n3wblog tech commentary and observations from the future

Archive for January 2006

(Xbox 360 + iPod + AAC) / AAC Plugin == Cool Music

In Computing, Entertainment on 25 January 2006 tagged Entertainment, Games, Hardware, Microsoft, Music with no comments

Awhile back I posted a note about the Xbox 360 not being able to playback unencrypted AAC files. Well, I wanted to update that Microsoft has posted a free plugin on the Xbox Live Marketplace that enables this. I’ve installed the update, wiped my iPod and restored it to Mac HFS format and moved all [...]

Games and Apples

In Computing, Entertainment, Technology on 21 January 2006 tagged Apple, Computing, Entertainment, Games, Hardware, Software, Technology with no comments

It is winter. I have been remiss in writing anything here recently despite there being a fair bit to say. I mean, you can always find something to babble about, but there have actually been some interesting gaming-related news and Mac stuff happening over the past couple of weeks since MacWorld Day. I’m a huge [...]

MacWorld Day!

In Computing on 10 January 2006 tagged Apple, Computing with no comments

I would like to take a break from my recent ramblings about Xboxes and Hentai Fighting Games to mention the excitement that is MacWorld Day! Today, Mr. Jobs will announce the new products and upcoming stuff from Apple. This may or may not include Intel-powered computers, new software, new operating system versions, new iPods, new [...]

DOA4 Redux

In Entertainment on 9 January 2006 tagged Entertainment, Games with no comments

After my gushing and likely incomprehensible “review” of DOA4 yesterday, I would like to mention a few of the things that make it “not quite perfect” or different from previous incarnations. These are niggling little things that would make me call the game a 97% as-opposed to the 100% that a 5/5 rating would suggest. [...]

The Morning After The War – a DOA4 review

In Computing, Entertainment on 8 January 2006 tagged Computing, Entertainment, Games with no comments

I didn’t get any sleep last night. I went to bed around 4am after a ridiculously long game of Civilization 4 with prod and boondoggler. We finished that sucker with a time victory, in the top three spots which is something of an achievement. Boondoggler and I were jockeying for second until he pulled-out a [...]

The Strokes’ New Album

In Entertainment on 6 January 2006 tagged Entertainment, Music with no comments

Gee, I’d really like to buy this new album by the Strokes. Their rough, throwback sound kind of appeals to me and I never really thought they’d make it to a third album. I bet they’ve really started to come into their own as musicians too. Sadly, they’re distributed by Sony BMG and even though [...]

2006, The Year of DRM, Now With Worms!

In Computing, Entertainment on 2 January 2006 tagged Computing, Entertainment, Microsoft, Music, Software with 2 comments

Ah the New Year. Feels nice, doesn’t it? I know mine does. And then, dria forwards this article from Boing Boing about Coldplay’s record company, Virgin Records, with a ridiculous set of rules on their new CD: Coldplay’s new CD has rules… The rules explicitly prohibit the encoding of the contents to harddrive or computer. [...]