Author: josh

Amazon Recommends

I just saw this on Amazon. They’re recommending that I buy these books based on what I’ve already purchased. Now sing it with me: “One of these things is not like the others… one of these things just doesn’t belong…”

Eight recommended items from Amazon

Mario Kart DS

Four days ago, on Tuesday, Mario Kart DS came out. It’s a brand new game for the Nintendo DS. It’s the latest entry in the Mario Kart series. It’s the reason I bought my DS, and I’m so glad I did. I absolutely love it. It’s in my bag, back pocket, or hand everywhere I go.

Mario Kart DSI don’t want to write a full review of the game. Those of you who might be convinced to buy the system and/or the game will know where to look to find more information about it, so I don’t need to be redundant. I just want to mention one thing about it: wireless. This is the first Nintendo DS game that is able to use a common wireless router (the kind you find in many homes and most businesses) to communicate with other DS systems all over the world. If I want to find someone to race against right now, I can do that without even standing up and leaving my couch. No matter what time it is. It’s a blast! Due to the way the game is written, the races are always exciting, with an anything-can-happen vibe to them. The person currently in last place is almost as likely to win as the person currently in first. It even has an automatic feature that matches you with people who are approximately at your skill level. It’s worked pretty well for me so far.

Screenshot 1If you prefer to race with people you actually know, the game has a special “friends-only” search mode. Each copy of the game has a unique 12-digit “friend code” that identifies you. Giving it to your friends allows them to find you online and race you more easily. And of course, if you’re all sitting around a table together, there’s a short-range wireless function too, so you can play without needing a wireless access point. I’ve just gotten to know a few other DS owners at Apple, and yesterday we got together and played Kart during lunch in the lobby of Infinite Loop 1. It was easily the most fun I’ve had with my DS ever. It’s awesome to see everyone get hit with a lightning bolt at the same time, and hear “Awwwwww!!!” simultaneously from four different people. Or hear people gasp as a person in the back hits their stride, gets a great item, and bashes their way to first place.

Screenshot 2Today, I even considered taking it with me to the bathroom and playing in a stall with the sound turned down. I mean, I knew I was going to be in there for a little while, so why not, right? Then I realized that people in the stalls around me would occasionally hear me making frustrated little sounds. “Aw!”, “Ooo!” or “Crap!” To which the clever person in the stall next to me would probably respond, “Well, what did you expect?” I thought of this while sitting there in the bathroom (without the game, as my better judgement dictated) and I began to laugh out loud. So I can’t imagine that what actually happened sounded any better or more normal than what I was thinking could happen. Oh well.

If you’ve got a DS, or you’re a gamer of any kind, please consider getting this game. I guarantee you’ll love it. And if you already have it…

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Prepare yourself.

A Modest Questioning Thingy

Now that Jonathan Swift is rolling over in his grave, I’ve got a story to tell. Neal wrote a blog entry recently in which he told the story of how he proposed to his now-fiancee. And I promised that I would, in the spirit of the whole thing, also tell the story of how I proposed to my now-wife.

So here it is. Just for posterity. (Some of you were there. I’d love to hear what you recall, if anything.)

First a tiny bit of back story. Steph and I met in late August of 1997. We hit it off immediately (well, she didn’t really like me for the first month. Deleted my voicemails, etc) and spent obscene amounts of time together. Things developed. We were semi-official about our relationship in April of 1998, although we had been trying since the earlier fall to deny the whole thing. Our fear and reluctance was stupid and immature. Those are the boring details. I skipped over the early good stuff to focus the spotlight; I hope you don’t mind.

Sometime in early 1999 Steph told me of a dream she had wherein I proposed to her. Not that she was dropping hints or anything. Of course not! But she did give the the details of the dream. In September of 1999 I knew it was time, and I bought a ring, and recreated the dream. This was the dream, and this is what happened.

Stephanie was with Melissa, an old roommate of hers, and they were having dinner. Melissa worked for Bethel Catering. Melissa told Steph that Steph simply had to see a setup Melissa had just finished for a special event in a particular room at Bethel that was usually reserved for fancy banquets. Steph followed her down to this room (whose name slips me) and opened the door, and then things got strange. All the people from a particular class Steph and I had taken Freshmen year together filed out of the room one by one, each holding a single rose. And one by one, they gave her their rose and walked past, without saying much.

She was then led into the room, where I was standing with a microphone and Johnny Taylor at my side. Johnny was playing the piano. (Ashley Parent was substituted for the real-life version since Johnny had moved elsewhere. She was excellent, and also in our wedding. And now she’s a Malette.) I sang “She’s Got A Way” by Billy Joel. I got down on one knee. I proposed. And there you have it.

In the real life version, I also threw in a case of Dr. Pepper as an inside joke. Sometimes when someone in Steph’s family makes a big purchase (e.g. buys a car), they’ll close the deal by saying, “I’ll take that deal if you throw in a case of pop.” So I threw one in, just to close it. She got it. She said “yes.” Well, actually she said, “If you put that ring on my finger,” which I’ve never quite let her forget. Sorry hon.

It was a lot of fun. We got a couple pictures. It really meant a lot to me to be able to have my friends there to witness the event and be a part of it, since I tend to live life through the eyes of the ones I love.

And there you have it! I hope you enjoyed my little story.

Email Time Capsule

Forbes had an interesting idea, and apparently decided to go through with it. They have a page up now called The E-mail Time Capsule which can apparently be used to send yourself an email in the future. They’ll hold your email for a year, three years, five, ten, or even twenty years in the future.

At first, the whole idea doesn’t seem that impressive until you realize how much technology changes in two decades. What kind of computer did you own in 1985? Yeah. It’ll be at least that big of a jump again in the next twenty, and they’re confident that your message to yourself won’t get lost amidst server swaps, internet protocol changes, etc, due to the way their time capsule works.

So send yourself a message, already! And if you don’t mind, copy and paste it over here in the comments so we can see it too. Oh, and if you don’t like Forbes for some reason, apparently there’s another group doing almost the same thing. They’re called FutureMe. For all I know they were doing it before Forbes. I don’t know if they’ve got the nice backup system(s) in place that Forbes has, but… whatever. Go nuts.

Video Content Survey

A friend of mine is conducting a survey about online video content and other stuff, and he’d love it if you’d take 10 minutes and click a few boxes. It’s best if you finish on or before Monday, November 14th. Thanks!

I’d be interested to hear your comments on the topics it raises, too. What do you all think of downloadable content, purchasable video, and viewing video on mobile devices? What price is worth it? Have you downloaded video from the ‘Net? How did you watch it?