HDTV
This weekend I finally made the jump to HDTV with a Samsung LNT4053H 40" LCD. The picture quality is awesome, and it's an incredibly well-designed set with nice features like 3 HDMI ports and a dedicated "game mode" setting. Knowing absolutely nothing about HDTVs, I came across a few interesting issues in the process, in case you're thinking of buying soon too...
Check Amazon. While it was good to see all the different resolutions and models in person at Best Buy, ultimately I bought the TV though Amazon. They were selling it for $400 less, with no tax and free "white glove" shipping. A company called Eagle delivered the TV, carried it up 3 flights of stairs, and unpacked it for me on Sunday morning with no problems.
Wii Component Cables. While the Wii isn't a true HD system, hooking it up with component cables and setting it into widescreen mode makes a crisp difference in picture quality. Now if the Xbox 360 would just drop in price...
Test the 720 vs. 1080 difference yourself. Although the Best Buy employees swore otherwise, I couldn't tell any difference between 720 and 1080 HDTVs when comparing them side-by-side at a normal viewing distance (both running a Blu-Ray version of Ice Age 2). But check it out for yourself and come to your own conclusions.
Tuesday, July 31 at 6:02 PM
Carrier Pigeon: Episode 2
It's about that time again...feel free to send in questions, comments, or whatever you want for next month's episode of Carrier Pigeon to pigeon@okaysamurai.com or leave an audio response via Odeo. As with last time, the most creative question gets a $15 iTunes gift certificate. Thanks to everyone who has sent in stuff already. The next installment will be released on Monday, August 6.
Wednesday, July 25 at 11:00 AM
Harry Freakin' Potter
I've read the books, watched the movies, played the video games, listened to the music, worn the scarf and eaten the chocolate frogs. And if past experiences are any indication, I will read nonstop from when the final Harry Potter book gets delivered on Saturday to whenever I finish on Sunday evening. I caught the Order of the Phoenix at the Metreon last week, which didn't disappoint - using the Daily Prophet to move the story forward was nice, and the final action sequence was especially well done. While it's difficult to see the story finally come to an end (seems hard to believe that the first book came out in 1998), the premise is imaginative enough and the characters are deep enough to continue producing creative adventures and experiences well beyond the initial printings of the books, like the upcoming theme park. J.K. Rowling really has created a convincing living and breathing world that will probably be able to survive on its own for quite some time. I mean, Buckbeak spinoffs alone could last us another good 5-7 years.
Update, 7.22.07
Just finished this morning (but I'm not going to spoil anything, so no worries). Somehow, the Deadly Hallows managed to exceed my already high expectations; it really felt like the perfect ending to the world and characters we've invested so much time in. The universal and timeless themes of Harry Potter - tolerance, courage, love, and especially death - have developed with each book, and while each entry has definitely been progressively darker, that darkness also seems to bring a certain level of understanding and maturity. Anyway...an awesome read with the best action sequences of the series, and longtime fans will finally be satisfied.
Tuesday, July 17 at 3:17 PM
E3 2007: Everything Looks Good
E3 kicked off today, and everything looks good. I think all three companies (Microsoft, Nintendo, Sony) did a great job showcasing exciting and innovative games for their respective audiences in their press conferences. Microsoft made me want to get an Xbox 360 (if they do drop the price soon as rumored, it might very well happen). I like that Peter Moore said the best "interactive storytelling" was on the 360...and they certainly seem to have the most engaging stories. Sony did a much better job than previous years too - Little Big Planet, Metal Gear Solid 4, and Killzone 2 look pretty awesome (maybe not $500 awesome though). Nintendo unveiled a lot of new stuff (Metroid 3 in August, Mario Galaxy in November, and Smash Brothers in December), including several new peripherals. A zapper gun (Resident Evil and more), a racing wheel (Mario Kart Wii...with online battle mode...early 2008...heck yes!), and a balance board (with Wii Fit, which is going to sell through the freakin' roof). Some might see these as gimmicks, but I think they're more than justified by Nintendo's broad-minded goals to make games more approachable to everyone - not just longtime gamers like me. Anyone can pull a trigger, turn a wheel, step up on a platform...or try to play a guitar for that matter (Guitar Hero III and Rock Band look sweet). These control devices are much more natural and intuitive for a widespread audience. Anyway, a great show overall so far, and I want to play everything. Right now.
Wednesday, July 11 at 1:34 PM
Room with a View
I live on the top floor of a three-story house in Ashbury Heights. That means I have to walk up 86 (count 'em, 86) stairs from the Masonic Avenue sidewalk to my room. As if the hills and Wii Sports boxing matches weren't exercise enough. So when the summit is finally reached after work, I usually make some hot chocolate and go sit outside on the little private deck that connects to my room. Buena Vista Park sits directly in front, and on clear days, you can see Sutro Tower on the right and the hills of Marin Country across the water on the left. Birds, ranging from seagulls to bluejays, are constantly flying between the trees of the park and the surrounding rooftops, and sometimes hummingbirds hover around the flowers in our backyard. Overall, everything is just quiet, open, and relaxing...it's my single favorite place to be here.
Sunday, July 8 at 3:45 PM
The Pigeon Will Fly Again
Thanks for the great Carrier Pigeon feedback...sounds like there is enough interest to keep it going. Feel free to start sending in questions and comments for next month's episode to pigeon@okaysamurai.com or via Odeo if you are so inclined. And thanks to Kevin (this month's winner) for the cool illustration above!
Friday, July 6 at 8:45 AM
Carrier Pigeon: Episode One!
Carrier Pigeon - Episode One / June
(22:58, 21 MB, left-click to play or right-click to save)
This month's episode: Why I hate Pikachu / finding entry-level design jobs / Calculus help / Milli Vanilli video game? / SF vs. NYC / pizza...and much more. Thanks to everyone for the great submissions!
Wednesday, July 4 at 4:28 PM
Okay Samurai Multimedia is Dave Werner's personal site. I'm currently working at Minor Studios in San Francisco. Thanks for visiting! (more...)
Okay Samurai Journal (Subscribe RSS / XML)
Dave Werner's Portfolio (okaydave.com)
Archives (Cardboard Box)
Contact (Mailbox)
My Videos on Vimeo
My Photos on Flickr
Lars Amhoff: Kinkyform Design
Colin Anawaty: Cubed Companies
Chuck Anderson: NoPattern
Haik Avanian: HaikAvanian.com
James Bailey: The Kingdom of Sad Machines
Ben Barry: CarbonFour / Forced Connections
Dimitry Bentsionov: Arthero
Joshua Blankenship: JoshuaBlankenship.com
Casey Britt: CaseyBritt.com
Duncan Brook: Superfreaky Memories
Matthew Burtner: Burtner.net
Jeff Chin: JeffChin.com
Mary Campbell: Mary Campbell Design
Sarah Coffman: Minus Five
John Contino: drawings&co
Angie Cosimano: Angie Unit
Chris and Linda Doherty: Citizen Studio
Anne Elser: Annepages
Neil Epstein: Mediafactured
Bjorn Fagerholm: 3jorn
Dave Foster: Dave the Designer
Justin Genovese: JustinGenovese.com
J Grossen: Sugarcoma Labs
Audrey Gould: Aud's Blog
Greg Hackett: GregHackett.com
Sam Harrison: Zingzone
Todd Hammell: Solid Colors
Leon Henderson: LHJ Photo
Howard Hill: Fascination Streak
Peter Hobbs: Peter Hobbs Photography
Matt Ipcar: Ipcar Design
Michael Johnson: Michael J Rox
Melissa Jun: MelissaJun.com
Jiae Kim: Theme magazine
Zack Klein: ZackKlein.com
Katie Kosma: Flying Conundrum
Peter Lada: Proxima Labs
Josh Levin: Nothing Learned
Larry Luk: Epidemik Coalition
Mike Mates: Urban Influence
Alison Matheny: Life of a Harpy
Turi McKinley: Turi Travels
Alaa-Eddine Mendili: Furax
John Nack: John Nack on Adobe
Allen Orr: Anthem In
Scott Paterson: sgp7
Joe Peng: MacConcierge
Paavo Perkele: Astudios
Brian Perozo: Ephekto
Jason Puckett: Everyday Puck
Kate Ranson-Walsh: Thinkradical
Tania Rochelle: Stone's Colossal Dream
Angela Sailo: Peanut Butter Toast
Mohit SantRam: Santram.net
Dan Savage: Something Savage
Kevin Scarbrough: Thin Black Glasses
Scott Schiller: Schillmania
Jason Severs: JasonSevers.com
Anthony Sheret: Work By Lunch
Nick Skyles: Boats and Stars
Sujay Thomas: iSujay
Joe Tobens: JospehTobens.com
David Ulevitch: Substantiated.info
John Verhine: Verhine.com
Armin Vit: Under Consideration
Ian Wharton: IanWharton.com
Roger Wong: One Great Monkey
Clay Yount: Rob and Elliot Comics
Jack Zerby: Jack Zerby Music