Technology

The Web? There’s an App For That

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I can't imagine what I'd do without the web.  Research, news, game tips, general amusement, and more are all there online.  Anyone can make a web page and create a new resource.  The web is vital to what I do, to my life, to my job – and I imagine you're the same way.

However we also know the web has problems.  We get bad pages and embed ads, corrupted sites and bad formatting.  How many of us have a few ad blockers, script busters, and other tools to make web-surfing easier?  How many of us sigh as we try and help our less computer-literate friends and relatives navigate the complexities of the modern web?  The web, for all its benefits, is complicated in many ways that frustrate our enjoyment of it.

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When Tech Became Cool

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Nearly a year ago, I moved to Mac.

I recall it quite clearly when it happened.  I was planning a new Windows Box purchase as soon as Windows 7 came out.  Then I had a virus on my computer, which I managed to fix.  My wife and roommate of the time, both Mac users, had long been suggesting I use a Mac.

So after having blown an evening dealing with my first virus infection in years (apparently due to a PDF vulnerability), I began reflecting on the advantages of having a Mac:
* All the basic software I need.
* Great service and support.
* Much less viruses and such targeting it – and good onboard security to boot.
* Long lifespan.

This all added up though to one, important thing – less frustration.

I'm a busy person.  I'm a PM in technology, and thus no longer being a programmer, a computer crisis is not a Valuable Learning Experience.  I can't imagine what computer problems are like for people who don't have an IT background, though I can guess from the amount of times my friends and I play tech support.

But Mac is relatively frustration-free.  Mac is fast, slick, sexy, and gets the job done.

That's what I wanted.  That's why I got a Mac.  It's also a reason I hear for a lot of people using a Mac.

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Epic Handhelds

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I have Dragon Quest IX on my DS.  If you're not familiar with the series, they're epic Japanese RPGs with their own style.  Dragon Quest VIII on the PS2 had an incredible amount of gameplay – I put 80 hours into playing it.  From everything I've seen in DQ IX, and everything I hear, this tiny cartridge is packed with as much content as the PS2 disc.

For people not familiar with gaming, handhelds like the DS may not seem to be the place for epic games that last 40, 50, or more hours.  It's too easy to assume portable gaming is casual gaming.

Of course this isn't true.  Handheld gaming gave us Pokemon, games people could put hundreds of hours into playing.  There are epic RPGs for various handhelds, from Golden Sun to Shin Megami Tensi: Strange Journey.  Hand-held gaming has had epic for quite some time.

However, as I've played Dragon Quest IX, which proves to be more addicting than its' predecessor, I've started to speculate that epics are not only well-suited to handhelds, they may be an ideal place for them in the future.

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