Just wanted to say that Extended Play is now a M$ whore. Actually, a lot of video game related things have become M$ whores. As reported in several places M$'s Xbox gaming console is doing rather poorly... It has lost them $177 Million in 3 months and is in a distant third in console sales. However, listen to Extended Play, or go into your local national chain gaming store (such as Electronic Boutique) and you'll get a completely different impression. It seems as if everyone is getting the same mandate from some corporate machine above them funnelling cash. I mean, I know I am a M$ hater, and that I cannot justify allowing them to take-over another market, but let's look at it from purely a gaming standpoint. #1: The Xbox is a 32-bit Intel Celeron-based system running some variant of Windows CE. Compare this to the competing systems (both 128-bit RISC systems) and you see the system is drastically underpowered. It's only strength is that nVidia powering its graphics, and even that can't push as many on-screen poly's at the same frame-rate as the engine in the PS2. #2: The video game market thrives on competition and we (as gamers) need to ensure we never have another market monopolized by another company again (if you dont know what I'm talking about, go and read my essay's on the so-called "Fourth Generation" video game consoles specifically the one on the Intimidation Tactics of Nintendo in my Video Game History Essay [which was ultimately never finished, I know] And if you think Nintendo was bad in the fourth generation [8-bit era] just imagine how horrible M$ could be if they managed to get a dominant share of the gaming market today).

Anyway, it pisses me off....

I'll be out of town this upcoming week (nov 25th thru dec 1st). I will be visiting in-laws :-P . If you need to get ahold of me, my normal geekcomix.com address will not reach me. Use my work address instead, as I will have the ability to check it up there (see my EmailPolicy page for more info).

I will be taking my laptop with me and hope to hole myself up in my in-law's basement for the week (avoiding all human contact) so I can get caught up on Tux4Kids things I've neglected.