Before I start, I would like to note one thing: I haven’t gone insane. I just really, really think SpongeBob is a hilarious cartoon character. That said, I miss the classics like Bugs Bunny and the Looney Tunes a lot too, and I think SpongeBob fills that void for me. I could talk about SpongeBob for ages, but I think you’d rather not hear me do that.

This kind of stuff kills me. (I can be a bit silly sometimes.)

With regards to Tooncasts, I wish I had this kind of stuff when I was a kid. Tooncasts are awesome! I remember as a child, I’d have oodles of fun playing with Lego and running some levels on Donut Boy, but Tooncasts bring on a whole different level of creation and customization.

Basically, with Tooncasts you can put animations of your favourite cartoon characters over included backgrounds. There are also voice clips, ambience objects, and a bunch of other details you can choose to include in the final product.

If you weren’t a fan before you probably won’t be after using this program. If you are a fan though, the little details and nuances that this Tooncast involves are awesome. It’s great to see that they weren’t overlooked.

If you’re not a fan, then imagine your favorite TV show: for example, imagine Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, with the ability to make Carlton do the Carlton dance or Will Smith do his “yaw’m sayin” catch phrase anytime you wanted.

This is what it’s like with the SpongeBob SquarePants Tooncast Studio software. It’s absolutely hilarious to use, and a joy to play with the animations and sound files.

There are a huge variety of characters, ranging from a bunch of SpongeBob animations (which look hilarious) to random Bikini Bottom residents.

The Tooncast Studio features the funny nasal narrator from the show, who is key for adding the ambience. There are a ton of audio clips of SpongeBob or Patrick’s unique lines, as well as lines from a wide array of other characters. SpongeBob does sound kind of different from the voice on the show, but that might just be me.

I kind of wished for more – for example, text-to-voice would be hilarious if we could make SpongeBob say whatever we wanted. (Granted, that might be abused, especially with kids.)

It’s surprising how sophisticated the interface was. Granted, the guide does go through a lot of the features, and it was kind of quick for me to figure out as I’d been using Flash for a while too. That said, I’m not too certain that it’s as simple as it could be – for example, frames are an important concept for the SpongeBob Squarepants Tooncast Studio, and it’s a concept that a lot of kids aren’t yet familiar with.

I also wished they’d made it easier to loop characters. Nonetheless, even with a more complex interface (after all, it is Tooncast software), I still think it’s great and it really opens up the possibilities.

If you’re even remotely a fan of SpongeBob you’ve absolutely got to give this a look. It’d be great for your kids to make cartoons with, if they’re fans of the show and don’t mind the interface. Check out the SpongeBob Squarepants Tooncast Studio.

My iPod Video 5.5G, which I got as a gift for Christmas a couple of years ago, has been good to me. It does what it was made to do — play music — very well, and it’s still playing videos and that nice game of Pong. However, there are times when I get bored with the relatively dull iPod UI, when I wish I had more games on it, or when I wish I could use my own equalizer settings to play my music the way I want to play it. The beauty of having a popular device, like the iPod Video 5.5G, is its community of dedicated hackers, working night and day to improve it. There are many alternatives to the original Apple firmware, but amongst the various ones, I believe that Rockbox is the most reputable and trusted, and also the one that appeals to me the most for its simplicity (sorry, iPod Linux).

Capabilities

Rockbox can do a boatload of things with the iPod that the original Apple firmware couldn’t — like using Windows Explorer to import music to your iPod (meaning you don’t have to go through iTunes to upload or download your music), more flexible customizability (you can tweak even the fonts you want to see), and a support for a huge variety of file formats (http://download.rockbox.org/manual/rockbox-h10_5gb/rockbox-buildap1.html). But amongst all these, I found the following to be the deciding factors for me:

1. Themes

There are 14 themes for the iPod Video in the Rockbox Themes Directory. Granted, a good portion of them don’t look too hot, but I think there at least one or two that are pretty eye-catching. It’s just a guess — since there used to be a lot more themes that looked a ton better — but I’m assuming that Rockbox developers removed them due to the lack of Album Art capabilities. Works fine for me. If themes are your major concern, then I’d consider using iPod Wizard to tweak the current iPod theme, and just leave Rockbox alone — but if you’re looking for more than just a theme change, read on.

2. Built-in Gameboy

What? You can play Gameboy on your iPod? Yes. For free. Rockbox can play Gameboy and Gameboy Color files by default (granted, Gameboy Color files might be a bit laggier if I’m not mistaken). All you have to do is a quick Google search for ‘Gameboy Color ROMs’ and a ton of results will pop up. I have two things to warn you about: these sites will be shady, and this is not legal if you didn’t already buy a version of the game. I’ve got a legitimate version of Pokemon Red, so I can play it on my iPod. By the way, always go with Charmander — I know it’s a pain in the ass to play against Brock and Misty, but it’ll pay off.

3. Equalizer

I think the factor that sealed the deal would be the built-in equalizer that Rockbox offers. Unlike the iPod default firmware, which only offers presets (such as ‘Bass Booster’), the Rockbox firmware offers pretty full equalizer that allows you to put more emphasis on different frequencies (I think that’s the word for it). A must-have feature for audiophiles or people that get really into their music (but if you were an audiophile, you’d already be ranting about the shortcomings of the iPod, so I can’t see why you’d have one — haha).

Installation

In the olden days, we had to drag and drop files that we downloaded and unzipped from our desktop to the iPod’s drive directory. Not anymore! With the release of Rockbox Utility, Rockbox is a lot simpler to install (not that it wasn’t simple before), so there’s really no need to write a tutorial (plus I don’t really enjoy writing tutorials that much — sorry folks, there are just too many pictures I have to create, then crop, then upload, and then link to — it’s a heck of a process just for a couple of graphics).

Take the Leap!

If you’re afraid because you haven’t done anything like this before, remember that you can always return to your old firmware via iTunes (the iPod System Restore comes in handy). It can be undone! Just remember — follow instructions to the word, don’t do anything stupid like pull out the iPod USB cord while transferring, and relax. But I’d like to say here that if you do manage to brick your iPod, I hold no responsibility for it.

Good luck.

The methods of receiving our software have been redefined in the last couple of years. From having to go out to the game store, progressing to just sitting patiently and having the games mailed to you, to finally having the game being downloaded for you within the hour. It’s amazing.

Yeah, yeah. Scoff at me for reviewing a content manager. My reasons for taking a look at this:

• It’s a huge integration of Stardock services.
• It’s the only alternative to Steam that I know of.
• It’s the first release of Stardock Impulse, which is the descendant of Stardock Central.

I’ve never used Stardock Central before, but I’ve used Steam as of late. For what it’s worth, the two are very similar in function, but very different in form.

Stardock Impulse combines different services, such as downloading/purchasing games, with community services such as chat and forums. It’s got an internal browser, which navigates around http://impulsedriven.net, which is how the forums and blogs are reached. Also, it’s a great aggregating list of everything that you’ve purchased, as well as a store/catalog for all games and software available through Impulse.

For the most part, Stardock Impulse runs fine. The download speeds are up to par, the installation is automatic, and everything can be ran and activated through Impulse. There are a few too many updates and restarts for my taste, and the loading time can be worked on – but asides from that, everything is smooth. It takes up 37mb of memory – kind of on the bloated side, especially for a content manager. By comparison, Steam uses 31mb of RAM, so I guess an extra 6mb isn’t too unreasonable (right?).

Content managers update – a lot. Impulse updates quite a bit, as does Steam I noticed. This does get a bit annoying at times, but I realize that it’s a whole part of the process – in fact, it should be seen as a positive thing. The purchased software updates very frequently as well, so there are fewer bugs and vulnerabilities. Don’t take it for granted!

The GUI really bugged me – it’s got twisted Vista-y/Web 2.0 glassy look, making it feel ever so bloated. I realize that the intention was to make it more integrated into Vista, while trying to retain its uniqueness, but I’m afraid Stardock didn’t exactly pull it off that well. It’s got no skins that we can change into, unlike Steam, which has four colour schemes (some of which look actually much better than the default olive-goose-poop scheme).

On the other hand, like steam, Impulse combines content with the community – there are a set of forums and even IM capabilities integrated into Impulse’s browser. It’s a very interesting setup. Not to mention you can set up your own blog (like I did on WordPress!).

I’m glad that Impulse doesn’t have those annoying promotional popups that Steam does, even though I’ll admit that they seem to be quite effective (the Steam popups had me considering purchasing some games).

However, I’m surprised that the support wasn’t more integrated into Impulse – sure, there are support forums, but I’d prefer if there was a live chat of some sort in Impulse.

Overall, it’s nothing special – nothing too different from the already-popular Steam. It’s great they’re up to par on each other, but for Impulse to take the cake, they’re going to have to explore directions where Steam hasn’t diversified in yet (such as the whole Support idea).

06/01/2008 UPDATE: Oops! As Brad Wardell has kindly stated, the version of Impulse that I am using is currently in beta. Sorry about that folks, I assumed that as the version number was past 1, it was ready for public release. My mistake! We’ll be taking a closer look at the June 17, 2008 revision.

As an internet junkie and a blogger, you can be pretty sure that I’ve found some ways to spend time on the internet. Sometimes, when I lack inspiration or just a topic to write about, I decide to drop by one of these sites. They are either my current regulars or have been in the past – in fact, I probably visit them a lot more than I should.

Disclaimer – these three types of places can concentrate your focus rather than dilute it, so don’t plan on multi-tasking.

1. Tower Defense

First and foremost, you can definitely not start the list without Tower Defense. It’s an extremely addicting game and can get frustration right out of your system – if you win. It also takes a lot of brain power, so I guess it’s safe to say that it trains your analytical thinking. Right.

2. Other Blogs

To be specific, I drop by two blogs at least once a day:

• Problogger
• Copyblogger
  
• Engadget
• Gizmodo

Surprised? Yep – I focus on blogging more than technology. I figure that news is one thing, but crafting and creating the whole article is a complete other. Besides, I find much more interesting news on Dailytech. Who needs more tech blogs around (har har)?

3. Forums

I’ve got three forums to tell you about:

• APH Networks
• Neowin
• Howard Forums

Each of these forums have contributed individually to my understanding and insight on technology as it is today – and I do constantly and consistently learn more information from them on a regular basis. They’re all great communities, but with very different ideals and cultures.

Still Bored?

Visit CutEdge and check out the WorthWhiles, my archives, or post comments or give me some e-mail love, I always appreciate it. Better yet, tell me what you like to do when you’re bored on the web.

No, I’m not another Playstation/Sony fanboy. No, I don’t own a PS3. No, I don’t have a Blu-Ray player. But I have to admit – doggone it, Sony seems to just have the formula for success. A year ago, the name PS3 would bring stenches of failure and skepticism. Now, the PS3 carries a much more appealing vibe – but how did Sony do it? From what I’ve seen and thought about, I’ve come up with 3 main factors:

Source: http://blog.chip.de/xbox-ps3-watch-blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/05/meri-final-fantasy-xiii.jpg

1. Exclusive AAA Games

• God of War III
  • Planned to be released exclusively for the PS3 in 2009, you can definitely expect God of War III to cook up a few hundred (or thousand, even) units being sold.
• Gran Turismo 5
  • A friend of mine very recently ditched his Wii for a new PS3 (traitor). I asked him why he’d make such a ludicrous decision, and he told me that his favourite game Gran Turismo 5 was coming out for the PS3 soon. I guess that’s a valid choice on his part – after all, he did end up spending $300 on a steering wheel and a set of brakes. Wow.
• Final Fantasy XIII
  • My personal favourite will have to be Final Fantasy XIII – I played Final Fantasy X and that really drew me into the genre. Either way, it’s still a definite force to be reckoned with and I think that it’ll be something to look forward to. Hopefully some of you out there will agree with me.

Source: http://z.about.com/d/playstation/1/7/U/6/Img3669_tif_jpgcopy.jpg

2. Blu-Ray Player

With HD-DVD out of the picture, and Sony consistently marketing the PS3 doubling as a Blu-Ray player, the PS3 will definitely sell a lot more units. Being amongst the most affordable Blu-Ray players on the market (sadly), the PS3 could very possibly be the media-powerhouse of “next-gen” consoles. Heck, even Microsoft plans to integrate a Blu-Ray player into the next generation of their Xbox 360.

Source: http://www.cheaplaptops.org.uk/wp-content/laptopimg/2007/09/ps3.jpg

3. Pricing

The most major factor in this the transformation has to have been the change in pricing. By halving the price and the overkill specifications, as well as the drop in hardware prices, Sony has been able to manipulate the prices so that they become more affordable – somewhat in the range that the Nintendo Wii resides in. I find that this reason alone made it all the more appealing for me to entertain the idea of purchasing a PS3 – and thus, I think that this is the killer reason to get the PS3. The introduction of the 40GB version really popularized the PS3, and it earned a new place on the shelf next to the Nintendo Wii. Heck, I might even get a PS3 thanks to the price drop (I’m a starving artist, despite what you think).

Not only did Sony prove the general public wrong, they also retained their established position as a household, widely-known, mainstream household brand. By turning the PS3 around, they’ve found an alternate method to continue to generate income, and also continued the reputation of the Playstation legacy. Despite being a Wii supporter, I’ve owned a PSone and PS2 before, so it’s very possible that I continue my own Playstation journey with a PS3.