E-Mail:

Fun

Wits and Wagers Trivia Game for the Xbox 360

Tuesday, May 13th, 2008
at 10:44pm

Add to iTunes | Add to YouTube | Add to Google | RSS Feed

My neighbor just happens to be Jeff, who is the CEO of Hidden Path Entertainment game company in Seattle. They just recently launched a new game into the Xbox Live community called Wits and Wagers. This is a trivia-based game, based on a board game that was created around 2001.

Wits & Wagers is the fun trivia party game where you don’t need the right answers to win! For each question, bet on the answer you think is closest to the truth, whether or not that answer is your own.

With up to 25 hours of unique questions, local and online play, plus the ability to link one group of local users to another group via “couch-to-couch” multi player, Wits & Wagers is a party waiting to happen.

Get 700 questions, great character costumes and dance moves, catchy music, achievements, leader boards, support for the Xbox LIVE Vision camera, the Xbox Big Button Pad, and more.

Features of Wits and Wagers include:

  • Engaging social play: Wits & Wagers is easy to play and yet strategically deep for advanced players. Some win with their knowledge of trivia, others with what they know about their friends.
  • Fun questions: The first question pack of 700 questions is included, providing hours of game play. Games consist of seven questions for a quick and casual round of fun.
  • Connecting couches: The game supports one to four players at one console, or two to six players online. Invite your friends over to your house, or invite your friends online.
  • Peripheral support: Wits & Wagers supports both the Xbox LIVE Vision Camera and the Big Button Pad controller.

Want to embed this video on your own site, blog, or forum? Use this code or download the video:

HP Dragon Notebook Giveaway

Thursday, May 1st, 2008
at 11:56pm

Add to iTunes | Add to YouTube | Add to Google | RSS Feed

I have been selected as one of the people to give away an HP Dragon notebook this month on May 29th!! My requirements to win will be simple: You must be present in my chat room at the time of the giveaway. You must be subscribed to my YouTube channel. And… you must comment on my blog. The winner will be chosen from a random blog post, so the more you comment… the better your chances of winning! Remember, only GOOD comments count. Any insipid or useless comments will be deleted by my assistant Kat, and will not count towards winning. A good comment is one that contributes and even adds more to any discussion within a post. Show me with your comment that you took the time to really read my post, and want to discuss it. Don’t just say “HI THERE EVERYONE!”, or “I want to win!”.

So, anyway.. let’s talk about this amazing machine sitting on my desk! The Dragon comes with an Intel Core2 Extreme Processor X9000, and 4GB of Ram. This baby is more of a portable PC than it is a notebook. It has a 20.1″ High Def monitor, and a 512MB NVIDIA GeForce 8800M GTS video card. Wow, eh? Wouldn’t you like to be the proud owner of this notebook?

HP is giving away 31 of these, can you believe it? The 31 machines are distributed amongst 31 technology blogs - some you probably read already and some you might not have heard of. Each blog will draw a winner on each day starting from May 9 to June 8. How each blog will pick a winner is unique but they will only accept entries starting from 7 days before the draw. Going to each blog to submit an entry is allowed and encouraged.

So to recap, get those comments rolling in, and you can be the winner of my Dragon giveaway!

Want to embed this video on your own site, blog, or forum? Use this code or download the video:

How I Rick Rolled my Brother for the First Time

Wednesday, April 23rd, 2008
at 12:12pm

Add to iTunes | Add to YouTube | Add to Google | RSS Feed

I’ve been in Iowa for a few days, visiting with my family. Can you believe my brother Adam had never been Rick Rolled? I tried not to bust out laughing, really I did!

Who knew he’d like it? He began singing and dancing around! Gotta love family.

Welcome to the Internet, Adam!

Want to embed this video on your own site, blog, or forum? Use this code or download the video:

Accessing IRC Chat via a Web Browser: Mibbit

Monday, April 21st, 2008
at 7:31pm

Add to iTunes | Add to YouTube | Add to Google | RSS Feed

Just to prove that all sorts of people come into our chat room, I’m going to leave the chat unmoderated… which can be quite dangerous at times. You’d be surprised. Even at 11:30 at night, we have several hundred people awake and talking live with us. What if you can’t get into our chat? You could always try Mibbit.

Mibbit is very green, which makes sense since their logo is a little tree frog. You can go to this site and search for keywords across many different IRC servers. You can turn up chat rooms you never knew existed. Be careful when jumping into a new chat community. Always take time to get to know the regulars, and how they interact with each other.

Connecting to us is easy with Mibbit. In the “Server” drop down box, choose “Irc.WyldRyde.Org”. In the channel box, enter #Chris. Make sure you add the # sign when you try to join any channel. In the nickname box, choose a name you want to use in the channel. If you have registered your nickname on WyldRyde, you can enter your password in the box.

Now you can chat on IRC with us from anywhere in the world, on any machine out there… as long as you have a browser and an internet connection. You no longer have to worry about installing IRC software, nor do you need to worry about whether the machine will allow a connection to us!

Here are some key features of using Mibbit:

  • Connect to multiple servers, multiple channels and PMs.
  • Works on major browsers, iPhone, wii, etc
  • Full UTF-8 support
  • Recent chat - When you join a channel, you get some recent chat! Magic!
  • Typing notify - Now you know when someone is done explaining something
  • On the fly language translation - Now you’re multi-lingual!
  • Integrated pastebin - No more having to find a pastebin
  • Parsing of smilies, links, channels, nicks, mIRC color
  • Supports SSL IRC connections
  • Setup auto connects to join your favourite channels
  • Tab complete on nicknames

Want to embed this video on your own site, blog, or forum? Use this code or download the video:

What Does it Take to Win a Web Cam?

Monday, April 7th, 2008
at 8:55pm

Video thumbnail. Click to play
Click to Play

As we do every week, we gave away a web cam on Friday night. Thanks to Ustream.tv for providing the web cams!

The requirements to be eligible for our weekly giveaways are simple. Here is what you need to do:

  • You must be present in the chat room at the time of the giveaway. We don’t announce it much ahead of time, so you pretty much need to be a regular visitor!
  • You need to be subscribed to my YouTube channel.
  • You had to have left a recent comment on any post in my blog.

That’s it! That’s the sum total of the requirements to be eligible. When a giveaway starts, all chatters in the channel lose chat ability. This is to help us be able to see only the winner talking, so we don’t miss out on their pertinent links. Then, our new automatic bot picker will choose a random name. That person has to give us their YouTube link, as well as the name they used to comment on the blog. We then verify the information… and have a winner!

Congratulations to this week’s winner… Seshan!

Want to embed this video on your own site, blog, or forum? Use this code or download the video:

What Kind of Web Cam do you Have?

Monday, March 31st, 2008
at 11:57pm

Add to iTunes | Add to YouTube | Add to Google | RSS Feed

Every week, we give away a web cam, courtesy of ustream. With the advent of our nice new script, things usually go pretty smoothly when we randomly choose our winner.

The requirements to be eligible for our weekly giveaways are simple. Here is what you need to do:

  • You must be present in the chat room at the time of the giveaway. We don’t announce it much ahead of time, so you pretty much need to be a regular visitor!
  • You need to be subscribed to my YouTube channel.
  • You had to have left a recent comment on any post in my blog.

That’s it! That’s the sum total of the requirements to be eligible. When a giveaway starts, all chatters in the channel lose chat ability. This is to help us be able to see only the winner talking, so we don’t miss out on their pertinent links. Then, our new automatic bot picker will choose a random name. That person has to give us their YouTube link, as well as the name they used to comment on the blog. We then verify the information… and have a winner!

Congratulations to this week’s winner Alpha!

Want to embed this video on your own site, blog, or forum? Use this code or download the video:

What’s It Like to Break a Bone?

Wednesday, March 19th, 2008
at 7:21am

I’m very grateful that I’ve never broken a bone in my body - there’s no way I could take the pain. I’ve twisted an ankle before, but that’s about as bad as I’ve had it. How did I make it this far in life without having suffered through a fracture? Guess it pays to be careful. Didn’t hurt that my parents kept me in a bubble until I was 23 years old, either.

I’ve signed casts, and I’ve even considered putting on a fake cast just so I could get people to draw things on it. Of course, the novelty would likely wear off quickly - and I’d be back to living with a normal skeletal structure. You haven’t seen my back, have you? It’s kinda not straight, but that’s why I go to the chiropractor on a regular basis.

My ribs usually get out of place every week - for whatever reason. I have to get adjusted quite regularly. Here’s the latest X-ray from my last subluxation. As you can see, I’ve got massive problems goin’ on in there. Makes for a wonderful wallpaper, though - don’t it?

Marrow Harp

Starting a Catchphrase

Wednesday, March 19th, 2008
at 7:15am

Add to iTunes | Add to YouTube | Add to Google | RSS Feed

‘E Ya Later’ is how I end nearly every video I do. I started using it years ago, because I wanted a catchphrase of my own. I’m not even sure where and how I came up with it… but it stuck. Have you ever wanted to start your own word or phrase? These tips sent in by a reader should help.

  • Invent a random word or saying that no one understands. A string of gibberish words will attract more attention than you can imagine. My own school started saying “Baaaaaaaaadd Weeeeeek” to symbolize that you don’t agree with a teacher. No one knows who started it, and yet it sticks.
  • Use your word or phrase often. This is how you can succeed in having others hear and remember what you’ve made up.
  • Before using it, figure out how to use your word. Do you want it to be a noun, a verb or another little gem of grammar that our English teachers make us learn? If you fail this step, you won’t be able to control how your word or saying is used.
  • Remember that you are the reason this word or phrase was started. Don’t let others forget where it came from, but don’t be obnoxious about it, or you’ll end up getting a swirly. We all know how often that happens to us Geeks anyway.
  • Remember…. it’s just a saying. It doesn’t mean anything, unless you give it a specific meaning. You can have fun with it, and declare that your new word or saying just stands for “omg this is dumb” or even “Whoa this is totally cool”.

Want to embed this video on your own site, blog, or forum? Use this code or download the video:

Grapexplosion

Wednesday, March 19th, 2008
at 5:39am

Between your seeds I see a need
for something more than simple greed,
and so we’ll sow our wicked weed
to let the honor corps succeed.

For dancing onions, paying heed
to all of those who would proceed
to dream of sunlight’s wilting deed
and raisin cookies turning feed.

Unless the stanza’s tough to read
we’ll muddle through on trusted steed.
Armed with patience, time, and creed…
Alas, oh dear, myself I’ve peed.

And now my reader’s finally freed.

Grapexplosion

How to Put Yourself and Friends in a Comic Strip

Thursday, March 13th, 2008
at 12:45am

Add to iTunes | Add to YouTube | Add to Google | RSS Feed

I have always loved comic strips. However, there’s a problem. I cannot draw! Thankfully, I found BitStrips online. I can now easily create my own comics… for free! Bwana joined me on this video, and let me create “him” in cartoon form! Feel free to add me as a friend and use me in your own comic strip.

  • Imagination. The creator of a Bitstrips comic must have an imagination, to be able to create weird and wonderful comics. This imagination will help them to design new and different comics that are different than all the others. Without this key feature, the comics you create will probably be dull and boring, getting you no laughs or good comments.
  • Characters. Once you have taken the plunge and created a Bitstrips account, you will want to waste no time in making yourself some characters. I think it’s a good idea to create a lot of different characters, so that you can include new ideas quickly and easily. I also think that each character should have a main focal difference to the other characters you have created. This could range from a hat to a beard or maybe the hair style. Just remember to keep your characters cool, different and original.
  • Good story. This might seem an obvious point. Some people take too much time making new characters and giving them good poses and props. They then forget to make their comic funny and witty. A good idea would be to test it out on your friends and family before publishing your comic strip. This way you can gauge their reaction, and get feedback on possible improvements, prior to uploading it to the Internet.
  • Respect. I think this is one of the most important points. You must respect other people in your comics. There is no point in putting racially offensive content in your comic. No one will find it funny, and you will probably have your account banned. It’s best to keep your comics nice and clean.
  • Last but not least… enjoy yourself. That’s the whole point of making comics. You must enjoy yourself. If you follow these tips and have the same passion for comics that Chris and I both have, you will no doubt have a lot of fun on this site.

Want to embed this video on your own site, blog, or forum? Use this code or download the video:

Twitter Remembers Everything

Wednesday, March 12th, 2008
at 1:45am

Have you ever said something so stupid when you were with a friend - the friend you were with threatened to share what you said with the rest of the world when they got home? “I’m *SO* gonna Twitter this.” Only, largely, the twittering never seems to happen.

Back in the days of ISCA, we had a forum called “Quotes>” and that’s what we used against friends and lunchmates (if they said something stupid - or stupidly funny). It was a bit more depressing when someone didn’t quote something stupid you said, actually.

These digital posterity outlets are perfect for “you had to be there” moments, rendering relatively obscure comments even MORE obscure when viewed completely out of context. You’ll be able to dig up the things you said a year ago and wonder… what the hell you, or your friends, were thinking.

Maybe some memories are best left for the mind?

You Know You're Addicted to Twitter When...

$50.00 ThinkGeek Gift Certificate

Tuesday, March 11th, 2008
at 5:21am

Add to iTunes | Add to YouTube | Add to Google | RSS Feed

Our friends over at ThinkGeek gave me a $50.00 gift certificate to use in a giveaway! I’ve done many videos in the past, demonstrating different products they offer. They have a lot of fun gadgets and gizmos, and I can never get enough! The requirements for this giveaway was the same as for all the others:

The requirements to be eligible for our weekly giveaways are simple. Here is what you need to do:

  • You must be present in the chat room at the time of the giveaway. We don’t announce it much ahead of time, so you pretty much need to be a regular visitor!
  • You need to be subscribed to my YouTube channel.
  • You had to have left a recent comment on any post in my blog.

That’s it! That’s the sum total of the requirements to be eligible. When a giveaway starts, all chatters in the channel lose chat ability. This is to help us be able to see only the winner talking, so we don’t miss out on their pertinent links. Then, our new automatic bot picker will choose a random name. That person has to give us their YouTube link, as well as the name they used to comment on the blog. We then verify the information… and have a winner!

Congratulations to the winner of the $50.00 ThinkGeek Gift Certificate Dr_HOBO (aka emc2serv) .

Want to embed this video on your own site, blog, or forum? Use this code or download the video:

Remember: the PC Giveaway is Coming Soon

Tuesday, March 11th, 2008
at 5:03am

Add to iTunes | Add to YouTube | Add to Google | RSS Feed

As we do every week, we gave away another web cam on Friday night. Don’t forget… if we hit 20,000 Podcast subscribers by March 15th, we’ll be giving away another computer!

The requirements to be eligible for our weekly giveaways are simple. Here is what you need to do:

  • You must be present in the chat room at the time of the giveaway. We don’t announce it much ahead of time, so you pretty much need to be a regular visitor!
  • You need to be subscribed to my YouTube channel.
  • You had to have left a recent comment on any post in my blog.

That’s it! That’s the sum total of the requirements to be eligible. When a giveaway starts, all chatters in the channel lose chat ability. This is to help us be able to see only the winner talking, so we don’t miss out on their pertinent links. Then, our new automatic bot picker will choose a random name. That person has to give us their YouTube link, as well as the name they used to comment on the blog. We then verify the information… and have a winner!

Congratulations to this week’s winner, Mitchell.

Want to embed this video on your own site, blog, or forum? Use this code or download the video:

Relationship Humor

Tuesday, March 11th, 2008
at 1:43am

Ponzi and I have been married for a little over a year now, and it’s been pretty amazing - no joke. I can’t imagine my life without her, if only because she has given me a true reason to live. I’m not just trying to score public brownie points here (or make the rest of you look bad). There’s no secret to how we make things work, since we both work with one another from the comfort of our own home: HAVING A SENSE OF HUMOR.

There are days when our respective funny bones aren’t in sync, but those days are few and far between when we’re really in the thick of things - it’s when we get bored that things tend to get stressful. Because of that, I’ve been given giggle-clearance to post the following comics… which means, when Ponzi saw the images, she giggled (which I believe is akin to giving me permission to continue sharing them with the world).

And now, let’s see if I can get a giggle out of you:

Every Argument I Have

It's Just a Comic Strip

I swear, these conversations really happened (well, maybe the comics were BASED on actual conversations). I think I’ll continue with the comic catharsis indefinitely (when inspiration strikes).

Register or Name Your Own Star for Free

Monday, March 10th, 2008
at 7:50pm

I received a random email from one of you (’regnierericd’) this morning. It was one of those ‘Name a Star’ things. I was a little leery, so I passed it off to the best Bad Astronomer I know. Phil wrote back:

Hey, nifty! I like this, they aren’t a scam like the International Star Registry. I’ll have to promote this, and maybe talk to them. There’s more they can do…

For example, I looked up your star on SIMBAD, a database of astronomical objects. I found out it’s a K0 star, meaning it’s a little cooler than the Sun (maybe 4000 Kelvins). I don’t know if it’s a normal star like the Sun or if it’s a giant; I couldn’t find that info. But if it’s a main sequence (normal) star like the Sun, it’s a little less massive (about 0.8 times the Sun’s mass) and smaller (radius = 0.85 Sun). Those numbers are rough.

The Chris Pirillo Star

The distance was a bit tougher; it’s never been measured for this star. But knowing what kind of star it is and how bright it is, I can estimate the distance as 100 parsecs, or about 325 light years (again, if it’s a normal star). There are about a million stars within a sphere centered on the Sun and 100 parsecs across, just so’s you know.

The designation they gave it isn’t quite right. It’s SAO 5615, where that stands for Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory. It has lots of names, but that’s as good as any.

I also went to a server that generates star field images from real digitized sky surveys. The image is attached; your star is the faint one in the exact center. :-)

Enjoy!

SAO 5615

 Older Posts