Video Game's Sales Not Looking Good

Think hard to yourself. When is the last time you bought a game, as opposed to eating for the week? Depending on who you are, you might think that is crazy, and you would be right. But there is a small subset of Hardcore Video Game enthusiasts that would do it. The only problem is that they are not enough to keep sales going strong. This Tuesday, nearly all video game makers on Wall Street fell, the biggest of which was Electronic Arts. 

Most economist say it is the down economy, which I think is strange, because most of the time in a bad economy, Movie sales skyrocket. I guess that paying eight bucks for a movie ticket and sixty for a game is a little different, but there both about escapism. That is why people go to the movies during downturns in the economy, because they want to forget about there money problems. To me, video games are even more escapist, because you basically go to a different world for a couple hours. 

Either way, video games aren't doing so hot right now. So I am giving a call to action to all the Geeks out there. Go to your local Gamespot and buy the first awesome game you see. 

I know I'm doing my part.

The State of Computers

Today, October 19th, 2009, at 9:25 a.m. I had an epiphany. I sat in my "Foundations of Computer Science I" class and was thinking about programming. The main question I had was, "Why am I learning how to program in Java, when, to the best of my knowledge, most companies use C++ or Python?"

As I thought about this question, I realized the answer to this question. It's because of Java's portability. You can use a Java program on any computer, whether it be a Mac, P.c., or even a Linux box. That is the current state of computers. Computer Science students are being prepared for a future that is no longer dominated by P.C.'s. To a Windows fanboy, that's kinda disappointing.

Of course, Microsoft isn't helping itself out much. I don't know how many times I've heard someone say that there going to switch to Apple computers just because of Vista's terrible reputation (a reputation that, I think, should be done away with because of Sp1 & 2). Plus, the Apple advertising campaign that has been attacking television the last couple years actually has given Macs a feeling of "coolness" (NOT). 

So far, things are not looking good for Microsoft, but alas, a savior is on the way! 

It's a bird, It's a plane! NO! It's a computer with Windows 7 installed!!!!!!!!!!!

Well, maybe that's a little over dramatic, but with reading all the reviews that I have, and talking to people that used the beta and RC client, I am really optimistic about 7.

Let's just hope it's not 2007 all over again.

-Chris 

Floating in the A.I.R.

For the uninitiated, Adobe AIR, or the Adobe Integrated Runtime, is a runtime environment built to run applications using Adobe Flash, Adobe Flex, HTML, or Ajax. The cool thing about this is that they can be used as desktop application. I'll give some reasons why that awesome in a sec. AIR has changed many Browser apps that before were limited to just use in a web browser. I like Google Analytics, but I hate having a browser out just to see it. Not to mention that in a browser, Analytics runs like pudding, where as a desktop application, it runs quite smoothly. These are some of my favorite application using AIR:

Doomi:

www.doominow.com

Doomi is a neat little app that isn't life changing, but it gets the job done. It is basically a to-do list that will alert you when something is coming up. Sounds simple, cause it is, but you really don't know about it until you use it. Doomi even has a message to you when you put your cursor over the icon in the task bar. The message reads: “Doomi <3's>

ReadAir:

readair.en.softonic.com

This application is pretty cool. It takes your Google Reader page and unlocks it from the chains of a browser. Again, simple, but it is quite nice. Another application you don't think is useful until you use it.

Tweetdeck:

tweetdeck.com

I absolutely love Tweetdeck. It is an amazing replacement for the annoying Twitter interface. It has way more functionality, mostly because it is on the desktop, instead of a web browser. I love the RT and Reply buttons on every one's profile pics, and Tweetdeck will even let you create groups, keep live searches going, and even update your Facebook status. This is highly recommended if you are still using the Twitter Interface.

Desktube:

thedesktube.com

This AIR application brings YouTube to your desktop, where it belongs. It gives you a full listing of all the recently featured videos on You Tube, as well as search and seeing all the top videos. You can even upload videos to YouTube and share videos on Facebook and Twitter. Highly recommended.