Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, Akron hating on Cleveland, Wyclef Jean’s bid for presidency, or Justin Timberlake being a celebrity Android lover, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
I’ve been having a blast with foursquare for the last two months. A lot of people hate the location-based check-in service, but I don’t think they get it. Sure, it’s another way for vain people to use the Internet to share more mundane details of their mundane lives, but foursquare can be fun and useful. I love checking out where my friends eat, drink, and shop; I’m more likely to try a restaurant an IRL friend likes than a random one. The baseball lover in me marks out at all the stats available on foursquare; it’s interesting to see the patterns and statistics of your social life.
The biggest reason I’m into foursquare is because it’s like Achievement Points on Xbox 360. I’ve told several of my friends that foursquare is like getting Achievement Points for life. You get points for checking in when you go out. You get bonus points for checking out places that are new to you. The points are absolutely useless, just like the ones earned in Xbox 360 games, but I want them! I love competing with my friend Tom each week to see who can rack up the most points by Sunday. It’s good fun.
Besides, I’m still hoping that foursquare will lead to me getting a beautiful 19-year old stalker. Anyway, let me know what you think of check-in services like foursquare. If you think it’s irritating now, just wait until Facebook and Google unveil their versions. This stuff is going to be huge!
This is kinda creepy, I don't want everyone to know where I've been
@Redtailman You can control what information is broadcast and who gets to see what.
@redtailman
you have the choice to share them with your friends via twitter or facebook if you link the account. everytime you check in you can choose whether or not to share with friends.
I only joined foursquare recently my 3rd week coming up and i agree with you Rpad. It is like gamer points for the realz world. I got my gf hooked and she is beating me right now but it was fun to say i was the mayor of her house for a bit. we were thinking why didn't we have foursquare earlier when we were traveling more often. so many places missed.
@akron hating Cleveland
See!!! Joakim Noah had it right when he said no one wants to go or live in Cleveland. I give it to LBJ for admitting to it finally.
@wyclef jean for president
i don't know much about haiti other than the earthquake in the beginning of this year. More power to him if he can become president.
@JT being an Android
Well this should help them gain more popularity with the ladies, even though in my experience more women i know own Android phones over iphones. It will be good for Android to have more celebrity testimonials in their pocket.
@rpad thanks for the heads up
i have never heard of this.
@Akron
No one wants to live anywhere on the East side of the state of Ohio. If you have to live there the West half of the state from Columbus on over is the place to be.
@Foursquare
I like using it, but I can't really use it anymore because none of the places around me have wifi so I can't use my iPod touch when I'm actually out, so before I would have to check in after I got home. Then foursquare got wise to me and wont give me points for checking in anywhere because it recognizes that I'm not close to those locations. If that changes or I can use my phone to check in somehow then I will use it again, otherwise I'm done. The concept is neat, but it does nothing for me if I can't use it.
@bsu
Have you tried the foursquare website?? What kind of phone do you have??
I signed up for this and tried to use it several times but the GPS on my phone doesn't actually work (Samsung said they'll fix it at some point) so it says unable to find location or that nothing is near me. I guess living in a smaller city there aren't many places I can check in to.
Also I have NO FRIENDS on FourSquare. I tried to add them Via Facebook but it takes me to a page that says "You do not have permission to open this page" and the address is fbconnect//success. so no clue
@slicky
You can add me if you want. Haha
Meh. I'm not allowed to post the chick magnet photos I took over the weekend because of a stupid misunderstanding. I guess those will have to wait a few months. That sucks. There were some awesome shots there.
@Tokz
I only have an LG voyager, and I am ready to get rid of it for something better as soon as I can. I have not really tried the website, but I might have to check that out.
@rpad
that's lame. disappointing news of the day number 2.
@bsu
yeah i use the website at times because it's hard for me to read somethings in portrait mode and unfortunately the 4sq app doesn't support landscape mode.
@Ray
I have been reviewing your EVO vs X write ups and while I appreciate the honesty in them, I have more questions.
1) Is there that much of a difference between the two screens?
2)How is your EVO with Froyo now?
3)If you had a choice, which would YOU choose? Truth be told I'm leaning towards the EVO but my Iphone 4 has made me a screen snob. I require a nice display now lol.
@smartguy I think you would notice a difference, but the average consumer wouldn't. FroYo is pretty awesome on the Evo. If I had to pick one, it would depend on how long I was keeping it for. I'd keep the X for a year and the Evo for two.
One thing rio keep in mind is that WiMax performs poorly indoors. I'm actually more interested in HSPA+.
It sounds neat, but I'm not really a social networking kind of guy. That and I should probably avoid Foursquare for the same reasons I avoid World of Warcraft and any other MMORPG- I fear the addiction. I mean, let's face it, I'm already an achievement whore, and I have the potential to become a real life achievement whore… and I honestly don't know which one is more sad.
-M
@Iceman
Come to WoW. I'll invite you to my guild. I'm actually at the point in WoW where there is nothing for me to do except raid. I have no more reputations to max out, no professions to learn, nothing. Just raiding. Did I mention there are also achievement points in WoW? Best part is that everyone in your guild or near you in the world can see your achievement when you earn it. Isn't that tempting?
I don't want to do this because I know I will become addicted lol.
@Anyone with and Android phone
Many of my settings don't save. I UNcheck the box that says delete old messages but a day or so later it will be checked again.
I check the box in Text-to-Speech to read out my texts and calls and it will work for a day or so then it wont and the box has been unchecked.
is this a problem with just my phone? Did I install something that is doing this (not that you would actually know that one)?
@Ray
I'm keeping my options open. I don't plan on making a purchase until September and by that time I will know more info about what TMo is cooking up. I'm a bit put off by WiMax performing poorly indoors now. Thanks.
I honestly don't know if I'd keep either device more than 18 months at the longest. I like change.
@smartguy I'm more interested in the November release from T-Mobile. That will have HSPA+ and a next gen processor.
@Ray
I can't wait that long. If i wait til then I might as wait til Q1 of 2011 for the even newer handsets lol. I love how the smartphone market is exploding like the PC market did years ago. I don't mind buying a device now and buying another a few months later. I love this stuff.
@ Speaking of cell phones and new gadget fever
I went to my bank today and it's right by the AT&T store. I figured "I'll just stop in and see if they have an iPhone 4 in stock"…
Sure enough… they did. And sure enough… I'm $250 dollars poorer… but I have the iPhone 4 finally.
And… they let me keep my unlimited data plan.
Score 2 for N8R.
gratz N8R.
@Smartguy (#16)
Yes, it does sound tempting and it is nice to know that I have friends in the world… of Warcraft. But I have to be realistic here: If I start playing WoW, I won't stop playing. I'll start to neglect work and piss my family off. My wife will get upset as well over all the time I'm spending on the game and not her. She may even leave me or worse, make me go to one of those "gaming counseling" places.
So, given the choice between giving in to the dark si- er,… game, or keeping my life in some semblance of sanity, I would have to go with the former.
-M
@RROD and All
http://www.wired.com/gamelife/2010/08/mass-effect…
Looks like you will finally be able to play at least part of the Mass Effect series.
@Iceman
Here is how i solved that problem. I bought my gf a copy of the game and new laptop. Problem solved.
Hey all, how's it going? Two things-
@bsukenyan- You asked me about VGL a week or two ago. Sorry I'm just getting back to you now. It was awesome, again. It was in Conseco Fieldhouse this year which was good, because they needed the extra room. When I went two yrs ago it was held in the auditorium on the SE corner of Monument Circle (not sure how familiar you are with downtown Indy). The biggest addition this year, I think, was Laura Intravia. http://www.lauraintravia.com/index.html She was amazing. She came out and did the vocals for God of War III and Assassin's Creed II, among others. Hearing the GoW III theme on your speakers in your living room is one thing. Seeing and hearing it performed live is completely different. It was awesome! Then towards the end of the show she came out dressed as Link and did her 'Flute Link' piece. If you ever get the chance to go, do. I think you'll like it.
@everybody else- Anybody here have any suggestions for third-party repair shops for PS3's w/ the flashing red light? Or should I just send it to Sony?
@ Redd
I got a buddy here in CA that does that kind of thing all day. If your looking into shipping it and staying in the U.S., let me know. I'll get in touch with him for some quotes.
As for somewhere in Indiana… beats me.
@N8R-Thanks. Yeah, I wouldn't mind some more info. I'd be very surprised if there was anywhere here in IN that does that sort of thing.
Does your friend repair PS3's out-of-his-house like, or is it his everyday business?
@ Redd
Sorry for my late reply, I got really busy today and I'm gonna be twice as busy tomorrow.
It's his everyday business. He has a shop that largely deals with repairing gaming consoles. They don't have a website (I should offer to build them one) but here's a Yahoo local page:
http://local.yahoo.com/info-65334362-gx-electroni…
@N8R- Thanks again! I understand you're busy, so it's not a problem. Are you on FB? If so, just search 'Redd75' on there (my name's Chris). It might be easier to talk back and forth on there than on here. I wouldn't mind seeing those quotes you spoke of.
@rpad
do you still use your sim-less iphone? if so, man, you should check out this game i just read about on cnet. Since youre looking for gamer points for RL experiences and since you're such an RPG mark.
http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-19512_7-20014185-233…