Catching Football Fever

I admit that I was never much of a football fan before I met my husband, but he’s definitely turned me onto football after taking me to all the University of Hawaii games and having me watch Dallas Cowboy games with him. As I’m looking forward to the 2005 football season just around the corner, I’ve been playing the recently released Madden NFL 06 (with my Dallas Cowboys team of course) on my Xbox.

This is the 16th year that Electronic Arts (EA SPORTS) has released a version of Madden NFL Football. With more than 40 million copies sold, it continues to be the number one football franchise. Last year’s Madden NFL 2005 focused on improving the defensive game, but the new Madden NFL 06 goes the opposite direction with the addition of an offensive arsenal. A few of the new features are:

- Quarterback Vision Control: You see a cone of light that represents exactly what your QB can see. Each QB has a different field of vision, depending on his rating. This feature makes it tougher to hit receivers outside the QB Vision Control.

- Precision Placement: This allows you choose exactly where to throw the ball. Lead the receiver across the middle or take a little off the deep pass to setup a jump ball.

- NFL Superstar Mode: Experience the life of an NFL player by earning one of more than 60 personas ranging from MVP to movie star. You can even take an IQ test and choose your parents and a house. This can only be used in single-player mode.

You also see improved graphics, more scripted scenes, and new replays and sequences. In addition, there’s the EA SPORTS Fantasy Football integration that allows you to check fantasy scores, obtain trade notifications and earn trophies.

If just playing for yourself doesn’t satisfy you, try your hand in the 2005 EA Sports Madden Challenge for a chance at winning a $100,000. The other part of the prize is a trip to our home state to watch the Pro Bowl, yeah, I know . . .not much good, but I would still do it for the cash! The challenge takes place in various cities, but unfortunately there are no competitions here in Hawaii. However, if you happen to be in Las Vegas or on the West Coast, you can compete in one of the many games there. Log onto www.maddenchallenge.com to see a complete schedule.

If you like football, you will definitely enjoy Madden NFL 06. It is rated E for Everyone and is now available for the PlayStation 2 (PS2), Xbox, Nintendo GameCube, Nintendo DS, Game Boy Advance and the PC. In addition, the rookie PSP version will be released on September 27. You will be able to cross-link between your PSP and PS2 for at home or on-the-go play. Madden NFL 06 is $49.95 at your nearest CompUSA, Toys n’ Joys or Toyriffic.

Flickr-ing Photos

I’ve always been a fanatic behind the camera, and these days, even more so with the advancements and convenience of digital photography. I never leave home without my digital camera.

To share my photos with friends and family, I was previously using Apple’s web photo sharing service, but have to pay an annual fee for a very limited amount of space. Although I knew about Flickr for awhile, I just started using it about a month ago. It’s a free photo sharing service, and I use it as a photo blog and frequently update it with the pics I snap around town.

Flickr, from Yahoo!, is probably the best free way to share your photos with the people who matter to you. It allows you to store, sort, search and share your photos online. Once you sign-up, you will receive your own link to your personalized photo collection, the ability to setup contacts between your friends and family, and you don’t need to worry about security. You can set permissions on each picture to be public or private (with a further option to be only viewed by friends or only viewed by family).

For the free account, it allows you to upload 20 megabytes of photos per month. That can go far, especially if you upload your pictures in a small size. The free option also gives you three photosets (albums), which you maintain with Flickr’s Organizr program. If you pay a nominal fee of $24.95 a year, you can upgrade to the Pro account. Pro allows you to upload up to 2 gigabytes of photos per month, unlimited total storage and photosets, permanent archiving of your high resolution images and ad-free browsing and sharing.

Uploading photos is simple with the free downloadable software. There’s even a plug-in for iPhoto (Mac), which is what I use. You can even upload photos with your camera phone or via e-mail. If you have a blog, you can also use Flickr as the storage for your blog’s photos. It works with just about any site such as Blogger (which I recently wrote about), LiveJournal, Movable Type or Manila.

Check out Flickr for yourself at www.flickr.com.

Sunglasses That Really Rock

I will usually wear sunglasses while running, granted the sun is still out or I’m not at the gym on the treadmill. If you see me running alone, I’m never without one of my iPods. The problem with an iPod or any digital music player is the pesky earphone cord that gets in the way when your arms are moving.

Oakley came up with a solution to my problem when it introduced the digital music eyewear called Thump, last year. You can always see Bounty Hunter Duane “Dog” Chapman (on a previous MidWeek cover) wearing his pair of Thump on the television show Dog the Bounty Hunter. He also made an appearance on The Tonight Show with his trusty Thump glasses. On top of that, Oakley’s latest breakthrough, the Razrwire Bluetooth sunglasses, joined Thump on store shelves this week.

Thump weighs 51 grams and is available in 512MB (120 songs) and 256MB (60 songs) and comes in various colors. A single charge on its rechargeable lithium ion polymer battery (using the USB plug) will get you six hours of thumping music. It connects to your PC or Mac with a high speed USB cord (USB 2.0), and your glasses are easily updated by dragging the songs to the device icon that appears on your computer’s screen once plugged in. Thump’s sound quality is top-notch, and the controls are simple to use with the buttons located at the top of the glasses’ frame.

Razrwire is equipped with Motorola’s third generation Bluetooth technology and can be used with just about any Bluetooth-enabled cellular phone. The whole contraption weighs in at 20 grams and offers 4-6 hours of talk time and 100 hours of standby time. As with Thump, it recharges off the USB plug. The detachable Bluetooth module can be moved to either side of the frame and you can use it up to 33 feet away from your phone. In addition, Razrwire is made of O-Luminum, an alloy that weighs 40% less than pure titanium and you can choose from three different colors.

According to Bill Craig of Oakley, the Thump has generated over a billion advertising hits, and is the single biggest advertised piece that Oakley has ever made. Perhaps the Razrwire will have a similar impact on the market, especially within the mobile phone community.

These two high tech glasses are somewhat pricey, but are appealing if you have the extra dough. The Thump 512MB sells for $495, and the 256MB version goes for $395 (unless you buy the red camouflage one for $545 or matte black with polarized lenses for $495). The Razrwire was exclusively released at all Cingular stores for $295 this week, and after September 5 will be available at your nearest CompUSA or McCully Bicycle & Sporting Goods.

A Mouse That Roars With Tiger

When Apple recently announced the Mighty Mouse, just the name alone initially created an image in my mind of the cartoon character that I remember from my childhood. Of course that is not what it is, but it’s Apple’s new multi-button computer mouse. You might think it’s just another mouse, but this particular mouse actually marks the end of 21 years of Apple’s one-button mouse policy.

Mighty Mouse has Apple’s signature seamless top shell design and features a revolutionary scroll ball that lets you move anywhere inside a document without lifting a finger. With the touch-sensitive technology concealed under the seamless top shell, you get the ability of a four-button mouse in a single-button design. It allows you to click, roll, scroll and squeeze.

Wait, squeeze? That’s right. Apple engineers added force-sensing buttons on both sides of the Mighty Mouse that lets you squeeze the mouse between your thumb and finger. This instantly activates OS X Tiger Dashboard, Expose or other customizable features. The mouse is easily programmable using the Keyboard and Mouse option in Mac OS X Tiger System Preferences. As an ideal desktop companion for Mac OS X Tiger, this is the only mouse on the market that was specifically designed to work with it. Mighty Mouse is a USB optical mouse, and unfortunately unavailable in a wireless version.

Something interesting about Mighty Mouse is that it has a tiny built-in speaker to make mechanical noises when you click or scroll. When you apply pressure to the squeeze buttons, the mouse makes a simulated “click” noise to give the impression of physical movement and also to assure you that the button was pushed. Also, when performing the scroll function, the mouse makes a rapid clicking noise.

Overall, it’s definitely a step-up from Apple’s one-button version. Pick-up a Mighty Mouse of your own for $49 at your nearest CompUSA, the Apple Store at Ala Moana or online at www.apple.com.

Hawaiian Language Immersion

With all the attention on Hawaiian issues on the news lately, it makes me think about the preservation of the Hawaiian language. Growing up in Hawaii, Hawaiian words and phrases are a part of my regular vocabulary. I’m no Hawaiian language scholar nor do I claim to hold conversations in Hawaiian, but after spending a couple months on the mainland, I’ve definitely taken for granted the Hawaiian words I use in my every day life.

For those who are learning or want to learn the Hawaiian language, Topics Entertainment has a program called Instant Immersion Hawaiian. It’s no substitute for taking actual Hawaiian classes and learning the language the “traditional way,” but it can be used to enhance your learning experience or if you just want to get the gist of the language.

The program comes with eight audio CDs that helps build fundamental language learning, ranging from beginners to the intermediate level. It does not come with textbooks, but the audio CDs are meant to immerse you into the language so you will absorb its verbal teachings. You can conveniently listen to the audio lessons in your car, on the computer, or turn it into audio files to listen to on your mp3 player anytime. This goes for the other languages available in the Instant Immersion series, which are Japanese, Chinese, French, Spanish, Italian, English and more. In addition, the CDs come with cultural notes that includes a glimpse of customs, etc., in the Hawaiian series’ case, it goes island by island. Being a local, it’s nothing new, but may be useful for a visitor visiting our islands.

The Instant Hawaiian Immersion product received the Judges Award: Language Learning from the 2005 10th Annual Audie Awards by Audio File Magazine. It is available for about $20 at your nearest CompUSA, Borders Books & Music or Barnes & Noble.

Topics Entertainment also makes an array of other educational software that includes SAT preparation, Phonics Success (a software tool designed specially for elementary students), various business training tools, videos and more. Log onto www.topics-ent.com for more product information.

Skype Your Way Around The World

I’m an avid user of instant messaging (IM) since it’s so convenient and efficient for me to talk to my friends and family members that are online. I usually use iChat/AOL services for this purpose, but I also use Skype to communicate for those that don’t have iChat/AOL.

Skype has been around since 2003 and is a computer-to-computer (or peer-to-peer – P2P) network that allows you to speak, send text messages or files via the Internet at no cost. You can do all this with most regular instant messaging programs, but the difference with Skype is that it allows you to make phone calls to (non-computer based) phone numbers using Internet telephony (VoIP), and I find the sound is sometimes clearer than using iChat. Other buzz tells me that the voice quality is also better than MSN or Yahoo! chat.

Using the basic free Skype services comes with everything mentioned above plus the ability to conference with up to five users. SkypeOut is an additional service that allows you to make phone calls to regular landline numbers for an average cost of two cents a call. The prices vary depending on the destination you’re calling and costs more if you are dialing a cellular phone number. With Skypein, another service, you can get your own regular phone number so everyone can call you within their area code. If you have friends in many places, you can get up to 10 Skypein numbers that act as regular phone numbers. It costs about $12 for a three-month subscription and $37 for a year. It also comes with Skype’s voicemail service, so you’ll never really miss a call.

You can download Skype for free at www.skype.com. It’s compatible with Windows, Mac, Linux and Pocket PC platforms. Minimally, you require a computer with a microphone and speakers, or a headset with a microphone. The founders of the popular P2P file sharing software called KaZaA created Skype. The company’s goal with Skype is to provide a simple and reliable communications tool that just works. If you’re worried about your network configuration, it does works behind most firewalls and gateways without providing new security risks. Skype calls are encrypted for users’ security and a strict privacy policy is followed. Note that Skype is not a telephony replacement service and cannot be used for emergency 911 dialing.

If you’re not on Skype yet, and want to keep in touch with someone half way across the world, try it out for yourself. Hey why not, it’s free!

Freeing The Gladiator In You

I’m a fan of the movie Gladiator that came out a few years ago. I own the DVD and watch it over and over again from time to time. Lately I was following ABC’s similar six-hour special epic drama series, Empire, which completed airing a couple weeks ago. Coincidentally, KOEI recently released a gladiator-themed action game that puts you right into a gladiator’s life.

Colosseum – Road to Freedom, is an action role-playing game where you can live the life of a gladiator in his sandals. You are taken into slavery, purchased by a man named Magerius, and have 50 days to earn your freedom through battles. Your survival depends on the ability to fight other gladiators, animals, and reenact glorious Roman military victories.

In the beginning of the game, I was able to create my character based on a place of origin, philosophy and what Greek god you follow based on your beliefs (all of which you can vary and make up as you go). The game took me through training and quite a lengthy tutorial (which is optional) on the Gladiator Training Grounds. The points you earn through this process will strengthen your character. For additional character building, you collect skill tablets from defeating other gladiators throughout the game. Keep tabs of your skills on the Skill Wall located in the sleeping area. The wall enables you to change out your skills accordingly, as you prepare for the next battle. Whenever you are in a battle, just remember to impress the crowd because they are the judges of your performance leading to how much money you get, further leading to the eventual ability to buy your freedom.

As you go about the fights, there are six types of battles:
- Survival - All gladiators attack you. To win you must defeat all enemies or stay alive until time is up.
- Battle Royal - All gladiators fight each other. As with the Survival type, you must defeat all enemies or stay alive until time is up.
- Duel – Fight a single opponent to the death.
- Team Battle – Fight with a team. To win you must defeat all enemies, kill the enemy leader, or protect the leader of your team.
- Hunting – Fend off all tigers or bulls. To win you must beat all the beasts.
- Mock Battle – Re-creations of famous Roman battles.

All-in-all, I enjoyed (and am continually enjoying) Colosseum – Road to Freedom. It’s not that difficult to master and there’s enough action to keep my attention going.

Colosseum: Road to Freedom is available (for the PlayStation 2 only) for $39.99 at your nearest Toys n’ Joys or Toyriffic. It is rated M for Mature (ages 17 and up), so parents be aware. For more information and screenshots of the game, log onto www.koei.com.

Recycle With Hawaii Computers For Kids Program

I’m one to constantly upgrade to the latest and greatest in tech toys and I usually let my old stuff just sit there (depending on how old it is) to collect dust, or I sell it, but my frugality and pack rat tendencies will never let me throw things away. . . it must be the Chinese blood. So, if you’re like me, and don’t want your things to go to waste, there’s a worthy cause out there to take care of your old stuff.

The Hawaii Computers For Kids Program takes used computers, peripherals, software, printers, office furniture and more, and distributes them to grade schools, high schools and non-profit organizations statewide. The program is a major project of the Rotary Club of Metropolitan Honolulu and was created in 1992 by Ken Goldstein, a 14-year member.

The program will accept anything from Pentium III or higher, Macintosh G3 or higher, and working monitors and printers. Perfectly good computers, monitors, printers and other equipment are dumped into Hawaii’s landfills each day due to lack of convenient alternatives. If you donate to this cause, you will help students get valuable experience in repairing and upgrading computers. In addition, all donations are tax deductible, and you can feel good about not letting your old technology equipment go to waste.

Goldstein currently recycles about 3,000 computers a year into schools and the number continually grows as awareness of this program expands. About 75% of the equipment donated is in usable condition, however the remainder items are used for computer repair classes or after school training programs. On the receiving end, it’s a first-come, first-served basis. Any teacher or member from a non-profit organization can take what they need and however much they need.

The dilemma the Hawaii Computers For Kids Program is now facing is that there is no space to store all the donations received. The program requires a spacious area, and the necessity for accessibility for pick-ups. If anyone out there can help this worthy program find a storage space home, or for more information, contact Goldstein at 521-2259 or via e-mail at cfk@catii.com. Stay tuned for the next donation event, Make A Difference Day, which is slated for sometime in October (usually held in the parking lot of the CompUSA in town).