Frap

2007-05-25T14:04:00.000-07:00

Must Have Games

Game Demo Played

1. Command & Concor (downloaded 4/6/07)
top pick!

Good: graphics are awesome for a RTS game, menu option are very intuitive, overall game play is smooth with current hardware

Bad: maneuvering on the screen (while in play) is a little difficult.

2. Supreme Commander (downloaded 4/5/07)

Good: graphics are okay, menu option are very intuitive, overall game play is smooth with current hardware, maneuvering while in game play is very easy- different from most RTS game.

Bad: Under-developed / over simplified city building - meaning there is no temple or research buildings to unlock cool advancements - there is however, upgrades which sorta does this. You can argue that this is a good thing since it allows you to focus more on building your army.

Notables:
1. Blazing Angels: Squadrons of WWII (PC)
2. Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Vegas (PC)
3. Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Double Agent (PC)
4. Big Brain Academy (DS)
5. Marvel: Ultimate Alliance (PC)
6. Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Advanced War fighter (PC)

CellFactor

Link:
@videogames.yahoo.com

Release Date:
tba 2007

World in Conflict

Link:
@videogames.yahoo.com

Release Date:
Sept. 2007

BioShock

Link:
@videogames.yahoo.com

Release Date:
1 Apr. 2007

Images:

Spore

Link:
@gamespot.com

Release Date:
Q3 2007

Images:

Half-Life Two Episode 2 + Portals

Link:
@gamespot.com

Release Date:
Summer 2007

Images:

Crysis

Link:
@gamespot.com

Release Date:
Q3 2007

Images:

End all arguments: PS3 vs 360

2006-12-27T08:31:00.000-08:00

Pull up a chair, some beverages, even a pillow as we look at DPAD's most comphrehensive article EVER. Michael "Optimus" Perry goes beyond the range of an average review and breaks the PS3 and 360 down piece by piece, giving us a never before seen analysis of arguably the most heated debates in our recent console memory. PS3 or 360?

read more | digg story

Toyota 400HP hybrid sportscar / 0-60 in 4sec / $35,000 = Nice knowin ya GM

2006-12-27T08:30:00.000-08:00

Plus it looks super cool. GM and Ford better step up their game, fast.

read more | digg story

AJAX for n00bs

2006-12-27T07:38:00.000-08:00

Take a look on the net and you'll see endless pages of AJAX Frameworks: libraries which promise to do all the trivial and dirty AJAX work for you, leaving you free to code without actually understanding how the application you're writing really works. So lets pull back the smoke and mirrors and see what AJAX is and why it's just a simple evolution

read more | digg story

Radially expanding table (Video)

2006-12-10T08:57:00.000-08:00

"The expansion leaves are stored within the table and, in just four seconds, smoothly and quickly emerge upon rotation, rising and radially expanding outwards as the entire top is turned through 30
˚. Existing tables can seat six persons when small, and twelve or more when expanded, but there are other design possibilities."

read more | digg story

Beautiful subways from around the world (cool pics)

2006-08-28T10:18:00.000-07:00

Many operators of metros, subways or underground railways want to attract more passengers with good station design. This often means extra effort and higher costs for the metro operators but it seems to pay when a metro is more than just a means of transport but something the residents can be proud of.

read more | digg story

3D Desktop on steroids: SUSE Linux 10.1

2006-05-23T06:29:00.000-07:00

Mad Penguin is running a review on SUSE Linux 10.1, and includes info on the latest XGL/Compiz 3D desktop running on the popular distribution. Screenshots are included, as well as a Flash animation of the installer. Info on setting up multimedia support is included also. A good read.

read more | digg story

Gun Engine Explodes Fuel Efficiency

2006-05-03T07:08:00.000-07:00

Bon Kulman interviews Kazimierz Holubowicz, inventor of the gun engine, which was designed with the objective of increasing engine efficiency from 20% to much more than that.

read more | digg story

2008 Prius to Get 113 Miles Per Gallon

2006-04-11T19:22:00.000-07:00

Toyota engineers are reportedly working on a next-generation gas-electric hybrid Prius that will get a whopping 113 MILES PER GALLON. The new car, which may be released within two years, will stay in "stealth mode" (i.e. all-electric mode) all the time at low speeds, and use the gas engine only for higher speeds. The car will also go faster. Click Here For Full Story

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GetDataBack 3.01 released

2006-03-31T07:36:00.000-08:00

Get the new version 3.01 now - all the proven functionality, plus better interface, improved bad sector handling, easier three steps instead of five, faster recovery engine.

read more | digg story

Retouching photos to the max!

2006-03-30T11:43:00.000-08:00

Greg Apodaca's web portfolio showcases some of the most EXTREME retouched photos that I have ever seen done. This is worth checking out to see who the real models are behind the magazine covers our society idolizes. His site shows the original scans followed by his retouching of each image. Check this out!

read more | digg story

Web2.0 list + Social bookmarking + AJAX rating = web2list.com

2006-03-30T08:46:00.000-08:00

A link to all the web 2.0 websites. AJAX star rating system. Alexa ranking, delicious, published sites in digg and ...

read more | digg story

GDC06 tech demo Crysis in Hi-res...Wow!

2006-03-29T13:51:00.000-08:00

Move over Unreal Engine 3, Crytek and EA shows off CryEngine 2. Says, "will be playable at E3 2006"; enjoy

read more | digg story

Best looking PC FPS EVER .. The Cell Factor (VIDEO)

2006-03-29T13:44:00.000-08:00

Be prepared to crap your pants. AGEIA(Company supporting sony for ps3's physics) have shown off THEE best physics demo anyons ever seen. Lets hope that this will some day be a real fps. This is running all in REAL TIME.

read more | digg story

Steve Jobs, Take Down This DRM Wall (AAPL)

2006-03-29T09:08:00.000-08:00

While this sounds radical, Fairplay is no real protection for content today. Anyone who wants to create an unprotected digital copy of an iTunes track today need only write it to CD and then re-rip it into digital AIFF or MP3 form. Those who don’t want to bother with the CD can download the PlayFair utility that simply removes the DRM.

read more | digg story

Camera + GPS + Google Maps = Kick Ass

2006-03-28T12:25:00.000-08:00

This guy took exif data (data about pictures) from a GPS enabled camera, parsed it and sent that data to Google Maps. The examples of Washington D.C. are great. I cannot wait to do this with my camera. This is a must see!

read more | digg story

PC Games to be released in 2006...WOW!

2006-03-27T11:56:00.000-08:00

This is a comprehesive list of all promising PC games slated for 2006 release. Many screenshots, Dial up beware.

read more | digg story

The project

2006-01-01T10:28:00.000-08:00

The project
Originally uploaded by jjc01d.

I have been using an extension cord for the past 6 months to run my microwave. It is time to wire the microwave properly. Click on the photo to see the step by step for wiring a microwave (you will be redirected to Flickr.com).

F.E.A.R - Review / How to decide

2005-12-10T08:08:00.000-08:00

My Computer Overview:

Computer brand: hand built
Processor: AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+ 1GHz FSB Socket 939 Dual Core
Video: PNY VCG68128XWB Geforce 6800 128MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card - OEM
Memory: OCZ EL Platinum Revision 2 1GB (2 x 512MB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) Unbuffered Dual Channel
MOB: GIGABYTE GA-K8N Pro-SLI Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 SLI ATX AMD Motherboard
Hard drive: SATA 160 GB 7200RPM
Monitor: CRT 19'

Gaming Devices:
Keyboard / Mouse: Wireless Bluetooth Intellimouse and keyboard from Microsoft
Game Pad: Axispad (similar button setup as the xbox 360 game pad)

Review:
This video is a FEAR parody - not to be taken as real game footage:

Game Physics: The physics are what makes or breaks a FPS game, and FEAR seems to take the cake in physics realism.

Graphics: I would imagine that the "System Requirements" minimums would give you fairly choppy frames per second and pixilated scenery. The cool thing about FEAR is that it gives you an auto detect settings (Performance - Auto Detect), which seems to give you the biggest frames per second for optimal game play. In addition, the auto detect will optimize according to your CPU (for physics settings) and your Video Card. So if you have a mediocre graphics card and a top of the line CPU, the auto detect will crank up the physics settings and give you and medium settings for the rest. Such as my case. So if you are a big Anti Aliasing fan then get the beefier video card. To me, AA seems to be over rated.

Overall: This game is a MUST HAVE if you enjoy FPS games.

How to decide for yourself (ie. Sources):
Watch live game play videos: www.youtube.com or video.google.com (search for "F.E.A.R")
Game reviews: www.gamerankings.com
Download Demo: videogames.yahoo.com (single player) (multi player)

About The Author:
I've been a PC gamer ever since playing my first - first person shooter (FPS) - "Wolfenstein 3D" on my old Gateway 2000 computer with 2MB of RAM and no video card running on DOS. This was back in 1993 when I got my first computer at age 16. The games that I have played since then are too numerous to list, but I tend to enjoy the FPS games the most. Most notable favorites are: Quake (all), HALO for PC, Doom 3 and yes F.E.A.R.