Skate 2

Hello fellow gamers! Daniel here with some quick info.

So, as most of you know, EA's Skate 2 came out on the 23rd of January. I have never played the original Skate, but i heard a lot about how good skate 2 was going to be. I downloaded the demo on my PS3 when it came out, and let me tell you, the game is so much fun. I suggest you pick this game up if you were a fan of the original.

I'm not here to promote the game though. I'm typing up this article because I have heard, along with many others, that the game was being made directly to the PS3, then EA was converting the disc to Xbox. When this happens to a console, the picture is usually better on the console it was made on, and the FPS (Frames Per Second) rate is a lot higher than the other system/s. Like I said, I played the demo on my PS3, but I have played the demo on the 360 at a friend's. If you own both systems, then I suggest you get the Game on the Xbox 360. Yes, I didn't lie, the game was made directly to PS3, but the Xbox version has a higher frame rate and the picture is a little sharper. It's not much of a difference, but frame rate is a big issue with me. So, if any of you have both consoles and can't decide which one to buy Skate 2 for, I would go with the Xbox 360.

http://skate.ea.com/

Thanks,

Daniel Roos

Palm Pre

I know most of the Apple fanbase has an iPhone, but I think that this phone is most deserving of a blog entry. The Palm Pre was announced for the first time at CES 2009. Palm said that the idea behind the Pre is a consumer and business level phone to handle every aspect of your life. The focal point of this phone is the ability to multitask. Having multiple apps open at one time and the ability to swipe through each one using the gorgeous 3.1-inch touch screen with a vibrant 24-bit color 320x480 resolution HVGA display.

The web browser is also something to praise. The device renders the page as you would see it on your computer screen and is based on Javascript, HTML, and CSS. The multimedia features on this phone are also typical on most of the phones on the market. You get a 3 MP camera, video recording is not a feature as of now, but could be added by time it is released. You also get 8 GB of built in storage. There is a 3.5 standard head-phone jack, Wi-Fi, EVDO Rev. A, and a GPS. 

This could possibly be the best alternative for an iPhone if you are a Sprint customer.

Full Specs: 

• High-speed connectivity (EVDO Rev. A or UMTS HSDPA)
• Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g
• Integrated GPS
• Large 3.1-inch touch screen with a vibrant 24-bit color 320x480 resolution HVGA display
• Gesture area, which enables simple, intuitive gestures for navigation
• Slide-out QWERTY keyboard
• Email, including Outlook EAS (for access to corporate Microsoft Exchange servers), as well as personal email support (POP3, IMAP)
• Robust messaging support (IM, SMS and MMS capabilities)
• High-performance, desktop-class web browser
• Great multimedia experience and performance (pictures, video playback, music), featuring a 3-megapixel camera with LED flash and extended depth of field, and a standard 3.5mm headset jack
• Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR with A2DP stereo Bluetooth support
• 8GB of internal user storage (~7.4GB user available)
• USB mass storage mode
• MicroUSB connector with USB 2.0 Hi-Speed
• Proximity sensor, which automatically disables the touch screen and turns off the display whenever you put the phone up to your ear
• Light sensor, which dims the display if the ambient light is dark, such as at night or in a movie theater, to reduce power usage
• Accelerometer, which automatically orients web pages and photos to your perspective
• Ringer switch, which easily silences the device with one touch
• Removable, rechargeable battery
• Dimensions: 59.57mm (W) x 100.53mm (L, closed) x 16.95mm (D) [2.35 inches (W) x 3.96 inches (L, closed) x 0.67 inches (D)]
• Weight: ~135 grams [4.76 ounces]

FOR THE FULL REVIEW, PLEASE VISIT  http://reviews.cnet.com/smartphones/palm-pre/4505-6452_7-33490473.html?tag=mncol;lst

Hello

Hello,

On January 17th, I was accepted into David (thecreativeone.tv’s) social blog. Up until this point there were several things stopping me from writing my first post, but as of now that’s going to change. For my first post, I had this whole article written on Steve Jobs and how he has literally become somewhat of a techie celeb, but instead I want to give you a little background on myself.

As of October 2008, I’m 16. I am currently enrolled in a mix of Honors and AP classes, and in the band at my local high school. I’m also part of the crew for the upcoming musical at my school. For years now, I’ve had an insatiable love for technology. Daily I check blogs ranging from Engadget and Macrumors.com to Ars technica and Appleinsider.com. I have made a habit to stay fresh on all the latest tech news, both Apple and PC related. From things as minimal as cell phones and MP3 players, to things like software and advancements in military. More recently however, my focused interests have changed.

I’ve found myself more interested in film and photography, with a slight interest in web design. While I do plan to purchase photography equipment (Panasonic Lumix LX3 and accessories) in the near future, I first plan to develop my Youtube fan base and successfully run my own website. In the mean time, I am going to continue to write here, and I would like to here from everyone on ways to make my future content better; in turn developing my own personal style.

As I finish this first article, I want to make sure that I thank David for allowing me the opportunity to write on this blog. Also for all the work he has put into Youtube and his site. My involvement in the online community wouldn’t be the same if it had not been for David.

-- D. Jeremy

P.S. If you want to follow me, I do have a twitter (which I use mostly for following people, not so much posting), which is “techietriumph”. If you want to watch my videos, you can find them here http://www.youtube.com/user/TechieTriumph16.

NHL Skills Competition

57th NHL All-Star Game: Skills Competition

By Robert Holt

Another year has passed and another successful NHL skills competition has ended. For those of you unfamiliar to the event, it takes some of the most talented players in the league and pits them against each other in various competitions to display their world class skills.

Fastest skater, accuracy, hardest shot, fan favorite breakaway challenge and finally the brand new elimination shootout round out the list of events. Below is a short description of each event and the winners:

Fastest Skater: Each player must skate around the entire length of the ice, behind both nets and the player who crosses the red-line the fastest, wins.

Winner: Andrew Cogliano, Edmonton Oilers

Accuracy: Each player has eight shots to hit the four targets set up in each corner of the net. Player who hits the most targets out of the least amount of shots(example: 4/4) wins. In case of a tie the two (or more) players will go head to head to see who can hit the most targets on four shots:

Winner: Evgeni Malkin, Pittsburgh Penguins (4/4) Tie breaker: (3/4)

Side note: Only four players in NHL history have hit all four targets on four consecutive shots. The list includes Mark Messier, Tomas Kaberle, Ray Bourque(who completed the task twice) and Jeremy Roneick. This year two players added to the list are the winner Malkin and runner-up Danny Heatley.

Hardest Shot: Each player will have two shots on goal, the player with the hardest shot to hit the net wins:

Winner: Zedeno Chara, Boston Bruins

Side note: This year Zedeno Chara broke the NHL record with a blistering 105.4 mph shot. He broke the previous record held by Al Iafrate in 1993 when he clocked in at 105.2 mph.

Fan Favorite Breakaway Challenge:  Each player has two minutes to take as many shots as possible on the goalie, however the catch is the players are not voted on by how many goals they score, but how creative they are.  

Winner: Alexander Ovechkin, Washington Capitals

Side Note:  Ovechkin won the competition with over 40% of the fan vote.  On his winning shot he donned a hat with a Canadian Flag in it and a pair of sunglasses put on him by fellow Russian and rival Evegni Malkin.  He then proceeded to use two sticks and skate down the ice until he tossed away the right handed stick and scored using the left. (Ovechkin is a right-handed shot.)

Elimination Shootout:  Forty-two players start and shoot on four goalies, each player who does not score is eliminated and those who do score, move on.  

Winner: Shane Doan, Phoenix Coyotes 

That rounds out the list of winners.  The night had lots of laughs, display of immense talent and fun all-around.  Tune in tomorrow at 6pm(eastern time) on Versus for the 57th NHL All-Star Game.  Also be sure to check back here for my thoughts on the event.

Check out my blog at bobbyholt.wordpress.com

And Then There Were Two...

          In a little over a week from now, an American tradition will take place for the 43rd time in history; the Super Bowl. In it are the Arizona Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Steelers. These two teams have shown they got what it takes to hoist the Lombardi trophy.  Going deeper into each team though, you can see being in different conferences is the the only difference between them.

            First you have the Steelers. A rich tradition of a tenacious defense, Hall-of-Famer players, and arguably one of the loudest stadiums in the NFL. Lead by Ben Roethlisberger, the Steelers by any means didn't have a schedule that helped them out.  In fact, according to the stats from the previous NFL season, they had the toughest schedule in the league this season, including several teams that were in the playoffs such as the Cowboys, Titans, Jaguars, and the defending Super Champions in the Giants. 

          In the end, the Steelers locked up the number two seed in the AFC with a 12-4 record.  After their first round bye, on a week where three of the top four seeds in the NFL playoffs lost, the Steelers were the exception and beat the Chargers to grab home field advantage for the AFC Championship against their division rival, the Ravens who knocked out the Titans, a team that the Steelers lost to, costing them the number 1 seed in the AFC. 

               The AFC Championship game between the Ravens and Steelers was just like what all the experts said it'd be; smash mouth football.  In the end the Steelers were able to beat the Ravens for the third time in the season 23-14 and grabbed their ticket to the Super Bowl.

               While many people could see the Steelers being in the big game, no one that wasn't a sensible fan ever imagined the team playing against the Steelers being there: the Arizona Cardinals. 

                 When they were the first team in the league to clinch their division and lock up a playoff spot, many were quick to point out how terrible their division was that year. The other three teams in their division went a combined 13-35 (compared to the Steeler's division, the AFC North at 19-28).  After clinching the division, the Cardinals began a terrible streak of games where they were blown out including a 47-7 loss to the Patriots (who didn't go to the playoffs).  Because of this many felt this had to result in the league possibly restructuring the playoff system. 

                  Either way, after the playoffs games were set, many felt the Cardinals would be out by the first round.  Their first opponent the Falcons, were a hot team lead by a young rookie quarterback, and the second leading rusher in the league during the regular season.  The Cardinals came out strong and in the end, showed the world that they deserved to be in the playoffs defeating the Falcons 30-24. Fitzgerald "introduced himself" to those that might have never heard of him with over 100 yards receiving including a TD pass thrown into double coverage.  The next week they were again picked to lose because now they were going to be going against the number two seed in the playoffs in the Carolina Panthers team who never lost a game at home during the regular season.  The Panthers had also beaten the Cardinals earlier during the regular season.  Easily the biggest shocker of the playoffs, the Cardinals not only beat the Panthers, but crush them 33-13.  Beating the Panthers meant that the Cardinals would get to host the Eagles in the NFC Championship Game.  Again picked by many to lose, the Cardinals beat the Eagles in a nailbiter 32-25 to advance to the Super Bowl.

                  No matter what team you are a fan of, this Super Bowl should get you excited as much as I am.  You have the best defense in the league going up against a high powered offense.  Two young coaches who have what it takes to be back in this game again in the not too distant future.  In the end, only one team will be able to call themselves Super Bowl Champions.

                  Thanks for reading and I look forward to your comments of the article.  I will also try to crank out a couple more articles leading up to the big game next Sunday.