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Advice - Buying Better Batteries

Are your Game Boy sessions slowly falling from two hours to a half hour on a charge? Is your PSP unable to make it through a single movie? If you use a cell phone or a handheld gaming system, knowing what type of rechargeable battery it has and how to charge it will prolong the life of your battery, lead to longer charges, and save the planet a little. Every battery should state what type of chemical it uses to store its electrical charge as well as the voltage in volts (V) and amperage in milliamps (mA).

Quicktip: - All batteries perform better when warm (not hot). If a battery is on low power - like a car battery - warming it with a hairdryer may help.

Choosing a Rechargeable
Check the package for amperage. A AA battery rated for 2500mA will last longer than a 1800mA battery, regardless of brand (though brand does factor with traditional alkalines). If you are buying a replacement battery for a phone, you can pick ANY battery that has the same voltage rating, get a higher mA rating, and have longer talk time. Note also that most cordless phone batteries are regular AAA or AA batteries vacuum-sealed; so you can probably put together your own replacement if the original battery has died.

NiCad - Nickle Cadmium - These batteries have what is called, "memory." In order to preserve their life, you should let them completely discharge before charging them again, and you should charge them in a "slow charger," or one that takes 12 to 24 hours to charge. Charging a NiCad battery before it completely discharges, or worse, leaving it on the charger will shorten the battery life. NiCad is cheap, but heavy and with a short life.

NiMH - Nickle Metal Hydride - These batteries have no "memory" (in theory), and can therefore be left on the charger. They can be charged quickly, and store more energy than an equivalently sized NiCad battery. NiMH is the most common and highest-value battery. However, in practice it is still best to fully-discharge the battery before recharging. It will extend the life of the battery.

LiIon - Lithium Ion - Camera batteries; expensive, but they hold significantly more charge than a NiMH battery, and definitely have no memory. It is lighter and holds more charge than a NiMH (which is why most all laptops have LiIon batteries). Leave it on the charger, or don't; LiIon is easy.

Lead-Acid - These are the batteries in your car. There are two types available: starting and deep-cycling. Starting batteries are meant for starting; if you completely deplete the battery it will never hold its charge as well again, and will degrade more rapidly. Deep-cycling batteries are similar, but able to be discharged for long periods of time as well, making them generally more durable, and therefore much more expensive. Lead-acid batteries perform poorly in sub-zero temperatures.

Final Note
All batteries eventually die (no longer able to hold a charge). However, rechargeable batteries are always more cost-effective and environmentally-friendly than their disposable peers.

Happy Halloween!

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Lincoln, making some unusual noises

Anna, Kail, and Lincoln

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Anna, being a happy baby

Kail, Anna, and Lincoln

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Kail, who screams like a girl

Recommendations: HD Radio

The "HD" acronym is thrown around a bit liberally. With optometrists now referring to a new set of glasses as, "High Definition," the term is rapidly heading the way of digital, as if anything that was and is digital is somehow better quality. It is a pleasure, however, to note that HD Radio does not do the acronym a disservice: HD Radio has been a significant improvement over AM- and FM-quality radio for people that enjoy radio.

I have been using the JVC KD-AHD39 for about two months now, and have nothing but positive things to say about its HD Radio function (indeed, the unit itself is great). The HD modulator - the electronic guts that tune in an HD station - works automatically. You visit your favorite local station via its FM equivalent, such as WBCN 104.1 in Boston, and if a High Definition digital signal is being "piggybacked" on the analog transmission, it automatically tunes it in, giving you CD-quality sound, or so the marketing folks claim.

CD Quality or Digital Quality?
In testing I have found that the quality varies wildly, however, though it is always significantly better than FM and easily equal to satellite radio. Basically, you tune your FM station and it instantly pops up, then it takes about 2 seconds to tune in the HD simulcast. The quality of the transmission depends on the broadcaster, just like television. The radio station mentioned above, WBCN, has a terrible HD1 station (more on this later) that sounds muffled. Several other stations have some hiss or white noise that picks up in the background. While this might seem like a complaint, FM pales in comparison. Stations never fade in and out and are less subject to interference. In most cases the quality easily outperforms a high-quality MP3.

If a station does "drop" from HD it reverts to its FM broadcast. As a listener this means you can continue to listen to your sports broadcast or favorite song without interruption, though it reverts to FM-quality. High Definition signals occasionally drop when signal strength fades at long distances from the tower.

More stations, more choices, better quality
The reason that WBCN HD1 is worth mentioning is that there is a WBCN HD2, an entirely different station with its own unique programming broadcast on the same channel. Best of all, most every HD2 station I have listened to has been commercial-free. Adding HD Radio doubled my content access while driving to and from work. Further, HD Radio allows you to view song title and artist, and some players will let you download the content to order music from iTunes (though I do not use iTunes and could not test this feature).

In short, there is no reason not to get HD Radio if you enjoy listening to the radio and have the option via your equipment. Once you have an HD Radio tuner, all of the content is free, it is significantly better quality, and there are more choices. Check the HD Radio web site for information regarding stations in your area.


Note: The particular car head unit used is overkill for most people unless you are outfitting your car with a full-blown system including multi-channel amplifiers and subwoofers. Most listeners will be perfectly happy with a lower-end unit.

Humor: Geekspotting

Warning, grainy phone pictures ahead!

For the past couple of years your intrepid writer has taken phone shots of random people in the Boston area that might be considered, well, geeks, nerds, and/or dorks. The original intent was for the Geek to Chic columns that typically appear herein, but once compiled they ended up becoming something entirely different: Geekspotting.

Do not feel bad for these men and women. Their actions and attire were on public display, and therefore they have nobody to blame but themselves! Without further ado...

BRING ON THE GEEKS OF BOSTON!


I am in no way sitting this way to draw attention to myself. This is just SO comfortable.

You know what would go great with this skirt? Spandex capris tights and flats! All men love a girl in spandex capris tights and flats; just look at how beautiful my legs look!

Standing on the subway, eating, and PC gaming. No, he was not holding a handrail and - if you know Boston - this was the Green Line, whose ride is about as smooth and straight as an car with three wheels.

10,000 points if you can name the game on the screen of the blurry, blurry image (click to enlarge blur).

You know what would go PERFECT with my black pants? A black jacket, black shirt, black sneakers, and a black bag. Oh, and white socks.

Leopard print? Really? Leopard print? Has leopard print ever looked good on anything other than a leopard?

Every day working women face the difficult task to carefully construct an ensemble that is professional without crossing the line into sultry, sexy, and/or skanky. How do you know when someone steps over that line? When the subject of the above is a someone other than the gentleman in the center of the frame.

Hey Mario, check out my super-awesome blue and orange backpack! I keep my tricorder and the panties I stole from the laundromat in the front pocket!

Remember what I said about crossing the line from professional to sexy? Forget what I said. Repeat after me: Sexy is good, skanky is bad, except when it's not.

Editorial: Do not tell me how to have fun

Ever had someone tell you that you were playing a game wrong? Occasionally we are playing a game wrong, and need assistance (God bless the internet) to progress. A peer may have told you to use a different weapon for a particular enemy, that the character you selected is weak in certain situations, or that you should probably not be visiting a dangerous zone at such a low level. Many gamers, it seems, feel a deep, urgent need to critique the play style or choices of their peers, even when their odd play style is intentional. But, sometimes, we are doing these things intentionally, and in these cases the gamer is not wrong, they are challenging themselves. With intense competition and a focus on completing certain in-game tasks, we often forget that games are supposed to be fun, and are to be enjoyed in a variety of ways.

Infantry Rush = Foolish Fun -Red Alert 2

When opposing goals collide
When one player decides to actively pursue a truly unique manner of play, it may - and usually will - elicit taunts and jeers from their peers. Of course, this should be expected by the player making the conscious decision to use nothing but pistols in a deathmatch. Taunting is one thing, but being told that he or she is playing wrong is another.

There is not a gamer alive that has not experimented with some bizarre, self-imposed gaming challenge. Maybe you completed Doom using only the chainsaw (the Cyberdemon at the end of Episode 2 is quite impossible without cheating using only the chainsaw), refused to let any of your yellow Pikmin die because, well, they just are so darn cute, or played through a round of Super Mario Brothers 2 using only Toad (done it, not easy). Everyone likes to try something wacky to spice up a staid title once in awhile (readers are encouraged to offer their own tales in the comments section).

Completing Doom with only the chainsaw -Doom

Some gamers go so far as to dedicate themselves to playing a title in a manner contrary to the intention of the designer. The World of Warcraft Pacifist comes to mind, a pacifist gamer doing his best to level-up in a role-playing world that rewards its players primarily for acts of violence. Then there are players that refuse to play anyone but their favorite character, use their favorite weapon, or some other self-imposed restriction.

Just because one player chooses to play in a manner contrary to your own or even in a manner that may make it more difficult for you to achieve your own goals does not make the player wrong: they are playing the game and enjoying it in their own way. Like anything in life, some people need to make their own mistakes to learn from them, and everyone is allowed to have fun in the manner of their choosing.

Online Play
The entire argument of leaving the odd gamer alone reverses, however, when brought into a group dynamic. Refusing to use any weapon other than pistols in a team match of Unreal Tournament may not be wrong per se, but the unwillingness of a player to work with others and respect their peers may ruin the online experience. In a team-based MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role-playing game), one inexperienced or poor player can bring down large groups of players that had committed an entire evening to a gaming event or achievement, potentially wasting days of game time, cumulatively.

When playing online it is important to take into consideration the goals of your opponents and comrades. Every title has its own culture. Going AFK (away from keyboard) in a game like World of Warcraft is expected from time to time, and generally has little impact on the play experience, but doing so in an FPS (first-person shooter) hampers the team dramatically in a fast-paced atmosphere.

Hey Boz, put away that Impact Hammer and try pulling your weight! -UT3

If you want to play in an odd or unique way, but it involves or affects other players, let them know what you are doing and why ahead of time. Respect; it can be tough to find online, and if you are going to do something bizarre, you will generally get more leeway for having shown that respect up front. Remember that same respect offline, as well. Friends and family know how to ask for advice; let them ask and you may find your peers more appreciative.

Gaming: Blimp Rides and Raids

The last time my guild had an event in March there were sacrifices to a dragon for all new guildies, races in the Shimmering Flats, a naked race, and drunken boxing. After all that excitement, we thought we would do something more calm, like a balloon ride.

Does everyone have their buddy?

In World of Warcraft, there are two opposing factions: The Alliance and the Horde. The Alliance gets about with an underground tram, ships, and portals. The Horde uses ships, portals, and dirigibles. Our Alliance guild wanted a ride.

We're getting on that blimp, whether you like it or not!

The Red Shirts takes its name from the red shirted Ensigns of Star Trek, who you knew would die with the first appearance of whatever (misunderstood) alien monstrosity threated the main cast. Our goal is to have fun and die with styIe. That, and take good pictures.

Hey, I can see my house from here!

The blimps take players from one Horde location to another, so naturally we were assaulted upon arrival. And naturally, the Horde NPCs (non-player characters) stood no chance against our nerd-tastic guild of high-level characters. Well, I'm still only 60, but I'm working on it!

Red Shirts in the throne room above Undercity

Having arrived at our random destination - the undead Forsaken capital, Undercity - we realized that we had to go in. For a haphazardly thrown-together guild event that boiled down to a blimp ride and capital city assault, it ended up being quite fun.

Undercity overwhelms the Red Shirts after a moment of calm


You can view the entire album of images here. The Red Shirts are on the Scarlet Crusade server.

Humor: Bathroom Etiquette IV

When you travel as a part of your job, you eventually end up visiting the unfamiliar. Sometimes we feel like aliens in our homeland. And so I found myself in awkward territory during a trip to the State Capital of Missouri: Jefferson City.

Now, this being a "bathroom" titled piece, you probably know where this is going, or have a good idea. In the state capital building there is a Men's room, where men go when they receive a call from nature. In this Men's room is one standard floor-mounted toilet, one urinal, and one sink. The toilet is mounted in a stall. To get to the urinal or the sink - and you will need to use one or the other every trip (I hope) - you need to walk by the stall.

The stall is quite nice. It is completely tiled from floor to ceiling, even the walls. The only problem is: there's no door. Walking by the stall, if occupied, places you in either direct or peripheral viewing of a man taking a dump.

So shocking I took a picture

Maybe I am from a new generation of entitled, effete boys. It is entirely possible I am not manly enoughn and that I should be able to watch another man drop a deuce right in front of me impassively. I can accept these as truths so long as there are doors on the stalls in which I need to take a Number Two.

How is it possible that any modern-era building has a public bathroom lacking an enclosure for its toilets? Is it possible that Missouri is so far behind the rest of the country that their door technology fails to meet the standards of, say, Albany, NY? The capital building there had doors for its bathroom stalls. You can feel comfortable visiting the building anytime knowing your dookie-dropping will go unobserved. The same holds true for the Massachusetts capital. I'm not sure about the rest of the country, at least, not anymore.

Maybe I am looking at the bathroom stall situation in too harsh a light. Being a highly cost-conscious state, it is possible that the politicians there are trying to save money. But then again, I have an Uncle that could make them a door for nothing.

In the end, it is decided that I will not use the bathrooms at the Missouri state capital if I am visiting during normal business hours, but will instead walk across the street to the local pizza establishment to use their fully-enclosed Men's room. Maybe I am a bit of a sissy, but walking by a State Senator taking a dump simply has no appeal to me.

New Violator!
The Texter - This guy walks up to the urinal, whips out his cell phone and starts texting. Not talking, texting; who is he texting to and what is the subject that is so pressing, so important that it cannot wait the ten to twenty seconds necessary to take a leak? It's even worse when it's in the stall when someone takes a dump - you know they aren't going to wipe down that phone - but somehow texting at the urinal in full view of your peers seems so wrong.

Geek to Chic: Summer Sock Special

There is little guidance on the topic of summer footwear from that omniscient source of all information: television. Try to think of summer apparel displayed on television outside swimsuit-wearing megabodies at the beach, and you will likely come to the same conclusion as this author: everyone on television wears pants.

Unfortunately, real people live in real life, not television. In real life, people wear shorts (though hopefully not jorts). In real life people need to figure out what to put on their feet when their is a bare calf and shin between the bottom of their shorts and footwear. While this author does not condone the use of sneakers outside athletic activity, there is a sizable contingent of geeks who simply refuse to acknowledge the existence of flip-flops, Birkenstocks, boat shoes, and other summertime footwear alternatives.

Socks
Some geeks, the uber-nerds, compound their athletic shoe-wearing crime with tube socks pulled up to their knees. You know the ones - God help you if you are one - because they are typically wearing the same outfit as their father (who, by the way, is also a violator of all things fashionable by doing so).

"My feet sweat and therefore socks are a requisite item."
Wear short socks (see Selecting Socks, below).

"I'm a skinny, skinny dude, and fearful of baring my legs."
Welcome to the club; get over yourself and drop the socks. You're only making it worse for yourself.

"I'm a big fat guy, and fearful of baring my legs."
Get over yourself and drop the socks. You're only making it worse for yourself.

"Austin Powers has nothing on me when it comes to body hair."
On the list of turn-offs, hairy legs is going to rank pretty low. Get over yourself and drop the socks: if it is hot enough for shorts, it is hot enough to drop the socks.

Selecting Socks
There is only one kind of sock appropriate to summer: the short sock (not ankle cut, low-cut). These socks are designed specifically to cover your feet and protect your sadly-vulnerable heels from blisters while remaining invisible above the rim of your footwear. Best of all: they're cheap. While it may not be possible to stop every reader from wearing sneakers to the mall or beach in the summertime, it might just be possible to prevent them from looking like a complete fool.


--------------- Loser ---------------------------------------- Okay ---------------



--------------- Better ---------------------------------------- Best ---------------

Archive all tube socks to the rear of the sock drawer during the summer. Pick up several pairs of short socks at the local Target or Wal-Mart for about $5 and, while you are at it, grab a pair of cheap flip-flops in brown or tan to match your khaki shorts (alright, alright, you can't blame a guy for trying).

This is the future, Mr. 1982, let us welcome you with advanced sock technology.

A note regarding athletes
All athletes, such as soccer (football to those international readers) and rugby players, are excused from the aforementioned while engaged in their respective sport.

Vasectomy - More than a quick snip

CAUTION: Though this entry does not violate the Gamespot Terms of Service in any way - I checked thoroughly - it does contain mature subject matter, including descriptions of surgery, and awkward references to the delicate male region affectionately referred to by some as the wedding tackle. Any member or moderator taking issue with this entry is encouraged to contact me by private message with their concerns, though I hope many people will learn a bit more about what to expect from my own experience (maybe you will even laugh a bit at my misery along the way).

The safest and most effective form of contraception is surgical sterilization because when you think about it, abstinence is not really an option for any sane person. When my wife had a near-fatal eclamptic seizure before delivering our triplets, we knew we were done having kids. The discussion was not, "What should we do," it was "When should we - meaning yours truly - go under the knife?" The female equivalent of a vasectomy, tubal ligation, is a more expensive, invasive, and risky surgery. A vasectomy, by contrast, is relatively safe, has a short recovery period, a high success rate, and is an outpatient procedure. The burden fell to the author to go under the knife.

Multiple Vasectomies
You may not be aware, but there are two types of vasectomies: traditional and non-scalpel. It escapes me why anyone would get excited over the former when even the title of the latter is so much sexier. "Non-scalpel" sold me on the procedure, and really, this is all about sex after all. Oh, and preventing more triplets and seizures and stuff.

A traditional vasectomy involves a vertical, bifurcating cut that allows the surgeon to splay the region, while a non-scalpel involves only a small hole poked in the area. The result is the same, a section of the vas deferens is removed to prevent sperm from reaching their destination, but the non-scalpel procedure requires a more practiced hand. It is more difficult to find a urologist that practices the non-scalpel version of a vasectomy, but otherwise everything about it is superior: shorter recovery time, less scarring, equal success rate, and a shorter procedure (no jokes about that last bit). Eventually everyone will be performing the non-scalpel version, one would think.

Doctor Selection
Dr. Boz has a PhD, so she screened for competent Urologists in the Boston area. Granted, it is a relatively easy task to find qualified medical care in the Boston area, but she narrowed it down to two doctors, one male and one female.

Dr. Boz asked, "Which one?"

"The woman," I immediately replied.

"What? Why? She has less experience, and she's much younger."

"She's a woman." It was more comfortable, at least for this individual, to have a woman poking and prodding in my nether region than a man. She was more than qualified, and in retrospect it was the right decision for me, though the result probably would have been the same with either urologist.

The Consult
There is a pre-screening interview where the patient must justify their decision to the urologist. "So, why are you interested in a vasectomy?" the doctor asked.

"My wife just delivered healthy triplets following an eclamptic seizure that might have killed both her and the children, or worse, killed her and left me with the kids!" We laughed, there was no follow-up question of whether or not I was sure. I reflected on the fact that the woman that would be sterilizing me was actually pretty good looking, which of course made me suspicious. A hot urologist whose specialty is vasectomies, among other things? Something about that just seemed a bit odd.

The nurse and urologist conduct a basic examination followed by a closer inspection of my equipment. "You have a Stage 3 testicular vericule, no question." With one quick look at my privates she diagnosed a minor issue that had been causing random, sharp pains in my testicles for about fifteen years. "It's like varicose veins, where the blood can get backed up into the vein. Most of the time you'll notice nothing, but sometimes it can cause sharp pains, particularly if you have been on your feet all day or straining yourself."

I was floored to hear a diagnosis of something so quickly that had plagued me for so long. In the end, though, the recovery time for treating the vericule was too long for someone with newborn triplets, particularly since it is not a life-threatening condition and - for the most part - unnoticable the majority of the time. Still, nice of her to point it out.

"When we do this, can you make it a little bigger, too?"

"Sorry, no." It was clear it had not been the first time she had heard the joke. Maybe I would think of a better joke later concerning her silver pin, which was in the shape of a sperm. Right, and maybe she had never heard a joke about that one, either.

The Surgery
It is a well-known fact that any 15 minute surgery still takes all morning. I checked in at 7:00AM sharp, stripped off and put on the requisite gowns and handed over my personal effects. I imagine it is similar to the procedure for checking into prison. By the time I had finished waiting to be called for pre-op, taken into pre-op, changed, and waiting to be wheeled in, it was 9:00AM. I then waited on a gurney outside the doors of the operating room, where the fun stuff happens.

Dozens of people shuffled along the hallway, walking by me on their way to scrub or consult. My verdict: Surgeons smile a lot. I would too if I was cutting rather than being cut.

They inserted an IV tube while I was in the hallway, then recommended that I was placed under sedation during the procedure. "I was under the impression it would be a local anesthetic," I asked.

"We would prefer to put you under." It was not what had been discussed at the consultation.

"I would like to speak with the doctor." When she arrived and we spoke, she endorsed the recommendation. It would be easier, she said, to put me under. I would be as relaxed as possible, making it easier to operate on that particular region. The type of anesthesia being used would be "light," I was assured, and so I agreed.

The mixture was added to the IV, I was wheeled into the OR (operating room, in case you lack for a television), and then everything faded to black. The rest of the day is a bit fuzzy, but I recall riding home with my wife in the minivan, who decided it would be fun to hit every single pothole and bump on the road. "You did that intentionally!" was shouted more than once.

The Recovery
The hospital put my dangly bits into a jock strap-like device filled with gauze. While I was told there might be quite a bit of bleeding, I was still shocked at how much blood there was soaked into the gauze by the next day. It is impossible to describe in any more detail without becoming offensive, but suffice to say, the gauze needed to be replaced in a day, the jock strap by day two.

Anyone that tells you a vasectomy is relatively painless or that you will be back on your feet the next day is a liar. I moved quite gingerly for the entire four day weekend I had scheduled to recover, and was still a bit tender the next two or three days returned to work. I sent my wife to pick out some briefs for support, having only boxers in my couture. Be assured that support - and ice - make all the difference in the world even with pain medicine.

Mobility the first two days was essentially zero. My World of Warcraft character gained more than a couple levels over those days due to the time I spent at my desk, unmoving. Imagine for a moment someone kicked you in the crotch, the initial pain subsides, and for the next two minutes there is a thick, aching throb. Now you know what the four days following a vasectomy feel like.

I took a shower on day two, and it was not a fun experience. Without support, the ache grows into a steady throb. Get in, clean off, touch gently, and get out to put support and ice back on the region. The shower on day four was without problem, though I still needed to use a bit of tenderness cleaning the affected area.

Use Protection
The post-vasectomy instructions read that I must refrain from intercourse for at least seven days. Afterwards, it would take upwards of 15 to 20 ejaculations to "clear the pipes," and therefore it was strongly recommended to use barrier protection or other traditional contraceptives for the following three months. At six and twelve weeks I would be, er, tested for sperm count. Thereafter I would have a final consultation with the (hot) urologist.

The week following surgery there was a constant dull ache, as I had been forewarned. On day seven, however, it felt like something was going to burst. If the reader gets nothing else out of this entry, my advice is to "take care of business" on day seven. Doing so was like a massive shot of morphine. The full feeling and constant ache vanished instantaneously, and I felt like doing jumping jacks. Then again I always feel like doing jumping jacks after happy special special time, but this was different. This was a sudden release of persistent pain from the past week. The over-inflated balloon had been released, and not without a cry of joy.

Return to Normality
Since day seven life has returned to relative normalcy. Dr. Boz and I are counting down the number of pipe cleanings to hit twenty, though with the triplets the countdown is going more slowly than we might like. Otherwise, however, it took about two weeks for the bruising in the region to fade, and for any and all pain to completely go away. There is no scarring of any kind due to the tiny hole made by the non-scalpel methodology, though the hair is still growing back where they shaved it off to make it easier to operate.

It will be a few more weeks before the first sperm count and a few months before the final consultation, but we are hopeful that a competent Urologist and careful attention to pre- and post-surgery instructions will ensure that I will not have to go back under the knife to finish the job.