The Blogger Returns
So it has been an extremely long time since I have last blogged anything. I think part of the reason is that I just have never been the journal type. I'm trying though so bear with me!
So some of you might not know this about me, but I'm actually a pretty big gamer. I've been playing video/computer games pretty much all my life. I've always been into computers/technology and gaming has just been a big part of that.
The past year and a half, the game of choice for me has been the MMORPG World of Warcraft. I've never really played a game for this long before but it has certain qualities about it that make it extremely fun for an indefinite amount of time.
How could a game remain this fun for so long? Well the truth is that it's the community. You play this game with thousands of other people all at the same time. You actually build real relationships with people and make friends or perhaps even enemies. I've met some pretty amazing people and made lots of friends who I've actually continued to play this game with now for over a year.
We have built up a rather large guild called Domination. When this guild first started off, it was very small and I was just a regular member. Over time we pushed into something called raiding. Raiding is almost like a sports event except it's a bunch of people working together to over come complicated encounters in dungeons with dragons/etc.
As time went by, I somehow actually found myself as the guild leader for this guild. Now, that may not sound like much to some people, but running a large raiding guild with 60+ active members is not a simple task. It is almost like a second job. The amount of work required to keep things functioning smoothly is incredible however the rewards are great.
I think in the past I have been a bit weary about talking about my gaming hobby. Perhaps it's because I don't think most people would understand it. However, I've changed my mind and will probably talk more openly about it and share some of my experiences for it from here on out.
Anyway, thanks for reading. Till next time.
My new Ipod Nano
I'm such a technology geek. Certainly things I see and I just can't resist. This thing just happened you arrive in a timely matter with the demise of my Ipod mini's battery. So far my eexperience with it has been great. I really enjoy it's small size and color screen. I've had to be a bit extra careful when walking around with it to make sure I don't lose it and that it doesn't fall out but all in all it's worth it. This thing is so small that sometimes you forget you are wearing it.
Also, it's nice to be one of the first with one. I ride the subway daily and have yet to see anyone else with one. They all have their ipod mini's with a few with the larger ipod. Before long, everyone will have a nano but for now I can feel special!! :)
If you haven't seen it, here is a link: Black Ipod Nano.
Apple has made another successful victory.
NYC Subway Bag Searches are a Waste!!
Many people might be aware that NYC now is randomly searching the bags of people who are boarding the subway at various stops in hopes to deter would be bombers but what you may not realize is what they are doing is an utter waste of resources.
Since the plan went into place I've run into these bag searches twice over about two month’s time. Neither of these times was I even glanced at for consideration for a bag search nor did I see anyone else being searched. There were merely a few police officers sitting at a desk with a sign explaining why they were there. They were just chatting away and not searching anyone.
Of course what makes it even more pointless is that if you see them searching bags, there is nothing to stop you from just leaving and walking 3-4 blocks to another subway entrance where there is no bag searching going on.
In conclusion, this bag searching is a waste of time and resources and either step it up and do it for real or don't bother wasting our tax dollars on what is clearly a flawed public relations move.
FireFox reaches 50 Million Downloads
Looks like FireFox is really becoming a hug success. I'm so happy to see that as it's making my life in supporting users easier. It's definitely the way people should go and hitting 50,000,000 downloads proves that FireFox is here to stay!
Grats to the team and all those that pushed FireFox!!!
http://www.spreadfirefox.com/?q=node/view/14616
NYC subway gets a computerized facelift
Well it looks like my L train got an upgrade! I knew they've been working in it for a while now but I hadn't seen much of a description of exactly what they were doing until I came across this article.
NYC subway gets a computerized facelift
This is pretty exciting. I've always thought the L train did pretty well compared to many of the other trains and I look forward to seeing things like next expected train arrival. It should be a great boon to helping with my commutes. I'm also assuming that they won't be able to run any of the older trains any more using this new system so that means just the new ones. You'll see no complaints here!!
Hopefully, this will spell the end of the construction!!! No more weekend delays!! One can only dream!
10 years, 100 moments of the Web
Yahoo has posted a very interesting retrospective view of the Internet over the past 10 years. It notes some (but not all) of the more note worthy events that have happened over the past ten years ranging from the launch of Yahoo to the spread of the Star Wars Kid. It's a fascinating read so be sure and check it out.
http://birthday.yahoo.com/netrospective/
FireFox Forces Competition From Microsoft
I recently came across the news that Microsoft has announced that it has pushed up Internet Explorer's release of version 7. It was originally supposed to be released along with the next OS release from Microsoft (Longhorn). Not Surprisingly, with FireFox on the scene Microsoft has had to rethink their strategy.
Now I am a big fan of FireFox but I am an even bigger fan of competition. It was competition that brought us Internet Explorer in the first place which at the time was far superior to Netscape. However, since then there has been no competition causing the rate at which IE has advanced to dwindle.
Fortunately, with the release of FireFox the browser wars have been reignited. FireFox has slapped Microsoft in the face and forced them to pay attention to the needs of the web users. This is good for us because competition breeds a superior product for all of us.
Here is an article I read on the subject, I found it interesting and think you will too.
Is Microsoft reacting to Firefox's popularity?
