Hey, I'm a Mac and I'm a PC.

Are you a PC user? a Mac user? or both? Just recently, I have purchased a white Macbook and became both a PC and Mac user. What do I think? I absolutely love it and it was worth every single penny for me.

Don't be scared to try out a Mac. It's surprisingly user friendly and guess what? The new Macs with Intel Core Duo are capable running Windows by use of Apple's Boot Camp (beta and free) or third-party's Parallel (trial, $80).

I'll basically give you my guide and view on buying/switching to a Mac from a PC. My thought? "Once you buy a Mac, You'll never go back." =]

Buying a Mac?
There are many Mac's that you can buy. The new ones that have emerged are Macbook, Macbook Pro, iMac, and Mac mini. You can always go along with old ibooks, powerbooks, and G5, but I will recommend you going with the new intel processor based computers. You can always wait for the Mac Pros which will be intel-based desktop that's planned to replace the G5. Soon or later, Apple will begin to put in Intel Core Duo 2 compared to regular Intel Core Duo's packed in the Macs right now.

Mac minis are very cheap. The basic models from Apple are all under $1000. I say go with Mac minis only if you just want a new cheap Apple computer and already have a monitor. Although it's slower than all other new Macs and it lacks a powerful video card (integrated graphic), don't underestimate it. This small box is still quick with 1.66 GHz Intel Core Duo processor for its price. I have seen a lot of people using this computer as a media center. Hooking it up to a huge flat screens and using it to record tv shows, movies, etc:

My favorite setup is the picture above. Just looks neat and perfect. All the wires, harddrive, etc are hidden by the screen. You can check out more at 123Macmini.com.

Now the Macbook Pro. The all time high-end notebook by Apple. This machine is powerful. You can purchase it with a 15.4 in or 17 in screen. Since it comes with a 2.16 GHz Intel Core Duo and a 256mb ATI Radeon x1600 video card, it's perfect for games, video edits, photoshop, and more. If you're just a regular computer user that just browse the internet, exchange email sor instant messages, this laptop is not for you. You'll be wasting you're money and its potential. This is for advanced computer users who actually work daily with editing videos, photos, etc. As a note, not all programs such as photoshop, adobe premiere, etc are not out with universal binary. In other words, since the programs are not yet designed to run on intel-based computers, it must be run using Rosetta which slows down a lot of processes such as rendering videos. The universal binary programs (designed for intel-based computers) are due out sometime in Q1 2007.

The iMac is one of the most prized computers of Apple. It's just a 17-in or 20-in monitor with mouse and keyboard. That's it. No desktop body on the side or anything. Just plug it in and run it. I see iMacs as non-portable Macbook Pros. They're specifications are somewhat similar. Although the basic models lack a 512mb memory stick, slightly lower model graphic card and processor, I think it's better to buy an iMac and save about $1000. If you really need a powerful computer with portability, then go with the Macbook Pro. However, if portability is not required, then go with the iMac and save some money.

Macbook: If you're just a regular computer user, then this is the perfect laptop for you. This is the most economic laptop that Apple offers as of today. The lowest basic model is $1,099. I'll go into specific detail of the three basic models that are out for Macbook. After the lowest model, the 2nd model goes for $1,299. Basically, the 2nd model offers 2.0GHz Intel Core Duo compared to 1.83GHz and a DVD+/- RW compared to just DVD-RW on the 1st model. Now the 3rd model that Apple offers is a black Macbook for $1,499. Don't get dragged into buying this model for its sexy color. The 3rd model is $200 dollars more compared to the 2nd model. What's the difference? A big whopping 20GB more on harddrive and .............. the color black. If you're room is overflowing with money then go for the black one, but if you're trying to save even a dollar, don't pay $200 more for just color black. 1GB cost a dollar, so basically 20GB extra costs $20. If you want more space, you can just spend that $200 for an external harddrive.

For myself, I purchased my laptop at the UCSD bookstore. If you're going to buy a Mac, make sure to buy it under educational store. You save a lot of money. At my UCSD bookstore, they offered the black model for $1,399. Compared to the regular Apple retail store, it's $100 cheaper. However, they had a customized white Macbook with 512 mb more ram (total 1GB ram), 20GB more harddrive space (total 100GB) for $30 more than the black model. I bought mine for $1,424.

Also, make sure to take advantage of the available promotions. The most significant promotion that's available right now is the back-to-school. Buy any qualifying Mac and you get a free ipod or $179 rebate.

What's Applecare? It's an extended warranty program that extends the coverage of you're item to 3 years. I don't think this is really necessary for desktops such as the iMac, but if you're purchasing a portable computer like the Macbook or the Macbook Pro then I recommend you to purchase it. It's very expensive at the Apple store ($250??), but check out your school's store. I got mine for $83 dollars. I got $100 off for buying it with my Macbook.

Remember, ALL Macs come with Mac OS X Tiger, Front Row, Apple Remote, iLife, and iSight camera (except the Mac mini).

Basically, Front Row (picture above) is like the Windows Media Center. Apple remote is seen above in the picture with the Mac mini. iLife basically consist of iPhoto, iCal, and more. If you want, you can purchased iWork, a Mac version of Microsoft Office.

Using a Mac?
Mac's basically work the same way. They also have two clicks just like the PC, but in order to activate the 2nd click, you have to hold ctrl and then click. All the hotkeys that were used in Windows like copying (ctrl+c) and pasting (ctrl+v) work the same way except that ctrl is replaced with the command key (the one with a picture of apple). So copying and pasting becomes command key+c and command key +v. Alt+tab, used to switch between programs on Windows, is also changed to command key + tab. If you want to know more, you can always google and find them out. I will point out some interesting keys.

• Hold shift as you do animated effects (like the genie effect when minimizing/maximizing) - slow motion.
• ctrl+alt+command key+8 - negative.
• shit+ctrl+3 - screen shot.

Programs?
Mac OS X Tiger comes with a lot of programs that are also seen on Windows. They have iChat similar to AIM. I don't know about you, but I find it kind of inconvenient to use iChat. If you want a program that integrates AIM, Google Talk, Msn, and more and act more like Dead Aim (tabs) then try out Adium. Also make sure to download Divx Player or VLC player to expand the video compatibility. You should also download Flip4Mac in order to play Windows Media files including online videos. You can run Flip4Mac with Rosetta or wait for the release universal binary.

The most useful program that I use is Quicksilver. It's basically a launcher program that will save you a whole lot of time. It's default command is ctrl+space which will open up a command window and you can type any program name, file name, website URL, etc and it'll launch it.

As show above, you can even browse artists, songs, etc for itunes function. Make sure to try out this program if you have purchased a Mac.

Accessories?
I looked around for Macbook covers/sleeves and I haven't been too satisfied with a lot of them. There are a lot of laptop bags, but I haven't seen a perfect sleeve. For now, I'm using a laptop bag I received for free with purchase. You can check out this blog for more laptop bags. I did purchase a protective pack for the Macbook. Have you seen those Stained Macbooks?

Marware provides palm-rest covers and a keyboard cover/displayer cleaner. It's priced to just about $20, but I definitely think it's necessary to keep your laptop clean. Don't want those stains like other people have suffered through.

Final Thought?
Ever since I got my Macbook, I have only used my PC for excel (till I get a copy of Microsoft Office Mac) and to play some games like winning eleven. Macbook is perfect for me to carry around school and doing homework or just browsing the internet. I think one of the best advice I have gotten about buying a computer is:

Buy a computer that will make you money.

In other words for students, buy a computer that will help you with your school work. Don't spend too much or too little on buying a perfect computer for you. Buy only what's necessary for you. I know for myself, I always want to get the top of the line. Looking at all the top of the line processors, video cards, etc makes me drool, but those are not going to help me. Games are just going to ruin my academic life. So if you're looking for a computer, make a decision like me. Be smart and buy what's only necessary.

Hope my guide has changed your view on the Macs somehow or helped you on your use of your new Mac. If you have any other questions, just email me at ontheside.blog@gmail.com.

Videogames!

Here's a pretty good article about videogames and how you don't have to be good at it to have fun. I like how a lot people (like me) are beginning to realize that there is a lot more than just the superficial layer to what we understand as the "videogame".

Some good places to get good info about this unique form of entertainment

The Escapist - I haven't read too much, but this seems to be a magazine that's released only online. The writing's pretty awesome and they explore a variety of game-centric topics. Very current.

Wikipedia - Of course, my favorite resource and time sink, wikipedia! You pretty much know what to expect. Lots of links at the bottom for hours of reading.

PSP ad vs. Nintendo ad

Just recently, Sony released few advertisement in Europe for their release of white PSP. A lot of people in America brought up the fact that the advertisement is a bit offensive, but the Europeans seem to take the this possible controversy less into consideration.





After seeing this ad, I guess Nintendo or somebody else (most likely) decided to poke at Sony and have a bit of fun with it. After the observing the pictures, the backgrounds are awfully similar and it seems as if it has been edited. Nevertheless, I absolutely love this.




Awesome eh? I concur.

DS Lite Alert

There were some recent discovery of possible DS Lite defect. It appears to be a plastic crack on the left side of the hinge. It does not affect the performance of the hinge, but I am pretty sure no one wants to see a single scratch on this beautiful system.



(picture given credit to joystiq.com)

As for mine, I am very fortunate that my hinge hasn't cracked. My theory is being extra careful would help to prevent this painful incident.



I will point out that if you're a DS Lite owner, make sure to never overwork/force the hinge. As you're opening the screen on the Lite, you should feel a little pop indicating the limit of the hinge (picture above). Always open the DS Lite gently. Think of it as an egg that you bought from Nintendo. =]



Also, if you're too cheap to go looking for a casing for the DS Lite like me, try the PSP sleeve (picture above). It has been nicknamed as "Gaming's Oreo". However, make sure not to cram the DS Lite inside the sleeve all the way. Since the PSP is more curved than the DS Lite, the sleeve becomes a bit tight for the Lite. If it's pushed in all the way, the sleeve will actually be constantly pressing down on one of the side trigger buttons and may lead to some problems. So make sure not to shove it in fully, but just enough to hold and protect the Nintendo egg.
(Credit given to awesome joystiq.com again.)

Lastly, I will point out that Nintendo is taking repairs of the crack for $50. For me, that price just doesn't cut it. Pay $50 to repair a defect? Please.

Anyway, good luck handling your precious DS Lite, but always remember to have fun with it. It's a portable gaming device, not a real egg.

Another Humor on Digg

Ever get your bike stolen?

a story on digg shows how bikes are stolen, or more like how easy it is to steal a bike especially in New York.

link

enjoy the video...

Review: Battlefield 2 1.4 patch beta

Earlier today, I had the chance to take time out of my busy schedule to try out version 2 of the 1.4 beta patch. The beta features a new map, a new game option, and the obligatory but unnoticable bug fixes and tweaks. There was only one server running the beta and it had bad ping and is unranked. So if you want to play it, you have to check your filters and make sure you allow unranked servers to show up. Also worth mentioning is the fact that you have to make a backup copy of your entire Battlefield 2 folder (2+ gigs in my case) so you can easily revert back to 1.3. Kinda messy in my opinion, but it's just a beta.

The Road to Jalalabad map is available to BF2 as well as Special Forces players. It's sort of a hybrid between Strike at Karkand and Mashtuur City, which means it's a mix of close quarters combat with some open spaces ideal for tank or fast attack vehicle combat. At this point, the biggest balance problem I've come seen yet is that the capture radius for flags are far too large. Right now, some of the flags can be capped from across the street. Another thing is that there are too many rooftops that are accessible by ladder. While this could potentially lead to a sniperfest, most of the roof tops don't overlook any high traffic paths. Aside from these issues, the map is fairly well designed but after the initial surge in popularity after launch, I don't think people will be choosing this over Karkand anytime soon.

Click for larger view of map.

I can't really comment much on the Infantry Only game mode because oddly enough, the admins never switched it on during the times I played. Honestly, I'm not sure if this mode is a good idea because EA is basically updating the game by taking something away from it. The Battlefield series stands out from the crowd of online First Person Shooters because it allows all players to jump into tanks, jets, and helicopters any time they want. I guess the upside is that since some players have become extremely good with vehicles, the new mode's emphasis on infantry combat will be fun for people tired of getting repeatedly killed by camping tanks. Anyway, perhaps I'll update this section when I get a chance to play the mode.

I noticed that the hitboxes seem to have been adjusted so that shots register more. Personally, I found this the most important change in the update. In previous versions, emptying a clip at close range would not even guarantee a frag. Also, the sounds are still pretty mediocre. I came into BF2 with a pretty strong background in Counter-Strike where the qualities of sound meant the difference between life and death. In 1.4, you still cannot hear approaching footsteps and the guns still sound like paintball guns. I mentioned earlier that the beta server was unranked and thus the game play I experienced will be vastly different than when 1.4 goes live. There were some people heedlessly teamkilling and kamikazing. Another new change is that you are now unable to shoot while transitioning from the standing position to crouching. This additional restriction feels strange and unnatural but is meant to add realism and discourage exploits as there were many people who used macros to alternate between the two states to avoid getting hit. Again, this is a new feature I view with mixed feelings.

Overall, there is very little difference between 1.3 and 1.4 and the lack of any exciting new features really detracts from the value of the update. EA has not yet set a release date for this patch. Perhaps the decline in quality means that they're focusing more on Battlefield 2142 which is set for release later this year. Updates on this in the future if necessary.

-TL out

Coming to DS: Mario Hoops?

Mario Hoops 3-on-3

brand new game coming to nintendo DS.

according to gamespot, it's to come out on september 11th, 2006.

looking at the video, the game play seems pretty smooth.

Not much is known about the game, but it's to have variety of characters including some final fantasy characters. So all you final fantasy fans, buckle up and be ready for the ride.

for more info, check out nintendo.co.jp (mario hoops site)

and now, enjoy the video.

humor on digg

In the midst of my dreadful chemistry lab report, I came by digg.com looking for some stress relief.

And there it was, "The top 10 unintentionally worst company URLs".

It's actually pretty hilarious to read the URL and see the actual explanation behind it.

So if you're dying of boredom, make sure to check it out.

BK on the new nintendo DS Lite

DS, itself.
All my life I've been a huge fan of Sony. Starting with the original playstation to PSP. For some reason, xbox or nintendo never appealed to me as much. I love owning it up with the Chief in Halo or owning it up with Capt. Falcon on smash brothers, but it just wasn't the same as what playstations offered. However, all my thoughts changed when the new Nintendo DS Lite decended down from heaven.

It premiered on June 11th in North America. On the same day, I ordered my DS Lite with a copy of New Super Mario Bros. from Gamestop with overnight shipping.

I think the biggest things that people can recognize about the new DS is the brightness. This thing is amazing. With PSP, I had trouble playing in the car even with the brightness cranked up to the max. Now with the Lite, I can easily squash down on koopas.


That's the difference between the minimum brightness(top) to the maximum(bottom). Sorry for the poor camera angles, but it's hard to angle it well in front of my isight camera (check out the reflection of orbitz gum from the tv =] ). Can you notice the difference in the color of my DS interface? (around the screens) Yes, it's darker on the maximum compared to the minimum. Why? Because of my isight camera is automatically focusing according to the amount of light it's receiving. So even my camera is detecting the level of brightness the Lite is giving off.

DS, the games
I love the Lite system, but I knew that games would be a problem for me. I still haven't found a game that I can pick up and play for hours and hours. Definite breaks are required between stages that I get stuck on in New Super Mario Bros and mario kart ds can offer so much racing time, and the repetitive missions of Metroid Prime Hunter gets dull. But, I got to say that the new nintendo's WFC is raddddddd. A well designed multiplayer functionality makes any game 10x better. I can easily log onto nintendo WFC any time of the day through my home's Wi-fi or any hotspot and shoot some red shells at Luigi or own it up with Samus with people across the globe. It's well-designed, quick and easy to access.

New Super Mario Bros
What can you say? It's a brand new 2D mario world and you're out to save Princess Peach again. Some cool things such as the HUGE mushroom that turns mario into a giant like the commercial you saw on tv, a TINY mushroom that turns mario into a small dot, a turtle shell that allows you to hide mario in it and spin for attack and defense.

Mario Kart Ds
Ever played Mario Kart? Yep, It's basically the same great play except some new maps, cars, and maybe couple new characters. Biggest thing? first online play of Mario Kart ever is on the DS. Although it can be very difficult with everyone "snaking" across the race track, you still got to try it out.

Metroid Prime Hunters
First time actually playing Metroid. This game totally reminds me of Halo, but you're a girl named Samus; not the hardcore saving the day Chief. The game gets really repetitive. Every stage has the same concept. Few enemies, small bosses, and a major boss at the end. Most annoying thing? after you beat the major boss, a 3 min timer goes off with an alarm telling you to evacuate. I can't stand that alarm sometimes. Oh, and if you have some hand pains due to arthritis, you miightttt have some trouble playing the game. I don't know if it's just me, but this game made my hand numb as hell for the first few hours. Imagine you're playing counter-strike on the DS. The mouse becomes the stylus, keyboard (for movements) becomes the directional pads, and mouse1 click becomes the L-trigger. Imagine how much your left hand would be cramped holding that small DS Lite. Of course you can configure the settings, but it hardly brings any change.

Above three are great games, but I can't wait to get my hands on some good RPGs like The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass or Final Fantasy III.

Hope you survived reading, skimming, or even jumping down to the bottom of my dreadful review on the DS Lite. I know, I know it's been over a month since its debut, but I always wanted to write a review. Anyway, if you own a DS, shoot me an email and maybe we can exchange friend codes and own it up racing or fragging.

Want more on the DS?
you can check out cnet (of course) or this review (a lot of pictures and details that I am too lazy to go into).

on the side?

What is "on the side"?
.....

The creation of the this blog originated from an idea Byeong (BK) must have been tossing around in his head. He wanted a place where we could maybe jot down some thoughts about current events or talk about some interests. I guess he could have kept a diary, but then no one would be able to see it. So here we are, starting out on a brave new path, gazing into the unknown. Honestly at this point, we're not exactly sure what this is gonna turn out to be, but I'm pretty sure the main purpose is to have some fun... by writing stuff.

Why "on the side"?
.....

OTS is the result of two bored gamers who have been driven to blog due to the dirth of quality game releases this summer. Personally, I've found myself loitering on digg for hours, constantly refreshing to check out the latest story to make it onto the front page. Well, that's not quite the way I planned to spend my summer. So when BK talked about creating our own little blog about stuff we were interested in, I figured it'd be good for kicks and giggles. I guess every "greenhorn" blogger has aspirations of perhaps making it big in the future, you know? Maybe become distinguished among the millions of blogs out there. BUT, we're not really about that. We'll just be here, quietly but !ENTHUSIASTICALLY! writing about stuff that interests US. Hey, maybe someday you'll see something that's entertaining. But not today.. and tomorrow doesn't look good either.

-TL out

About Us

BK - Byeong Kim


TL - Tim Li



About Us
yeah, so about us. Hmm... well, we're just two buddies that grew closer because of our same interests. We both love games, computers, technology, and other geeky stuff that might seem a bit too nerdy for a lot of you out there.

And of course, we were part of the crazy era of starcraft and counter-strike, getting our daily dose of zergling rushing or awping for hours after school. After that, time just went on as we played our games and kept our geeky glasses on.

Now we're both 19 years old attending college. I, Mr.Byeong Kim here, attend University of California San Diego and my buddy Mr.Tim Li here goes to a community college for now, but he's bound to meet me in UCSD within a year or two.

What do we study? well, myself and TL are both taking some chem and bio classes for biology major. I don't know about TL, but I'm pretty damn sick of all the chem and bio already, so I'm going to take advantage of my undeclared major and try other new things such as computer science. Hopefully I find myself in love with programming and be able to make it into the major by my 3rd year.

Alright alright, no more boring stuff,

Well, we love technology so of course we stay updated with digg, slashdot (links on the side), and others. For gaming, we love checking out joystiq, gamespot, and more!

Lastly, we enjoy playing games and these days TL and I have been ripping through the warzone of BF2 and testing out other small online games like o2jam, warrock, and others. Also, I have been playing some mario kart and metroid prime hunters through DS's WFC.

If you have any questions on anything about us, the blog, or even if you want to join us for some games or got some good suggestions, just email us at ontheside.blog@gmail.com.