Posts from the “Multimedia” Category
July 19, 2016 1 Comment

Pokemon GO — A Rant

Pokemon GO is a great game, a truly astonishing experience with something cool around every corner; however, some columnists are upset that the technology world is raving and loving this game.
GET OVER IT.
There is finally a game that inspires people to get up, move around and meet people in real life.  If you’re upset about that, then we have some problems to address here.  One writer on The Washington Post  obviously hates the game; however, as most people that do not like it — this piece falls into the category of hating it just to hate it, only because it is the latest craze.  Asinine.
The video below shows gamers playing in NYC Central Park and people are literally running at the sight to get an opportunity to catch a Pokemon that has just appeared — RUNNING.  With obesity hitting it’s peaks in the US and other countries this is something that we need right now, not people belittling the game.
A few notes of caution:
  • Watch where you are going.
  • Be mindful of where you are at all times.
  • Respect those around you who may not be playing the game.
Bottom Line:  The makers of Pokemon GO have a hit on their hands and whether you like it or not you should be happy that this game has people out and about exploring their local areas rather than wasting away gaining unwanted pounds in front of the Xbox.
July 10, 2016

Pokemon GO is Here!!

The app that we’ve all been waiting for! Pokemon GO is released to the wild and we can finally catch Pokemon in real life!  The fun and adventurous thing about this game is that it is augmented reality and allows you walk around and explore your city and surroundings while catching these cool monsters.  Sorry, if you’re expecting to sit at your computer and fool around for hours on end — this app isn’t for you.
View of Pokemon GO gameplay.

View of Pokemon GO gameplay.

Pokemon GO delivers an overall fun experience with chances to meet real life people that are on the same mission as you are, to become a “Pokemon Master”.  Check out the wonderful experience of the app, which is available on iOS and Android from our friends at TWiT:
Bottom line:  Go catch ’em all!!
February 15, 2015

Is cutting the cord for you?

6 years ago, while I was still in college, I officially said goodbye to cable and I’ve never let it rear it’s ugly head again in my household. Why? There are far too many options available on the internet that provide the same level of enjoyment.

When you think of TV, you think of something that requires you to sit down at a certain time at a certain interval everyday or every certain scheduled amount of days for you consume some type of event or television show. However, when you think of entertainment in relation to the internet you can get these things whenever and wherever you please so it’s much more of a come as you and grab what you want type of experience.  This is the absolute greatest for me because I refuse to build my schedule around what comes on a black box in my living room, it’s ludicrous. Yet, why do we see so many people that conform to the norm of having a cable subscription with more channels than they will ever watch?

Cutting the cord is easy if you have a plan.

Cutting the cord is easy if you have a plan.

It’s easy.

For some, cutting the cord is simply too difficult.  However, nothing is too difficult in a day and age where a quick Google search can tell you everything from Obama’s age to how far Jupiter is away from the planet that we dwell on.  So being “too difficult” IS NOT a valid excuse.

Options for accessing media:

  • YouTube
  • HuluPlus
  • Netflix
  • Plex

The above list are just a few avenues that you can take to begin cutting the cord.  It is feasible and certainly the way of the future.

Take control of your experience, don’t be the person that creates their lives based on what TV has to offer!
March 17, 2014

New ASUS Chromebox

The latest Chromebox from ASUS is bringing us techies a lot of excitement — rightfully so.

As a Chromebook owner, it is easy to see the delights and appeal of this friendly and easy to use OS (essentially Google Chrome with extensions and web apps) and see the power of having a small Chromebox (desktop version of the Chromebook) attached to a large display, such as your HD TV.

Couple watching media through the new ASUS Chromebox.

Couple watching media through the new ASUS Chromebox.

Think of the possibilities of having a desktop operating system on your TV. The entire internet will be right on front of you with no compromise. Google TV attempts to bridge the gap between an app ecosystem in Android and some say that it has not been successful.  As a Google TV owner, it is a great experience with a few shortcomings; however, this solution might be viable due to the ability to bring the entire Chrome ecosystem to your set.  Note, this is not the first Chromebox just the first Chromebox with this small form factor.

Bottom line:  Grab a wireless keyboard and mouse and you have a full entertainment system in front of your eyes.  This is definitely a step up from Google TV, which is missing critical apps such as Hulu Plus.
November 12, 2013

YouTube Comments have changed, now get over it!

There have been countless users of YouTube complaining since last week about the new integration of Google+ within the site.  I suppose that many users do not understand that this only making the site better and certainly adding more of a community aspect.  Yes, people should be held accountable for the things that they post online — just as you are held accountable for the things that you say and do in reality.  The new comment system is not bad it is just an incremental change that happens in tech.  People learn to accept change and move on.  I was one who didn’t like the Microsoft XBox at first, until I gave it a chance.

That is the thing that is missing here, users see the change and instead of giving it an honest try — immediately write it off.  See a video below:

However, for those that understand how YouTube works; they see it’s usefulness (in addition, notifications went out that YouTube was changing how they did comments.)  See an excerpt from TWiT’s This Week in YouTube Ep. 30:


Is it a bad change?  No.  Yet, some have difficult times dealing with change — when in reality it is more streamlined and efficient.

This is something that we all saw coming as +Google is working towards integrating all of their services, which is an excellent thing.  Which is odd because people complain and say they aren’t integrated enough!

Bottom line:  Get over it!  If you hate the new integrated Google+ comments in YouTube — leave the site, that is always an option.  As a creator (TopNotch Male Style Tips) I welcome the change and I hope that my community does as well.