furious

I'm pretty angry right now. I just have to get it out of my system and move on. I've gone on and on in multiple posts about the coming of the new Rockstar game, Grand Theft Auto IV onto the PS3. I mean, this is basically one of the 2 games that I have been waiting all along to play on the PS3. Needless to say I'm pretty excited about it and I couldn't wait to play it when it was finally released in stores. I even pre-ordered it from Best Buy so I could be assured of getting it on Day Zero. That day is today.

And yet, here I am at home after work and am I firing up the game, assuming the role of Nico Bellic and terrorizing the streets of Liberty City? Negative. Instead I sit fuming in front of the computer, just plain angry. Did I get the game? I did. I worked until about 8pm, got the hell out of the office as soon as I could, and went down to the Best Buy to pick up my order just before closing time. The chick behind the counter gave me a blank stare as if she'd never done this before. "Is it the special edition?" she asked me. Not wanting to lie, I said I don't think so, but she seemed almost bent on trying to hand me the special collector's edition which costs about $30 more and comes with all kinds of extra stuff like a metal box and a book of artwork. If she was going to give that to me I sure wasn't going to say no. But eventually she actually checked the order and realized that it was just the regular game. She put it in a bag and handed it to me, and I was outta there.

It wasn't until I was nearly home, half an hour later, that it occurred to me that the package she handed me in the bag was unusually large. The PS3 games come in a Blu-Ray disk case which are slightly smaller than a DVD case. But something felt wrong somehow as I sat at a red light, caressing the package in my passenger seat. The case felt... unusually large. Ohoh. Surely the dimwitted cashier had not given me the wrong game? Or for the wrong platform (GTA IV is also available for the X360)? As I sat there in the car I held up the package in the pale yellowish illumination of the streetlights and made the horrible discovery -- the silly b!tch had forgotten to take the game out of its security packaging! Unbelievable!

So the game sits on my table, sealed in its tamper-resistant packaging and I'm halfway tempted to just go at it with my rotary cutting power tool to get it open. But I think it has one of those exploding ink cartridges that wouldn't be too fun to see splattered all over the room or my shirt. So yeah, I'm pretty damn angry. I'm going to go back tomorrow to get it opened, and I'm gonna let somebody have it. I guess in meantime, I'll go play some more Gran Turismo 5: Prologue instead.

alternative

I might have been too quick to judge, too swift to declare my allegiance to the V10. Because in this world of rising gas prices and global warming, it might be foolish to not at least consider buying an alternative fuel or hybrid vehicle. With that in mind, I submit, um, Plan B.

The Audi R8 TDI LeMans V12. It runs on diesel fuel and makes 500hp. According to Audi, the production version would be capable of reaching 200mph top speed, 0-60mph in less than 4 seconds, and it gets 25mpg. Dude, right now my Lexus IS350 doesn't even get 25mph. Sign me up!

gran(d)

Today is a big day for racing sim fans and PS3 fans -- it's launch day for Gran Turismo: 5 Prologue.

It actually hit the PlayStation Network last night as a downloadable game but will also be available in stores for purchase on Blu-Ray media today. I've already placed my order on Amazon and took advantage of a $5 off online coupon but the downside is, I won't get the game until sometime next week most likely. Things at work will probably keep me busy over the weekend anyways but you can bet I will be eagerly awaiting the arrival of what undoubtedly is one of the most hotly anticipated and wildly popular PS3 games that will come out this year.


The other huge release of the year comes out April 29th but is a multi-platform game -- Grand Theft Auto IV. I'm definitely going to be picking that up at the end of this month, and then I may well disappear off the grid for a while as I explore and fight to conquer the virtual world of Liberty City.

Speaking of grids, GT5P may see some intense competition later this summer from game developer Codemasters -- from a game called GRID. Check out the preview trailer below from IGN. I will probably be picking this one up as well when it comes out, it should really give GT5P a run for the money:



These are exciting times... I mean, GT5P and GTA IV are the games that I essentially bought my PS3 for. At long last, they are here. Both games also feature new online multiplayer functionality that should give them tons of replay value long after I finish the single-player modes.

fracture

Well the saying goes, the road to hell is paved with good intentions. I'm not really sure that applies 100% to the story I'm about to tell, but you can be the judge of that. I just couldn't think of anything more pithy to pair up with the tale on a moment's notice.

I've been told and have read somewhere (don't ask me for the source now) that eating almonds, especially raw and unsalted almonds, is good for your health. In fact it says right here on the can that eating them may reduce the risk of heart disease. So since I have mildly high blood pressure and am one of those "at risk", I thought it would be a nice healthy habit to pick up, plus I really like almonds anyways. It's just that I was used to eating roasted and salted ones, but raw almonds are not that far off in taste and texture so it's a relatively easy switch. So last weekend since we're on a health craze V. and I went to Trader Joe's and I picked up a big bag of raw almonds for me to snack on.

So I'm snacking away at work yesterday, munching on these healthy and heart-friendly almonds while my coworkers are scarfing down the Twix and Reeses Pieces in my candy jar. But late in the afternoon, something goes awry -- I find myself chomping down on something distinctly non-almondlike. Before you think of something horrific (animal part) or something really awesome (10-carat diamond), suffice to say that it was in fact, a fragment of my tooth. Apparently the corner of one of my molars had broken loose and presto, there it is on my desk. Fortunately, the aforementioned coworkers had since departed from my office, perhaps fearing that the look of consternation on my face was going to presage some new dreadful assignment I was about to lay down on them. But no, it was just a molar malfunction.

So I took the morning off today and went to see my dentist, who proclaimed "nice fracture!" and proceeded to saw the top of my tooth off after various needles and Novocaine were bandied about in front of my face. I'm sporting a temporary cap on the injured tooth and they made a casting from my teeth to make me a permanent cap that will be ready in two weeks. I was sorely tempted to inquire as to the price for a full platinum or gold grille but I had a hunch my insurance wasn't going to cover it. It could have been a pivotal point in my life, where my career as a hip-hop star would have taken off, but alas it seems it was not to be. So now I'm back in the office staring at this can of almonds and wondering what's next... am I going to cut the roof of my mouth trying to eat some of my multigrain flake cereal? Or choke on one of the vitamin pills I'm taking? Is there a moral to this story? I am not sure but I guess I'm going to be chewing more carefully for the next few weeks.

ten

Sometimes amazing things happen based on a simple idea or concept. Take the number 10 for instance. It has amazing significance. We have 10 fingers and 10 toes, and therefore our whole system of counting is based on factors of 10. It has a 1 and an 0, the two basic elements of the binary code language that man-made machines speak. Everywhere you look around, the number 10 plays a huge role in our lives.

I should know. My birthday is on October 10, the 10th day of the 10th month of the year.

Ok, don't get too creeped out. I'm trying to get somewhere with this, and it's really quite simple. A thought that just occurred to me today. It's not that politically correct to say something like this, and certainly not the "green" way to live, but I feel it in my heart just the same. Here it is:

I WILL own a V10 someday.

OK, maybe it wasn't the ground-breaking bombshell discovery or revelation you were looking for. But it caused ripples of cause and effect which could have amazing consequences further down the road. Walk with me a little further.

In case it's not clear, what I mean is I intend to own a V10-powered car someday. Why? Because we have 10 fingers on our hands and 10 toes on our feet. Because being born on 10/10 gives me the right, nay, the obligation to fulfill my automotive manifest destiny. Is it the most eco-friendly thing to want or have, given our bleak future of depleted oil resources, expensive gas prices, and global warming? Most definitely not. But you cannot deny my logic. 10 is the number that must be dominant, 10 is the number of cylinders that must power the vehicle of my dreams and make my life complete.

So let's take a look at what we're talking about here. What cars are available with a V10 engine? Not too many, really. The now discontinued Porsche Carrera GT would have been a great candidate. The Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 is a serious contender. The Dodge Viper SRT-10 is another option. If I wanted to be practical I could even consider the BMW M5 Touring or the Audi RS6 Avant, which are German-speak for really really ridiculously fast station wagon. I have to admit, I may be doing myself a disservice by categorically excluding all the fine vehicles out there that are driven by a V8 motor, or a V12. But I must be true to my calling.

That's all well and good you say, but what is so ground-breaking about saying I want a V10? Nothing much, in and of itself. But when one realizes that these V10 machines are not cheap, but one still has the aspirations or dare I say, mandate! of owning one, then one has to get down to brass tacks and git 'er done, as the good ol' boys in the South would say. So it's time to get cracking on the revenue generation, bringing home the bacon, making the dough. That's the ripple -- it changes everything we do, in cause and effect.

You might have noticed a few subtle changes on this blog site. I've slyly added some advertising for Amazon in the sidebar, and a link at the bottom of the page where you can search and shop the whole Amazon site. If you're already shopping at Amazon to buy your favorite books, DVDs, music or other cool stuff, help me out and click through from here to make your purchases! Gift certificates also make great gifts! No additional cost to you, and it's a few pennies more to my V10 fund! I'll change the sidebar links from time to time to recommend some cool movies or books or whatever that I would recommend based on my own enjoyment of these items.

V is also on a newfound entrepreunerial charge, working to become a health and beauty consultant and teaming with Market America to sell products like vitamins, nutraceuticals and makeup. Her new business is called Princess Health and Beauty. If you're into that stuff then take a look at her new blog, and also her homepage linked in the sidebar.

Not to be outdone, I'm going to be playing mini-venture capitalist, throwing around some of my hard-earned bucks in various investments. I've taken a few risks and gambles by choosing to invest in what is viewed by many as a very shaky time economically but it may well pay off (literally I hope!). I've got some money in banking and commercial transaction institutions, some money in some aggressive mutual funds, and even some foreign investment funds. Wish me luck.

So today is 4/10/08. And in 6 months, it will be 10/10/08. Check back in to see how we're doing, maybe in 6 months we'll be coming up perfect 10s... and riding in style in a V10-powered car.

rumble

A few years back Sony lost a patent infringement lawsuit filed by Immersion Corp. and in the end they had to pay some $150 million for the fact that they used vibration or "rumble" in their PlayStation and Playstation 2 controllers. Gamers everywhere were pretty skeptical when Sony announced that the PlayStation 3 was going to come out without rumble in their controllers. Instead they introduced the SIXAXIS controller that featured motion sensing instead and tried to spin all kinds of lame PR to suggest that gamers really didn't think that vibration was that important for gaming. Well au contraire, mon ami! How would you explain the fact that companies like Microsoft and Nintendo went ahead and licensed the technology from Immersion and incorporated the vibration feature into the controllers for their next-gen game consoles, the X360 and Wii? That was a pretty big load of b.s. as far as I'm concerned. Especially for the games that I like to play, driving simulators like Gran Turismo and first person or 3rd person action shooters, vibration is a big part of the game experience. It gives you tactile feedback when you hit an obstacle or get shot or something explodes near you. Once you've experienced it you don't want to play without it.

Sony finally came around and saw the light -- they signed a license deal with Immersion and in Asia they debuted the new DUALSHOCK 3 controller for PS3 sometime in November last year. No love for North America in 2007 though, the word was that sometime in Spring 2008 the U.S. gamers would get it. Some devoted U.S. gamers bought or ordered DS3s through companies that would import the DS3s from Asia.

My coworker was going on a trip to China, and he asked me what I wanted... you know where this is going. Two weeks later he's back from his trip and in my hands is the ultra-rare, made for the Chinese market, bona-fide DUALSHOCK 3. Pretty sweet, it actually doesn't weigh that much more than the SIXAXIS and has all the features of the SIXAXIS plus the vibration. And many of the popular games already support it. Rumble is back, baby!

And so I reveled in the glory that is mine, having one of the very few DS3s in the hands of a consumer in the U.S. ... until next week, it seems. There are reports that Sony is shipping DS3s all over the country to retailers and that they are about to break cover in the next week or so. Well, that's the thing about being on the cutting edge... it's thin and sometimes you fall right off. But at least I got mine for cheaper than everyone else will.