Monday, December 1, 2008 

Nintendo Wii Review

The all new Nintendo Wii, introduced in the fall of 2006, has become a great success in the game box battle competing with Sony's Playstation 3 and Microsoft's Xbox 360. So what makes Wii so appealing, that they are sold out in stores within hours of being stocked. Compared to the other next generation game consoles the graphics are nothing to get exited about. What Wii has managed to do, is get people off the couch to have some fun. The new system is easy for all age groups to play from the 5 year old child to the grandmother. The other thing so appealing about the Wii is the price is about half that of the Playstation 3 or the Xbox 360. The size is also about half that of it's competitors, and with the ease of setting up it is much more portable. The popularity of the new system has caused sales to outpace supplies. The easiest way to buy a Wii is online. You can always find a vendor selling new units on Ebay.

The most innovative part of the system is the TV remote looking controller. Instead of the traditional two-handed device, the Wii's wireless controller is a rectangular device with an array of sensors, wireless transmitters, and receivers that communicate with the base station through a sensor bar. Game designers love finding new uses for the Wii Remote. In a tennis game, it becomes a racket you swing with your arm. In a driving game, it becomes a steering wheel. The possibilities are endless! The Wii Remote also packs a speaker, rumble feature, and external extension connector for other input devices, like the classic controller or the new Nunchuk with the same sensor technology.

What really makes a game system popular is the games exclusive to the system. The included game Wii Sports is an addictive tech demo that provides for tons of single and multi player fun. Tennis, golf, and baseball work just like one would expect, and when you plug in the Nunchuk the boxing mini game can really help you work up a sweat. For the more traditional hit games Nintendo has upgraded Super Mario Brothers with Super Mario Galaxy and the popular Legends of Zelda with the release of Twilight Princess. New games like Dance Dance Revolution Hottest Party and Guitar Hero III has revolutionized the way games are played. Nintendo has also come out with the new Wii Zapper to use with games like Crossbow Training and Medal of Honor: Heros 2. Just slide the remote into the barrel and the Nunchuk in the rear and you are ready for any shooter game.

The Wii would not be ranked with the next generation of gaming consoles without an online component. Wii comes standard with Wi-Fi capabilities, which makes it simple to connect to a home wireless network. Once online you start with the Wii channels which include Shop, Weather, News, Mii and more. The Mii channel is where you can create 3D avatars that can interact with other Miis all over the world. In specific games, such as the included Wii Sports, your created Mii can be the main character. Up to ten Miis can be stored on a controller, so you'll be able to bring your characters to a friend's house without needing any sort of memory card. The Channel interface is intuitive and shows how even the most basic tasks can be revitalized thanks to the Wiimote.

Nintendo made the Wii a great success by making it simple and fun for everyone at an affordable price. It is also more popular in other countries. It may be hard to get, but it is well worth the effort.

For more information visit popvideogames.com

RC Moore Content writer for popvideogames.com

In this April 22, 2008 file photo Tina Fey makes an appearance on MTV's Total Request Live at MTV Studios  in New York.  (AP Photo/Evan Agostini, file)AP - Tina Fey's husband is talking about something the "30 Rock" actress would rather not discuss: the scar on her left cheek.

 

Red Lights on Your XBox?

What does it mean when your XBox has Three Flashing Red Lights instead of the normal Green Ones?

Three flashing red lights appear when an Xbox experiences a general hardware failure.These Red Lights are known as the Red Ring of Death to most gamers.

Before this occurs you may have warning signs, like the screen freezing up with strange graphics, or the sound being replaced by a static noise.The console may also say that the disk is unreadable.These signs become more and more frequent, until the hardware failure occurs.

What are Four Red Lights?

Four Red lights are a much more welcome sight, as they appear when the console doesn't detect the AV cable as being plugged in. Simply make sure it is plugged in correctly.

Why did my XBox get the Red Ring of Death?

The XBox was originally designed to be slim. Because of this, there is not enough space for the components to get enough air flow and keep cool. The XBox problem occurs therefore due to overheating.

Can I Prevent this from happening to me?

You may not be able to prevent it from happening, but keeping your XBox cool may help. Make sure it has enough air flow around it when playing, and don't put it on a carpet. If you start seeing any of the warning signs, try not to play for extended periods.

What has Microsoft done about it?

Microsoft claimed in July 2007, to have resolved many issues with the design.Xbox 360 consoles based on the "Falcon" motherboard feature a different CPU which reduces heat and is more reliable than previous models. Failure rates of the "Falcon" motherboard are supposed to be about 10%.

What do I do once my XBox has the Red Ring of Death?

You can either send it in to Microsoft for free (if you are in the 3 year warranty period), or you can fix it yourself. Sending it to Microsoft will take between 3 weeks to 6 weeks including postage time, and you may not get your own console back, but possibly another reconditioned, or repaired console. It also could happen again, which would mean repeating the whole process again.

Should you wish to, you can use the option of repairing it yourself. Have a look at a Repair Guide. Should you repair it yourself, you will probably void your warranty, but at least if it happens again, you will be able to fix it yourself and not have to send it away again.

People wade through high water by Venice's Rialto Bridge, northern Italy, Monday, Dec. 1, 2008. Water in Venice has risen to its highest level in more than 20 years, leaving much of the Italian city under floods and forcing residents and tourists to wade through knee-high water. City officials say the sea level topped 156 centimeters (61 inches) on Monday, well past the 110 centimeter (40 inch) flood mark, with most streets submerged. (AP Photo/Luigi Costantini)AP - Venice could use a bailout. The city built on water has too much of it.

 

Technology For Recruitment Consultants Who Want to Win

Linux operating system.

This is not for the technologically faint hearted, Linux is a 'community engineered' alternative to the Windows operating system. Benefits to recruitment agencies are

The machines are often cheaper and faster than a Windows PC

They carry equivalent packages (e.g. word processor, spreadsheet, presentation etc.) for all available Windows office software with one key difference, the Linux software is all open source and is therefore free!

Linux machines do not suffer virus attacks. With Windows I used to loose 2 to 3 days per year (plus sleep) over virus attacks and then having to recover data. With Linux in 2 years I've had none!

The one thing to be careful of here is that Linux is different kit to windows, so you will need a specialist Linux company to support you. But, if you can get this, my opinion is, and I stress it's my opinion, Linux is fantastic for recruitment consultants, cheaper to buy, cheaper to run, faster and more reliable!

Open source software.

Office software, and in particular CRM systems can cost recruitment agencies large amounts of money to set up and run. Open source software is free, created and updated by a large community of techies it's presents highly sophisticated alternatives to traditional software. There are now excellent open source CRM packages, totally free as they are open source and perfectly usable as recruitment agency database software. As with Linux, it's advisable to find a company who will support you through it, but other than support, the software is free to obtain and use on an ongoing basis, and it's web based, making it easy for recruitment consultants to view from any location. Have a look at Sugar CRM.

Messenger.

This is not that new, but essential technology for any recruitment agency, messenger enables staff to communicate from anywhere, real-time, so long as they have an internet connection. There are a number of benefits:

Saves on phone and text charges, messenger communication is free.

Highly effective for team working with channels to all open all of the time.

Excellent to support home working in maintaining your contact with staff.

Works on any PC or mobile device with an internet connection.

Smart phones.

Today's mobile phones offer exceptional functionality with broadband speed internet connections enabling full mobile e-mail capacity and internet browsing whilst out interviewing. If your company places it's database on a server which is attached to the internet, you'll have full access to your recruitment database whilst out with clients or interviewing. The days of recruitment consultants having to synchronise with outlook when you're back in the office are gone. Run a web based e-mail package (try Zimbra) for all your e-mail, calender and notes and you will never need to synch again, simply use in on your phone over the internet

IP phones.

To look at and use these are just the same as any other phone. However, they don't need a phone line, simply a connection to the internet, but here's the good bits.

No phone line, no monthly rental charges.

An IP Phone comes with a an 0845 number which follows the phone. If you travel to the other side of the world and plug into the internet, and you have your same 0845, your same office extension (so your PA can still put calls through) and free calls to anyone else on an IP phone, or at worst a local rate elsewhere.

The biggest application for recruitment consultants is home working. You could be in the office one day, and at home the next, and still on the end of your office extension, the potential savings to recruitment agencies here are huge.

Web based e-mail.

Gone are those days when web based e-mail was just hotmail, which was convenient but lacking the sophistication of packages like outlook, which carried calenders and other useful office functionality. Now, packages such as Zimbra offer unparalleled functionality on a web based package, also now configured to work on smart phones for mobility. Rather than having to synchronise e-mail packages on PC and smart phone, now mobile recruitment consultants can use the same package where ever they are, on any computer, anywhere in the world. The software is open source, so it's completely free!

If you are a recruitment consultant like myself, you may find it difficult to focus on things like this which are visibly related to generating another fee. But be warned, recruitment consultants who embrace these developments are giving themselves the advantage before the recruitment has even began.

John Bult runs job sites for Recruitment consultants in the UK

A trader on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, November 13, 2008. (Brendan McDermid/Reuters)AP - Confirmation that the nation is in a recession and signs pointing to a prolonged downturn sent Wall Street plunging once again Monday, hurtling the Dow Jones industrials down more than 440 points and erasing a huge chunk of last week's big gains. All the major indexes fell more than 5 percent.

 

Online Gaming Popularity Surge

Online gaming has become quite a popular pastime. Many internet users flock to online gaming sites in order to play their favorite games. Gaming sites offer action, card, casino, and arcade games, among others, that keep players fascinated throughout their entire visit. Popular games, such as Abba the Fox and the Adventures of Bob Blob, can be played online, and you have the option to play against friends. In fact, many new friends have been made via gaming sites, as there are thousands of people who share the same interests playing daily.

Finding a good gaming site is not that difficult. You simply need to determine what games you are most interested in and find a site that offers those games. Incidentally, there are some sites which offer practically every game that you can imagine. Finding a site that offers multiple games is a benefit as it saves you time in toggling back and forth between sites. You simply set up your gaming account, and you are ready to play all your favorites in one place.

Choosing a gaming site that offers a forum is also very beneficial. Forums are a wonderful way to interact with others, ask questions, and seek or offer advice. If you are playing a specific game, and you run up against a confusing level or problem, then you can simply head to the forum to ask experienced players how to defeat the level. It is not difficult to find a good gaming site. The main thing to look for is the quality and quantity of the games offered on the site, and of course, a forum to seek help when you need it.

So has online gaming replaced the ever popular Wiis and Playstations? Highly doubtful. Just look at the Christmas lists for this year alone. With the new Halo 3 and Guitar Hero games so popular, it is very unlikely that online gaming with completely replace the consoles that we all know and love. Actually online gaming is not meant to be a replacement, only a way to interact with others who share the same passions for specific games, and a great way to meet friends and kick some proverbial butt in some great rooms. The best part is that you do not have to know a lot about these specific games in order to be caught up in the excitement. You can get lots of help from the forums or guides along the way and soon be one of the many that enjoy professional gamer status all while sitting in the comfort of your home or office. Of course, if you are playing from work, just be sure that you boss doesn't catch you. Hiding your gaming addiction from coworkers is a whole different topic altogether.

Vanessa Beaty is a Freelance Writer
Freelance Moms
Write Next Door - For All Your Content Needs

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., center and junk-bond pioneer Michael Milken, left, sing the ABC song with elementary school students from Visitacion Valley Elementary School in San Francisco, Monday, Nov. 24, 2008. Pelosi and Milken help present first grade teacher Mindy Yip an award of $25,000 for the 2008 Milken National Education Award. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)AP - House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is promising Congress will try to have a huge economic recovery bill ready for President-elect Barack Obama as soon as he takes office.

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