RedTigerOH's Tech Blog

March 29, 2010

Fastest Browser in the World

Filed under: Web Browser — Tags: , — admin @ 3:33 pm

I missed posting a link to this testing done by Tom’s Hardware, but I wanted to post this.  I have been using Google Chrome for some time now, pretty much since they first released it as a Beta.  It’s very nice to see the various benchmarks run on all of the top browsers, so users can see and compare them for themselves.  Comparing the facts and not just quoting your own personal preference is important today.  There is a lot of bias involved when dealing with Web Browsers, as I even know individuals who use Opera almost religiously.  However, it’s high time that everyone should consider leaving Internet Explorer entirely, because this browser is very far behind concerning web standards and speed.

Have a look at this article and see for yourself.

Web Browser Grand Prix

If you are still using Internet Explorer, just because it is the default in Windows, you don’t really know what you are missing.  After reading that article, go and download all of the major browsers mentioned and try them out.  For most of us, either Chrome or Firefox will offer a much better browsing experience, but Opera and Safari are both great browsers in their own way.  Please take the time to rethink your IE usage, because you are not seeing the web as it should be in IE.

Peace,

RedTigerOH

March 8, 2010

Valve officially announces Steam for the Mac OSX Operating System.

Filed under: Mac Games — Tags: , , — admin @ 9:57 pm

This is amazing news indeed.  There are a growing number of people who either use both platforms or are moving solely to the Mac.  There have been very few developers  who actually support both platforms.  A lot has changed over the past several years, and Macs now run on the same hardware as PC’s, so gaming is a very real possibility.  Apple has also noticed the tremendous success of casual gaming on the iPhone platform, so it would only make sense that they would want to encourage gaming on their desktop operating system.

I don’t know if you are a Steam user, but Steam is a great online gaming service.  One of the best features is that you can download and play your games on any computer you want, just by logging into the system with your account.  Your Steam registered games are tied to the service and your account, not a specific computer.  This is the way gaming should be handled.  We see the same type of system used in most MMORPG games, like World of Warcraft, and this works great.  So to bring a service like this across multiple operating systems is revolutionary, and should really encourage developers that never considered the Mac platform to develop for both.  Blizzard is one of the few large developers that actually make both a Windows and Mac version with every game they release.  We have seen a few other games here and there, Sims 3 and Spore are notable games that had both Win and Mac in the same box.

Many of us have been waiting for the days when you can buy a game for your platform, Windows, Mac, Linux, Xbox, Sony, or Nintendo and play the game seamlessly with others.  Hopefully with great services like Steam moving this direction, it is one step closer to our goal.

Valve’s Official Announcement

Peace,

RedTigerOH

March 1, 2010

Supreme Commander 2 comes out Tuesday March 2nd

Filed under: PC Games — Tags: , , — admin @ 12:15 am

Supreme Commander was one of the best RTS games ever made, and I still play it from time to time. The second offering in this franchise launches Tuesday March 2nd. The game is amazing and they have improved practically everything in the game. With the launch of the Supreme Commander 2 Demo on Steam, we have gotten a small taste of what this new game has to offer. The Demo is not much more than an hour or so of gameplay, but it is extremely fun.

The way research and technology is handled in the game has been much improved over the original. You now build research buildings that accumulate points over time, and the more of these buidlings you have, the faster the research points build up. Another really great improvement is with unit pathing. They have incorporated new algorithms using flow field logic (developed at the University of Washington), which uses information about the environment to try and keep groups of units together and moving in a logical pattern from point A to point B. What this means for the player is just smarter pathing for your unit groups, so a better gameplay experience. Chris Taylor has said in various interviews that they wanted to bring strategy back to the RTS, as many of the latest RTS style games have focused more on tactics. It’s easy to see that he is right, with all of the emphasis on hero units and small groups of units doing more. Luckily for those of us who enjoy strategy more than tactics, we have another great RTS on the horizon.

The new game offers many new units, including a bunch of new experimental units. I’m going to post a series of videos for you to watch, so you can see the new game and many of its new features. Most of them will have Chris Taylor talking about the game and since he is the lead designer on the game, who better to give us a tour of all the great things awaiting us on March 2nd.

Chris Taylor Interview by Gamespot

Chris Taylor gives a commentary on many of the great features of Supreme Commander 2

Mike Swanson talks about Supreme Commander 2 Multiplayer

Experimental Unit Videos – youtube.com playlist

If you haven’t already, go and download the demo on Steam and play through. If you are an RTS fan, I think you will thoroughly enjoy what you see. You will need a Steam account, so if you don’t have one, you can register for that at http://store.steampowered.com/.

Supreme Commander 2 Website

Please post a comment and let us know what you think about Supreme Commander 2.

Peace,
RedTigerOH

February 23, 2010

StarCraft 2 Beta has started…Here are some videos!

Filed under: PC Games — Tags: , , — admin @ 12:14 am

One of the most anticipated RTS games in history just entered the public beta phase.  Between the game and the launch of the new Battle.net service, Blizzard fans are getting very excited.  Have a look at some of these beta videos:

It looks like Blizzard is going to move the bar even higher with SC2 and Bnet. Hopefully we will be able to find out in the next few months.

Peace,
RedTigerOH

February 20, 2010

My new Eyefinity setup is s-a-weet!

Filed under: Computer Hardware — Tags: , , — admin @ 3:28 pm

For about six months now I have been drooling over the amazing three monitor Eyefinity systems people have been building and showing on youtube.com.  I was in the market to buy a new high end gaming laptop anyway, so I decided to weigh the cost / benefit of building an Eyefinity system instead of buying a new laptop.  My current Gateway FX 6860 laptop is still performing like a champ, so it was not absolutely essential that I replace my laptop right now.  After a few weeks of intense research and price shopping, I made the decision to build the cutting edge of home desktop systems.

My employer has started to use me more as a developer than an installer these days, so my primary work station is at home.  Building this new system gives me some incredible enhancements to my development efficiency.  Having three 24″ LCD panels that act as one giant desktop, turns out to offer an immediate return for a developer, who is extremely strapped for space using only one display.  I can spread all of the various windows across over 5 feet of horizontal space, and have them all look great with 5760 x 1080 resolution.  It’s very common for me to have Dreamweaver in the center window where I can code, the web browser up on the right panel to see the results of my code on the web server and the left panel will have either MySQL Workbench or a remote desktop session with MSSQL pulled up on a Windows dev box.  Also scattered around the workspace might be things like messaging clients, image editing software, office apps, and various ssh and ftp tools.  While my employer didn’t purchase this system, I like to use the system that allows me to be the most efficient and productive.

I will list the components that make up this new system, in case you want to build something similar:

  • Intel i7 920 Processor
  • Thermalright Ultra Extreme 120 CPU Cooler
  • Gigabyte EX58A-UD3R Motherboard
  • 12GB Corsair XMS3 RAM
  • 2 x 1TB Western Digital Cavier Black Hard Drives
  • Sapphire Radeon 5870 Video Card
  • LG Super Multi Blu-Ray Drive
  • Sony Optiarc 40X CD Burner
  • Antec 1200 Case
  • 3 x 24″ Acer H243H 2ms LCD Panels
  • Accell Ultra Displayport to DVI Adapter (this is required unless you have a monitor that has a displayport input)
  • SoundBlaster Arena Headset (This headset has a soundblaster Xfi card built in)
  • Razer Lycossa Keyboard (Backlit gaming keyboard)
  • Windows 7 Ultimate OEM DVD
  • Burgandy EZ Leather Executive Chair
  • Belkin 8-port Wide Surge Protector with built-in Cable Management

It’s been sort of a dream of mine to have a multi-monitor performance computer for some time now, and the Lord has allowed me to build one.  If you decide that you want to build one, let me recommend that you save the money and plan for such an expensive purchase.  It’s hard to know by reading posts like this, but I did NOT buy this system on credit.  I had been planning to make a purchase for a while, and preparing for it well ahead of time.  Also, I use my computer systems for my professional work, so they are not solely entertainment devices for me.  It is very important to be good stewards of the Lord’s resources, so I personally don’t believe it is acceptable to buy non-necessity items on credit.  You can certainly buy the items on your credit cards and then pay for them with money you have saved (this is wise, since credit cards offer greater purchase protection), but please don’t make large purchases on credit you don’t intend to pay off immediately, as this is rarely a good idea.  Sorry about the financial lesson, but it’s prudent to be upfront about the terms of such an expensive purchase.  There is to much non-disclosure today, and I would not feel right about making this post without a stewardship warning.

Eyefinity Computer Pics

Please feel free to post comments or questions on this subject.  There are a few technicalities that you need to be aware of with Eyefinity, so I would be happy to answer any questions you might have, before you go out and setup one of these amazing systems.

Peace,

RedTigerOH

January 27, 2010

Apple announces the new iPad! Finally!!!

Filed under: Computer Hardware — Tags: , , , — admin @ 9:27 pm

If you have been online in the past month, there is little chance that you missed all of the Apple Tablet speculation.  There is no need for me to go into great detail about this device, as every major news and media outlet has a full write up and pictures to excite us.  I did want to comment on a few key things and then just provide links to the Apple videos.

I wasn’t necessarily blown away.  There isn’t much that is brand new here, but this device does provide a form factor and size that may just become the “new” way we interact with digital content.  The one thing that I am absolutely impressed by, is the price.  This is a phenomenal bargain at $499 (16GB with WiFi), and is very reasonable even at the top end of $829 (64GB with 3G).  If you look at the 3G versions, we need to remember that this is an unlocked device, so you are not tied to AT&T.  There is also no contract, even for the AT&T connection services, so you can pay as you go.  It also will launch with the ability to run almost all of the 140,000 applications in the Apple App Store.  We could see many fantastic applications created for this form factor.

I am undecided on whether I will actually buy one of these.  Until today, I was pretty certain that a tablet device was unnecessary, but I must admit, I am intrigued by the potential this very nice looking device might bring.  Apple may just have found the sweet spot between Netbook and Stylish Media Computer.  Unless you own an iPhone or iPod touch, you probably don’t understand the appeal of this device.  The iPhone OS is very compelling, in its simplicity, its stability, and its streamlined interface.  So moving that to a larger platform causes the imagination to flutter about, thinking of the possibilities that well designed applications might bring.  If nothing else, this might be one seriously fun gaming platform.  So stay tuned over the next few months, as we get more details, and see the product start shipping sometime in late March.

Apple Special Event Keynote

Apple’s iPad Site

You can also click any of the links under Tech Links on my Blog to see plenty of other iPad coverage.

Peace,

RedTigerOH

January 21, 2010

Which new laptop to choose?

Filed under: Computer Hardware — Tags: , , , , , — admin @ 1:10 pm

I generally try to replace my primary computer every two years.  There are various reasons why I think this is important, some of which include, it limits hardware problems caused by age, makes me feel good to upgrade my system (new toys), and it helps me stay current with hands on experience with newer technologies.  For quite a few years now, my primary system has been laptop based, and with costs coming down and performance going up, this is not likely to change anytime soon (I don’t want to go back to being tied down to a desktop system).

Since I have been getting deeper and deeper into iPhone application development, it is imperative that I purchase a Macbook Pro.  I currently use my iMac to do this development, and that’s not to bad, but I can’t take that with me when I travel for work.  I have given up on trying to convince my employer of the benefits of the Mac, so I am going to buy my own.  My only problem now is, that Apple will almost certainly announce some new models and hardware for the 17″ MacBook Pro fairly soon.  This means that I should probably do the smart thing and hold off on buying my Macbook Pro in the short term.  At the very least, I need to wait until after January 27th, when Apple holds their event.  That event is very likely related to an Apple tablet device, but could include other product announcements (hopefully some new Macbook Pro, Core i7 machines).

Now, I am also considering the purchase of a high end gaming laptop.  Saying something like that, used to mean you were about to spend $3,000 plus, and if you are looking at some of the Alienware machines, you still are.  However, several laptop makers have been bringing high performance gaming to laptops, but with a much friendlier sticker price.  For instance, my current Gateway P6860FX laptop ($1250 when I bought it in 2008) is a pretty nice gaming machine, and it is two years old now.  It is still capable of playing everything out there, with pretty respectable performance.  This newest generation of mid-high end gaming laptops is really set to raise the bar on bang for your buck.  There are two specific machines that I have my eye on right now, and both sport amazing specifications, at reasonable price points.

Toshiba Qosmio X505-Q880 – This machine is a massive 18.4″ system, with 64GB SSD, 6GB Ram, GeForce GTS 360M, Blu-ray Drive, 1920×1080 resolution LCD screen, Backlit Keyboard, and all the other bells and whistles any modern gamer needs.  This is at the top of my very short list, because of the screen size and configuration, at only $1900 retail.

Asus G73jh – Another very impressive laptop from Asus.  The Asus G-series has been a favorite of Gamers on a budget for a while now, especially the G71 and G72 machines.  The G72 can currently be had for around $1300 at Best Buy.  The G73 however, is set to launch next month, and it offers an incredible array of performance parts.  It includes Core i7, Radeon HD5870, 1TB of disk space (2x500GB drives), 6GB of DDR3 RAM, 1920×1080 resolution 17.3″ display, Backlit keyboard, and 4 speakers in the case with Creative audio.  This should also come with a $1,600 price tag, so it’s cheaper than the Toshiba.

As you can see, both machines are excellent choices.  If you want great performance, at a reasonable price, you cannot beat either of these machines.  Which do you think I should choose?

Peace,

RedTigerOH

January 18, 2010

Nintendo Wii Balance Board is Not Just for Playing Games

Filed under: Home Tech — Tags: , , — admin @ 10:55 am

The engineers at Nintendo should be given some awards for their Wii controllers and accessories.  Even though they have developed their devices for gaming, their devices have been used in a number of practical and beneficial applications.  Generally speaking, by using the incredibly sensitive controllers from Nintendo, there is a significant cost savings over traditional devices.

Another example of this technology is in the Wii Balance Board.  The University of Melbourne have tested the Wii Balance Board against a medical grade physical therapy platform, and found the Balance Board to be comparable.  Read the article posted on the New Scientist website for more information.

Peace,

RedTigerOH

January 13, 2010

Google says “New Approach to China”

Filed under: World Tech News — Tags: , , — admin @ 11:11 am

China is well known for their internet censoring and oppressive behavior toward individuals who violate their ridiculous laws.  Finally, after China was caught in more nefarious activity, targeting human rights activists, Google is drawing a line in the sand.  Google has uncovered evidence of targeted attacks, not only affecting them, but about 20 other U.S. companies.  According to a post on their Official Google Blog, they are entering into talks with the Chinese government.  And if they cannot operate an uncensored search, they may shutdown operations in China altogether.

I am posting a link to the actual Google Blog post and a CNET article, discussing this very important issue.  I recommend that everyone take the time to understand issues like this, because the world has gone China crazy (mainly because of greed), but the Chinese government does not allow a free exchange of ideas, nor do they behave ethically.  They have a long track record of corruption and abuse, and it is my opinion that the U.S. should stop doing business with China (and yes, stop borrowing money from them too), until they make significant changes in their behavior.

Official Google Blog post on China

CNET Article on Google’s Post

Please take some time to understand these cyber security violations and unethical practices employed by China.

Peace,

RedTigerOH

January 10, 2010

Robocalypse is a fun and unique RTS for the iPhone

Filed under: iPhone Games — Tags: , — admin @ 4:02 pm

In my iPhone game testing I have come across a couple very interesting titles.  Robocalypse takes the RTS formulaic approach, similar to Dawn of War II.  You control a small band of units, mix in a few hero units, and basically conquer each map by capturing unique points and killing all enemies.  However, Robocalypse throws in a massive amount of humor and a very fun story.  Since this is a couple dollar iPhone game, it doesn’t have the production value of a Dawn of War game, but who would expect it to for a couple of dollars.  You will get a kick out of this title, even if RTS games aren’t your cup of tea.

Here are a couple of images, so you can see what this game actually looks like on the iPhone:

Robocalypse1

Robocalypse2

Also, here is a link to the Robocalypse website:

Robocalypse Website

Peace,

RedTigerOH

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