It was an ok week. I have been enrolled in a Java Programming course for the last two weeks that runs until the end of July. Despite the impingement on my free playtime due to class meetings two nights a week, I actually got a little time to myself this week.

I spent the beginning of the week doing two things: gaming and keeping up with gaming. I have plugged a good chunk through the original Half-Life, which it seems like I have started about 59 times, but never finished. Now well more than halfway through the story, I am not sure why I ever stopped. It may be that the game does not have great middle-game. The beginning is all shiny and new, and the ending is picking up, but the middle I guess seems like somewhat of a trudge. Slightly ridiculous puzzles may have been what turned me off. I tend to like my shooters 99% shooter and only 1% puzzle, and Half-Life is definitely not designed in this mold.

Still, ten years after its release, the game holds up well. I have felt no zen for something more recent to more fully tax my nVidia GTS 8800 that is rockin' in the main tower. I guess that longevity is the true proof of this title's quality.

During the whole week I kept relatively apprised of the goings on at E3. The triumphant return of the hyper-blown industry show format that the series was known for seems to have been greeted with relative aplomb by most of the gaming community. Nintendo basically had nothing to say, and everyone seemed pretty pleased with what Sony has coming down the pike, despite the snobbish refusal to cut their prices...in a recession...we'll see how smart that is. Oh, and they revealed the PSP Go. I am not sure why Sony and Nintendo insist on just rehashing already deployed technology in different form factors. I have not intention on dropping coin on a new handheld system until it is actually something new.

Microsoft had a lot to say, and everyone seems happy with them, too. But I am confused and concerned. They had sequelitis, as just about every title announcement was wrapped in a franchise or a spin-off of a franchise. Very little new IP, if any. Again, I monitored E3, but did not dig into the details so there may have been title announcements that I missed.

What really concerns me is the approach towards a trend I warned about a couple of years ago. Consoles that have network connectivity are great. And we have all noted the concern over the behavior that connectivity incentivizes in the gaming industry since they know that they will be able to patch any mistakes they made in game title after it is already delivered to store shelves.

What concerns me more is the desire to continue stuffing the console and its corresponding software suite with features that add little value and will potentially result in operating system bloat. The more features that are rolled out, the more things ther are going on in the operating environment that can break. I personally do not need Facebook and other social apps intersecting my console space. The 360 and Xbox Live already have a social networking interface, and it is enough. (Shrug).

It is the last month of the quarter, which means it is well nigh time for an upgrade to the 'WERKz. I picked up his and her iPod Shuffles (3G) for myself and the GF last night. There are some things about it I like, and some I don't. I'll divulge more in a separate post. I will say that it is a joy to work out with. My iPod Shuffle 2G bought the farm due to me sweating profusely into its sensitive parts and I went to a 2G Nano (fatty). I love the Nano, but I hate the armband I have to use to work out with it. The Shuffle relieves me of that obstruction.

I'll round out the upgrades via orders to NewEgg and booq next week. I plan on picking up new earbuds and Noise Cancelling Headphones. My current NC Headphones were cheapies I bought from Wal-Mart just to see if I even felt like NC was worth it. From booq, I am planning on a Mamba Sling, which is a bag I have wanted for a long time. I'll get rid of the PowerSleeve that came with my booq Python XL. I have only used it once with the Python. I carry it sometimes as its own bag to transport the Acer Aspire ONE, MacBook Pro, or the Motion LE1600, but if I carry a power supply, the bag bulges in a way that makes it not look like a sleeve. I guess they expected you to use it as an on-the-go bag when you would not carry your power supply. But I never go anywhere without my power supply. Right now, although I am not crazy about the color of my Mamba Pak, which is also brown, I am eyeballing the brown or blue Mamba Slings. For some reason, booq is selling them for $20 less than the black. Supply and demand I suppose. I originally wanted a black one, but twenty bucks saved is twenty bucks saved.

Finally, as part of the 'WERKZ' Technology Roadmap, the current floor-model HDTV in the living room is going away; most likely via a refuse removal service. I have resolved that I am willing to live without a living room TV for a few months until I make a final decision on what exactly to do to replace it.

OK, that's the journal for now. Be safe this weekend; keep your gadgets cool and your beer cooler.

- Vr/Zeux.