tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85972205444825021092024-03-13T05:36:02.624-04:00ZartonisA blog marking events in my life, and my observations on the world.zartonishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13875514354053150836noreply@blogger.comBlogger59125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597220544482502109.post-55179673413270219422012-10-25T00:37:00.001-04:002012-10-25T00:38:56.948-04:00YouTube Update October 2012<br />
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<span style="color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">Whenever I log into my Google account, YouTube changes from the old layout to an abhorrant beast of a site. The new layout pushed content to the left, has ads in the video search results and just looks pretty bad all around. I want YouTube to do well, I really do, heck, I'm even a partner, but why, oh, why must they destroy the aesthetics of the site? I'm really hoping this is simply some sort of 'bug' as nobody in their right mind could call the most recent update to YouTube's look an improvement. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span><span style="color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">Please YouTube, don't be so ugly.</span></span>zartonishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13875514354053150836noreply@blogger.com67tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597220544482502109.post-58970324071011737872012-09-21T01:41:00.001-04:002012-09-21T11:23:28.439-04:00Dustforce<div>
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With my recent purchase of the Humble Indie Bundle 6, I have acquired six great games (though more will undoubtedly be added as the sale comes closer to it's end), Dustforce is among those games. Dustforce is a platforming game, developed by Hitbox Studios. The game has an aesthetically pleasing art style as well as very catchy music and precise controls, numerous levels, and great replay value.</div>
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The inclusion of Dustforce in the bundle was a large part of the incentive for me to purchase it, and I was not disappointed, the game is similar to another game I have been playing lately, Super Meat Boy, and has many similarities, such as the platforming aspect, timed runs and moving through the level gracefully. Dustforce, however, is also different in many ways as you have less death, at least in the early stages I have played, and the emphasis of the game play is on trying to sweep up all the dust while constantly filling up your bonus meter as well.</div>
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The art style is very nice, reminiscent of numerous anime and the music is pleasing to listen to, and, so far, it hasn't gotten repetitive or annoying to me. The art is invigorating with colorful characters, smoothly and nicely drawn foregrounds and backgrounds with an overarching style that connects everything nicely. The art also helps to set the mood with sharp distinctions between the worlds, which helps to draw you into the game.</div>
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Dustforce has a huge number of levels in each world connected by a central area, and if you finally do master all the levels and miraculously get the highest scores on each (fat chance), you can make your own levels with an included level editor, with which you can make levels and share them with others. The game also has multiplayer, unfortunately, however, it is only local multiplayer, but this game offers so much that this is really a non-issue for myself. You can see the replays of others and vice-versa and their times on the leaderboards, which provides incentive to do your best and continually strive to shave a few seconds off your time and to better your score.</div>
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Dustforce has been a joy to play so far, and I intend to play it for months to come, Hitbox has done very well indeed with this title. I hope you enjoy the video above and please remember to subscribe to my YouTube channel to keep up with future videos.</div>
zartonishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13875514354053150836noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597220544482502109.post-48203688241087136142012-09-08T10:31:00.002-04:002012-09-21T11:19:51.986-04:00Minecraft 1.3.2 Demo<div>
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Last April, I made a video on YouTube in which I played some of the Minecraft PC Gamer Demo, that video has always been popular, and I have decided to give the viewers an update with the newest demo, straight from the minecraft.net site. All you have to do to play the demo is register on the site, which is free, this will allow you to play the demo in the web browser.</div>
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In this video I simply play a bit of the game, nothing fancy, just gathering some resources, battling mobs and doing a bit of building, as I explain a few basic concepts. Please enjoy the demo and feel free to leave any comments or suggestions.</div>
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zartonishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13875514354053150836noreply@blogger.com40tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597220544482502109.post-12350315186611086342012-09-06T11:29:00.001-04:002012-09-11T22:39:35.000-04:00YouTube channel update<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ENlr5MCAYAg" width="640"></iframe><br />
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Lately I have been concentrating heavily on revamping my YouTube page and recording and uploading more videos. I currently have a few ongoing series including a Super Meat Boy play through, a single player Minecraft series and a series with my friend, Thumpercanman, (which I have posted a video of above), on an a Minecraft SMP world.<br />
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Though I am concentrating on these series, I also do videos of other PC games, mostly indie, and would be happy to take suggestions. Here are the games I currently have on Steam: <a href="http://steamcommunity.com/id/zartonis/games/">http://steamcommunity.com/id/zartonis/games/</a>, I would be happy to hear suggestions on doing videos of some of these games or about games you find interesting.<br />
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From now on, I plan on updating this blog each time I release a new video on YouTube, and hope to update this blog more often, as It has been a good while. Feel free to comment on the video or leave helpful suggestions. Thank you for your time.zartonishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13875514354053150836noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597220544482502109.post-50720556917764037472012-03-19T23:26:00.002-04:002012-03-19T23:28:06.798-04:00The coming of Spring.Tomorrow, Spring officially beings and along with it the unending heat of summer. Though many despise the perpetual coldness that winter means, I love it and I will miss it dearly when the hot, humid days begin to pile on.<br />
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On the game front, I have been playing numerous games lately, and with my purchase of a new desktop computer back in December, I am now able to play many more PC games. I have buffed up my Steam collection tremendously during this year, mostly through Steam sales and through purchasing Humble Indie Bundles. I have also discovered GOG.com (Good old Games), offering many awesome looking games of yesteryear.<br />
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Heroes of Might and Magic III is an outstanding game available on GOG. When I purchased the game, I was feeling the urge for strategy and remembered playing a port of the game on Game Boy Color when I was younger, which I really enjoyed. This game is truly a good old game, though the graphics are certainly dated, this game has given me a lot of enjoyment and has sated some of my desire for strategy. <br />
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The version of HOMM III on GOG.com is the complete edition, giving you all of the official expansions, which will provide hours of play time. The game also provides tools for you to make your own maps, scenarios and campaigns and comes pre-loaded with plenty of campaigns as well. You begin most scenarios with a hero and a town. <br />
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Your hero is the unit you move across the map, and use to battle other heroes, command your armies, and with the armies, capture towns. You can recruit other heroes in the town taverns. Your heroes don't actually fight in battle, for this you must recruit creatures, which will form your army. Heroes begin with a few creatures, but you must build structures in your towns to recruit creatures, though they can also be recruited throughout the map.<br />
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In order to build structures and recruit creatures, you will have to gather several different mineral types that are found in mines throughout the map, these mines provide a certain amount of the mineral each week.<br />
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Heroes of Might and Magic III is truly a gem among the games of the 1990s. I would definitely suggest picking up this game, as it provides great value for it's price, less money than most modern DLC packs, and providing much for value. <br />
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Geometry Wars 2 is another game I have recently purchased. This Xbox Live Arcde title is a few years old, it provides a great old-school style shooter experience, with fantastic HD graphics. Though the game isn't exactly deep, it provides great pickup and play quality and tight control.<br />
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I still play Minecraft quite regularly, on minecraftserver.com, but not nearly as frequently as when I first began began playing around a year ago, during Beta. The newness has worn off, but every once in a while I still find myself playing for an hour or so at a time. Once Minecraft comes out on the Xbox, hopefully this week or the next, I will have new inspiration to play, as a few Xbox friends who I now play a few Minecraft clones with (CastleMiner Z and Fortresscraft) will be getting the game. I will have a much more personal connection to our Xbox server, as the people I play with will be personal friends. The server I now play on now on the PC has no personal friends of mine on it, so I tend to simply play by myself, only entering spawn to trade, etc., so I am excited to explore this newest Minecraft port when it is released.zartonishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13875514354053150836noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597220544482502109.post-64246360313837693032011-07-01T16:16:00.002-04:002011-07-01T16:29:32.508-04:00Senate Bill S.978 will shut down video games and streams<iframe width="425" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/hytigOSjJxc" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
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The Bill in its full text: <a href="http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=s112-978">here</a><br />
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Techdirt's interpretation of the bill: <a href="http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110601/01515014500/senators-want-to-put-people-jail-embedding-youtube-videos.shtml">here</a><br />
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s.978, a bill that is currently being considered by the U.S. Senate, would make it a crime to stream or upload copyrighted works onto sites such as YouTube. The intention of the bill is to prevent works such as TV shows and movies from being uploaded illegally, but with the current broad wording, would cause a tremendous amount of unintended harm.zartonishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13875514354053150836noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597220544482502109.post-74333893910409673482011-05-28T01:13:00.002-04:002011-05-28T01:18:33.754-04:00Minecraft 1.6.4<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i.imgur.com/NfNV7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="225" width="384" src="http://i.imgur.com/NfNV7.jpg" /></a></div><br />
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Minecraft 1.6.4 is the current version of Minecraft as of now. With Minecraft 1.6 came over 100 bug fixes, the addition of hatches, tall grass, dead shrubs in deserts, the elimination of glitched minecart boosting, and the addition of the playable Nether in multiplayer and many other things. Along with the intentional changes, however, came many unintentional bugs. Notch and Mojang attempted to rectify the situation with multiple patches in one day (1.6.1, 1.6.2, 1.6.3 and 1.6.4). Unfortunately the patches did not solve everything and several bugs such as: spawning in midair, having partially damaged items break after one use if they had previously been dropped, severe lag in multiplayer, and lighting problems persisted.<br />
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Due to the enormity of the bugs Notch will be working on them on Saturday, which he definitely does not have to do, and he should be commended for this. As the game is still in Beta, and being improved for the eventual release in November, bugs can still be expected and should be prepared for. I would advise everyone to make routine backups of the .minecraft folder, before updating. By having a backed up copy of .minecraft, you can revert to the previous version if the newest release is overly bugged. By backing up my files, I was able to, for instance, recover my record from my jukebox, which due to a bug in 1.6 was deleted. I simply deleted 1.6.4, returned to 1.5 with the backed up save, and updated to 1.6.4 again with the intact record.<br />
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Minecraft is a great game, but it can be jittery, especially around update times. Though Minecraft can lure you into false sense of security with it being stable most of the time, remember it is still in Beta. Be sure to backup frequently, so that your hours of work and fun are not ruined.zartonishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13875514354053150836noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597220544482502109.post-40052185929667356852011-05-18T02:56:00.001-04:002011-05-18T02:56:16.078-04:00Terraria<iframe width="425" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/UGo7iMUcxLc" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
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I have just begun to check out the game known as Terraria. Though the game has many similarities to Minecraft, the game has its own charm and character. The game is more of an RPG, with a large assortment of monsters, NPCs and loads of craftable items. Though the game is in 2D, as opposed to Minecraft’s 3D, the game is fairly entertaining. I would suggest that anyone who plays the game should go into the game with an open mind, and give the game some time to work it’s magic on youzartonishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13875514354053150836noreply@blogger.com65tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597220544482502109.post-63791082747142019652011-04-20T07:20:00.004-04:002011-04-20T16:52:04.741-04:00Minecraft Demo Out<iframe title="YouTube video player" width="425" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/YhrVHe4fTUU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
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If you haven't tried the awesomeness that is Minecraft yet, you no longer have a valid excuse. PCGamer.com now has a demo of the game available for download. Minecraft is in my opinion one of the greatest games made up to this point in history, as it offers a totally unique, creative experience.<br />
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<b>Here is the download link:</b> <a href="http://www.pcgamer.com/2011/04/19/download-the-minecraft-demo">Minecraft Demo</a><br />
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If you end up buying the game after playing the demo, send me an email and we can play Survival multiplayer sometime. If you happen to join a server and see <b>zartonis</b> ingame, that is of course me.zartonishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13875514354053150836noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597220544482502109.post-4465766963503727882011-03-24T17:07:00.002-04:002011-03-24T17:13:01.746-04:00Minecraft: My World 1 home base tour<iframe width="425" height="344" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/4GgFBZ11Rnc?fs=1" frameborder="0" allowFullScreen=""></iframe><br />
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This is my home base from my first world in minecraft. Though I constantly add on to it, I decided to post this tour which shows my obsidian fortress atop a mountain. In the video I visit my newly installed hydroponic farm, storage room, living room, and incinerator. To end the video I climb up to the top of my base, which features a lava lighthouse and is built to the absolute maximum build height, and ride my minecart track down to a mob trap and look up at my base.zartonishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13875514354053150836noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597220544482502109.post-50930489633224306012011-03-02T17:00:00.004-05:002011-03-02T17:03:30.800-05:00Minecraft<div><br />
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</div>I have recently discovered a game called Minecraft. This game, with its striking simplicity, yet addicting characteristics has enthralled me for a week. I am just now able to conjure the willpower to pull myself away from the game and write a short review.<br />
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</div><div>Minecraft is, at this point ( the most recent version is Beta 1.3_01) a sandbox game, one begins with nothing and harvests resources such as wood to survive against monsters that spawn when night falls. Wood is a very basic and immediately needed resource in the game, as the player must gather it to form a crafting table, with which the player can construct useful tools such as axes, picks, swords, etc.</div><div><br />
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</div><div>Though the player can construct many things with the wood, and cobblestone to be found on the surface, to construct much more interesting items, the player much venture into caves, and create mines to harvest iron, redstone, gold and the like. Though this may seem uninteresting to many, Minecraft must be experienced in order to be understood.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Along with single player survival, you can play online with others, but as of this posting, I have yet to do so.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Minecraft is a great game, and I highly recommend it, and would advise anyone remotely interested to check out the Minecraft Website: <a href="http://www.minecraft.net/">http://www.minecraft.net/</a>.</div><div><br />
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</div>A beautiful aspect of music is that it has the ability to greatly impact the listener at a deeply emotional level. Animation, if crafted by the right hands, allows a story to be told, unbound by the rules normally governing the real world. In Fantasia (1940), music and animation were intertwined to create a masterpiece of sight and sound.<br />
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</div><div>A fantasia is a musical composition with roots in improvisation, and not always adhering to textbook rules. Fantasia very much lives up to its namesake. It was a costly film at the time of it's release $2.28 million, and was very long, over two hours in length at a time when cartoon shorts were more the norm.</div><div><br />
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</div><div>The visual styles presented in the film range from abstract to represent the absolute music of Bach in the <i>Toccata and Fugue in D Minor</i>, to Dukas' programmatic <i>The Sorcerer's Apprentice </i>providing a character driven story with a familiar Disney charm. The animation in this movie is some of the best hand-drawn animation ever to be produced. Even tiny details such as rivulets of water slowly edging down a spider web, are precisely portrayed. The artists are just as skilled at crafting the beating wings of a fairy as making <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chernabog#Chernabog">Chernabog</a> absolutely terrifying.<br />
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</div><div>I first experienced Fantasia as a young child, and it gave me a deep appreciation of concert music. I did not know the names of the composers: Bach, Tchaikovsky, Dukas, Stravinsky, Beethoven, Ponchielli, Mussorgsky or Schubert, but I did hear the beauty that was presented in Fantasia. This movie increased my interest in music and will always be among my favorites.<br />
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</div><div>The marriage of music and visual art as presented in Fantasia should be experienced by all, old or young. I highly recommend this movie to all.</div><div><br />
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Fallout 3 is set in post-apocalyptic Washington D.C. The player is from the safe sterilized world of a Vault, a device which sheltered the occupants from the harsh realities of the outside world. When the player emerges from the vault to look for his father he enters a world of mutants, and various factious groups vying for control in the chaos that the world has turned into.<br />
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The game has an interested combat system called VATS (Vault-Tec assisted targeting). This system allows the player to essentially pause the game when entering a combat situation and target certain areas of an enemy's body, the head, arms etc. The player can also play the game much like a first person shooter, simply aiming and shooting the weapons.<br />
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Though the combat is integral to the game, the player's interactions with NPCs is crucial. Much like classics such as Knights of the Old Republic, the player talks to characters and garners information, experience and Quest info.<br />
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I highly recommend this game, and I will be playing Fallout: New Vegas as soon as I finish this game, which will likely be a very long time from now.zartonishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13875514354053150836noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597220544482502109.post-10544497671836060402010-11-21T22:39:00.000-05:002010-11-21T22:39:33.556-05:00Graduation ApproachesI am almost through with my college experience. I have attended UTC for 4.5 years and will soon embrace my post-college life and the world of work.<br />
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Though many people question the value of a degree in History in this endeavor, I know the value. <br />
My degree shows the world that I have the critical thinking skills to address a problem, the persistence to see the solution through to the end, and an open mind that only comes with a balanced education that includes knowledge and a deeper understanding of people and cultures from around the world.zartonishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13875514354053150836noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597220544482502109.post-88771794139124582342010-10-07T23:22:00.001-04:002010-10-07T23:23:36.243-04:00To Kill A Mockingbird<object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/_t98LWNwUhI?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/_t98LWNwUhI?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br />
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Bernstein's music coupled with the touching and deep story of To Kill A Mockingbird, deeply affected me. The theme, according to Bernstein, was composed as though a child were humming it, or playing it on a piano. The music, which opens the movie, puts the audience into a wondrous state of mind, that of a child. The story is told through the perspective of Scout (Mary Badham), child of Atticus Finch (Gregory Peck) a lawyer in the town of Macon, Alabama. Finch is entrusted with defending Tom Robinson (Brock Peters), a black man charged with raping a white woman. During the story we also meet Jem (Philip Alford), Scout's brother, and Dill ( John Megna). The movie has a very stirring courtroom scene, which must have played a large role in Gregory Peck's later winning of an Oscar for the movie. The ending of the movie is very well done, with a great message that all that watch the movie should heed.zartonishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13875514354053150836noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597220544482502109.post-21532275077953546382010-08-30T20:15:00.003-04:002010-08-30T20:21:13.366-04:00The Scale of the Universe<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_JAvF1cTuPq0/THxJxI1aEEI/AAAAAAAAAok/vL_YqXPTKrw/s1600/Scale+Universe+resized.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="250" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_JAvF1cTuPq0/THxJxI1aEEI/AAAAAAAAAok/vL_YqXPTKrw/s400/Scale+Universe+resized.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;">The universe is sometimes hard to understand. One aspect that is especially perplexing at times is the vast scale of the whole thing. Humans perceive only a small chunk of the universe, and the website linked to below has helped me, and I am sure it will help you, to better understand the universe in which we reside.</div><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;">Here is the link: <b><a href="http://htwins.net/scale/index.html">The Scale of the Universe</a></b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>zartonishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13875514354053150836noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597220544482502109.post-52072484040134395232010-08-17T11:41:00.000-04:002010-08-17T11:41:40.391-04:00The Foundation Series<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_JAvF1cTuPq0/TGqrPaGDOBI/AAAAAAAAAnA/lKABKKIoim8/s1600/Foundation+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_JAvF1cTuPq0/TGqrPaGDOBI/AAAAAAAAAnA/lKABKKIoim8/s200/Foundation+1.jpg" width="121" /></a></div><br />
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I have just finished a large part of Asimov's Foundation series<br />
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( Foundation, Foundation and Empire and Second Foundation), as well as Foundation's Edge and Foundation and Earth. These books, especially the original trilogy are outstanding. The best thing about Asimov's stories is that they are character driven. Though the series is set in a highly advanced future, with wondrous technologies, the characters are always well grounded and relatable. Another aspect of Asimov's books that makes them stand out is the way his books, as all good science-fiction seems to, turn an eye towards our society. Though all of the books I have read so far in the series were written before I was born, they are very much relevant today, as can bee easily observed by the sheer numbers of Asimov fans.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JAvF1cTuPq0/TGqrSkOcLcI/AAAAAAAAAnI/2oz4orLocCo/s1600/FoundationAndEmpire.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JAvF1cTuPq0/TGqrSkOcLcI/AAAAAAAAAnI/2oz4orLocCo/s200/FoundationAndEmpire.jpg" width="123" /></a> I will in time read the prequels ( Prelude to Foundation and Forward the Foundation. I have long hesitated to begin the Foundation series due to the number of books involved if you count the expanded Foundation series books, this number is 29 according to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foundation_series#Original_trilogy_2">Wikipedia</a>. In the past I read I, Robot, which was an outstanding book, but at that time I did not even know of the Foundation series. When I encountered it later I was pretty sure I would love it, but I knew I would simply have to read every single book of the 29, though I will start with the books listed on <a href="http://www.sikander.org/foundation.php">this page</a>. I will undoubtedly read every single one of these books now, as I have been drawn into the Foundation universe, and I will not leave it without thoroughly exploring every nook and cranny.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_JAvF1cTuPq0/TGqrVPQ0M6I/AAAAAAAAAnQ/Pb-RfO-LXJQ/s1600/Second+Foundation.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_JAvF1cTuPq0/TGqrVPQ0M6I/AAAAAAAAAnQ/Pb-RfO-LXJQ/s200/Second+Foundation.jpeg" width="121" /></a><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_JAvF1cTuPq0/TGqrZ6Nlm5I/AAAAAAAAAng/4uMQ5cF2GmQ/s1600/Foundation+and+Earth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_JAvF1cTuPq0/TGqrZ6Nlm5I/AAAAAAAAAng/4uMQ5cF2GmQ/s200/Foundation+and+Earth.jpg" width="131" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JAvF1cTuPq0/TGqrXthZAsI/AAAAAAAAAnY/K5LYcD0tZmc/s1600/FoundationsEdge.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JAvF1cTuPq0/TGqrXthZAsI/AAAAAAAAAnY/K5LYcD0tZmc/s200/FoundationsEdge.png" width="119" /></a></div>zartonishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13875514354053150836noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597220544482502109.post-21106202010412515262010-06-22T17:12:00.003-04:002010-06-22T17:31:35.228-04:00Apple's iOS 4Last night I upgraded my iPhone 3G to iOS 4 (formerly know as iPhone OS 4). Though the OS will be best on the new iPhone 4, it is a great improvement from the 3.0 OS I had before.<div> The best feature in the new OS would to me be hands down the folders. I am now able to better organize my apps, and know where all of my favorite apps are. An added bonus to the folders is that I am able to fit many more apps on my phone, as I have had my phone full from a few weeks after I got it until last night. I now actually have empty spaces on my home screen.</div><div> Another great feature is the new inbox setup. I am now able to check all inboxes at once, as well as independently, saving a lot of time.</div><div> There are many other minor tweaks, such as the option of choosing different search providers in Safari, and minor graphical redesign among them.</div><div> iBooks does not come preloaded with iOS 4, but it is available for download from the App Store for those who have upgraded to iOS 4. The app is a great eBook reader, with plenty of free books available among the paid books.</div><div> The biggest surprise I encountered from iOS 4, is that it does not slow down my device. I expected my device to perform slower, as it is a few generations back, but it performs nicely on the new iOS.</div><div><br /></div><div> I would recommend that all iPhone users (3G and up), at least try the new iOS, I don't believe you will be disappointed.</div><div><br /></div>zartonishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13875514354053150836noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597220544482502109.post-36655808832071465972010-06-15T17:12:00.012-04:002010-06-15T18:35:56.156-04:00E3 Nintendo Presentation<div><br /></div><div>I am highly looking forward to a lot of the offerings that E3 has shown today. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, looked very cool.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/_uOFYeTsT7g&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/_uOFYeTsT7g&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="340"></embed></object><br /><br />The game uses the Wii MotionPlus attachment to enable the player to experience a near 1:1 interface with the sword, shield in the game. The advanced control allows you to feel as if you are truly integrated into the game, and the game makers have taken advantage of this, as some puzzles and enemies require you to slash your sword in certain direction. Shield use becomes much more prominent in this game as well, as the nunchuk becomes your shield, enabling you to block instinctively while also slashing your enemy. The game also uses this enhanced control for other items. The bow uses a similar control scheme to that of Wii Sports Resort Archery. The game has some familiar items such as the slingshot and bombs and some added functionality to such items as the bomb, as you can now toss it much as you would grenades in many shooters, and you can even roll the bomb like a bowling ball. There is a cool beetle item which you control remotely, and allows you to collect items from afar.</div><div><br /></div><div><object width="425" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/TMhEs78Zix8&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/TMhEs78Zix8&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="340"></embed></object></div><div><br /></div><div><div>Nintendo also showcased many other games such as Donkey Kong, Mario Sports Mix, Kirby Epic Yarn and others. A huge announcement for Nintendo was the 3DS. </div><div><br /></div><div><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/8Ys0kBCul9w&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/8Ys0kBCul9w&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object></div><div><br /></div><div>This is a successor the the DS handeld, that actually allows you to play games in 3D sans 3D glasses. This is a very interesting development in the world of gaming, and 3D entertainment in general, and though I often loath 3D movies, and the impending headache that often follows, I am excited about this development, and hope it works much better than Nintendo's "portable" 3D system, the VirtualBoy. I am sure they have gotten it right this time.</div><div><br /></div></div>zartonishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13875514354053150836noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597220544482502109.post-25417716873281178152010-06-15T01:34:00.007-04:002010-06-24T14:08:23.496-04:00My Wii Console Number and Friend CodesI have enjoyed playing the Wii since Christmas, and now want to play online a bit more. Feel free to add me, and I will in turn add you back as a friend to any of these games. Though I play them all, I have listed them from most frequently played by me, to least frequently played. <div><br /></div><div>Send your friend codes to: zartonis@gmail.com</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 20px; font-family:Trebuchet, 'Trebuchet MS', Arial, sans-serif;font-size:13px;"><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Trebuchet, 'Trebuchet MS', Arial, sans-serif;font-size:13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px; font-size:13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal; font-family:Georgia, serif;font-size:16px;"><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JAvF1cTuPq0/TBeeDupk9AI/AAAAAAAAAmk/hMYcTrmeC1g/s320/images.jpg" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 4px; padding-right: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px; padding-left: 4px; border-top-width: 1px; border-right-width: 1px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-width: 1px; border-top-style: solid; border-right-style: solid; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: solid; border-top-color: rgb(187, 187, 187); border-right-color: rgb(187, 187, 187); border-bottom-color: rgb(187, 187, 187); border-left-color: rgb(187, 187, 187); " /></span></div></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px; font-family:Trebuchet, 'Trebuchet MS', Arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">My Wii console Number: 7525-6936-8547-8104</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px; font-family:Trebuchet, 'Trebuchet MS', Arial, sans-serif;font-size:13px;"><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Wii </span></b></i><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Friend codes:</span></b></i></div><div><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></i></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div><div><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_JAvF1cTuPq0/TBecK91EdAI/AAAAAAAAAmA/UxUItDsBACk/s320/mariokart.jpg" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 4px; padding-right: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px; padding-left: 4px; border-top-width: 1px; border-right-width: 1px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-width: 1px; border-top-style: solid; border-right-style: solid; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: solid; border-top-color: rgb(187, 187, 187); border-right-color: rgb(187, 187, 187); border-bottom-color: rgb(187, 187, 187); border-left-color: rgb(187, 187, 187); " /></span></b></i></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Mario Kart Wii: 0861-4152-9563</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JAvF1cTuPq0/TBecLGt5F6I/AAAAAAAAAmI/u0R5h_y6vRc/s320/ssbb.jpg" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 4px; padding-right: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px; padding-left: 4px; border-top-width: 1px; border-right-width: 1px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-width: 1px; border-top-style: solid; border-right-style: solid; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: solid; border-top-color: rgb(187, 187, 187); border-right-color: rgb(187, 187, 187); border-bottom-color: rgb(187, 187, 187); border-left-color: rgb(187, 187, 187); " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Super Smash Bros. Brawl: 1162-3029-2637</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_JAvF1cTuPq0/TBecLYyKXDI/AAAAAAAAAmQ/nPqZEqD8vls/s320/tatsunoko.jpg" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 4px; padding-right: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px; padding-left: 4px; border-top-width: 1px; border-right-width: 1px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-width: 1px; border-top-style: solid; border-right-style: solid; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: solid; border-top-color: rgb(187, 187, 187); border-right-color: rgb(187, 187, 187); border-bottom-color: rgb(187, 187, 187); border-left-color: rgb(187, 187, 187); " /></span></div><div></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Tatsuno</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; ">ko Vs. Capcom Ultimate All Stars: 1634-7481-1650</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JAvF1cTuPq0/TBecMceQCPI/AAAAAAAAAmY/wZnU4gPMvGs/s320/animal+crossing.jpg" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 4px; padding-right: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px; padding-left: 4px; border-top-width: 1px; border-right-width: 1px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-width: 1px; border-top-style: solid; border-right-style: solid; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: solid; border-top-color: rgb(187, 187, 187); border-right-color: rgb(187, 187, 187); border-bottom-color: rgb(187, 187, 187); border-left-color: rgb(187, 187, 187); " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Animal Crossing City Folks: 2236-1015-7185</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><img src="http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:5O8bpSuxzt4bJM:http://ssill.info/catalog/images/The%2520Conduil%25202009.jpg" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 99px; height: 140px;" border="0" alt="" /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The Conduit: 1892-5213-9931</span></div></span></div></span></div>zartonishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13875514354053150836noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597220544482502109.post-52331934772309985312010-04-13T17:49:00.003-04:002010-04-13T18:09:22.356-04:00Summer NearsThe last few weeks have went by very quickly. I have helped move my brother into his new house, had my very last jazz concert (sadly), written two papers and have organized (with the help of my teacher) a group to assist me in performing the Artie Shaw Clarinet Concerto, which I will perform for my jury, and to close the Clarinet Studio Recital. So, as you see, the end of the semester has been hectic, and I still have a listening exam this week, and Concert Band Concert followed by Finals Week.<br /><br />Luckily however, I will have an adequate amount of time to study, and no back-to-back exams like I had last Spring semester (those are definitely not fun).<br /><br />I hope to update my blog more regularly in the future. Unfortunately it always seems to be one of the first things I cut, when other things arise. <br /><br />Oh, by the way, I would recommend Opera Mini (just recently released) to anyone who owns an iPhone/iPod Touch, as it is very fast and effecient. I would not however recommend it as a complete replacement, but only as a compliment to the Safari browser.zartonishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13875514354053150836noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597220544482502109.post-76576297938756130332010-04-12T20:55:00.001-04:002010-04-12T20:55:51.189-04:00formspring.meAsk me anything <a href="http://formspring.me/zartonis" target="_blank">http://formspring.me/zartonis</a>zartonishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13875514354053150836noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597220544482502109.post-43073517668214747542010-03-11T12:18:00.003-05:002010-03-11T12:22:44.505-05:003D<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.1freeaday.com/pda1/images/1/0/0/0/7/3/1/1//inset.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 354px; height: 240px;" src="http://www.1freeaday.com/pda1/images/1/0/0/0/7/3/1/1//inset.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span xmlns=""><p>Lately 3D movies have regained popularity. Greatly propelled by the massive popularity of Avatar, the movie industry has a slew of movies set to be released in the format, and will even be re-releasing older movies in 3D. Though I enjoy 3D, I have yet to find a movie that does not cause great nausea and a throbbing headache. This may be because I wear glasses and must wear the 3D glasses over them, but because of my problems watching 3D, I am wary about watching movies in 3D. To be fair, I have yet to see Avatar in either 2D or 3D, and Cameron may have found a way of using 3D that does not cause me nausea.<br /> Another reason, according to many, that 3D movies cause nausea etc. is that the movies force the audience to focus on a particular portion of the screen. Objects other than the focus of the shot often seem blurry. It seems as if everything in a shot cannot be in focus at once, as is possible in 2D. Although these two issues may have been corrected in newer 3D movies such as Avatar, I am not sure, and am hesitant to waste money to attend a movie and find out. I would not possibly be able to stay through more than forty-five minutes of a 3D movie if I experienced the same problems I experienced in prior short IMAX 3D movies.<br /></p><p>I know the movie industry needs 3D in order to insure that people continue to attend movies, as without some element that people with cannot experience at home, movie theatre attendance will falter, as people continue to have better and better home theatre systems. Soon, however even 3D will be available in high quality in the home with the release of 3D televisions. I believe that 3D could be to the first half of the 21<sup>st</sup> century, what color TV was to the mid 20<sup>th</sup> century. This could happen if the 3D is unobtrusive and allows users to do other things while watching 3D TV, and of course, if the technology is improved to be less painful on the eyes.<br /></p><p>I would love to be able to experience 3D without pain, and in high quality in movie theatres, but I am not sure if even then I would want to watch it each day on TV. The future is hard to predict, and I am sure some detractors bashed sound and color when they were introduced. The 3D format's future will ultimately be in the hands of the consumer.</p></span>zartonishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13875514354053150836noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597220544482502109.post-5415665896271909232010-03-02T14:51:00.002-05:002010-03-02T15:06:36.000-05:00Snow DayToday is yet another snow day as earlier this morning the snow began piling up on the ground. The local weathermen predicted that the snow would quickly turn to rain, but that did not happen, as the temperature stayed at around 30 degrees Fahrenheit. As usual, however, UTC was late to predict that the snow would prove troublesome to many until most students were already in their classes. I ended up going to one class, and even patiently stayed to finish the class after school had officially closed for the day, as I was already there, and the professor was adamant about delivering all the information he had prepared for the day. The snow has mostly vanished, leaving only a few remnants behind, but I will gladly take the snow day!zartonishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13875514354053150836noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597220544482502109.post-77091970728819559472010-01-19T21:21:00.008-05:002010-01-19T21:49:24.069-05:00Spring Semester Begins<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.mobilegazette.com/handsets/apple/apple-iphone-3g/apple-iphone-3g-black.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 249px; height: 193px;" src="http://www.mobilegazette.com/handsets/apple/apple-iphone-3g/apple-iphone-3g-black.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://watchitguide.net/guide/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/Nintendo-Wii.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 200px;" src="http://watchitguide.net/guide/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/Nintendo-Wii.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Since my last post pertaining to the jazz concert at Rock City Gardens many things have occurred among them: Christmas, New Years, and the beginning of Spring semester in college. During Christmas break I obtained a Wii and an iPhone 3G, so future posts will most likely include these two great devices which by now I have explored thoroughly.<br />Though the Wii does not have the same graphical power of the XBox 360 or Playstation 3, it makes up for this in its intuitive control of games via its motion sensing controller: the wii remote. The ease of using the controller also has an added benifit, people who would usually avoid video games, such as older people or those who lament the many buttons on most system controllers, find the wii great fun. I have seen this first-hand as my grandmother loves to bowl, and even play Mario Kart, though she would never play most XBox 360 games.<br />The iPhone 3G has been a great phone so far. I have never had a phone that provided such eas of navigation. The app store has hundreds of thousands of apps, many free, that enhance the phone ten fold in my opinion.<br />With both the iPhone and Wii I have been tempted to use homebrew and jailbreak each respectively, but have not. Though the added functionality would greatly expand the value of both devices to me, the risk is something I am unwilling to take.<br /> In the field of music, I have now begun working on Artie Shaw's Clarinet Concerto. This piece is a great work, and I have wanteed to perform it since I was in High School. I have now reached a point where I am confident, that with enough practice I will be able to give this piece justice.<br /> This semester I have continued my study of Japan, by taking a class dealing with Premodern Japan. I will be finishing up the duo of History of Music classes this semester, thankfully, but not before delving into many, many scores. To attempt to partially fill my gap in knowledge of the Latin American world, I am taking a class pertaining to the post-colonial era of these states. Another interesting class I am taking this semester is Musics of the World. In this class we learn of many different music cultures, and even get to play their instruments at times, in workshops.<br /> The semester is getting off to a decent start.zartonishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13875514354053150836noreply@blogger.com0