HatLan

Lan June 25 - Lancryption

2010-06-18T08:26:00.000-07:00

Last chance to hit Lancryption. 80 guys signed up and plenty of space left! It starts Friday 6/25 to 6/27!
Click here to hit their page and sign up!

Apple is like an arbitrary feudal lord

2010-03-10T11:57:00.000-08:00

The EFF is criticizing Apple's iPhone App. developer agreement. It is very abusive and favors Apple at every turn. Check it out by clicking here.

An army of iPad "killers"?

2010-03-10T06:35:00.000-08:00

Yow there are 50 tablets launching this year. Will more than 2 or 3 make money? Scary if you're a manufacturer!
Click here for the engadget article.

Steve Jobs is wrong about Flash

2010-03-03T05:07:00.000-08:00

Lance Ulanoff of PCMag wrote a very good editorial about why Flash is important and here to stay. Click here to read it.

Hardware guidance

2010-02-28T06:03:00.000-08:00

Leo LaPorte has a "This Week in Hardware" show with discussion of what's new in computer hardware tech. Leo's co-host on the show, Ryan Shrout, is very knowledgeable about the latest stuff and why you might want or need it. Click here to check out the show.

Shrout has a hardware page with gaming builds of computers from "budget" to "dream" systems. Click here to check that out.

Ebooks might still be $9.99

2010-02-18T06:35:00.000-08:00

Some details on the Apple deal with publishers have come to light that suggest that bestsellers and some other books will be $9.99 or less. Click here for the NY Times article.

Which CPU?

2010-02-17T06:01:00.000-08:00

Figuring out which CPU you should get is pretty complicated these days. There are so many non-intuitive names from the two major players. Click here for a Tech Report comparison of a bunch of CPUs in various games.

Sony pad

2010-02-17T05:32:00.000-08:00

For the budget minded, Sony is coming out with a 7" pad for $199 to browse the internet and it even streams Netflix content. Very tempting!

Click here for Dvice's article.

Lenovo netbook/tablet

2010-02-07T05:49:00.000-08:00

The Lenovo netbook tablet (Model S10-3t), coming soon, has multitouch and a screen that you can turn any direction and fold back on the keyboard to hold like a book. Under 2 lbs and runs Windows 7.

Click here for a Tekzilla video clip demonstrating it.

Click here for the Amazon link.

Goodbye $9.99 ebooks!

2010-02-04T05:02:00.000-08:00

HarperCollins is now going after Amazon's $9.99 price point. First Macmillan and now Harper. Ah well. Click here to read up on it at Wired.

Raise those prices!

2010-02-03T06:52:00.001-08:00

A CNN blog reports that iPad apps may cost more than iPhone apps. Click here for the article. So this new product and competition don't bring prices of content like the ebooks or apps down but up? The pad seems to have triggered publishers to make their dissatisfaction clear with Amazon about raising prices and it seems that Amazon will capitulate and raise prices. Now those fun little apps for your mobile will cost twice as much? Darn.

eBook pricing

2010-02-02T07:56:00.000-08:00

Molly Wood has another, and well thought out, view on the Amazon/Macmillan ebook price dispute. Let the market control...click here to read.

Very cool new toys!

2010-02-02T06:45:00.000-08:00

I want them all! Click here for a MSNBC list of the best gadgets of 2010.

iPad questions and answers

2010-02-02T06:34:00.000-08:00

MSNBC has a pretty nice list of questions people might have about the iPad with answers. Click here!

Lego wins!

2010-02-02T05:47:00.000-08:00

Comparison: Lego iPad and the Apple iPad: Both don't have USB, Multitasking or Run Flash. Both are Sexy. Lego iPad does not need FCC approval. Cost is $20 vs. $499-$839.

Seems like an easy call!

2010-02-01T18:56:00.000-08:00

Marijuana is legal in more states than the iPad! FCC...

What is in Colbert's big jacket pocket?

2010-02-01T06:44:00.000-08:00

Colbert is an apple fanboy!? Click here for the video etc. on Engadget.

Go netbook go!

2010-02-01T06:26:00.000-08:00

PCMag has 42 reasons why a netbook is better than an iPad! Steve Jobs cried himself to sleep. Click here!

Prices go up, consumers go down.

2010-02-01T04:56:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure there's ever been a price increase like this Amazon thing. Costs go down and prices go up? From $9.99 to up to $15? Ow. $10 made some sense because printing a book and shipping it is not cheap. And the artist gets a buck or three and the publisher gets the rest?

Anyone that's made it should probably just go straight to Amazon. Why should Stephen King pay a publisher. He should get $7 and Amazon $3 maybe? Or Sue Grafton or any other former bestseller. They lose the talented editing and publish some crap maybe but you'd think it would have to go this way. If tablets become common then publishers should shrink and fade just like record companies and tv networks do as content creators go directly to customers through the internet.

Amazon blinks! Bye bye $9.99.

2010-02-01T04:46:00.000-08:00

Amazon blinks! They will raise their prices. When Apple negotiated their publishers deals the publishers probably insisted that ebook prices were too low. Apple probably suggested that Amazon shouldn't enjoy a special price over Apple and that the publishers needed to hit them with the same price increase but we can't know what was said naturally.

Macmillan is probably just the first to hit Amazon. No more $9.99 books in the future? Of course if Amazon doesn't add color and more functions to the Kindle it probably would lose the fight to iPad sales anyway.

Maybe they need a cheaper Kindle in black and white and then one in color? But can they make a Kindle for $99 or even $199? Well $199 is only a $59 reduction. Maybe Amazon was doing this to sell books and newspapers anyway and will be happy to drop the Kindle if sales fall to the iPad and other tablets?
Click here for the NY Times article on this.

Netbook vs. iPad

2010-02-01T04:27:00.000-08:00

Best media center

2010-01-31T06:55:00.000-08:00

What device browses the internet, runs flash, multi-tasks, runs Hulu, Netflix, Youtube and just about anything? A netbook attached to your TV! I've been doing it for a few months and it works great. Netflix, for example, as a feature of a DVD player, only offers what you've already qued. You need to be able to browse and pick whatever you feel like from their "instant watch".

I also use the netbook to do some Skype video phone. Doing that off a 30" tv is way fun. Reading comics with the "Comic Book Reader" software is also very cool on a large screen.

Comparison chart of various tablets

2010-01-31T06:43:00.000-08:00

Gizmodo has a nice chart comparing features of tablets. Click here to check it out.

iPad vs. a rock

2010-01-31T06:41:00.001-08:00

Techcrunch has the goods! A chart comparing the functionality of the iPad vs. a rock.

Click here!

Netbooks are weak!

2010-01-31T06:27:00.000-08:00

You need this! The Alienware m11x netbook! Pack this in your lan bag with a 24" lcd, external kb and mouse and head to a lan party!
Click here for some details.
Glowing red keys with a core2duo and a 1gb Nvidia 335m graphics card!

Bill Gates vs. Steve Jobs

2010-01-31T06:08:00.001-08:00

Around the same times, while Jobs was trying to change the world with a shiny new toy, Bill Gates announced that $10,000,000,000 of his dough was going to his foundation to help cure disease in the world. Jobs later ranted that Google's "Do no evil" is bullshit . And we think Microsoft is bad?

Steve Jobs' advise

2010-01-31T06:06:00.000-08:00

Stay away from those Kindles and iPads because this smart guy, Steve Jobs, says that people don't read anymore. That means you nub!

Leo LaPorte hates my netbook

2010-01-31T05:51:00.000-08:00

Leo says that netbooks are too weak, that users will just buy them and realize the mistake and get something else and that they are disposable and maybe you'll keep one for a year. This from the guy that changes phones, and probably cpus, weekly or monthly?

As I sit here in my recliner, with my netbook dual-monitoring a 30" LCD running netflix instant watch video and it's little 8" screen with a browser running a bunch of tabs, and my usb mouse and kb on my lap, I have to wonder what the problem is. The video is smooth even with a bunch of tabs and internet stuff running. And I don't even have a beefy ion with nvidia graphics or the mighty Dell Alienware m11x (could you get me one for xmas?). At $300 it's probably 1/2 of one of the iPads that Leo will probably buy a dozen of.

And unlike the iPad or my pet rock, it runs Flash, multi-tasks, DOS programs and every windows program I throw at it. You wouldn't want to try to run Crysis on it but then Leo's Nexus One and iPad won't do that either.
And you won't see white screens with little blue tiles, like the iPad, on every cool kid site with flash games or video. And it runs bittorent programs which I hear can be useful to the unscrupulous user!

And it's never crashed.

Lanmaniac 50 MAN LAN

2008-02-27T14:09:00.000-08:00

Lanmaniacs comes through again! 50 man lan!

A bunch of us HatLannies will be there!

32HRS TO TAKE IT ALL IN...

ONE LOCATION...

TWO DAYS...

WHO WILL SURVIVE?

Event Details:

Doors Open: Saturday, March 22, 2008 @ 10AM
Break Down Time: Sunday, March 23, 2008 @ 6PM
Location: Reseda, California [Directions]
Cost: $10.00

WazzUp:

http://www.lanmaniac.com/50manlan

NewEgg Lanfest: 400 player BYOC!

2007-08-14T05:53:00.000-07:00

NewEgg is having another one of their giant lans October 5-7, 2007. This one will be in Ontario at the Doubletree. Sign up by clicking here (the link to their site).

If you are signing up, reply to this post (at the bottom) so that we know you're going!
Some of the LanManiacs are going. Check out their forum by clicking here.

Here's their main post on it:
Are you ready for the ultimate gaming festival? We are psyched to announce LANfest2K7. This year we have some of the greatest sponsors like AMD, NVIDIA and Microsoft just to name a few. We don’t stop there, with over $50,000 in cash and prizes you are sure to have the ultimate gaming experience.

“We have always been a leading online shopping and information destination for gamers,” said Bernard Luthi, Vice President of Merchandising and Product Marketing at Newegg.com, “LANfest2K7 is our way of giving back to the loyal customer base that has helped build Newegg.com into the company that it is today. This year’s LANfest is going to be the most exciting video gaming event we’ve held to date.”

With special guests, 400 person BYOC, gaming competitions, outrageous contests and the hottest booth babes in Southern California, having a good time would be an understatement. Additionally, Ones and Zeros will be performing a show at LANfest2K7. Check out theonesandzeros.com for info and sample tracks!.

When: October 5-7, 2007
Where: Ontario Convention Center :: Ontario, California :: Directions!

Event Prices...

BYOC Only: $40
BYOC + Tournament: $40 + $10 for each additional tournament entry
Tournament Only: $25 + $10 additional for each additional tournament entry
General Admission: $5

Should you have questions, please check the FAQ page, email us at lanfestinfo@newegg.com, or once you've registered, you may also use the LANfest2K7 Support System (click Support button at the top of the page).

Also... don't forget to check out the LANfest2K7 MySpace page and add the most exciting gaming festival of the year as a friend. While you're there, take time to check out this Newegg blog post.

HatLan: what's up?

2007-05-15T08:28:00.000-07:00

So from the posts below you can see what I'm doing. How about you other longtime HatLan attendees? Where are you hanging at these days and what are you doing for fun? Post by using the comment button and tell us what you and your other lan party friends are doing these days!
HatTriQk

What's up in WoW?

2007-05-15T08:00:00.000-07:00

For those of you not in WoW, I thought that a summary of what LvL 70s do might be interesting.

Finish up your quests!: Most players had difficulty making the big bucks to buy the epic mount or BOE gear. One of the best ways to make money is to complete all the high level quests left to your toon. When you don't need the experience any longer, the game gives you more gold as a reward for the quest. It's probably as good or betters to efficiently make gold in the game. This will also get you reputation with various factions.

Instances: You've gotta replace that quest and green gear with better items and many of those drop in normal high level instances. The best way to gain lots of reputation with various factions is by doing instances in those areas.

Reputation: Once you get your reputation up with a group, the vendor/quartermaster for that group has items available that are rare or even epic. You have to find who has what items that would be great for your character and then farm reputation with that group (usually by repeatable quests and then instances) to qualify to get the item that you need.

Heroic Dungeons: Once you have your reputation up to revered with a group, there are the keys available to do the instances in a harder mode called "Heroic". Better items drop but the instance is significantly harder.
Old PvP Battlegrounds: The old capture the flag and domination style battlegrounds (Warsong, Arathi and Alteric Valley) give you honor and marks of honor (like a badge) that allow you to purchase some great items.

Arena Battlegrounds: These new arenas are more like a deathmatch or rocket arena. Fast! The gear available is about the best in the game for certain kinds of activity (like PvP naturally). You have to maintain a certain quantity and quality of play to get points out of the new arenas whereas the old arenas give you points just for being there.

Farming gold to build your stuff: Killing demons, elementals or other mobs to get stuff to sell is a solo way to get good gear. Lots of gear comes from random world drops that end up in the auction house or from tailors etc., that make rare or epic items that you can buy outright or by farming the materials, or gold for the materials, to have stuff made.

Trades: Once you've leveled up your trade near the top, you need rare recipe/patterns to go further and to make the good stuff that make the trade (like alchemy, tailoring, gemcrafting) worthwhile. Some recipes can be bought but most guys will get them as dungeon drops.

Cruising: It is pretty fun just to cruise around on your epic flying mount and pick up materials, help people or kill this or that at your whim.

Chat: there's a fair amount of conversation that goes on in WoW in text or Ventrillo. It adds quite a bit to the game.

Nights in Hilsbrad

2007-05-15T07:58:00.001-07:00

I've been messing around in LBRS and Scholo to farm some rare recipes , BOE blues and materials that sell well in the AH since doing lvl 70 farming in the Outlands (on demons and elementals) is boring as hell. Doing the instances with their groups of 1-6 elites, is challenging and teaches great crowd control. It's not like SFK or SM where you AOE stuff down: the melee guys in lvl 58+ instances make that pretty hard (and it's kinda boring to just outpower them that way). It's all about CC: divide and conquer. Sheeps, frost nova, slowing to run/blink away and get some distance from the ones that break from poly or frost: it's pretty darn fun.

But whereto now? What's a cool solo challenge for a 70 that is hard and profitable?

I did some initial searching for other rare recipes that drop from difficult areas (so that the price stays high) but haven't come up with anything special. My current items I go for are the Greater Fire & Nature Protection Recipes, Pattern for the Robe of the Archmage or Volcanic Shoulders and the Lifestealing enchant.

Any ideas?

Chester's Place 4/12/07

2007-05-15T06:58:00.000-07:00

Chester ran a great party with 10 guys and tons of food! It was great seeing the regulars!