Ferret XMas

The ferrets sure love Christmas. I don't think it has anything to do with the birth of their lord and savior (little known fact: Ferret Jesus was born the exact same moment as human Jesus... but they technically call him *squeak-squeak-low-dooking-noise*). I think it has more to do with travel and all the new random crap that comes with the season.

In addition to their accordion style ferret tunnel, which they never get tired of running through even when it's laid out in the same place (as if it was going to lead somewhere different... no... it's just the same open space of floor two feet away), they also get to smell new presents as I bring them home... wrapping papers and tape (OOOH TAPE!!!). For some reason they also never seem to get tired of crawling in plastic bags. I think it has something to do with the noise and the static cling... but who the hell could even tell what a ferret's thinking.

Life as a ferret must be either insanely exciting or maddeningly frantic.

DSi Review

The DSi was released somewhere around 8 to 10 months ago, marketed as an upgraded DS lite (which was an upgraded DS). While the DS lite was almost a necessary improvement over the DS, which looked like a prototype model (and some say it was the rushed prototype released after news leaked it early), the DSi sported more subtle changes. It's slightly smaller, has two small cheap cameras, and features a much improved 'channel' like interface reminiscent of the Wii. Most noteably it lost the Game Boy Advance slot, meaning that it can only play DS games. Of course this means that it cannot also play DS games that required the GBA as a peripheral spot.

I've had mine for almost a year, and to be honest I really haven't used it much differently than the DS lite before I traded it in. People who are looking to just play games don't really have a need for a DSi. It has a music player that features a limited mixer, it's fun. I played Lady Gaga's Bad Romance on it and altered her voice to sound male... strangely entertaining. However, don't confuse this with an MP3 player. It's not.

The cameras are limited too; the quality is comparable to a cell phone. There are some fun doodling utilities, but like the mixer, these are mostly fun... they aren't for serious pictures.

The channel system is interesting. Once you accept that the DSi is a portable game system that also tries to be a bit of a 'jack-of-all-trades' toy, you really see that the channel system is at the heart. The DSi store, where you purchase applications, has been up for a while. There's are a variety of puzzle games and a few types of calculator and alarm clock applications. Very few of these stand as 'games' and usually just seem more like 'stuff to do if you're bored enough'. There are some fun titles though. And some applications are worth trying out.

Internet connectivity is a big thing nowadays. The DSi takes the the DS lite clearly in this department. An upgrade that came out this past August allowed pictures in the album to publish directly to facebook. I'm not sure why exactly they picked to route it only to that one social networking site... I wouldn't have minded if it had routed it to a picture site like Photobucket or a blog... but Facebook is the most popular, so it works.

The lack of Blue Tooth technology and the elimination of the GBA peripheral port makes the DSi limited. In this respect it is very much like a 'toy', with very distinct boundaries and an ill defined purpose. There are fun features on it, but really it feels like half the fun is trying to incorporate them into your daily life somehow. That's a strange way to conceptualize a game system. While I can't say I agree with everything that Nintendo has made the DSi into, I can say that it is a neat little gizmo that really makes no real pretensions at being anything more than a little light fun.

Break-fest!!!

You know, I kind of miss November. Not because I was in school then. As much as I enjoyed learning, and I did, I'm happy to be out for a while. But I had a list of exciting event in November. Now it's December, and really I got nothing. December is signifigantly lamer than November, afterall, I pretty much spent the first half finishing up school. And on top of that, I had, although willful, obigatory and time consuming travel plans to arrange everything by. With only ten days left in December, nay 2009, I'm thinking I'll do my best to inject a couple of exciting events and projects to spice up life. I can't say life sucks, but I can say that it's a lot more boring since November ended... :(

Tune in tomorrow to start a reel of exciting plans! Damn it, I'm going to enjoy my break to the fullest and stop being such a lardass about everything! (first I'll need an annoying catch phrase... "November Rocks" and "November is Awesome" are pretty hard to beat though... they were so catchy)

Out of In Your Face -book

Oh internet, you are a wonder. You're fucking massive! I don't think humans were meant to be as connected as the functionality seems to put us sometimes; and that uncomfortably close proximity is only made possible by the internet!

Case in point, I submit Facebook. A social networking site, it allows you to keep up with an absurd number of people as they continue to update every inane detail of their life. In the case of my close friends, I really appreciate it. In the case of casual acquaintances, I guess it's kind of neat. I mean it helps me get to know them better without all that awkward... what did they use to call it? Conversation? As for people I really don't talk to though it's annoying.

I really don't care that they uploaded pictures, have a tough status update, or that they lost their phone and need the numbers of all their real friends. We don't talk and have no real impact or contact on each other's life. We have nothing in common and there really is no point in staying so up to date on people who have, and never really, had anything to do with my life. I might as well be following strangers. Scratch that! A lot of these people are in their own circle of friends. Bascially I just get updates about how they all get along with each other... which is all well and good... but basically I feel like I'm looking into a Alpaca Enthusiast Group meeting; I have no real attachment to alpacas.

But I can't un-friend them, that seems a little antagonistic. There must be a compromise. What's that Facebook? 'Hide' is a feature that can 'Hide' people right out off my reading list? You mean I can actually use facebook and ignore people I don't particularly care about? Why it's just like real life! *click*click*click*click*click*click*and *click* Ahhh, I now have a little breathing distance.

As the internet was conceived a way to connect everyone in near limitless ways, I think it's also key to let us all to disconnect a little bit. Ahhh... Facebook hasn't jumped this much closer to serenity since I blocked Farmville!

Snow!

I couldn't tell you if it's a Texas thing, but everyone gets really excited about seeing snow. Is it because snow is an indicator of uncomfrotably cold weather? Probably not. Is it because it's a subtle departure from their dull and mundane lives? Even I'm not that cynical. I think it's rooted in something closer to childish wonderment. Snow floats on air and drifts around, it's eye catching and just fun to watch. Enjoy the day! Behold one of mother nature's many screen savers!