The New York Times ran an article on their website the other day where they talked about Max Levchin, the Founder of PayPal (and the guy who eventually sold it to eBay). Needless to say, Levchin is filthy rich - the kind of rich that the rest of us only dream about. But the point of this article is an interesting one; the New York Times postulates that Levchin, and other young tech-millionaires like him, may be bored. How bored? So bored that they are starting new business and new ventures - in essence, they are in competition against themselves and against each other to hit the next big thing.

I found this to be very interesting. My roommate and I had a discussion the other day about how money does and does not buy happiness. You would think that these guys who have so much money that they no longer need to think about working would be floating on an island somewhere. At the very least, you would think that they are in a low-impact position at some global corporation like Google or Microsoft. Turns out that they’re not - they’re out there trying to make the next Facebook or MySpace.

For my part, I know what I would do if I ever hit it rich. I’d pay off my debts (and my family’s debts, of course) and then I’d set-up an annuity or a trust fund that generated about $100,000 annually in interest (I’m assuming that I REALLY hit it rich). After that, I’d give the rest away. Seriously - what’s the point in sitting on tens of millions or hundreds of millions of dollars? Why not go to your local high school or your alma mater and give each graduating senior a free college education? Or go to the local senior center and give them the state of the art amenities.

I just think that there are better things to do with millions and billions of dollars than just sit on them. Hopefully I’ll have the opportunity to prove that one day - but not quite yet! Anyway, the article is a good read - I suggest it if you have some spare time.

So…now I’ve cleared my buddy list down to 139 people. How low can I go?!? I just find it amazing how many people I had on that buddy list that I haven’t spoken to in years (and that hadn’t signed on in just as long). Again, I encourage everyone to do a cleaning out - besides, if you’re into seeing what people are doing you can get a better idea from Facebook and MySpace.

Earlier today I was flipping around the computer and I accidentally hit the wrong button on the keyboard. Whatever I did, my AIM buddy list popped open and went to my “offline” buddies. What a disaster this was! Have any of you ever looked at your buddy lists to see how many unnecessary names you have on it? I did - and it was ridiculous!

I started today with some 291 buddies on my list and as of this posting, I’m down to 155. Not only do I have doubles and triples of AIM names for the same person, but as I was going through the list I was deleting names that I KNEW were no longer in use!

So…if you all get a chance you should go ahead and gut that buddy list of yours. I only talk to about 5 or 6 people over IM anyway, so what’s the friggin use of having hundreds of people on the list, right? What? So I can stalk them and see what their away messages are? Weak.

All told, I expect that I’ll drop a few dozen more names and call it a day!

Though I’m a big fan of the PlayStation 2, no one can deny that the PlayStation 3 is turning out to be an abysmal failure of a system. Now, now, before you get your panties in a bunch please understand that I’m fully aware of the system’s prowess. It’s a big, bold, kick-ass gaming machine. The problems with this machine, though, are pretty deep.

The news out today was that Sony will offer a lower-end model of the PS3 in time for the holidays, obviously in the hopes that it will attract more purchases during the crucial holiday season. The catch? The low-end model is NOT backwards compatible with PlayStation 2 games!

Ugh…did someone at Sony really approve this deal? Someone fire that guy. Now!

As it stands, Sony is expecting gamers to shell out $400 for this “low-end” system. Bear in mind that both Nintendo’s Wii and Microsoft’s XBox 360 are much less expensive (though the XBox 360 does come in one model that is higher than $400). The Wii cannot compete with Sony’s PS3 engine - that’s a given. But Sony cannot compete with the Wii’s “fun factor” and anyone who has played both system can tell you this (anyone who plays as a fan of gaming, not an uber-dork who is concerned about high-def graphics over poor game play).

So not only do you have to shell out more money for a static playing experience, but now you can’t play your piles and piles of PS2 games! What a crock! For the PS2 owner…where is the incentive to get the new, “low-end” system? I certainly don’t see it.

You want to top off the cake? How about the fact that PS3 games are pretty damn expensive?

This machine, whose driving purpose was to push the high definition Blu-Ray DVD format into as many American homes as possible, is turning out to be a disaster. Someone needs to fix the problem and quick. Even if it means losing millions and millions of MORE dollars…

The last week of August was my vacation and it was a good vacation. I got a bigger bed, my Mother and I adopted a pug from the local shelter, and I got a lot of cleaning and de-cluttering accomplished. I also had some rest and relaxation, had my truck breakdown and wipe out my bank account (again), and was able to sign a few new contracts for Usable Web Solutions, LLC, but those are different posts!

Anyway, as I was cleaning up my room and my apartment I realized that not only did I have a large number of crappy DVDs (Navarro, Van Brunt, Booey, Surfer Jay, and pretty much everyone else that has seen my collection up front will rejoice at those words), but I also had a bunch of PlayStation 2 games that were literally collecting dust. Folks, I’m talking about games that I once bought because they looked like they were fun - and then never played them once. Some games never made it out of the box! Likewise with the DVD movies. I once purchased Suburban Commando just to piss off a roommate that I was living with! Of course, this helps to explain why I had a 200+ DVD collection, but also why I had a ton of crappy movies.

So I decided to bring some of these video games and crappy DVDs to GameStop and trade them in for store credit. Remember, I have a Nintendo Wii and a Nintendo DS Lite and I need games for these systems! I put together 12 PlayStation 2 discs and 18 DVDs and brought them over to the local GameStop.

Guess how much I was credited for these discs.

$200?

$150?

$100?

Nope.

Fifty bucks. I was credited fifty bucks for 30 items, more than half of which were video games. Talk about getting the shaft! Three of four of those DVDs would cost $50 combined! Yeah, I was hot after that, but I looked at it this way. I never played these video games and I never watched these DVDs so what was the purpose in keeping them and letting them collect dust? That would be a huge waste of space.

So I took my shafting from GameStop and hopefully I’ve learned to not spend money on excess video games and excess DVDs. The truth is that if you’re not dying to see a movie or play a specific game, then you probably don’t need to spend money on another game or movie just to fill the void.

After getting $50 for my troubles, consider this a lesson learned the hard way!

Though it may seem like I’ve done a major amount of video game discussion lately, I felt that it was all necessary as leading up to the inevitable…which is this blog entry.

PCWorld reports that Nintendo’s Wii is the number one selling “next generation” console in the world. This is a huge accomplishment! As the linked article explains, the last time that Nintendo was #1 with both their handheld and their home console was in 1994 - a full 13 years ago. I believe that this was an important story to cover for a couple of reasons, but mostly because Nintendo proved a startlingly simple point in their ascension back to the top of the video game mountain: focus on your business and you’ll find success.

Look at the gaming landscape. The big “traditional” video game companies are Nintendo, Sega, and Atari. Both Sega and Atari were forced out of the market due to the rise of superior gaming machines from Sony and eventually Microsoft. When Sega’s Dreamcast fell, many people thought that the end was near for Nintendo’s console. But Nintendo’s leadership did something that was unheard of in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s - they stayed their course. While other gaming systems were hurrying to include DVD playback, higher resolution features, and more in-game high-pixel video scenes, Nintendo stuck to its guns by producing machines that focused on a fun gaming experience.

And now, while Sony’s PlayStation 3 is looking at death’s door due to its unrealistic price tag and poor gaming library, the Nintendo Wii is thriving. Sony was so concerned about making sure their next-generation system was high-definition that they didn’t realize that many of the potential 3rd Party developers wouldn’t have the capacity (or desire) to create such detail-rich games. Of course they were also concerned with Sony’s larger plan to implement the Blu-Ray DVD format in PlayStation homes. What a terrible business plan for a video game system!

The problems that Microsoft are facing revolve mostly around inferior hardware quality (multiple overheating issues - now the controller is overheating) and, for many computer geeks like myself, the lack of desire that many video gamers/computer people have for a Windows experience on their home console. The most prevalent of this experience is the Red Ring of Death which signals that your XBox 360 is shot and needs to be replaced. Those of us who have had issues with Windows are quite familiar with the Blue Screen of Death - which signals that your operating system is more or less shot and needs to be reinstalled. Who the hell wants to deal with that type of bullshit on a video game system?

Nintendo did NOT focus on creating the basis for a home multimedia experience nor were they concerned about rolling out a new high-definition DVD format. They focused on having fun. And, as a Nintendo Wii & DS Lite owner who has played PlayStation 3, PSP, and XBox 360 - Nintendo hit the nail squarely on the head where the other systems missed the mark.

And now it’s paying off - Nintendo is once again back on top of the gaming world. The question, though, is whether or not it will last.

You can add my name to the growing list of both DS Lite and Wii owners. Over the course of the last few days I was able to get my hands on both of these little prizes and the results have been great so far.

The DS Lite is probably the best looking handheld device that I’ve ever played. And that’s no bullshit, folks, the screens on this thing are bright and crystal clear. Very impressive. I purchased Big Brain Academy, a Sonic game, and Children of Mana as well as a Gameboy Advance game (one of the old Mario games for SNES). I also got this nice little carrying case for it which came with a bunch of accessories like headphones, screen protectors, a shammy to clean the screens, extra styluses, etc. A pretty good deal.

I’m happy that I got this little handheld system. My Mom seemed to enjoy playing it when I was up in Roxbury yesterday, too. It’s a fun, addicting little machine…and that Big Brain Academy game is extremely addicting!

I also like the fact that it has Wi-Fi support as well as a system where you can play against other DS owners who are nearby - very cool.

And then I got the Wii. I had to wait outside of Circuit City yesterday morning to get it. I only waited 5 minutes until the store opened and I happened to be 5th in a line of 5 people, so it wasn’t like anything that you’d see on TV. However, we were all talking about how if there was a line of 5 people at the end of August, then the lines come November and December will be outrageous. Also, I found it interesting that a few of us knew about the chip shortage that will ultimately lead to a Wii shortage this Christmas season. I guess it makes sense, though, since we were all there buying the system.

In terms of gameplay, the Wiimote takes some getting used to, but it’s fun. I read about the problems with battery life in this thing so I bought a rechargeable battery and stand for the Wiimote, which worked well. I played the Wii Sports game that comes with the console and it was a lot of fun! I need to work on both my bowling and golfing skills, but I was surprisingly good at tennis. Weird…

I have 2000 Wii points, which will let me purchase old games and store them on my system. That’s pretty cool. They have a decent selection on there now, but it will only get better as time goes on. I also have Resident Evil 4 and Rampage for the Wii, but have not had a chance to play either yet. Resident Evil 4 looks crazy and who doesn’t love Rampage?

There will be more reports about my Wii-ing and DS Lite playing in the future, so stay tuned.

As if the excitement around Nintendo’s Wii hasn’t already been burning at a fever pitch, news came out today that the Wii is poised to take over Microsoft’s XBox 360 console in total units sold. There are even reports that the Wii is on pace to beat Sony’s Playstation 2 in overall lifetime sales. That, my friends, is an accomplishment.

In fact, both of these stories are HUGE accomplishments. Why? Well, let’s look at the first accomplishment - beating the XBox 360 in total sales. XBox 360 is a high definition console with a ton of sweet accessories ranging from 120 GB hard drives to headsets to use in an online gaming community. Plus, you can get an XBox 360 ANYWHERE in the world right now. Just go to your local Circuit City, Best Buy, or Wal-Mart and I guarantee that there will be a mountain of XBox 360 consoles in all of their different makes and models.

The big kicker here is that XBox 360 came out a full year before Nintendo’s Wii and Sony’s Playstation 3. You would think with a full 12 month head start that XBox 360 would be head and shoulders above the rest of the competition. It’s not.

Now there may be many reasons why they are not beating Wii. My belief is that the system is too complicated at the point of sale. For example - when Mr. Casual Gamer (ahem…me) walks into a store to buy a console, I don’t want to have three or four of the SAME console to choose from! Why not? Because I know that if I splurge on the ridiculously priced console, I’m getting the best, but I also know that I can’t afford that. So (in my mind at least) why would I buy anything other than the best? And the prices for these games are just out of control.

In fact, without getting too far into it - the Playstation 3 has the same problems in addition to poor third-party support. Before any of you dorks go nuts about that last statement, yes I know that they do have a good collection of third-party developers, but there just aren’t that many GOOD games out for the system yet. And you know what? The games are too damn expensive for PS3.

Wii? You can’t find these things in the stores and that will certainly hurt Nintendo in the long run (no consoles in the stores = no sales). But, there is only one version of the Wii. Yes, there are rumors that a DVD-enabled Wii will be released soon, but I have a DVD player and entertainment system already. Also, it is worth mentioning that the Wii is Wi-Fi enabled and gives you the ability to play against other Wii owners for free. No Wi-Fi on XBox 360 and you have to buy a subscription to play against other XBox 360 owners. Blech.

Wii is beating the competition because Nintendo went back to basics. What is a home video game console about? It’s about having fun. The Wii is a system that brings families together, it brings friends together, it brings gamers together - how many times have you seen a group of family members gathered around an XBox 360 going crazy over a game of Halo? Here and there?

Now how many times have you seen family and friends going bonkers over a cartoon-graphic Wii game?

Nintendo will almost certainly overtake the XBox 360 in the next day or two in terms of overall units sold. That’s a huge accomplishment for Nintendo, but one that may be short-lived. If the rumor of a worldwide Wii shortage heading into the holiday season is true…it may be back to XBox 360 at the top of the heap in no time!

For those of you who may be interested in buying a “smartphone” (and accessories) on eBay at a ridiculously reduced price, you’ll want to check out my latest eBay auction where I’m selling my Treo 700p!

The software upgrades for the phone have pretty much taken away all of the problems that I had with it, so you should be good to go!

Enjoy!

The worst phone that I have ever purchased in my entire life is broken once again. This phone is the Treo 700p from Verizon Wireless. It’s a disaster - a complete and total disaster of a phone. Not only have I had problems from this “smart” phone in the past, but the contract that I’m locked into keeps me with this piece of shit until August 2008.

I’m being held hostage by Verizon Wireless.

The problem this time around is that my touchscreen seems to work on all parts of the screen, except the middle. So this means that any time I put the stylus on the center of the page, the phone doesn’t recognize it. And what’s so bad about that? Well, the obvious - I can’t get this thing to work the right way and I spent over $600 on the package when I purchased it.

But through some no-good online help, I’ve managed to reset my phone and gotten it stalled out where it asks me to “Use stylus to tape center of target one last time.” And where does this target appear? That’s right - the exact middle of the touchscreen!

So I have a stalled out, piece of garbage phone. Not only is this the worst phone that I’ve ever purchased, but I am going out of my way to dissuade other people from buying this piece of shit. I’ve already gotten two people to stay away from this phone (and the now-tarnished Palm brand) - here’s hoping that this post gets more people to stay away from this brand.