I can really melt my face for only $200.00, no way! I honestly don't know what to think about the Spyder III Arctic from Wicked Lasers. I think like most people with a technology fetish they are going to be met with mixed feelings when it comes to this 1W laser, do I buy it or do I buy goggles for protection from the kid next door?
As a comparison, the red laser pointer that everyone is familiar with is but a scant 0.5mW, simple math will tell you the Artic is 999.5mW stronger. For those of you not familiar with what power like that can do, here is an official warning from Wicked Lasers:
"Warning: Extremely dangerous is an understatement to the power of 1W of laser power. It will blind permanently and instantly and set fire quickly to skin and other body parts, use with extreme caution and only when using the included eye protection. Customers will be required to completely read and agree to our Class IV Laser Hazard Acknowledgment Form."
.."instantly.. set fire quickly to skin".. Uh, what?
For your viewing pleasure I found a small video comparing what was once a "high powered" hand held laser and the new Arctic.
I'm not a psychic but I know that the Arctic and its price point will with out a doubt get the FDA's attention, quick. I guess you should buy them while they are legal. Still, I can't help but get the giggles when I think about how small this laser is going to be comparatively in 5 years.
Friday, October 8, 2010
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Plantronics GAMECOM 777 Headset Review
An hour ago I was sitting at my computer pondering about what to write about next, when I hear a large crack! It's the sort of crack that makes geeks cringe, the sound of hard plastic being snapped, the sound your Game Boy makes when it gets run over or the sound your game controller makes when you whip it against the wall in a blind fury. It didn't take long to realized it was my 7 month old headset, as I type I'm still trying to get the super glue off of my finger tips. Now before this review turns into a hate story I intend on going over the positives first, because there are a few.
I want to start out this review with an admission of a novice, I know my way around headsets but I am not an "audiophile". Headphone reviews can be tricky, because not everyone has the same sense of hearing and although I think mine is superior, I am sure that you think the same of yours. For this reason I am going to focus more on the features than getting gritty with pitches and bass.
This is what I expected from the GAMECOM Headset from Plantronics, I expected it to last more than 1 year, have decent surround sound, be comfortable and have a quality mic. That's not to much to ask for a $60.00 headset and it so far has met 3 out of 4 of my expectations.
The headset, though tight at first, is reasonably comfortable. I can go into 8 hour gaming sessions without much discomfort to my head, the sound variances on the other hand can make your ears ache a little. Now that I think about it, most of the features on this headset follow the same outline of providing a decent experience but having little nagging issues to bring it all down. The in-line volume control in the form of a circular adjuster provides quick and accurate adjustments but causes static when moved. The mic has a fold away feature which has been designed well, enabling it to disappear into the head support, but the input quality is average at best. The "Dolby Headphone Technology" selling point does a decent job of providing surround sound when it works, but can be extremely buggy. Each perk seems to have an evil twin dashing this Sets hopes of performing with the big boys.
When I purchased the GAMECOM 777 I had read all of the user reviews and knew most of the issues before I went in, even the possibility of early plastic fatigue, but I though that I was more gentle than the average bear. As an example you should see my original Game Boy screen, it looks as clean and unscratched as the day I took it out of the box! Anyways, my point of being gentle with this headset in the hopes of prolonging its life was simply misguided optimism. The design is flawed where the head adjustment and phone arm meet and there is not much you can do to help this headset along. I'm just hoping the super glue holds until I scratch up enough cash to upgrade.
To sum it up, if you can't afford Audio-Technica ATH-M50 headphones or need a mic that the Ear Force HPA2 provides then the GAMECOM headset will give a decent experience for a sub $100.00 price point.
I want to start out this review with an admission of a novice, I know my way around headsets but I am not an "audiophile". Headphone reviews can be tricky, because not everyone has the same sense of hearing and although I think mine is superior, I am sure that you think the same of yours. For this reason I am going to focus more on the features than getting gritty with pitches and bass.
This is what I expected from the GAMECOM Headset from Plantronics, I expected it to last more than 1 year, have decent surround sound, be comfortable and have a quality mic. That's not to much to ask for a $60.00 headset and it so far has met 3 out of 4 of my expectations.
The headset, though tight at first, is reasonably comfortable. I can go into 8 hour gaming sessions without much discomfort to my head, the sound variances on the other hand can make your ears ache a little. Now that I think about it, most of the features on this headset follow the same outline of providing a decent experience but having little nagging issues to bring it all down. The in-line volume control in the form of a circular adjuster provides quick and accurate adjustments but causes static when moved. The mic has a fold away feature which has been designed well, enabling it to disappear into the head support, but the input quality is average at best. The "Dolby Headphone Technology" selling point does a decent job of providing surround sound when it works, but can be extremely buggy. Each perk seems to have an evil twin dashing this Sets hopes of performing with the big boys.
When I purchased the GAMECOM 777 I had read all of the user reviews and knew most of the issues before I went in, even the possibility of early plastic fatigue, but I though that I was more gentle than the average bear. As an example you should see my original Game Boy screen, it looks as clean and unscratched as the day I took it out of the box! Anyways, my point of being gentle with this headset in the hopes of prolonging its life was simply misguided optimism. The design is flawed where the head adjustment and phone arm meet and there is not much you can do to help this headset along. I'm just hoping the super glue holds until I scratch up enough cash to upgrade.
To sum it up, if you can't afford Audio-Technica ATH-M50 headphones or need a mic that the Ear Force HPA2 provides then the GAMECOM headset will give a decent experience for a sub $100.00 price point.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Design Scheme: "simple tone, retro urban tech"
It did not take me long to decide that I have no interest in what is available to me from various blog design sites, I guess its time to roll up my sleeves and roll out MS Paint. Since my knowledge on web design and HTML is limited at best, this blog wont have a lot of interesting new features, but instead it will have a kick ass background and color scheme. I will update the background with my progress, and since I used to do a lot of hobby work designing retro games this will all be done in a short period of time, so be sure to check in often!
If you are curious as to what the finished product will look like, I guess the best way to describe the new background will be; "simple tone retro urban tech" ...I hope that clarifies it.
If you are curious as to what the finished product will look like, I guess the best way to describe the new background will be; "simple tone retro urban tech" ...I hope that clarifies it.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
R.A.T. 7 Review
Even though I consider myself a high end PC builder, it's very rare for me to spend the extra money on any of the peripheral items. Keyboards, mice, headphones/speakers and monitors have all taken a back seat to my large case fetishes. Recently however I have been purchasing all of the above, probably because my 6-7 year old gear is kicking the bucket. It started with new headphones, which are good, then a new ASUS monitor that I absolutely love and then finally my topic for today, the R.A.T.7 "mouse".
The R.A.T.7 takes on more of the appearance of a gimmick to lure in feature crazed fanatics then an actual, useful, item for every day use. But appearances can be deceiving, especially for this flashy item. With 5 programmable buttons, adjustable palm, thumb and optional pinky grips, this mouse fits even my long freak fingers/stubby thumb combo. I was sort of secretly hoping it would also help with my early stages of CTS but some how I think its actually making that worse. For it to fit the easy access weight system it has installed, MAD CATZ raised the palm rest just a tad bit to high for my hands which affects my wrist, but I'll admit that I have bad wrist posture anyway.
Along with the varying degrees of customization, this mouse has great DPI (5600 DPI @ 6 mps). You might say "who the hell is going to need that?", and your right. That's why it has 4 customizable DPI modes that are adjustable on the fly. The R.A.T.7 also has one other secret little button that I'm sure you haven't seen before, it's a little red delight. Now, if your like me, you hate FPS snipers with a passion. I know they have their place, and I have even been accused of staring down a 50 cal.'s scope a few times, but if your one of those sniping ass-hats you will love this button. Located on the thumb rest, this red button drastically lowers the DPI while pressed to adjust for scoping. Although I'm sure this was designed with Pvt. Jackson in mind, I've found this very useful while sighting a pistol or assault rifle. BOOM, HEAD SHOT!
Like I mentioned before, I dont buy a lot of mice, but over 18 years I have used my fair share and this one takes the cake. I must stress though that this is an enthusiasts toy and if you spend your day surfing.. well actually, if you get creative you can set it to perform any function on your browser that you can also assign a hot key to. Like setting the thumb scroll (up) to refresh and (down) to go back a page or close a tab, so never mind.
Overall I have been very impressed with my new gadget, but be warned, before you go out to grab one be prepared to drop at least $80.00. This isn't a Microsoft mouse.
Nifty:
-Beefy aluminum chassis
-5600 DPI
-Adjustable grips
-Contains an actual laser, not a cheap L.E.D. tracker
-Braided cord
-5 Programmable buttons
-"Sniper" button
-Optional pinky rest
-Neat weight and gear case
-Soft "velvety" body texture
Not so nifty:
-Tall palm grip
-Heavy (I only use 1 weight out of 6)
-EXPENSIVE
-Finicky programmable user modes
-The forward and backward buttons along with the palm rest have a cheap "plasicty" feel.
As a side note; this mouse comes in a very beautiful package and case, I can't help but feel that the price could have been $20.00 cheaper if less was spent on the extra items.
The R.A.T.7 takes on more of the appearance of a gimmick to lure in feature crazed fanatics then an actual, useful, item for every day use. But appearances can be deceiving, especially for this flashy item. With 5 programmable buttons, adjustable palm, thumb and optional pinky grips, this mouse fits even my long freak fingers/stubby thumb combo. I was sort of secretly hoping it would also help with my early stages of CTS but some how I think its actually making that worse. For it to fit the easy access weight system it has installed, MAD CATZ raised the palm rest just a tad bit to high for my hands which affects my wrist, but I'll admit that I have bad wrist posture anyway.
Along with the varying degrees of customization, this mouse has great DPI (5600 DPI @ 6 mps). You might say "who the hell is going to need that?", and your right. That's why it has 4 customizable DPI modes that are adjustable on the fly. The R.A.T.7 also has one other secret little button that I'm sure you haven't seen before, it's a little red delight. Now, if your like me, you hate FPS snipers with a passion. I know they have their place, and I have even been accused of staring down a 50 cal.'s scope a few times, but if your one of those sniping ass-hats you will love this button. Located on the thumb rest, this red button drastically lowers the DPI while pressed to adjust for scoping. Although I'm sure this was designed with Pvt. Jackson in mind, I've found this very useful while sighting a pistol or assault rifle. BOOM, HEAD SHOT!
Like I mentioned before, I dont buy a lot of mice, but over 18 years I have used my fair share and this one takes the cake. I must stress though that this is an enthusiasts toy and if you spend your day surfing.. well actually, if you get creative you can set it to perform any function on your browser that you can also assign a hot key to. Like setting the thumb scroll (up) to refresh and (down) to go back a page or close a tab, so never mind.
Overall I have been very impressed with my new gadget, but be warned, before you go out to grab one be prepared to drop at least $80.00. This isn't a Microsoft mouse.
Nifty:
-Beefy aluminum chassis
-5600 DPI
-Adjustable grips
-Contains an actual laser, not a cheap L.E.D. tracker
-Braided cord
-5 Programmable buttons
-"Sniper" button
-Optional pinky rest
-Neat weight and gear case
-Soft "velvety" body texture
Not so nifty:
-Tall palm grip
-Heavy (I only use 1 weight out of 6)
-EXPENSIVE
-Finicky programmable user modes
-The forward and backward buttons along with the palm rest have a cheap "plasicty" feel.
As a side note; this mouse comes in a very beautiful package and case, I can't help but feel that the price could have been $20.00 cheaper if less was spent on the extra items.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Company of Heroes: Online Beta (PC)
Why in the summer time do game releases always wither down to almost nothing? I know there is a perfectly good explanation but I don't want to hear it! It's during this time that one usually has the most free time and what better to waste that free time on then grinding a character or buffing your K/D ratio. Anyway, I recently found a new game to entertain me during this rather slow period in PC gaming, Company of Heroes: Online.
If you remember playing the old COH a few years ago you will be very familiar with the game play. You still don't have to waste time collecting resources and it makes excellent use of squad combat and geography to mold your battles throughout the entire game.
Now even though the battles might be the same, the navigable interface and GUI is a drastic change from the original, focusing more on online match making, obviously. Relic Entertainment's core business model has changed also, it looks to be trying to tap into the recent trend of in game micro transactions instead of a monthly fee, and for the first time ever I might buy into it, might.
So far in the games beta phase the option to convert your hard earned money into "COHO Cash" has not been present and relies on what is called "Supply" which will work in conjunction with COHO Cash when the game is released, I assume. It is a point based reward given to each player after a match and is earned through game play and performance during the match. I believe this is Relic's answer to supporting a large, free, player base while offering perks to those who pay.
So what exactly do you spend these Supply points and COHO Cash on? Well, a lot of different things, you may purchase advanced troops, special abilities, "Heroes", and various little perks that effect game play. I was very skeptical at first, due to game play balance between the "Allied" and "Axis" teams, which has always been a sore topic for the COH series. But it looks like COHO is actually doing a rather good job of making it all work, for a beta.
The battles might play out the same way with the "Victory Point" and "Annihilation" games, but how you wage your war and the various tactical opportunities that are now present are too vast to cover in this article. I intend to write another to cover basic strategies and perks but for now I recommend you download this beta and give it a chance. If you were a big fan of the original Company of Heroes or enjoy medium paced RTS you should fit right in, once you navigate the interface.
You can find me on the Allied front as "Akearix".
If you remember playing the old COH a few years ago you will be very familiar with the game play. You still don't have to waste time collecting resources and it makes excellent use of squad combat and geography to mold your battles throughout the entire game.
Now even though the battles might be the same, the navigable interface and GUI is a drastic change from the original, focusing more on online match making, obviously. Relic Entertainment's core business model has changed also, it looks to be trying to tap into the recent trend of in game micro transactions instead of a monthly fee, and for the first time ever I might buy into it, might.
So far in the games beta phase the option to convert your hard earned money into "COHO Cash" has not been present and relies on what is called "Supply" which will work in conjunction with COHO Cash when the game is released, I assume. It is a point based reward given to each player after a match and is earned through game play and performance during the match. I believe this is Relic's answer to supporting a large, free, player base while offering perks to those who pay.
So what exactly do you spend these Supply points and COHO Cash on? Well, a lot of different things, you may purchase advanced troops, special abilities, "Heroes", and various little perks that effect game play. I was very skeptical at first, due to game play balance between the "Allied" and "Axis" teams, which has always been a sore topic for the COH series. But it looks like COHO is actually doing a rather good job of making it all work, for a beta.
The battles might play out the same way with the "Victory Point" and "Annihilation" games, but how you wage your war and the various tactical opportunities that are now present are too vast to cover in this article. I intend to write another to cover basic strategies and perks but for now I recommend you download this beta and give it a chance. If you were a big fan of the original Company of Heroes or enjoy medium paced RTS you should fit right in, once you navigate the interface.
You can find me on the Allied front as "Akearix".
The Rundown
The time I spend in life can be dissected into a few very large chunks, one of the biggest albeit least important chunks falls under the category of Gaming. It is some thing that has dominated my childhood, my socially awkward teen years and now my early 20's and I do intend to continue this flashy life style trend deep into my elder years.
Though my wife might find it distasteful, I have distant visions of myself "knifing n00bs" with futuristic Bio Feedback systems attached to my frail withered body and sporting the screen name; wrinkly_warrior135. I'll undoubtedly need the 135 because I know I won't be alone!
It all started with the mighty Nintendo, moved up to the Sega Genesis, moved backwards to the Atari, switched to my trusty Magnavox HeadStart/SX for a little Commander Keen and Castle Wolfenstien/3D, back to the Super Nintendo, flew through the many Game Boy iterations for the Pokemon craze, jumped up to PlayStation/PlayStation 2 and landed firmly with a shiny new Dell I had begged for one birthday. That Dell PC started a trend that would follow me to this day and most likely to my deathbed, PC Gaming.
Lets keep things on track though, I don't intend on making this page only about PC gaming or even gaming in general. There are so many Blogs out there specializing in one area, and to be frank, its boring. My intent here is to discuss a whole variety of subjects, PC hardware, adventures, discoveries, recent reviews on items, current game tactics, tools, wanton selfish ideals, inane chatter and of course plumbing. Yeah, plumbing. Smack dab between the worlds of tools and computing you will find me. Its a small little niche I have carved out in this big life and I intend to share it, and what better place to find an audience then on the Internet!
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