iPad, iPad, why do you blow?

January 27, 2010 · Leave a Comment
Filed under: Le technologie 

Ok, maybe it doesn’t exactly blow. I mean, it’s better than the first generator iPhone, right? (Comparably).

Some things right off the bat. Lame ratio. Lame border.

It looks like it’s got a matte on it.

It’s really thin and really light, but will it break when it slides off the bed?

Are those iPhone apps ready for it, display-wise? I’m sure some are (ComicBookLover’s app appearing this week can’t be a coincidence), but what about the accelerometer games? Are they going to work “just fine?”

The big thing, the thing I care about–the thing I’ve known was going to suck since I heard it was running iPhone OS–is the video codecs. MP4 might kick ass and all, but it’s a friggin’ pain when it’s only the standard for Macs. For whatever reason, it’s a lot easier to liberate (steal) movies on a PC and so everything ends up in an AVI or an MKV or a (shudder) WMV.

Obviously, I don’t steal movies. Even liberate them. I’m solely speaking of public domain films. Obviously.

I mean, you can plug in an El Gato Turbo.264 and convert anything playable on your Mac to an MP4, but . . . what, you’ve got a computer sitting around just for converting video (and wouldn’t you just use Handbrake then?). The new Minis do a great job of it, but who wants to spend $600 just to watch video on a big iPhone? You could just watch on your laptop.

Where’s the iPad useful? The kitchen. The newspaper (for those people who read the newspaper like they do on TV or in the movies). Maybe picture taking, but only maybe. Are those iPhone apps you’d be using to edit them too destructive?

For $199, this thing would be amazing. For $499, I think I’d rather not. Especially since it doesn’t have a video passthrough. With a video passthrough (I can plug my blu-ray player into it and rest it against a wall and watch Mannequin: On the Move in HD and count William Ragsdale’s moles), it’d probably be worth it.

Maybe version 2.

I forget not everyone on the internet is a creepy old perv

January 24, 2010 · Leave a Comment
Filed under: The Internets 

I forget not everyone on the internet is a creepy old perv. I was looking for Avatarize Yourself (I’ve been drinking Cherry AMP and vodka, leave me the hell alone) and I found this blog.

Dude’s got a photo gallery of Emma Watson going. I figured it was some thirty-eight year-old perv. Turns out it’s just some twenty year old lamer.

Still, I feel better about the human condition. Though it does serve to remind how much blogger sucks.

Everyone needs a seedbox

January 24, 2010 · Leave a Comment
Filed under: The Internets 

I need a seedbox for . . . well, whatever perfectly legal torrent downloads there are out there. Hey, look, there really are public domain torrents out there. Who knew?

Anyway, given how shitty Comcast is when it comes to people torrenting, the only option is a seedbox. So I went with seedboxhosting, who are just about the only seedbox to come up on google. Maybe they buy adwords or just have a really good SEO going.

They’re something of con artists (when I signed up, it was for $37 a month, then they canceled my account “by accident” and started charging me $47 a month when I reactivated) but the seedbox is good. It’s fast, it’s mostly stable. I’d have no complaints if it weren’t for them ignoring their support tickets. I’ve had one open for three or four days now. No assistance or response whatsoever.

So goodbye seedboxhosting. Luckily, I’ve learned google isn’t the best way to find out about seedboxes or rapidleeches or offshore hosting. You can still find a bunch of pirated movies and music to download on google, of course, just not the best way to download said pirated materials. I found another seedbox with the exact same specs for half the price–and the administrator answered an e-mail query the same day.

Seedboxhosting might not be a rip-off (I haven’t tried the new seedbox place yet so I don’t know if the $47 really does make all the difference), but they have terrible customer service. I just wish google would let you review websites.

Johnny Rockets

January 24, 2010 · Leave a Comment
Filed under: Dining in Denver 

Is there a more overpriced “diner” than Johnny Rockets? Their milkshakes are almost five bucks and, from the woman’s at a table I passed, are not very big.

Had the BLT, which was a serious disappointment. They were skimpy on the bacon. Six bucks or so for a BLT I could have made at home. Not even special bread. They called it sourdough, but it looked like white bread.

They now offer salad (with a fork–the first time I ate at a Johnny Rockets they didn’t have an silverware) but top it with shredded cheddar cheese.

On the other hand, the manager was personable ringing up our ticket, which had me leaving in a more pleasant mood than otherwise.

Johnny Rockets, 3000 East 1st Avenue, Denver, CO 80206.

Grand China

January 24, 2010 · Leave a Comment
Filed under: Dining in Denver 

I hate mediocre Chinese food. Grand China is mediocre Chinese food.

I had the sweet and sour pork. It was, I suppose, more caloric than a microwave dinner sweet and sour pork and the sauce was “fresher,” but it wasn’t superior. The spring roll was bad, the wonton was a boring addition. The fried rice was fine.

The google reviews called it the “best Chinese in Denver,” but obviously that reviewer had his or her taste buds removed.

Grand China, 2200 E Colfax Ave, Denver, CO 80206.