...DS WiFi Woes Answered...I Feel Stupid!...

...so I know what my next purchase will be! i've had my Nintendo DS since Christmas (thanks to my loving GF) but I haven't really been able to reap the rewards of the WiFi on it because our WiFi router is set to WPA (WiFi Protected Access) encryption enabled. The DS only handles WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) enabled and I have my router on WPA...

...now, honestly, I have really no idea what the difference either of the encryptions are except that WPA allowed me to use a phrase/word as a password rather than using the bajillion numbers that the WEP passwords are. I really don't feel like doing that. Plus, I don't want to have to change the router settings and then tell my roommates why I did it just so I can play Mario Kart DS online. After doing a search (Processor.com has a great and easy to understand article on this), and a thread on the Penny Arcade Forums, i've found that the WPA is the best...for now...

...so, if you are having the problem like I am (and just didn't think about doing this), just get the Nintendo WiFi USB dongle, or the generic non Nintendo one which is what i'm doing thanks to Ebay. :) The WiFi USB dongle will create a WiFi access point from your computer that is already connected to the internet, may it be a wired or a wireless connection. When you're done, just unplug the dongle and the access point is gone! Simple as that...when I found out about this i just slapped my forehead and just thought...man...i'm stupid...

...Secondhand Serenade This Saturday at Knitting Factory NYC...

...so this Saturday i'll be heading to the Knitting Factory NYC to see one Secondhand Serenade. John (aka Secondhand Serenade) is what Dashboard should've kept on doing: simple songs, simple man, 1 guitar. He's been touring on the Hawthorne Heights tour since June, before that he did a small run of dates up and down the West Coast where he's from...just him, his guitar and his immense love for his fans...

...he's the only artist that i've seen devote himself to his fans a full 1000% percent. after playing a show, you will find him at his merch table, having full on, in depth conversations about love, life and whatever comes up...

...his music is very reminicent of early Dashboard Confessional. Originally, John was part of the punk rock scene, but on the side, he'd write songs on his guitar and play them for his wife to see what she thinks...what came out of that is our Secondhand Serenade...

...Tummy Troubles...

...hey all. I haven't forgotten about the lil'ol'blog here. I've had some sickie tummy problems along with some band stuff but i'll be updating tonight on a few things such as Unreal Tournament 2004 and why it'll never die and the Nintendo DS WiFi dongle...

...xbox...why have I neglected thee???

...so like many gamers, I have the big three previous to the new generation of consoles: PS2, Xbox & Gamecube. The PS2 has been my baby for the longest and I will love it to death...I then received a Gamecube from my girlfriend for my birthday a few years ago. I enjoy it a lot more for the fact of Zelda, Resident Evil, Animal Crossing and all those Nintendo, cutesy games. Let's not forget Mario also...he's been with me since I got my NES...

...when I moved out of my parents house and into my apartment, my roommate stumbled upon an Xbox that was at a garage sale with a sign that said: Take Me I'm Free. The only problem was that it was tempermental (later finding out that all it needed was to have it's lense cleaned). So my roommate gave it to me since he didn't really play video games. I then started playing Fable, Chronicles of Riddick and a bunch of other Xbox exclusives. I picked up Phantom Dust, Sudeki and a few others...then I forgot about it (although that's a figure of speech since the thing is huge and you can't really miss it)...

...so the past weekend, I got sick so I decided to pop in Star Wars 3: Revenge of the Sith into my Xbox. I've played and beaten the game before for PS2 but I got it again for X-mas from my friend. Figured why not, it was a fun game. For some reason, I had a lot more fun playing it on the Xbox. So then I popped in my copy of Fable and restarted my game I had from before...

...I have neglected my Xbox and I have no idea why. I put out this post to you guys, whomever is out there reading. What are some good Xbox exclusive games that I should play? I was thinking of picking up Mechassult 2 or Stubbs the Zombie but I'm unsure. There are so many games in the $9.99 & under bin at my local GameStop...I don't know!!!

...musician's you must know: Bob Schneider

...so here's a musician/band that I feel everyone needs to know about: Bob Schneider. Bob's had a few bands from the start; The Scabs and Ugly Americans are those of note. He's always been a very fun, dancy and yet chill type of music and person...

...I first found out about Bob while listening to an internet radio station while working at my ex-girlfriend's dad's eBay company over the summer a few years back. The song The World Exploded Into Love came on and I was hooked. I wrote down the name and looked him up. This was way before MySpace so I was using Napster (when it was free)...

...suffice to say that after I bought the album Lonelyland I couldn't stop looking for more. He writes about everything from love to f*(#ing a girl and having burritos and pie after. Hailing from San Antonio, TX, he has a lot of Spanish type dance songs as well like the Bombonanza and the Tarantula Song. Check him out...If you like Howie Day, Jason Mraz...they're all friends of Bob. GO!...

...hot hot heat...literally...

...it's a heat wave here in NYC and what do i do? i go to the beach with 3 hotties...and get a sunburn. I'm not feelin too hot since yesterday so i've been catching up on some old PS2 games that I haven't played in a long time...

...one in particular is Psi Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy. This game is just a lot of fun. The storyline reminds me a lot of the Jason Bourne series of books and movies. It's about a guy who doesn't remember who he is but learns along the way that he has the powers of telekenesis, pyrokenesis, remote vision, mind control and other powers. Basically you're going through the game learning that you have these powers, and what you've done in the past, therefore taking on revenge on those who made you who you are...

...fun, easy story no? There really isn't anything better than picking up an enemy soldier, spinning him around and throwing him into a barrage of other soldiers coming to kill you and setting them on fire. HOW CAN YOU NOT LOVE A GAME LIKE THAT?!. I'm currently stuck at a boss battle that's pretty easy but frustrating at the same time. First you battle the stone warriors in the room which is pretty easy but tedious. Then the actual boss (Wei Lu I want to say??) turns into a huge, green blob thinggee with 3 heads (not including his own)...

...I've come to the decision that I need to finish a game. I haven't finished a game since Zelda: Wind Waker for the GameCube (which was spectacular and I can't wait for the Phantom Hourglass for DS). I have so many games that I have yet to finish (RE4, Psi Ops, Metroid Prime, Getting Up, Ace Combat 5) but I keep on getting either bored or distracted. My DS isn't helping out either with all the games that I have for that also (I've made myself take out Pokemon Diamond because I need to stop walking around in circles looking for rare Pokemon). DAMMIT and I have an old Xbox which I started playing Fable on and Sudeki. AGHHHH!!! HELP!...

...off early and it's definitely more than meets the eye...

AUTOBOTS...ROLLOUT!!!!!
...the most anticipated event in the life of a nerd that grew up in the 80's occurs NOW...Transformers, the live action movie is finally here and thank's to my g/f (who has been very supportive of my nerdiness) she got us tickets to go see Transformers opening day...

...now there are a lot of reviews out there panning this movie because Michael Bay is the director...yeah he's done some so so movies in the past but WHO CARES! ...Bay has done this franchise justice and kept the spirit of these robots in disguise alive. this is by far the best movie of the summer, hands down...the movie stays true to the cartoon; the robots are funny and yet they kick some serious ARSE. there are moments in the movie where only a true fan of Transformers will recognize them (like the relationship between Megatron and Starscream or when Sam first finds Bumblebee) but this movie can be enjoyed by everyone. you genuinely start to feel bad during those heartfelt moments in this movie and tense up during suspense.

...go to this movie and don't expect a thing...this is not a movie that will win Academy Awards for best dramatic acting...c'mon it's a movie about ROBOTS IN DISGUISE PEOPLE!!!!! i'm glad Bay directed this movie..the action was spectacular, the robots looked great...I didn't even at once think, "yeah...that doesn't look real." All the robots looked so damn realistic, i left the theater hoping that one of the cars outside would just get up and transform...

...drunken nights & inked debauchery...

...it's great to come back from what you thought was going to be the end. the return from a long hiatus with the band, i felt that things were good again but after hearing the new album, with new lyrics and new ideas...i cannot be happier...

...we sat and listened to these songs as if they were new to us when in fact they kinda were. it's amazing what a new idea and lyrics can do to a song. these are songs that we've been anticipating for almost over a year now where the lyrical medley has been changing almost every week. our producer and singer have been collaborating (as any good producer should do) and pure simplicity in music was created... we sat there soaking this new music in over a beer or two...or 30... :) ...needless to say, I was late to work the next day, but it was worth it...

...of course you would think i wouldn't drink the following night but i ended up going out with my best friend/guitarist, getting drunk and we both ended up getting this:
...guess you can say we're dedicated to the band no? well worth it though. i've always wanted an old school, Sailor Jerry type of tattoo. this is on my right leg, above my ankle...he got his on his left bicep...yeah yeah yeah...bro tats...but whatever...it's about time

...a pleasant DS surprise...

...so ever since i've been watching movies on my Zune on my commute to work on the train, i've been neglecting my Nintendo DS until recent when I've been playing it during commercials or while i'm watching TV. now I can go on and on about all the other games people have been raving about that I too have found my mind go insane from the fun of them (Puzzle Quest, Planet Puzzle League, Elite Beat Agents)...but i'm going to write about a game that i got recently on a whim just cause that I found to be quite enjoyable: The Incredibles - Rise of the Underminer...

...this is obviously based on the movie The Incredibles. So far i'm on the 3rd area in the game and i'm enjoying it very much. this is a the classic platformer. you can switch between using Mr. Incredible (he's incredibly strong!) and Frozone (who freezes stuff ala Iceman). Each have their own special power where on each level you'll find you need to use one or the other to get past a certain obstacle. You can switch between characters whenever you want which is really handy. The enemy's are a little monotonous and the puzzles are a bit easy, but we're talking about a kids game no? This game really just reminds me of the old NES platformers from back in the day. Save points are distributed well through out the game and the boss battles aren't that hard. A perfect DS platformer...

...this Technorati tati thang...

Technorati Profile

...so i joined Technorati...my profile's above. just another profile to add to my piles and piles and piles of social networking sites that seem to pull me in. lately though, i've been trying to keep it down to the following: Digg , MySpace , Facebook...now I guess this Technorati...the adventure continues...

...Rip Chris Benioit...

...one of the last great technical wrestlers...

...top 3 current albums replaying on my Zune...

...so i thought i would start doing a current top 3 every month or twice a month considering that this usually changes a lot. working in the music industry, you get to learn about an enormous amount of new bands that either will get very popular or will just pass quickly under the radar. hopefully i'll be able to help these bands out and maybe you out there in the reader world will find out about some new bands!...

It Prevails - Album: The Inspiration
Their first record out on Rise Records is reminicent of a mix of Shai Halud, Strongarm and Further Seems Forever (musically not vocally). This is TRUE melodic hardcore with riffs through out the verses; almost reminds me of as if Jeff Buckley found a dual rectifier, plugged in and just played with Jamey Jasta of Hatebreed.

Jeff Buckley - Album: Live at Sin-e
This has to be one of the best live albums I have ever heard. I've been in a Buckley kick for a while now and i've only recently been learning more about his life and how he loved his Cafe shows. Jeff played at Sin-e a lot and this album makes you feel like you are in the audience and he's talking to you in between songs. He makes you feel as if you are part of his music and you're not just watching a show. You are part of his family. This album includes a few covers which are not your norm: Van Morrison's Sweet Thing and The Way Young Lovers Do. On top of that is probably the best Queen cover i've ever heard of Calling You. This alone is worth it.

Rise Against - Album: The Sufferer & The Witness
Absolutely the best sophomore album (on a major...this is actually their third album in reality) i've heard in a long time since Pearl Jam's Vs. It's great to see a political band get some recognition from the majors such as the late great BoySetsFire. Two great songs are The Approaching Curve and Behind Closed Doors. The hooks are amazing, the music is just pure punk; the dynamics and changes in the music makes me keep wondering what they'll do next even though I know what's coming. Words don't put this album to justice...

...vampires make the heart grow rockin...

aka The 69 Eyes Rock NYC at The Blender Theatre

...last night I had my boys, the Helsinki Vampires that are THE 69 EYES play at the circus tent like venue that is the Blender Theatre. nice venue but the insides really just look like you're inside a circus tent. hard to explain. the band sounded great after a few tweaks in the sound a minute or two into their set. the band exuded energy and never missed a beat from song to song. although I would've liked to hear Devils and Lost Boys earlier into their set, they played a nice mix of older and new songs from their album Angels...

...unfortunately I missed out on seeing the openers (Night Kills The Day, Fair to Midland and Wednesday 13) but hangin with the vampires is definitely a lot more fun...