movie trailer with the new title screen effect. You can also do detailed audio editing and overlaying. Then, there is iPhoto, who has received an "iPad like" make over.  It has the full screen mode, mentioned earlier, incorporated into it. You can add place tags to where each photo was taken, then use the full screen mode to see a map of the world and where your photo was taken. In addition, you can link your Facebook and Flicker accounts to iPhoto, and it will automatically update with all your new pictures. Full screen mode has made this app very aesthetically pleasing. Finally, Garageband. Nothing really big here, the two major points being the additions of Groove-Matching and Flex-Time. Groove-Matching takes the sound you have recorded, maybe with a band or with some friends, and arranges it to be more synced. Your sound will seem more fluent and less choppy. Then, there is Flex-Time, which allows you to fix timing. You can buy iLife'11 for $50 if your upgrading, although in my opinion it is not worth upgrading.


Macbook Air: As far as rumors go, this one was pretty close. The Macbook Air was refreshed today, now coming in two different screen sizes: 13.3" and 11.6".

  The 11.6" will have a display of 1366x768 and the 13.3" will have a display of 1440x900;thus, the latter of the two has a better display. Plus, the 11.6" weights in at 2.3 lb and the 13.3" at 2.9 lb. And in case you were wondering, yes, they do have speakers. Probably the most impressive addition to the laptop is the battery life. Each can go on standby for up to 1 month. That's right, a month of standby. However, constant use will yield 7 hours for the 13.3" and 5 hours for the 11.6". Each has up to 1000 recharges before you have to buy new batteries. The newest feature, and the one which makes Macbook Air even thinner, is the addition of SSD Card memory. Don't mistake this for SSD, because it is not. SSD card is a RAM shaped stick that acts to as a storage device. The stick has memory bricks on it for storing memory fast, and easily accessing it. This feature allows the Macbook Air to have an "instant boot". One of the downsides to the new Air is the Intel Core 2 Duo was not changed. You would think by now Apple would upgrade to at least an Core i3.


And that is it. That rounds up all the new announcements from Apple. I am not to keen on some of these ideas, but we will see how they play out. What are your thoughts on the new products? 


~Dave

Game Purchase: Fallout New Vegas

Today marks the release of the new game, Fallout New Vegas. PS3, Xbox 360, and PC owners get ready to enter the post apocalyptic world of Fallout. This time, the story is set in Vegas. The gameplay remains the same as previous fallout games. I personally have never tried my hand at the Fallout series, but thought I would give this one a try since my friend convinced me to. In addition to release, it has been announced that DLC is already in the works and will be released later on. Although my schedule is quite busy, I plan on making sometime, if possible, to play this game. For those of you who have the game already, what do you think of it?

~Dave

P.S Tomorrow's update will be sent out around 8PM since it will be on the Back to the Mac conference.

Stop Chewin' My Wires!

Those of you who have cats, you know how frustrating it can be when they get to your wires. Well, as a gamer, it is the worst thing for me. I have a tendency to leave wires on the floor, out in the open, everywhere. My most recent encounter with wire chewing, my xbox headset. My cat chewed straight through the wire. Some of you may say "Oh big deal, just get a new headset". I disagree highly with that statement for one reason, I hate the new xbox headsets. Who ever had the idea to move the mute button from the area near my thumbs to up on my chest is as absolute idiot. In what way, at all, does that make any sense? Anyway, back to what I was saying. I headed over to Ebay and searched for the headset that I wanted. Sure enough, there is a company out there that makes the old headsets for only $5 each. Game Infinity makes the headsets, and for $5 each it is a great deal. I did myself a favor and bought four just incase there was another incident with my cat. Lesson learned: Keep wires hidden!

~Dave

Ironically, I Typed This

Many people ask me "Is it worth getting a gaming keyboard?" or any keyboard different then the standard one. I usually tell them no, and here is my thought process behind the answer. When you are buying a flashy, shiny, brand new gaming keyboard, you are essentially saying "I can't do *insert thing here* so I need help." The way I see it, the gaming keyboard you wish to get is suppose to "give you the upper hand", meaning it takes less skill to accomplish a task. However, I don't believe in fighting the easy way. For this reason, I use a 15 year old IBM Keyboard. It looks something like this:

Why do I use this? Well... just look at it. It is so totally awesome. It is durable, clicky (haptic response), and is totally awesome for being old. No easy way out here, it is legit gaming. Do yourself a favor, save the money you were going to spend on the keyboard, and save it for a game...or something else that is better. What kind of keyboard do you use? Leave a comment below!

~Dave

The Rumor Mill Whispers "Fresh Air"

With the "Back to the Mac" event right around the corner, the rumor mill is heating up again. This time it is discussing what might be coming from the event. Oddly enough the hot topic is the Macbook Air, which has not been updated in quite some time. Certain sites are reporting an 11.6" Macbook Air with a new type of storage. The rumored storage is called "SSD Card" and is essentially a stick of ram used to store data. Using this would of course make the machine much smaller, beating its already small form. No word on whether or no the chipset, Intel Core 2 Duo, will be updated. There is also a rumored price drop. We will have to find out next week!

~Dave

Ooooh! It Buuuuurns!

Recent studies have shown that using your laptop on your lap, or exposed skin for that matter, is dangerous. The studies showed that the constant change of hot and cold on the skin cells damaged the cells to the point where they were cracked, brittle or worse. In addition, some cases lead to skin cancer. Now, this is no big surprise to me as I was always told by my Dad "Keep your laptop off your lower waste to knee area, you will severely damage some important body parts." That, in itself, was enough for me to listen. In general, I never put my laptop on my lap, but when I do I use a pillow or something else so that I keep a distance between me and the heat. This is a heads up for all you laptop users out there, keep it off and keep yourself safe!

~Dave

The Mac is Back!

 Well, it looks like Apple is ready to ramp up their line up for this holiday season. Apple has announced that next week on October 20th, 2010, there will be an even for the Mac. What does this mean, well this means no new ipods/ipads/iphones etc. This means we are back to the computers. Laptops and desktops alike. And, as you can see from the picture, there is a Lion included somewhere in the presentation. What does that mean? Well, anyone who knows Apple well enough knows that all their operating systems are named after different types of felines. My best bet, they will be announcing OS X 10.7. There I would also bet on a possible iLife update, and maybe even something laptop related. Nothing more is known at the event, but just know that what ever comes out of it will most likely be the new hot item either this holiday season, or next holiday season. If there is a new OS in town, I will have to make sure to pick that up, along with jumping on the Hackintosh forums and seeing if I can upgrade. What do you think will come out of this? Leave a comment below!

~Dave

Great Service

Recently, I have had some issues with a game company, and have had to contact their customer service. However, unlike many, I am dealing with real people, and that makes a world of difference. It is on a personal level, not an automated one. The one thing I hate the most is calling in and getting either an automated voice, or a real person reading a script. Both drive me insane. Automated voice just waste your time until they give up and transfer you. People reading a script have almost no chance of helping you unless they stop reading the script for a minute and think. The thing is, they are told never to stop using the script. If they would just stop using the script and think, they may be more helpful. I am so impressed with this game company I am currently dealing with. They are helping me with my problem, dedicating time to it, it is just amazing. I wish more companies could be like them.

~Dave

I Try Not To Forget

I am human, just like everyone else, and I too can be forgetful. Although I try my best not to, it does happen every now and then that I forget something. Something I don't wish to forget, however, are important dates, such as tests. Yesterday, I spent a good thirty five to forty minutes adding all my tests this year to my Google Calendar. And, as you may know, my Google Calendar is synced with my iCal. This way, the moment I got home, I could see all the dates I had just added without a problem. It even includes all the alarms I placed on them, so that my iCal will also notify me. Google Calendar is a great tool, if you ever think you may forget something, try jotting it down there.

~Dave

Steam Gamers, Don't be Mad

Those of you who use steam may have woken up to the surprise of not being able to log onto Steam. Well, there is a reason for this. Steam will be down today for maintenance. That means the steam store, many servers, and online multiplayer will be down. You can play non steam games however, but that is not the point. So don't freak out, I am sure many of you have other consoles you can go to. May I suggest playing some Xbox? The downtime should last until sometime in the afternoon (EST that is). Once the servers come back on, feel free to go back to your daily routine of playing your hearts out.

~Dave

And They Told Me I Was Wrong

As many of you may remember, a while back I had an issue with the new macbook charger I got. I went to the store, got it replaced and that one didn't work either. Then I went to the genius bar and they said "We don't understand why it doesn't work, it should". So they gave me back my old one. And after all this I thought I was done, until two days ago when I received a software update. What was in the software update you may ask? A fix for the charging problem that I was experiencing. So pretty much what I learned from this is the following: Major corporations don't like to admit that they are wrong and you are right. It kind of bugs me that they can't just say "Yes there is a problem, here is a new charger until we can fix it". What they told me was that a "select few" were having this problem. So I ask you, what do you make of all of this? Leave a comment with your thoughts.

~Dave

Can It Compete?

While playing Halo 2 Vista, I have been using Games for Windows Live. Although it has the ability to connect to Xbox Live, earn achievements, and play with friends, it lacks many of the essential services that Xbox Live now offers. For example, it does not support Parties, or Party Chat for that matter. You also cannot download games from Xbox Live, a popular feature that was added last year. In addition, you can't use any of the new Xbox Live dashboard features, such as netflix or last.fm. Plus, you are using your Xbox Live account, which is a payed for subscription. When all of this adds up, Games for Windows Live is missing a ton of stuff. Because of this, they are losing money to their competitor, Steam. Steam is one time payment on games, you can install them as many times as you want (that means no product keys). Playing online is free, almost all DLC is free, and you can use Skype while playing (the equivalent of Party Chat). As you can see, Games for Windows Live has to step up its game (no pun intended) for it to stay in the game (pun intended).

~Dave

Defrag Your Mac With Wet Air

Although it is hidden, Steam offers the ability to defrag Macs. It is very easy to do, it is just hard to find. Once you have opened up Steam and logged in, go to your "Library". Next, choose any game, I chose Team Fortress 2. Once you have chosen your game, right click on the game and click on "Properties". In the window that pops up, select "Local Content" from the tab bar. Finally, select "Defragment Cached Files". This may take a while, but once you are done you will have successfully defragmented your Mac!

~Dave

Grab it While You Can!

As of yesterday night, Valve announced that Left 4 Dead 2 has arrived on the Mac platform. To celebrate the event, Valve has placed Left 4 Dead 2 on sale for a mere $6.89! That is a full game, plus DLC. In addition, if you already own this game, or purchase it by Thursday, 7PM, you will get a special Hat and Frying Pan weapon in Team Fortress 2. So what are you waiting for? Go get that game!

~Dave

Gamestop Upgrades

I currently use Gamestop for buying all my games, and trading in any that I no longer want. A few years back I signed up for their extra discount program, which gave a little extra money here and there. Just last week however, when I went to make a reserve, I was shown their new points program. They dropped their old program and replaced it with this points program. The store clerk move some info around and made me a part of the program, all I had to do was go home and sign up an account. The way it works is you get a certain amount of points for buying/selling/trading your games at Gamestop. You then save these points and pick a prize you would like to spend them on as they accumulate. Although the idea is still new, I believe it will work and look forward to getting a reward from them in the future. If you would like to read more about it, go to PowerUpRewards.com

~Dave

The Future of Textbooks

I, like any other, has lugged around textbooks. Now and then a teacher will say they are unneeded, which is quite a relief, but almost every teacher demands you bring it. Honestly, think of the weight of your backpack, you have so much stuff you have to carry, a good 30-40 Lb maybe. The way a good teacher of mine put it "Look at all the books they give you, you guys will all have scoliosis before you get to college!". Here is my thoughts, they are too heavy, and not only that, but you almost never make it through the entire textbook. Not to mention how much paper they waste printing this stuff. Plus, what backpack can carry all these books, it is ridiculous. Here is how I see it fit to change this. In the future, near future most likely, you will get some sort of touch screen e-reader. I don't know who will make it, nor do I care, as long as it does some of the following. It should have the ability to highlight sentences, look up words, store hundreds of textbooks, be able to jump to any page, be compact and portable, and very durable. Each one should also have a tracking device with a specific number embedded in it so that if you lose it, the school/college can find it for you at the click of the button. The best part, you would only have to bring your laptop to class. Then you would have your textbooks on this e-reader on the right/left side of your laptop, and then your laptop to take notes. Not to mention all the strain it takes of the backs of students. I honestly hope something like this is implemented soon because if not, all the kids now will have some defect or permanent damage done from all the strain.

~Dave

Yes You Can Change Your Keyboard!

If you are a Mac user, you know very well that changing your keyboard would be bad because you lose some keys, especially the eject key. If you switch and your new keyboard does not have an eject key, how will you get your disks in or out? Well here is a little tweak that will help you with this problem. Once you have your new keyboard, go ahead and hook it up. Next go to Macintosh HD (or what ever you named yours) and proceed to System>Library>Menu Extras>Eject.menu and double click on that. Now if you look in the top right of your menu bar you will have an eject button, allowing you to open your disk drive to insert disk, or eject disk. Neat right?

~Dave

Join a Community

Many games, if not all games, have a community forum. Some are better then others, but in most cases it is best that you join those forums. Forums are not only a place to talk about the game, but also a place to get help, give help, solve common problems, and much more. Instead of going around the game without a clue, do yourself a favor and join a forum related to that game. Most people are very friendly. You just have to be a tad careful when joining, make sure to read some of the topics and get the feel of the forum before joining. In addition, when you sign up never use your real name, make an alias for yourself. Forums are a great place, and I suggest you join one/many depending on what you play.

~Dave

It may be old, but it is still new

Just a couple of days ago I decided to go out and get Halo 2 for the PC. The main reason I chose the PC version over the Xbox original version is because the PC version still has multiplayer. Now, although the graphics are a little out dated, the game is still fantastic. I never played Halo 2 due to the fact I didn't have an xbox at the time. Plus, although the game said "Exclusively for Windows Vista" it is running fine on Windows 7. I installed the full game, which means I don't need the disk to run it. In addition, it is part of the "Games for Windows LIVE", which allows me to play with my Xbox Live gamertag and earn achievements. Games for Windows LIVE is alright, but it would be nice if it was update to accommodate things like Party Chat. That would allow me to talk to more then just one of my friends at a time. I really pleased with the game as a whole, it is a bunch of fun.

~Dave

Buy Your Weapons Today!

Team Fortress 2 has just received a slightly big update. This has now added a store to the game. This store allows players to buy any item that drops, plus new items just added. You purchase these items with real money, no made up currencies. A trading system has also been added. This allows you to trade items with your friends, or the people currently playing on the server you are on. However, you cannot trade items purchased from the new store. You can read more about the update here.

~Dave