Reading this post might lead to addiction

I am a huge fan of puzzles and riddles. I have always loved solving them since I was a little kid. I also love playing chess and other mind games. It is like pumping iron with your brain. One of the arcades I used to frequent had a logo that was a muscle bulging arm with a brain for a bicep. I always thought it was cool and that image comes to mind when I think of exercising my mind.

Enter Sudoku an addition that I have been able to keep at bay because if I don’t it will consume the rest of my non-existent free time. It is a math puzzle of sorts that has exceptional addiction qualities. It is simple, it requires thinking and it is must of all fun. I just got a kids starter book for Ty and I hope that he enjoys it. You can play online, but be careful; it can be the beginning of a new addiction.

Geek Tech

I am not sure why, but besides a couple of post on phishing and password security I have never really gotten into posting technology related stuff. However, I like this product that is about to come out quite a bit.

It’s the new Optimus keyboard, a fully programmable keyboard that has many applications. It will be awesome for gaming, but also Photoshop or any other programs that use shortcut keys. I can finally program Spanish letters to the keyboard, so that I don’t have to type 4 keystrokes just to get a ñ. The language applications are very impressive, just think of what it could mean to a language major or a translator. I think it will also really help people that use multiple software packages and do not memorize the keyboard layout for shortcuts. Let me know if you think is cool or not.

Yes I am a gamer

I might not be addicted to watching sports like most males of my age group might be… but I do admit that I am addicted to playing videogames. I am not sure how much it really affects my maturity level or not but I am willing to hear some opinions.

Videogames have been part of my life since I was very young. I still remember the first time my Dad took me to an arcade when I was probably 7 or 8 and I played an arcade version of Dig Dug. That day my addiction to computers had begun. I had no clue what made a TV respond to a joystick but all I knew is that it was just the coolest thing I had ever seen. I don’t think my Dad would have ever imagined that he was starting me in a path to what one day would become my career as a programmer.

During my childhood I would go to the arcade as often as I could. As far as home systems I received an Atari 2600 for Christmas when I was around 10, but did not have another home system until I was 17 and I had my own job. I did play Nintendo and Sega at my friends’ houses. Also in Colombia you can find little “game centers” where a bunch of TV’s are set up with home consoles. I have actually seen these places pop up now with Xbox gaming centers, but for the longest time you only saw consoles at home.

I actually saw the first computer games back in Colombia. I played Tetris and Prince of Persia at one of my friend’s house on a computer. I did not actually get my own computer until I started College. That computer was still in use by my sister until last year when she finally got a new one. I did not do too much gaming on that computer, but the next two which I still have at home were both gaming oriented machines.

I have had a lot of consoles after college; regretfully I never really had a chance to take advantage of them to the point that it almost feels like a waste of money. Most of the consoles that I have owned have been recycled by selling back old systems and getting new. I was also lucky to get in on package deals from people getting rid of their collections for next to nothing. I have played plenty of computer games lately and I feel like it is money well spent. Also my gaming computer performs other tasks that make it a good investment.

You can see how much I love videogames, but I feel that my addiction is not a problem for the following reasons. If it were to interfere with my personal life I would drop it. I would not choose to play games instead of going out and bowling, or watching a movie. However I do enjoy playing videogames. I like playing videogames not because I am good at it; I play for the fun of it. Even though I am above average at a couple of games.

I think having an addiction to videogames is better than say a controlled substance. I don’t think that you can really hurt anyone but yourself playing videogames. While I do not advocate the complete addiction to them, I do think that it is not a bad one. I put it in the same level with the addiction that some guys have to professional sports. Where they are so dedicated that they will drop everything to watch a game. I love watching sports, but in the grand scheme of importance, the only thing that even keeps it on the list is that it can be a social activity.

Videogames now, with the introduction of multiplayer games has become a social activity also. Not just online communities but gamer communities in real life (IRL). LAN Parties bring people together that have a common interest and starts to erase the antisocial stereotype of gamers. I think the word gamer still has a negative stigma in a lot of people’s eyes, but I think that as time goes by more and more people will see that almost anyone can be a gamer. There should be no stereotype attached to the activity.

Cyber Monday

Today is known as Cyber Monday. Today is the Monday following Black Friday. Black Friday, for those who do not wake up early to take advantage of the sales in the various retailers around the country, is the day where a company can go from the red to the black on their books; in other words, they can start making a profit. Since the Internet begun to gain popularity it also started to sell stuff. I even wrote an article about how online sales vs. brick and mortar retailers might compete. And now we have Cyber Monday, the day when online retailers start their holiday shopping season.

I have purchased holiday gifts online before. Mostly from Amazon, which is one of my favorite online retailers. This post however is going to be about security, and what you should watch out for online when making your purchases. I believe it is a good thing to remind everyone to be careful when using a credit card online. Before we start that though, I would like to let you guys know about a couple of places that I buy stuff from so you can get in on the deals.

NewEgg
One of my favorite online retailers for all things electronics. They have awesome prices on computer parts, as well as systems already put together. If you have a techie on your shopping list do visit them. They have the best shipping record in my book. When I build my latest computer, I purchased 90% of the parts inside of it from Newegg and I got everything in 3 days.

Amazon Toy Store
Yes you heard right, Amazon.com is the place for toys. I have purchased several educational toys for my niece there. The cool part about it is that there are very good reviews of the products from customers. Hearing from parents about how a Toy worked or did not from personal experience is worth a lot more than my opinion on how a toy looks.

Amazon DVD
Everyone loves a DVD. From your in-laws to your friends. You cannot go wrong with a DVD. It could be a bestseller or simply a new release, but if you know something about that person you will be able to buy a DVD for them. The only legwork is to check out their DVD collection and see what they have already.

Also don’t forget people’s wish lists. A lot of people know a days have an Amazon wishlist, go and make one of their wishes come true. It is really easy to find people, you just have to know their e-mail and voila.

Ok, so those are my store recommendations to make your life a little easier… but what I really want you to be on the watch for this online shopping season is security. The phishing attacks are on the rise along with viruses. Please be very careful about opening your e-mail. Anything with an attachment that you do not expect, don’t open. Check with the person first before you launch even what might be the cutest or funniest joke. Never put personal information on a site that has solicited it via e-mail. I am 99% sure that your bank, online retailer or even ebay will never ask you to change your password or send them your Credit Card or Social Security information. Please be careful.

Also, watch for 2 little clues when shopping online. Before you enter your Credit Card information into any online form you should see 2 things. 1st the URL http thingie should have an S at the end of it. HTTPS means that you are now securely connected to that website. The second clue should be a little padlock at the bottom right hand side of your browser. Always do that double check before you enter your CC on any retailers website. If those two are not present don’t enter it. Also if you get a link from an e-mail that you did not solicit, be careful and just go to the main site, instead of following the link. Just this week I got an email from “ebay” and they had mimicked the site to almost perfection. But of course it was only a phishing attack. Don’t be too scared, just be careful and have fun shopping online.

Random String of thoughts

Taking a slice out of Logtar’s brain can be both difficult and confusing. I thought I would document a string of thought that I had last night and see if at the end anyone follows. I started reading The Ultimate Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. One of my coworkers, whom I went to lunch with about a month back, told me that the book was grand. I told him the movie was somewhat incoherent and at times dumb. I totally missed the British humor on that one, which by the way I love, if that is what it was. He insisted that the books were weird but still funny. He then watched the movie, after our conversation and agreed with me that it was crap. I have never said on my blog crapfully yours, which I should have. Shame on me.

A couple of weeks ago he brought the book in to work so I could borrow it, but I did not start it right away because I was in the middle of reading another book based on a movie. Which brings me to another point, the next generation Playstation PS3, might include technology that will not let you play “borrowed” games. Meaning, you would not be able to swap games with a friend or even rent them. The technology has been patented, but at this point no one knows for sure if it will be in the new system.

Today we might go see Harry Potter 4, another book based on a movie. We did not get to see it this weekend because of the Lan Party, picking up a pool table and just overall craziness of our running around life. Getting back on the train of thought, I started reading the Hitchhikers book, and what do you know it is written by the same guy that started wrote for a season of Dr. Who.(see comments) The infamous Big Orange Michael addiction. I was reading the introduction to the book written by the actual author that attempts to put some perspective on his work with the theme. The has been radio broadcast, albums, TV shows and the books, all related to the subject but different and at times contradictory. So, I get to the part where he says he was starting a series called Dr. Who. I stop dead on my tracks and think. Should I read more (almost in a computer like voice ala Starship Troopers, would you like to know more?). I have plenty of hobbies right now, and that is not counting my interests which I could not even list in one day. Dr. Who. is just something that I leave to Michael to be a geek about… but is reading this book going to wake up an interest on this show. So far this guy’s writing has been excellent and keeps me interested and entertained. He uses simile like other authors I like but in an almost too sarcastic way that keeps you smiling if not laughing while you read.

So I take a break and decide to think about it further. While it might not seem like a big decision to must of you, to read a book or not, to me it can be a life changing experience. I have seen what has done to Michael and his life. I can compare that to the other addiction that I have successfully managed to stay away from MMORPG’s. I have had a couple of friends offer me free trials for games like UO, Everquest and the growing WOW. Which btw was blamed for the Dave Chapelle disappearance. I would love those games, I know I would, but I also know that my addiction for them would leave me without a personal life. Right now my current addiction, Counter Strike, is already taking up part of my sleeping time, but it has been worth it so far. So I will stick to FPS’s for now.

Fortunately or unfortunately, that remains to be seen, I continued reading the book. And let me tell you, only the introduction and a little of the first chapter into it and I am already loving it. His style of writing is very appealing to my sense of humor and overall insanity. So that is all for today on my random string of thoughts. Feel free to comment on any of them or start a string of thoughts from it.

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