With the exception of Microsoft and its Windows operating system, there is no other technological brand that I use more than Google. There is hardly a day that passes that I don't use some Google product or service. I regularly check my Gmail throughout each day. I use Google search to find information on just about any subject I care to look up. The Google image search also comes in quite handy (see some of the pictures posted below). I share various documents through Google Docs, an incredibly handy feature to use on class projects. I was using Google to search for popular brands to write about before it hit me that I could write about Google itself. Even this blog is written using the Google service Blogspot/Blogger.
I have Google applications for my mobile phone, too. In fact, anything I might do on a regular desktop or laptop computer, I can probably do it on my phone. One prominent service that I use often is the maps feature on my iPhone which is powered by Google Maps. Another application involves voice-based search; instead of typing in a search query, I can just speak into the microphone what I want to look for, and Google's voice recognition software will translate what I say into a search query.
The fact that everything is free is just the icing on the cake. Whenever I think of Google, two words come to mind--"free" and "useful." My only potential concern with Google involves the amount of information that Google gathers about me as an individual. While I'm enjoying everything Google has to offer, the same can be said about Google enjoying everything I have to offer. Still, it's become a trade-off I'm willing to accept.
Even with all of the information that Google gathers (whether I give it voluntarily or involuntarily), the Google brand still makes me feel "safe." Maybe it's the whole "Do no evil" catch phrase that Google supposedly adheres to, or maybe it's because Google's products are just so pragmatic and useful--either way, the Google suite of products and services will likely continue to have a prominent use in my life.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Saturday, April 4, 2009
The BS of the BCS
The Bowl Championship Series (BCS) is the system put in place to decide on which two college football teams will compete in the National Championship Game at the end of each college football season. The system itself is comprised of a variety of polls with both computer and human elements. At the end of the season, the two top-ranked teams in the BCS system play each other for the national championship.
The issue, however, is that there's always an argument that one team that was left out of the championship game was more deserving than one of the teams that did make it into the game. For instance, this past year the Oklahoma Sooners played in the title game; the Texas Longhorns, however, were left outside looking in despite having an identical win-loss record as well as having beaten the Sooners on a neutral site earlier in the season. Other teams have been left out in the past as well with no chance to play for the national title even though the teams' bodies of work would indicate that they should have a shot. Auburn was left out of the title game several years ago after going undefeated in what is considered to be the toughest conference in college football. Plus, if a team is not a member of one of the six major conferences, they have pretty much absolutely no chance to play in the title game, regardless of their body of work.
One of the biggest calls for a change come from people in favor of a playoff system, not unlike the mega popular NCAA basketball tournament. The argument goes that it is better to let the teams compete on the field to decide the national champion as oppposed to letting "experts" and arbitrary rules decide. The Onion, as sharp as ever, recently published an article satirizing the BCS as compared to the NCAA basketball tournament. Despite being a "fake" article, the satire perfectly captures what many BCS opponents are feeling.
These days when the term BCS comes up, college sports fans (including myself) immediately think of a complicated and severely crippled system that hardly ever makes much sense. Unfortunately, the money involved will likely keep the BCS system in place for the foreseeable future. Only when fans stop buying what the BCS is selling will a serious change come about.
The issue, however, is that there's always an argument that one team that was left out of the championship game was more deserving than one of the teams that did make it into the game. For instance, this past year the Oklahoma Sooners played in the title game; the Texas Longhorns, however, were left outside looking in despite having an identical win-loss record as well as having beaten the Sooners on a neutral site earlier in the season. Other teams have been left out in the past as well with no chance to play for the national title even though the teams' bodies of work would indicate that they should have a shot. Auburn was left out of the title game several years ago after going undefeated in what is considered to be the toughest conference in college football. Plus, if a team is not a member of one of the six major conferences, they have pretty much absolutely no chance to play in the title game, regardless of their body of work.
One of the biggest calls for a change come from people in favor of a playoff system, not unlike the mega popular NCAA basketball tournament. The argument goes that it is better to let the teams compete on the field to decide the national champion as oppposed to letting "experts" and arbitrary rules decide. The Onion, as sharp as ever, recently published an article satirizing the BCS as compared to the NCAA basketball tournament. Despite being a "fake" article, the satire perfectly captures what many BCS opponents are feeling.
These days when the term BCS comes up, college sports fans (including myself) immediately think of a complicated and severely crippled system that hardly ever makes much sense. Unfortunately, the money involved will likely keep the BCS system in place for the foreseeable future. Only when fans stop buying what the BCS is selling will a serious change come about.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
A gamer, scorned (or, my Xbox just died)
So, no sooner do I finish singing the praises of Microsoft's wonder console in my last post than the frakking machine dies on me. Again. Count'em--that's twice in the period of one month. So, I guess it's time to take another look at the behemoth from Redmond and its gaming console, the Xbox 360.
The Xbox's history of malfunctioning is well-documented. Coined the "red ring of death" (a name likely derived from the "blue screen of death"--another Microsoft controversy), the epidemic was reportedly sidelining over 1 million consoles at one point. Whether that percentage is accurate or not is a point of contention, but what is undeniable is that Microsoft wrote off over $1 billion in order to cover the cost of all repairs.
Of course, even after reading about the problems and hearing first- and second-hand stories about Xbox deaths, I figured I was safe. After all, I had had mine for nearly 2 years, and it had run beautifully in that time span. It was easy to forget about it, too, while I enjoyed the console's high-end graphics, fantastic online component, and a home network connectivity that allowed me to stream content from my computer directly to my television. The Xbox and Xbox brand had become a name I came to depend on. Hell, even now, I find myself writing fondly about the device as it sits on its perch, mocking me.
So, what am I to think about the Xbox brand from this point forward? There's no denying the fun and entertainment it can provide. However, my confidence in the Xbox name as a reliable source of said fun and entertainment has taken a hit. At this point I won't be surprised if another Xbox of mine (or that of a friend's) craps out. I guess in the meantime I'll give the Wii another shot...
The Xbox's history of malfunctioning is well-documented. Coined the "red ring of death" (a name likely derived from the "blue screen of death"--another Microsoft controversy), the epidemic was reportedly sidelining over 1 million consoles at one point. Whether that percentage is accurate or not is a point of contention, but what is undeniable is that Microsoft wrote off over $1 billion in order to cover the cost of all repairs.
Of course, even after reading about the problems and hearing first- and second-hand stories about Xbox deaths, I figured I was safe. After all, I had had mine for nearly 2 years, and it had run beautifully in that time span. It was easy to forget about it, too, while I enjoyed the console's high-end graphics, fantastic online component, and a home network connectivity that allowed me to stream content from my computer directly to my television. The Xbox and Xbox brand had become a name I came to depend on. Hell, even now, I find myself writing fondly about the device as it sits on its perch, mocking me.
So, what am I to think about the Xbox brand from this point forward? There's no denying the fun and entertainment it can provide. However, my confidence in the Xbox name as a reliable source of said fun and entertainment has taken a hit. At this point I won't be surprised if another Xbox of mine (or that of a friend's) craps out. I guess in the meantime I'll give the Wii another shot...
Monday, March 30, 2009
Nintendo online
Being a regular patron of the video game arts, I have multiple gaming consoles including an Xbox 360 and a Nintendo Wii. Only the Xbox, however, has seen any significant use over the last year. This is primarily because there are more titles in which I am interested being released for the Xbox. Not that the games being released for the Wii are bad, per se, but most of them are much more enjoyable when playing with friends. While the same can be said about the Xbox, the Xbox holds a distinct advantage over the Wii in this regard--a stellar online component.
With Microsoft's machine, it's incredibly easy to jump online and connect with friends or complete strangers to play a round of nearly any game. Jumping online with the Wii, on the other hand, is much more complicated. Each Wii console, as well most games, comes with a long and complex "connection code," each of which must be exchanged with another player before online play can be enabled. While it's not always necessary to use these codes, the lack of a centralized online service still makes connecting with other players difficult.
When you think about it, it's actually rather surprising and kind of disappointing that playing a Wii game online is so difficult, especially given how Nintendo has made an effort to market the machine as an entertainment device to be enjoyed with friends. The company even built a Wifi receiver into the console, a sore point among Xbox owners that must shell out close to an additional $100 in order to enjoy Wifi on the Xbox.
The frustration with Nintendo's online component came to a head for me this past weekend. A system update for the console was recently released that would allow users to store and play content directly from an SD card, a feature which is attractive to me since I've got content that I used to constantly move back and forth between an SD card and the Wii's small hard drive. However, I was unable to download and install the update due to "Internet connection issues." Though repeated connection tests all came up positive, what I assume was just a poor overall connection prevented me from enjoying the new features.
Now the Wii lies dormant once again on a shelf of my entertainment center. I've been left with a sour taste in my mouth, and I remain with the view that the Wii (as well as other Nintendo products) is just not a very online-capable device. It's okay, though--I'm having way too much fun on my Xbox online anyway.
With Microsoft's machine, it's incredibly easy to jump online and connect with friends or complete strangers to play a round of nearly any game. Jumping online with the Wii, on the other hand, is much more complicated. Each Wii console, as well most games, comes with a long and complex "connection code," each of which must be exchanged with another player before online play can be enabled. While it's not always necessary to use these codes, the lack of a centralized online service still makes connecting with other players difficult.
When you think about it, it's actually rather surprising and kind of disappointing that playing a Wii game online is so difficult, especially given how Nintendo has made an effort to market the machine as an entertainment device to be enjoyed with friends. The company even built a Wifi receiver into the console, a sore point among Xbox owners that must shell out close to an additional $100 in order to enjoy Wifi on the Xbox.
The frustration with Nintendo's online component came to a head for me this past weekend. A system update for the console was recently released that would allow users to store and play content directly from an SD card, a feature which is attractive to me since I've got content that I used to constantly move back and forth between an SD card and the Wii's small hard drive. However, I was unable to download and install the update due to "Internet connection issues." Though repeated connection tests all came up positive, what I assume was just a poor overall connection prevented me from enjoying the new features.
Now the Wii lies dormant once again on a shelf of my entertainment center. I've been left with a sour taste in my mouth, and I remain with the view that the Wii (as well as other Nintendo products) is just not a very online-capable device. It's okay, though--I'm having way too much fun on my Xbox online anyway.
Friday, March 27, 2009
A new look for Bud Light
I was shopping at HEB earlier today, and among the items written down on my grocery list was "beer." For the most part, whenever I think of beer, I think of Bud Light. It's been my "go to" beer for some time. If I don't want to be bothered with thinking of something different to drink, I know I'll be happy with a simple Bud Light. It was typically the beer that my dad drank when I was younger, and so I picked up the beer brand myself as I came of age (though not necessarily legal drinking age).
I was surprised then, earlier, when I walked down the aisle to find newly-designed packaging of Bud Light. The new Bud Light packaging is much flashier-looking than the previous packaging.
Whereas the new packaging uses a lighter and more prevalent blue, previous incarnations utilized a darker blue and more silver coloring. According to the Anheuser-Busch website, "Bud Light’s new look reflects the key attributes of the brand we are touting in all our marketing – drinkability and refreshment."
I can't help but think, however, that at least part of the redesign is a direct response to Bud Light's chief rival Miller Lite, as both now sport a primarily blue look that covers most of the packaging. The redesign also seems like it may have been implemented to attract a younger crowd.
I'll admit, the new look is slightly off-putting, primarily because I don't feel like the change was necessary. The redesign won't stop me from continuing to consume Bud Light, but the packaging will certainly take some getting used to.
I was surprised then, earlier, when I walked down the aisle to find newly-designed packaging of Bud Light. The new Bud Light packaging is much flashier-looking than the previous packaging.
Whereas the new packaging uses a lighter and more prevalent blue, previous incarnations utilized a darker blue and more silver coloring. According to the Anheuser-Busch website, "Bud Light’s new look reflects the key attributes of the brand we are touting in all our marketing – drinkability and refreshment."
I can't help but think, however, that at least part of the redesign is a direct response to Bud Light's chief rival Miller Lite, as both now sport a primarily blue look that covers most of the packaging. The redesign also seems like it may have been implemented to attract a younger crowd.
I'll admit, the new look is slightly off-putting, primarily because I don't feel like the change was necessary. The redesign won't stop me from continuing to consume Bud Light, but the packaging will certainly take some getting used to.
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