adagio breezes

Full is not heavy as empty, not nearly my love...

2005-10-25

Xbox 360 Hands on


Xbox 360
Originally uploaded by shadyrudy.
Chicken Soup for the Gamer
So Priscilla has been sick and needed some chicken soup. Me being Mr. Teh Aw3som3 Husband, I went ahead and dropped by Walmart to get her a few things. That, and my friends from Joystiq.com reported that Walmart has playable Xbox 360 demos in their stores. So I went ahead and visited the Walmart in Round Rock, next to work. And much to my surprise, there it was.
My turn!!
After waiting in line for some kids to finish playing, I went ahead and reset the unit and started from the start up screen. The new dashboard seems pretty cool, but a lot of the options were disabled. I figured they would be, since there is no Media PC near by.
I spent the whole time playing the WWII game, which was OK. Im not sure if the monitor was really at 720p. The graphics looked current gen, though. I was never thinking "Wow, this is so real and in HD" like when I watch sports on HD. But its 1st gen. I'm sure things will get better as time goes on and the 2nd gen games come out.
The controller
Feels good and is as good as they say it is. Though I have always had trouble with the left shoulder buttons, the overall feel is "just right." I can't say how heavy/light it is, since it was attatched to the Kisok.
You Gonna Get it?
I think so, though no launch title seems to be a must have for me. I'm sure the price won't go down until the PS3 is launched. We'll see what I decide to do as the time nears, especially since I'm looking to buy a Dell Media Center PC and an HD tv, possibly the 50" Dell plasma in the near future.

2005-10-21

This is How a Heart Breaks

C'est la vie. My dad is in his early 50s and looks like he could knock out a 10K with no problem. The problem is, there was a 99% blockage in his heart. We didn't find this out until he went to the hospital, complaining about chest pains. After a round of tests, the docs concluded that he went just in time and there was no to minimal damage to the heart. From the Cardiology Channel:

Overview

Percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA), or angioplasty, is an invasive procedure performed to reduce or eliminate blockages in coronary arteries. The goal of PTCA is to restore blood flow to blood-deprived heart tissue, reduce the need for medication, and eliminate or reduce the number of episodes of angina (chest pain).

Opening a blockage, or a plaque, in a coronary artery typically involves the use of an angioplasty balloon. When the blockage is calcified or so dense that a balloon cannot be placed, other devices are used. Plaque can be cut out, ablated with a laser, or bored out using a surgical drill bit. Often, a stent is implanted after angioplasty to keep the artery open and prevent restenosis (regrowth of plaque).

The arteries are accessed through a needle puncture made in the groin (femoral artery) or arm (brachial artery). Usually the femoral artery is used.

More than one blockage can be treated during a single session, depending on the location of the blockages and the patient’s condition. The procedure can take 30 minutes to several hours, depending on the number of blockages being treated.

Indications
Angioplasty is recommended for patients with one or more of the following symptoms:

  • Blockage (stenosis) of one or more coronary arteries
  • Angina not well controlled with medication
  • Angina that disrupts daily activities, occurs at rest (i.e., without exercise or exertion), or recurs after heart attack
He is doing well now, and resting at home.
What does this mean for ShadyRudy? Everyone knows I am a devout Atkins follower and have shed lots of weight, along with my running and workout plans. People that haven't seen me in the past few years, will be amazed. If I haven't seen you since college, you'll be amazed. If I haven't seen you since High School, you will be knocked off your feet. All this, thanks to Atkins and me paying my dues on Townlake. I mean, everyone in Austin is training for a 5K. Its the thing to do.
Well, I'm planning on seeing a doc to see what I can do to prevent this type of problem before it escalates to that level.

2005-10-11

WWE in Austin and San Antonio

Ask anyone that knows me and they will all tell you the same thing. I love the WWE! I've been watching wrestling my entire life. Some of my earliest memories are of me in our house in Mexico watching wrestling. And it's been pretty much non-stop since then.
So when we saw that WWE was having a house show in Austin, I was excited, but I really didn't want to go since we had just moved and I was dealing with several $30 Transfer / Connect fees that all the utilites love to charge. But with the hurricanes in Louisiana, the house show originally scheduled for October 2nd became a Smackdown taping on October 4th. That changed things in an instant. Sadly, there were no ringside seats for the show. Priscilla and I had to settle for the normal seats. It was a good show, but I was too far to get any good shots with the treo. We also didnt bother taking the normal camera either. However, Booker T saw me doing the '5 Time' pose and pointed at me on his way down the ramp.
The very next week, there was a Smackdown taping in San Antonio. Priscilla went ahead and hopped on ticketmaster the night before to see if there were ant good seats left. As luck would have it, there were 2 ringside seats available. We almost lost them when the cable modem went down for a bit. But after that scare, we snatched them up and were on our way. That show was much better since we were sitting on row 3. I was even on TV acting like a fool half the time, doing Hulk Hogan poses, the DX sign, and the "Calvin Smile" from Calvin and Hobbes. I got some great pictures on the treo. I'll put them on my Flickr site in a few days. Booker T remembered me and pointed at me again. Eddie Guerrero also looked right at me and posed as he was getting in the ring.
Overall, the shows were great. I can't wait to take the film from our regular camera to get developed.

2005-10-10

My Current Computer Set Up


My Current Set Up
Originally uploaded by shadyrudy.
Here is where I waste away a few minutes a day checking my mail and getting into trouble. The iMac and the dell laptops are wireless. The desktop (Not pictured) gets it's internet access from the iMac using Internet Sharing. Not pictured is the XBox which is also wireless and my Vonage router where I get my phone service from. The desktop is rather old and at 333mhz, is ready for retirement. But the laptop and the iMac are more than enough for now.
Coming soon, an XBox 360 and possibly a Dell Media Center PC. Time will tell.

2005-10-09

Longest Game Ever

I'm in the middle of enjoying the longest postseason game in major league baseball. The Astros just need one HR. Something to get it going. Lets see if they can get it done.
Oh, I finally bought a desk for the computers. I'll post a pic of the results a little later. It wasn't the exact desk I envisioned, but it will do nicely. What I need now is a bookshelf for all of the books we have. I'm leaning towards something black or "Galaxy" as bush furniture calls it.
Wait, Astros HR! Astros win it at exactly 6PM. I'm gonna grab a bite to eat and go watch a movie. I'll talk to y'all laters!

2005-10-04

Fiona Apple in my hands


Fiona Apple in my hands
Originally uploaded by shattered.
Today is the day. I've been waiting for a new Fiona Apple album for many, many years. Here is a brief history of me and Fiona. I first heard her music in 1996. I really didn't know who she was, but one of my roomies from freshman year had her picture up in our room. After watching the criminal video, I was hooked for sure. I ran out and bought her album, Tidal ASAP. In those days, I lived with Mark and Eric in the Quad. Since then (early 1997 until May 2002) I would listen to Tidal each and every night. I would sleep to the album, and I had a hard time sleeping without it. Then in 1999, I bought "When the Pawn..." I lived with Porter in "The House" Yea, y'all remember that house. It wasn't all that clear what I was going to do at that time with my life. All I knew is that I had Fiona, and I was happy.
And then, nothing. Nothing for years. No Rumors, no singles, nothing at all. Some Fiona sites I used to goto, just faded away. Her own website was never updated after "When the Pawn.." went platinum. Then, after a few years of silence and rumors of a suppressed album, the internet came through and gave us what we had all been waiting for! New material. Sites would pop up for the Fiona faithful to get their fix. And did we ever. Trust me folks, this is some good stuff here!
But with all that behind us, and the unofficial internet versions of these songs on my computers, I now have the real thing.
Thanks Fiona, and keep them coming!
PS To Sony: I'm Guessing that the little "This audio side of this disc does not conform to CD specifications..." is probably because of the copy protection. Dudes, everyone has this album already. I'm crossing my fingers that this CD plays in the car. If not, there are many, easy ways to get the audio from this disc (Notice how they don't call it a CD) onto standard media. But thanks for treating me like a criminal!