Backwards? Well, sort of. A friend of mine suggested in jest that we play some Battlefield 2. A few days later and I couldn’t stop thinking about going back to that version and giving it another go. So I did.

Today I picked up a copy of Battlefield 2 with all the exansion packs. The price is just $30. It did take 40 minutes to install. hehe.

I got the game installed and started playing. Two hours later, it was time for dinner and I wanted to keep going. It’s not that the game has great graphics or something I haven’t seen before. It just plays well and… I think I’m addicted to Battlefield. Hey, are there support groups for that?

After all that, I went with the Eee PC. I said I was considering waiting for the Gigabyte model, until I realized the predicted release date of “this month” was speculative and not even related to US release. lol

I’m glad I went with the Asus brand. I am really digging this little bugger. And let me tell you… it is SMALL (is it an oxymoron to write small in all caps?). It’s handling my light work load perfectly and it’s so easy to carry around. The battery life is better than expected.

So now I wait for the next gadget to catch my eye.

I thought I finally picked out and pre-ordered my new netbook. I was wrong.

‘Netbook’ is the new term for ultra-portable laptops. I wrote a post about them previously when I was comparing and considering which one to wait for and subsequently order.

Last week, Amazon announced that I could finally order the Asus Eee 901 PC. This is the netbook I decided on when weighing my factors:

• Small and lightweight. This to me is the definition of ultra-portable. It’s an important distinction since for some unknown reason to me, new netbooks keep getting announced that are larger and larger in size and weight.
• Able to do basic programs such as all web browsing, Office-like programs, basic utilities, etc.
• Comes with an actual QUERTY keyboard and not some thumb-like version for typing.
• Under $1000 which happens to be a personal preference. Others may argue that such a device should not exceed $300 which I think is ridiculous for a decent piece of electronics.

With this announcement from Amazon, I made my order. The laptop is expected to be released July 7th through 9th.

Then comes news on July 5th of a new device. Gigabyte is releasing a laptop that meets these requirements of mine but with the features I thought only possible via hardware modification. It is an ultra-portable laptop in a tablet design. Why tablet? When I think of such small devices, it makes sense to me that I should be able to tap my way through links and programs and type when necessary. I think of it like a large PDA… with a keyboard.

Gigabyte stated that the devices is slated for release this month (July). So I don’t feel like I am again waiting for the next best thing - which is always about to come out and followed by the next best thing.

Suffice to say, I cancelled my Amazon order and I am now waiting for the release of this beauty.

I think MODSonair is a great show, but it could possibly be better if we could turn it from radio to television. Sure, we broadcast live with a webcam… but that doesn’t make it interesting to watch. Wouldn’t it be better if you could see the game trailer being talked about, the screenshot of that piece of hardware or something else along those lines?

So, I spent this past weekend looking for new software and testing it out (hopefully it hasn’t filled my computer with crap causing it to crash during the next show). Sadly, none of these programs worked out for me. And here they are (in case you have something better to suggest):

• http://www.stickam.com/
  Like: It works, it’s free and it gets the job done for producing a live show.
  Dislike: You can only broadcast your webcam. The service will occasionally restart and kick everyone out of the show.
• http://www.mogulus.com/studio
  Happy: This is a Stickam-like site that allows you to broadcast your video. You can broadcast other videos as well as your webcam.
  Sad: When the other video plays, it takes the over the audio too so that the show host can’t say anything.
• http://www.ustream.tv/
  XP: Another Stickam-like site with more administration options. You can create user polls, assign co-hosts and more.
  Vista: No other video options other than to broadcast your webcam.
• http://www.webcammax.com/, http://www.superwebcam.com/, http://www.splitcamera.com/
  Battlefield: You can mix up your video with effects and text. You can broadcast your video and even your live desktop.
  Sims 2: It feels like a toy. The effects are amateurish. Switching between video sources is horrible.

If you’ve got any other suggestions for me to try, shout’em out. I’m willing to look into anything (except Mac, you damn hippie).