Yes, another year! I felt it necessary to post my own thoughts on things I’d like to get accomplished this year.

• Contribute to a Charity
  This is an obvious one. Some would consider church a charitable organization (as least as far as taxes are concerned), but I’m going to make an effort to extend the bounds of giving. Haven’t really picked an organization yet, but I’m on the lookout. Any suggestions?
• Participate in Volunteer Work
  This is something I really want to get involved in. Even if I don’t have a significant amount of money to contribute in the item above, time is something that we all can give. Would love to volunteer for habitat for humanity or maybe coach/referee in some kids basketball league.
• Give Blood… Again
  Already did this a few days back for the first time. At 31, I can’t believe I haven’t done it before. Just a little effort here can really help a lot of people.
• Redesign Website
  I’m not a designer (as you probably can tell from this current design). Be that as it may, I really want to give my little space on the internet a major facelift. Long overdue.
• Blog More
  I’ve definitely been lacking in this department. I’m going to make the effort to post more programmer centric things, as well as life lessons from everyday living.
• Get Out of Debt
  Not much to say here. Aren’t we all trying to do this? Darn you student loans.
• Get Back into Music
  I love music, but have little natural talent for it. But like anything, given enough effort, one can become okay at it. As a teenager, I played bass for my dad’s church, but since have had very little motivation or time to get back into it. While the latter is still lacking, I still want make an effort to get better in this craft.
• Publish my Windows Phone 7 Application
  I’ve been sitting on a Windows Phone 7 application since the launch of the phone. While the developer tools are free, there are a few barriers to cross before actually getting your application published. Besides the obvious ‘getting the application approved’, one needs to become a member of the Microsoft ‘App Hub’. Which I’ve yet to be able to commit the $99 dollars to become a member. Also there is the issue of actually getting a WP7 device to test my application on an actual piece of hardware. I have another six months before I’m eligible to upgrade my AT&T contract, and I’m definitely not able to shell out the hundreds of dollars to get an unsubsidized phone, which leaves me at a bit of an impasse. I’ll work something out.
• Develop an Android Application
  I have downloaded the tools and have fooled around with them a bit. I’m not particularly a Java guy (only limited experience), but really don’t have any problems picking up new languages. We’ll see how this goes. I think my first project will be to port my WP7 app over.

A year from now, I’ll take a look back to review my achievements and shortcomings. Wish me luck!

Okay, I’m a Kobe Bryant/Los Angeles Lakers fan. Enjoy!

[Update] Since this commercial originally aired, I can’t believe the way ESPN skewed this to be a bad thing. I guess that type of journalism is done for a reason (mainly for ratings), but in any case, way over the top. Hit the jump for both videos.

Read On →

• ‘The Walking Dead’ Debuts on AMC
  Although I’m not a huge zombie fan (I hate L4D), I absolutely love this series. ‘The Walking Dead’ premiered on AMC this past weekend and was absolutely awesome. If you’ve ever seen ‘I am Legend’ or ‘Zombieland’, then your more than familiar with the trials and tribulations that the main protagonist, Rick Grimes (who is played by Andrew Lincoln) will have to face. A must see.
• Childhood Cartoon Classics Reborn
  Wow, Fredrik Larsson easily made my week on the internets with ‘The Cartoon Medley’. Bringing back all the cartoon classics in the form of acoustic medley that instantly takes on back to your childhood days. Awesomely-arranged, well-produced, and performed to perfection. A must see/hear. Also check out ‘TV Theme Song Medley’.

Read On →

• He-Man’s back! …sorta
  This Argentinian Visa commercial is sure to fulfill your nostalgic He-Man dreams. A must see for He-Man fans everywhere. Yay ’80s!
• Netflix goes disc-less across all consoles.
  Finally the stupidity of needing a disc to enjoy Netflix goodness is over for Playstion 3 and Nintendo Wii owners. Firmware updates are abound to enjoy the streaming service natively.
• Verizon iPad, October 28th
  Apple iPad will soon be available on Verizon. An although native 3G is not supported yet (sold with a Mi-Fi device), this looks to be a precursor to the inevitableness of the iPhone showing up on the carrier.
• Skype meet Facebook
  With Facebook integration running rabid, this isn’t much of a surprise. With the latest version of Skype on Windows, there is now Facebook contact integration.
• Spider-Man reboot equals Lizard?
  Rumors are everywhere and it looks like they are pointing to the new Spider-Man reboot having Dr. Conners being portrayed by Rhys Ifans with Lizard being the main antagonist.

Mute Your Whatever

Since our beloved Techpedition website is in dire straits due to some unreliable hosting (thank you HostV), I thought I’d post the latest Techpedition podcast here until we can get everything back up and running. Enjoy.

Episode Cast

Sergio Lugo, James Allen Knotts, Carl Minor, and Clarence Brown

Episode Summary

This week we have a crap-ton of tech news, along with a good run-down of the summer blockbusters, topped-off by a slew of what we’ve been playing.

Read On →

Here are some “Anime inspired” videos that I did back in the day. The first “Gameface DSA” is inspired by the series Mezzo DSA (Danger Service Agency) along with K-Ci & JoJo’s song called Gameface. The second is my best attempt to make the anime Da Capo go along with Andre Benjamen’s “Good Day, Good Sir” skit.

Click through for videos, Enjoy!

Read On →

A few stories that are off the beaten path, and of course the big news from Google. Check out the LinkDump below!

• Hyperkin Makes a Yoshi Box… Sorta
  If any of you were fans of ‘The Screen Savers’ back in the day, then certainly you remember the system mod known as the Yoshi Box. Yep, the Yoshi Box was an all encompassing system that contained a PC, XBOX, PS2, and GameCube. And while the reality of such a system was more than a stretch, it’s good to see the spirit of such is still alive in the form of the Hyperkin Retron 3. The HyperKin Retron 3 is a single system that contains an NES, SNES, and a Sega Genesis. Yep, that’s right. And as you would have guessed, there is a cartridge port for all three systems. But it doesn’t just stop there, the system also comes with two wireless controllers. But not only that, it also has two controller ports for each of the system types. Yep, you can plugin your classic controllers and get the full retro feel! Awesome.
• Prince of Persia: Sands of Time Gets a Face-lift, Will Trick the Ignorant
  Once again Sergio (techpedition) delivers on finding what looks to be another case of the big corporations looking to fool the consumer. Apparently, in a bid to make the older Prince of Persia: Sands of Time tie in with the movie release, it has been given the same exact cover as the newer “Forgotten Sands”, and has become a PS2 greatest hits title. Now I’m all for the repackaging and release of the former title, but at least make if feel like you put on ounce of work into it.
• WebM Project / VP8
  Google makes another jump in the move to HTML5 with VP8. Google’s new codec is the latest attempt to find a standardized open source video codec to be used in the HTML5. What this means for the end user? A fully open source video codec that plays natively in the browser with no other downloads needed. H.264 is also a prominent contender in this regard, but licensing issues has but a damper on what many consider the standard for video on the web. Thus far, Mozilla as jumped on the bandwagon along with many hardware manufactures. Also Microsoft has said it will support the codec if it is installed on the local machine. It will be interesting to see how Apple plays a role in this, seeing as of late the have the one of the major voices for HTML5.

Check out the Techpedition Podcast for our weekly ramblings on technology news, television, and gaming.

Okay, it’s been a while since the Apple iPad announcement and most of the noise has died down awaiting the retail release next month. I have had some time to take-in the hoopla and come to a resounding conclusion. I want the iPad!

Let me be clear, I wasn’t too hyped about this product when first announced because I’m not a huge book or non-tech news reader (shame). Most of the reading I do is either technical jargon or my daily consumption of technology media, which for all intents and purposes, is better suited for viewing on a computer. So yes, I was ready to write off the iPod until I heard a few interesting takes on possible uses for this device.

Read On →

Here are a few tech stories that peeked my interest this week. Enjoy!

• Penguin United Crossfire V2 Dissected, It’s a Go!
  Fellow editor at Techpedition has received a review unit of the second version of Penguin United’s Wii Crossfire and has given it rave reviews. Apparently the massive issues that the first version faced has been fix and is now the pistol peripheral of choice on the Wii.
• Google Buzz
  Google has released their own social networking platform, which has caused a bit of an uproar over privacy concerns. My main problem with this is that it’s yet another social network to learn. That being said, it has a distinct advantage being integrated with Google. We’ll see where this one goes.
• Microsoft Disables XBOX Originals Support On XBOX Live
  Microsoft finally kills support for all XBOX original games on XBOX Live. Supposedly this move should allow Microsoft to add new features and extend the system. Let’s hope for awesome updates in the future.

Tech Tip: Browser Wars, Get Chromed Out

Check out the Techpedition Podcast for our weekly ramblings on technology news, television, and gaming.

Wii style Genesis goodness, Lego Harry Potter, Engadget has no comment, and the ‘REAL’ avatar trailer looks awesome. Enjoy!

• Zone Sega Equals Genesis Wii
  Yep, the Sega Genesis licensing, ahem whoring, continues. Zone 40 has gotten their hands on the license, and to much surprise, has made something pretty special. Nintendo Wii style wireless controls, built in ROMs and cartridge support. Me wants.
• Lego Harry Potter Game In May
  Seems Harry Potter is going to get some Lego love. These Lego games have become really popular lately. From Lego Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Batman, to Rock Band. Seems these family friendly games are on the rise.
• Engadget Says, No Comment
  Arguably one of the biggest downfalls of the internets is its anonymity. While this is great in some cases, the fact that anyone can say anything with little to no retribution, makes it a somewhat hostile place. Well, Engadget is saying that their tired of it by temporarily killing their comment system. This is surprising because Engadget’s comments are a very important part of their ecosystem. I don’t see them doing this for long, but it goes to show how internet flaming can frustrate the producers of content.
• The Last Airbender Super Bowl Spot
  After seeing this leaked Super Bowl trailer of The Last Airbender, I have to say that I’m completely on board with M. Night Shyamalan and his vision. This movie just went on the must see list.

Check out the Techpedition Podcast for our weekly ramblings on technology news, television, and gaming.