Life Snippets #6: PlayStation 3, WOOT!

I haven't been posting a new Life Snippets episode for a while, mainly because there is nothing interesting to blog about. It's just post-exam school life - slacking off, playing PSP, and hanging out.

Until today. My mom took me to the game store and she got me a PlayStation 3. It was the console of my dreams! Also, I am a Sony supporter. I own PlayStation, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable and now, PlayStation 3. My handphone is Sony Ericsson. My video cam is a Sony Handycam. The TV in the den below is a Sony Bravia. My old laptop is a Sony Vaio. My new name is Sonny.

Because PS3 games do not come cheap, I choosed the game Grand Theft Auto IV (GTA IV) which is the reason why I bought the PS3. The game shop clerk kept asking me to buy other games, such as Battlefield: Bad Company, Uncharted: Drake's Mission, Burnout Paradise and more. Then he offered me Dead Space and Metal Gear Solid 4. I gladly dejected these offerings. I was on the way to keep the PS3 in the car when two guys in their 20s exclaimed "Wah! A PlayStation3! This guy, damn rich hor?" while pointing at my box. I tried to escape this but they stopped me. They asked me the price of it. "My mom paid RM1599 for the console, RM210 for the disc", I told them. They both nodded. Then one of them said, "I'm working now, save up for PlayStation3. I wanna play GTA IV too. I already owned all the rest of the GTA series, but was forced to buy a PS3 to play GTA IV. Anyway, it's time to move on to a new console." Then they both waved me off and entered a shop specializing in imported Italian-made step dustbins and extendable arm clothesline.

After that, we headed to IKEA to buy a new TV rack. My room is so claustrophobic, I decided to move the TV and the other gaming consoles to the family area outside my room. It was quite a tiring move. First, I had to assemble the TV rack which seemed easy but pretty tedious. Then I had to move the TV to the new rack. Luckily the TV is a Samsung flatscreen and not some heavy, bulky CRT so moving it was a breeze. Then I had to remove the PlayStation 2 and the DVD player. The PlayStation 2 was placed in my mom's room and the DVD player is to be next to my PS3. Then I set up the PlayStation 3 and took a quick shower.

My hands were trembling with joy when I approached the touch panel on the PS3. I gently felt it with my finger and the PS3 came alive. I set the time and date settings and network settings and etc., and brought out my GTA IV. I opened the case and took out the Liberty City Guide and the Liberty City Map which has a complete road layout of all four boroughs and also another Liberty City Map of the subway system. Sweet!

I carefully took out the disc and slotted it into the PS3. The PS3 doesn't have any stupid disc trays, just like my mom's MacBook. I started playing GTA IV with the SixAxis DualShock 3 wireless controller charging. I removed the cable when it was fully charged, and it felt pretty nice without annoying tangly cables, at last.

GTA IV gameplay took me by surpise. The first mission is to drive to your cousin Roman Bellic's 'mansion' near Hove Beach. They changed the controls completely for this game. Luckily they give you and option to switch to Classic Controls, which I am more accustomed to after playing GTA: San Andreas, Vice City Stories and Liberty City Stories. Also the vehicle handling seems to be updated, and it feels harder to manouvre around the city now without hitting a lamp post, a pedestrian or a station wagon at least once. Maybe needs some practice, but there are major changes to this title. Now you have to hotwire a car (parked) before stealing it, and pedestrians call the cops if you do something to them. Try to run off in a parked exotic vehicle and the alarms will keep buzzing, signalling a good day to the police in the vicinity. I learnt this the hard way, on my way back to Roman's ratnest I found out that the Hove Beach police station is at the corner of my block. Oh shit.

Now I feel tired from gaming and assembling and walking around malls so I will end the day with a blog post, and see ya!

Geeky Timepieces

This is our own geek timepiece bumper issue. Covering several timepieces, I share with you my findings.


USB Memory Watch


This shows the USB Memory Watch in full action. A red LED shows that the device is in use, and the USB Memory Watch is listed as a USB mass storage device.


Phosphor - E-Ink Display Watch

This watch has an interface that could change itself at the push of a button, thanks to its innovative e-ink display. E-ink, you ask? Think Amazon Kindle. Official Webpage.


Video Watch with OLED Screen


Equipped with 2GB on-board storage, you could fit in 2-3 full movies into your watch and have fun watching 'em in your boring History classes. Too bad if I watch a movie on this the whole class would gather round me, causing a commotion. Can be bought in ThinkGeek (link at bottom) and in wholesale at ChinaVasion.


Tokyoflash - Infection LED Watch

We welcome our first Tokyoflash entry into the blog. Tokyoflash is famous for its increasingly hard to tell timepieces. Usually people want a watch that makes it easy to tell the time, but this one is for the ones that want to tell the time the hard way. This watch, named the Infection, has 3 different colours of LED to tell the time. Wait, wait - don't ask me how am I supposed to tell the time.



USB Memory Watch, Video Watch with OLED Screen, and the E-Ink Display Watch can all be found on ThinkGeek
Tokyoflash 'Infection' can be found on Tokyoflash

Charge Your Gadgets with Your Tie

You're at the annual conference about some new underwear invention. You're bored. You're dying to finish the last mission on Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories on your PSP. While the conference is going on. You realise that your battery is almost dead and there are no socket outlets under your seat. What do you do? Here's what you do.

Excuse yourself for a moment by saying you want to go to the toilet. Why toilet, you ask? You're not going there! Instead, take a stroll outside the building sporting your Solar Powered Neck Tie and embrace the heat in full glory to recharge your PSP. Apparently, a team of researchers at North Carolina State University have developed a neck tie with solar panels on it. One problem, though - they're hard to tie in knots, with all that photovoltaic panels on it. Maybe a clip-on would do.

I wonder how are they gonna wash it?

Found on EliteChoice