Tiny but Fun

These radio-controlled helicopters are small enough to fit in the palm of your hand. The choppers come in a matched pair that can run on different frequencies, so you can have mini-dogfights with your friends.

Pressing a button on the remote can fire an invisible IR beam at your opponent’s helicopter, making it start to spin out of control. A second shot makes your enemy lose some power, and one more deadly shot kills power altogether, sending their copter plummeting to the ground.

You can grab a pair of the dueling mini helicopters from ThinkGeek for $49.99.

Check out this dog fight!!!

What Time Is It

Unlike a normal clock, this funky modern timepiece keeps its hands stationary, letting the numbers on its dial rotate around the hands to tell the time. A simple gear-drive mechanism moves the outer ring around the clock mechanism. The desk clock gets it’s name, “Pisa” from it’s eye-catching leaning tower design. And if you really feel like going all out with the 12th-century Italy theme, the dial can be reversed to show roman numerals instead of digits. So far I’ve only been able to find this clock from Korea’s Earlyadopter Mall (priced at 15,800 KRW, about $17 USD) but post a comment if you manage to find them somewhere in North America.

Wiidiculous

Chances are you or somebody you know wants a to buy a Nintendo Wii game console for this holliday season. Also, Chances are you cant find one anywhere. The only place you can still get one is either Amazon.com or Ebay at a rediculous inflated prices. there is actualy one auction on ebay with an asking price of $9,999,999.00 . So if you want to know what all this hoopla is about keep reading.

Nintendo originally code-named their new video game console the Revolution. They should have kept the name, not just because the new moniker Wii (pronounced "wee") has been the butt of many jokes, but because this console truly is revolutionary.Nintendo has always delivered an enjoyable gaming experience above providing the highest specs. While Microsoft and Sony are duking it out over processing power and high-definition DVDs, Nintendo has opted for a less traditional route--and succeeded mightily.The Wii video game console is built around the experience of the Wii remote, a Bluetooth-wireless, motion-sensitive controller that can be used in a variety of ways. The Wii ships with the Wii Sports video game, a collection of fun sports titles that really demonstrate the controller's capabilities. In Wii Bowling, you move the controller in a bowling motion to line up the ball, and Wii Baseball lets you pitch and swing by moving the remote.But it extends beyond simple games. You're able to swing swords, throw football passes, and drive vehicles just by moving the controller. The remote can also be used as a traditional Nintendo controller, with a D-pad and A and B buttons. There's an expansion port on the side of the remote for adding additional sub-controllers, such as the Nunchuk controller with its analog stick (one remote and one Nunchuk ship with the video game console). This gives you additional motion-sensitive control for more advanced games.The revolutionary nature of the controller is hard to convey in words. There's a learning curve, but it's a fun curve as you get a feel for the nuances of the motion sensitivity.Nintendo has made the video game console backwards-compatible with GameCube games, controllers, and memory cards, and the system features a Virtual Console that downloads older games from Nintendo 64 and other systems.The tiny video game console (much smaller than the 360 or PS3) features an SD port so you can pop in your photo card to browse pictures on your TV. The Nintendo Wii doesn't offer high-definition output, although its 480p output is comparable to DVD quality (though component cables are not included with the system and are extra charge). With the Xbox 360 still priced at $399 and the PlayStation 3 at $499-plus, the $249 Wii is a bargain. The Nintendo Wii and its revolutionary remote will put Nintendo right back at the top of the video game console wars.

Hot Seat

There is a fine line between the casual gamer and the obsessive gamer — and HotSeat Chassis Inc. knows how to give the necessary push over that line. Take the HotSeat Flight Sim, for example, which helps distinguish the common flight-simulator fan from the true flying ace.
This $900 gaming chair, available online has a bucket seat bolted to a metal frame. The front of the chair has a mounting platform for display screens and allows you to attach a joystick or flight-stick controller for added realism. The seat comes in four colors — red, blue, yellow and black — and includes a 5.1-channel surround sound system with subwoofer.
Potential jet pilots can connect their PC or game console to the speakers, put an L.C.D. monitor on the front stand and sit down for a bit of action on the wing. The whole thing collapses for easy storage.
The Flight Sim is specially contoured to create the sensation of being strapped into a fighter jet. While you won’t get very far off the ground in this chair, a bit of imagination and a powerful PC can take you a long way.

Yes!!!, HALO 3 is here

Ever since Halo 2 ended with Master Chief promising to "finish the fight" on earth, gamers have been waiting for a sequel to the epic sci fi shooter. The time has come, but has it been the worth the three year wait? Based on early reviews, the answer is a resounding yes--for both Halo veterans and newbies.

Some background for the latter. Halo 3, for Microsoft Xbox 360 only, stars Master Chief, a genetically enhanced super soldier who uses plasma rays and other futuristic weapons to blast his way through a 3D landscape and accomplish missions. His nemesis, a shadowy outfit called The Covenant, attempts to blow him and all of humanity out of existence at every turn. The game was created by Bungie Studios and is published by Microsoft. It went on sale at midnight the 25th of september. Based on early reviews in the media and on blogs, Halo 3 fans are not going to be disappointed.

Halo 3 can be completed in just ten hours with the difficulty level set to "Normal" in single-player mode, But the game realy shines when played in multiplayer mode on Xbox Live. Bungie tuned the multi-player game like a fine grand piano, with well-balanced weapons and smartly designed maps. which for many gamers is what it's all about. The environment around you is much prettier than earlier Halo titles, taking advantage of the Xbox 360's high-definition capabilities. gamers will benefit from enhancements in key areas, like artificial intelligence. Enemies seem smarter, darting into and out of cover with frightening alacrity, and tending to advance using cover while moving at right angles instead of bum-rushing carelessly.

Bloggers at Team Xbox call Halo 3 "the best Xbox 360 game to date." The game is very accessible and spells out what's going on just enough to make it entertaining for even casual fans.

So there it is. The early reviews for Halo 3 are overwhelmingly positive. Of course, gamers who don't want to take anyone else's word for it can get their own Halo 3. retailers will be selling copies of the game for about $60.00

All hail Master Chief!

Have We Finally Caught Up To The Jetsons?

Paul Moller has been featured on CBS 60 Minutes, the Discovery Channel and numerous other broadcasts as the man bringing us closer in touch with the cartoon of our childhoods. Who remembers watching the "Jetsons" and daydreaming about how cool it would be if your family had a flying car? Well Paul Moller must have really liked that cartoon because he has spent the few decades of his life trying to make his dreams come true. After fourty years of development,"Dr. Paul Moller, announced recently that production would begin on the company's M200G volantor, a UFO-esque hovercraft that apparently can 'glide over terrain at 50 MPH.' " Unfortunately with a price tag of $1million, I don't see this as being the popular commuting trend anytime soon.

There are many sceptics as to whether Mr. Moller will actually be able to bring the 'Skycar' into production, as he has said it was only a few years away for the past 30 years. However, maybe this is just a case of technology having to catch up to innovation. Even if Moller had been able to produce and market the 'Skycar' decades ago, there would have been no way to manage personal flying machines until just recently. NASA has recently been working on a computer system that could potentially make these machines a reality. It can make flying easy and manage all the new traffic. "It is called, 'The Highway in the Sky', and here's how it works: In a NASA animation, pilots focus on main screen. It's very much like a Video game. (YEAH!!!) Keep the plane inside the box, away from other vehicles, and the plane's computers automatically guide them towards their destination. They can even follow the highway down to the ground." Gamers be warned: YOU ARE NO LONGER PLAYING A GAME, SHOOTING SHIPS IN FRONT OF YOU IS NOT ACCEPTABLE AND NO POINTS WILL BE REWARDED.

So when I win I the Lotto and can afford to get a flying car, I'll let you know how it rides. However, since it only hovers around 10 feet max. right now, I hope it comes with a horn.

“Music and Video Games, Ahhh Sweet Symphony”

The anticipation for the latest in the Guitar Hero Series, Guitar Hero III Legend of Rock, due to be released 10/28/07 is building. We can only hope that the first of the series not designed by Harmonix Music Systems can live up to its predecessors. Developed by Harmonix and Published by RedOctane the original Guitar Hero, released on 11/8/05, took music and rhythm video games to a new level by incorporating an easy to use guitar shaped controller. This controller gives the player the feel of holding a real guitar (3/4 the size) and playing along with the music by pressing fret buttons and a strum bar to color coded notes that scroll toward you on screen from an extended guitar neck.

All of the games in the series consist of pretty much the same basic gaming experience, (Guitar Hero, Guitar Hero II, Guitar Hero Encore Rocks the 80’s and Guitar Hero III Legend of Rock). There are four levels of difficulty; easy, medium, hard, and expert. This makes it a little easier to learn and progress and the control can accommodate right and left-handed players. You and your audience can watch your character (well not you because your playing) jam out on stage when you activate the “Star Power” by tilting your guitar upwards. When in “star power” your score multiplier is doubled. You also have a rock meter which gauges your success or failure of a song with a red, yellow, green scale. Green your good, red your probably about to get booed off stage. They do boo you, but hey at least they can’t throw stuff. “Guitar Hero’s main mode of play is Career Mode, where the player and in-game band travel between various fictional performance arenas and perform sets of four or five songs. It is by completing songs in this mode that the songs are unlocked for play across the game. Players can choose their on-stage character, their guitar of choice, and the venue in which they wish to play. In this mode the player can earn money from his/her performances that is redeemable in the in-game store, where bonus songs, additional guitars and finishes, and bonus content can be unlocked.” This is consistent with all versions, including the upcoming Guitar Hero III as is the quick play mode, where you can just pick out individual songs and not have to go on tour. In Guitar Hero II a practice mode was added and this was much welcomed by some players. It gives you the chance to practice full songs or just sections and you can also change the speed.

The Multiplayer mode has varied a little. The original version offers a two player dueling mode. There are two fret boards on screen and you take turns playing sections of a song. The player with the highest score wins. Guitar HeroII offers three different multiplayer modes:

• Cooperative-“One player plays lead guitar while another plays either bass guitar or rhythm guitar, depending on the song. Both players share a score, rock meter, star power meter, and streak multiplier. Cooperative mode is the only multiplayer mode in which a song can be failed. Star power can only be activated by both players simultaneously”

• Face-Off –“This is the same multiplayer mode as featured in the original game, though in Guitar Hero II both players can individually select their level of difficulty. In this mode, players alternate between playing sections of each song. "

• Pro Face-Off- "Players play the full lead guitar track on the same difficulty. For the PlayStation2 mode, this is available upon completion of any career level, while for the XB360 version, the mode is unlocked after completing the career mode at medium or higher."

Guitar Hero III is supposed to contain the same multiplayer modes along with the new Battle Mode. It is similar to the Pro-Face-Off mode, however, in battle mode the star power sequences can ear attacks to be used against your opponent. Unlike earlier versions, Guitar Hero III is the first to feature online competitive and cooperative playing for the multiplayer modes.

I have not mentioned Guitar Hero Encore Rock the 80’s much, because the only real difference between and Guitar Hero II is the songs, the characters clothing and hairstyles. This was the third and final title developed by Harmonix and was more of an extension pack.

The original Guitar Hero was only available for Play Station 2. Guitar Hero II was released for PlayStation2 in November of 2006 and for XBOX 360 in April of 2007. Guitar Hero Encore Rock the 80’s was release only for PlayStation2 in July 2007. The basic song lists are the same for both platforms however the XBOX360 version was released with ten exclusive songs and you can purchase additional song packs through XBOX Live. The Guitar Hero III developed by Neversoft, will supposedly be available on PlayStation2, PlayStation3, XBOX 360, Wii, PC, and Mac. The anticipation of the Wii version is mounting because of the way the Wii’s remote control style game controller will be placed in the guitar, adding a unique gaming experience because of the rumble feature and internal speaker.
A new exciting feature of Guitar Hero III will be the character cast. Some of the original characters have been remodeled, some are gone and some are so famous you can only use them after you beat them. Supposedly there will be three boss battles in the game. The talk is that Slash from Guns N’ Roses, Tom Morello from Rage Against the Machine and Bret Michaels from Poison are all featured as game characters. But to use any of these Rockers you’ll have to beat them at their own songs. Not long after the initial release song packs should be available for the PlayStation 3 and XBOX 360 formats. Apparently downloads for Wii might not me available right away. Wireless controllers will be available for all formats. A CD of the Guitar Hero III Soundtrack will also be released 10/30/07 that will apparently contain special codes that can be used to download additional songs within the game, only for the XBOX 360 version.

I’m gonna be going for the XBOX 360 version of Guitar Hero III and I can’t wait to rock. I just hope that Neversoft, the developers of Guitar Hero III can ROCK THE HOUSE like their forerunners.