Coffee Talk Archives - Page 28 of 68

Coffee Talk #408: Double Dipping on Xbox Live

I’ve always hated that Netflix on Xbox 360 is a “Gold” feature. You’re already paying for Netflix service. You’re already paying for the Internet bandwidth. Why should the cost be built into your Xbox Live subscription? That’s crap…yet more and more services on…

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, dreaming of Yu Darvish in a Yankees uniform, famous atheists fighting cancer, or when NBA basketball will be back, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Last week RPadholic smartguy pointed out that the next update for AT&T U-Verse on Xbox 360 will require Gold membership. Again, you’re already paying for U-Verse service, so why should you have to pay more for using your Xbox 360 to access it? Even AT&T realizes the charge is stupid and in a preemptive measure stated that it will credit the cost of a one-year subscription to Xbox Live Gold to its customers.

Charging for Netflix, U-Verse, etc. just seems like an artificial way for Microsoft to create “premium” features for Xbox Live Gold. It’s coattail riding or double dipping instead of actually creating compelling services that justify the cost of Xbox Live Gold. For some reason, I expected gamers to be angrier about these charges and practices. Gamers are typically loud complainers, but the typical outrage just isn’t there. What’s the deal?!?

Anyway, let me know how you feel about double dipping on Xbox Live. Is it a fair practice? Is it bogus? Does it make you angry like Mr. McGee does?

Coffee Talk #407: How Will You Remember Steve Jobs?

Apple has asked that you share your thoughts and memories by sending an email to rememberingsteve @ apple.com. I’m going to be sending this story to that email address, so feel free to leave your thoughts here. I’d love to know what you’ll remember about Steve Jobs.

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, Ivan Nova sticking it to the Detroit Tigers, awesome songs by The Carpenters, or the German sausage craze in LA, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

As most of you know, Apple’s Steve Jobs passed away yesterday. Apple has asked that you share your thoughts and memories by sending an email to rememberingsteve@apple.com. I’m going to be sending this story to that email address, so feel free to leave your thoughts here. I’d love to know what you’ll remember about Steve Jobs.

As for me, he’s definitely one of my heroes. I’m actually much more of a Steve Jobs fan than an Apple fan. I’ve always been amazed by how passionate he was about his products and how much he cared about the little details. This story posted by Google’s Vic Gundotra is a great example of Steve being Steve. His passion translated to consumer passion. In the history of consumer electronics, I’ve never seen anyone get people more excited about pieces of silicon the way that Steve Jobs did.

I’ll never forget Jobs’ Stanford commencement address from 2005. It was honest and inspiring. He talked about his successes, his failures, and how knowing that he was going to die soon liberated him. As complex as Apple’s products are and as clever as its marketing is, Jobs always made sure that the company was rooted in simple philosophies. As a whole, he wanted Apple to always try to make the best products it could make. As an individual, he wanted people to be the best at what they wanted to do.

Jobs was one of the most fascinating and influential people of my lifetime. I’ll always appreciate what brought to the world and my world.

Look in the mirror everyday and ask, “if today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am doing today?” If the answer is no for many days in a row, you need to change something. Remembering you are going to die is the most important tool to make big decisions in life, everything falls away in the face of death. External expectations, pride, fear of embarrassment or failure are all things that don’t matter in the big picture. Remembering you are going to die is the best way to remember you have nothing to lose. “You are already naked, you have nothing to lose by following you heart.”

Coffee Talk #406: Gaming During Unexpected Delays

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, the Yankees jubilant celebration of AJ Burnett not sucking for 5 2/3 innings, Chris Christie not running for president, or your favorite sandwich cheese, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Last Monday I went out for a quick errand that turned into a long outing. I had to deposit a check into my business account. Under optimal conditions it’s five minutes there on the LA Metro Purple line, two minutes in the bank, and five minutes back. Due to track issues, I was stuck in the subway car on the way back for well over an hour. Most of my fellow passengers were irritated, but thanks to videogames on my T-Mobile G2x, I wasn’t bothered.

As people were bitching and getting stressed out, I was serenely playing Meteor, Real Blackjack, and Angry Birds Rio. Videogames turned an annoying situation into a fairly entertaining (but certainly wasteful) hour. Part of me felt guilty that the other passengers were getting amped up while I was gaming. Most of me was grateful that my phone was loaded with games to pass the time. It was the latest of many situations in my life where I had to smile and say, “Thank God I’m a gamer!” (I didn’t actually say that out loud, btw.)

Do any of you guys and gals have stories like that? Have games ever helped you wait out an unusually long line? Perhaps a delay at the airport? Kindly share your tales in the comments section!

Coffee Talk #405: Most Recognizable Videogame Sound Ever?

Today’s Coffee Talk is brought to you by RPadholic N8R. During a Google+ messenger chat he asked, “What is the most recognizable videogame sound ever?” What a fantastic question! Gameplay, graphics, music, and story are…

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, the Yankees’ fate resting in the mentally deficient brain of AJ Burnett, Hank Williams, Jr. comparing President Obama to Adolf Hitler, or the awesome nerd buzz before Apple press conference, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Today’s Coffee Talk is brought to you by RPadholic N8R. During a Google+ messenger chat he asked, “What is the most recognizable videogame sound ever?” What a fantastic question! Gameplay, graphics, music, and story are definitely a huge part of games, but its often short sound effects that stay with us forever. Decades after I first heard them, sound effects from Super Mario Bros. and The Legend of Zelda are still stuck in my head.

If I mention the sound of Mario getting a coin or getting a power-up or getting an extra life, I’m positive that the vast majority of you know what I’m talking about. The same goes for Zelda sounds. I’m certain that most of you know the sound of Link getting a new item or unlocking a secret. At Nintendo’s E3 2011 presser, the audience totally marked out when the orchestra played Zelda sounds. Hell, the liberal use of Zelda sounds is part of why Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is so charming.

So what say you? Answer N8R’s question and name the most recognizable videogame sounds ever (please)!

Coffee Talk #404: Have You Ever Quit on a Console?

Last week I was intrigued by this comment left by RPadholic smartguy. He’s fed up with the quirks and annoyances of his PlayStation 3 and is on the verge of quitting it after Uncharted 3. It had me thinking about all the…

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, A-Rod getting the boo-bird treatment at Yankee Stadium, Stumptown’s Guatemala Antigua Buenavista, or how old you were when you started liking the taste of alcoholic beverages, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Last week I was intrigued by this comment left by RPadholic smartguy. He’s fed up with the quirks and annoyances of his PlayStation 3 and is on the verge of quitting it after Uncharted 3. It had me thinking about all the consoles I’ve owned in the past. I don’t recall any of them pissing me off to the point where I gave up on the system. How about you? Have you ever quit on a console? Or did you have issues, only to lovingly whisper, “I can’t quit you,” to your beloved gaming system?

Keep in mind that I’m in an unusual situation since the last few generations of consoles have either been free or work expenses for me. I love all of my gaming systems, but they’re all work machines — there’s no such thing as buyer’s remorse in my case. Even before that, I managed to put up with the completely ridiculous Sega Genesis Mega Stack of Doom. If a Voltron-like console couldn’t make me quit then I’m not sure what would.

So how about it? Has a console ever driven you to the point of disowning it? Have you ever quit on a console?

Coffee Talk #403: Google+ vs. Facebook is About Search

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, the Yankees jobbing to Tampa Bay to stick it to the Red Sox, Facebook and Spotify sitting in a tree, or remembering your favorite indie-pop bands from 2001, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

It’s frustrating talking about Google+ with my friends in the videogame business. Most of them are missing the big picture. Most of them can’t think of it in terms other than Google+ vs. Facebook. Certainly Google+ competes with social networks like Facebook and Twitter. It even competes with messaging services like BlackBerry Messenger and the upcoming iMessenger. While it’s fun for writers, analysts, and consumers to talk about these “wars”, that’s really not what Google+ is about. Ultimately, it all comes down to search.

Remember way back in 2007 when Microsoft invested $240-million in Facebook? At the time, Google was concerned about two of its biggest rivals teaming up. Remember earlier this year when Microsoft’s Bing search engine got a huge social boost powered by Facebook “likes”? That’s when Google’s biggest fears about the partnership were realized.

Although it has its fingers in many pies, at the end of the day, Google is a search company that makes the vast majority of its money serving ads. Google was not pleased that the most popular social network in the world was helping Bing serve up more relevant results and serve more relevant ads. This is what Google+ is really about — the socialization of Google search.

As someone with nerd friends in Silicon Valley and the videogame industry, I have a lot of friends and acquaintances that actively use Google+. More importantly, they actively use the “+1” buttons found on numerous articles. When I search for something on Google that’s tech or game related, I usually see articles that my friends have recommended. This is enormously powerful! I’m more likely to click on a link that my friends recommend than one without that seal of approval.

While some people at Google would love to see the Google+ installed base surpass that of Facebook’s, I’m sure that most don’t see it as a realistic possibility. I’m also sure that a lot of them don’t care. This is not a head-to-head race. Google+ is growing at a rapid rate, as is the use of “+1” buttons. Google executives are just fine with collecting more user data, making search results more socially relevant, serving up more relevant advertising, and swimming in ad dollars. That’s way more important than getting into a numbers contest with Facebook. I’m just surprised that my gaming friends don’t get that.

I’d love to hear what you think of the Google+ vs. Facebook “war”. How do you feel about the socialization of search? Do you want the search algorithm to do all the work? Or do you like having your friends influence your search results?

[Also, don’t forget to ~~drink your Ovaltine~~ click on the +1 button for any RPad.tv articles you enjoy. It really helps!]

Coffee Talk #402: My Gilligan’s Island RTS Dream

Last week I had one of the silliest videogame dreams I’ve ever had in my life. In my dream, I was feverishly playing a Gilligan’s Island real-time strategy game made by Blizzard…

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, digesting outstanding birthday food, Michael Vick complaining about referees, or rooting for Manchester City, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Last week I had one of the silliest videogame dreams I’ve ever had in my life. In my dream, I was feverishly playing a Gilligan’s Island real-time strategy game made by Blizzard. I was harvesting bamboo to build war huts. I was gathering coconuts to make coconut-cream pies to hurl at my enemies. I was defending Queen Mary Ann Summers from the villainous Emperor Howell and the mad scientist Professor Roy Hinkley. From the bits I remember, it was an intense battle played out in wonderfully polished and addictive Blizzard RTS.

Yeah, pretty ridiculous, hey? It’s been awhile since I’ve had such a vivid and crazy videogame dream. I had to share it with you. I’m also trying to remember what I ate that night and wondering if anyone slipped me any absinthe….

Have you had any crazy videogame dreams lately? Please share them in the comments section! If you were playing a Gilligan’s Island RTS, which team would you pick? Are you a Ginger? Is Skipper your man? Or would you go with good old Gilligan? Also, is anyone else shocked that some hack TV executive hasn’t tried to remake Gilligan’s Island?

Coffee Talk #401: Heavy Characterization vs. Transparency

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, mixers that go well with top-shelf tequila, your AL East Champion New York Yankees, or looking forward to a large birthday steak, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Do you prefer videogame protagonists with deep characterization or ones that are more transparent? The former allows for characters with richer backgrounds and back stories, while the latter allows you to slip into the hero’s armor, space battle suit, bell bottoms, etc. I’m sure you’ve enjoyed both styles in several games, but I’m also sure you have a preference. Which one is it?

Let’s use the Dragon Age games as an example. In Dragon Age: Origins, you could select from a variety of relatively transparent characters. Yes, they all had back stories, but for the most part you could transpose your personality on the lead character. In Dragon Age II, you played as an established character named Hawke. Yes, you could make him/her really good, really sarcastic, or somewhat evil, but the choice were much more limited. In terms of plot and characterization, it’s a huge difference (and one of the reasons the second game is so polarizing).

I enjoyed Origins tremendously. It was fun marching around Ferelden through different perspectives. Whether I was a human, dwarf, Dalish elf, or city elf, I enjoyed molding my hero to fit my personality. I also enjoyed Dragon Age II. It was fun learning about Hawke, his history, his family, etc. Instead of the enjoyment of transposing myself onto the hero, I enjoyed learning about a character’s background and taking his/her life in new directions.

For the most part, I enjoy characters that are heavily written. Don’t get me wrong; I definitely enjoy transparent characters too, but as a writer I prefer experiencing characters other people have written instead of ones I imagine myself to be. I suppose some of that stems from being a comic-book geek. I just love learning about and adventuring with other people’s characters (you down with O.P.C.?!?).

And you? Do you prefer characters with heavily scripted backgrounds and personalities? Or do you prefer transparent characters that let you imagine what it’s like to be the hero?

Coffee Talk #400: I’m Raymond and I’m Still Your Verbal Entertainer

I wanted to use this edition of Coffee Talk to reaffirm my message from Coffee Talk #100 and to thank you for your readership. Yes, I’m Raymond Padilla and I’m still your verbal entertainer. I’m not a journalist. I haven’t thought…

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, Intelligentsia’s La Tortuga Honduras, Mariano Rivera’s record-breaking save, or Charlie Sheen’s celebrity roast, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

I wanted to use this edition of Coffee Talk to reaffirm my message from Coffee Talk #100 and to thank you for your readership. Yes, I’m Raymond Padilla and I’m still your verbal entertainer. I’m not a journalist. I haven’t thought of myself as one for a long, long time. I’m a verbal entertainer. My goal is to make you laugh, think, or cry with words. Sometimes it’s written word, sometimes it’s audio, and sometimes it’s video. While I enjoy posting stories, I get a real charge out of using them to start conversations with you all. That’s the best part of this site — the interaction with you guys and gals.

In the past I’ve said that calling most people that write about games “journalists” is an insult to actual journalists like VentureBeat’s “Dancing” Dean Takahashi and the LA Times’ Alex Pham. Being a verbal entertainer is a lot like being a professional wrestler. Certainly there’s an athletic component to pro-wrestling, but most people don’t consider WWE Superstars to be professional athletes. Similarly, there are journalistic aspects to what I do and sometimes I engage in actual journalism, but it’s not what I’m about. I’m a verbal entertainer!

The last few months of running the site have been difficult. Losing my Amazon Affiliate money in July was a huge blow that my bank account hasn’t recovered from. The hosting problems created by the morons at AnHosting caused the site’s traffic and ranking to take an enormous hit that it hasn’t recovered from. I wanted to make sure that you knew that I’m still committed to the site and still committed to being your verbal entertainer. I’m not going to be able to spend as much time on the site as I’d like due to my finances, but I assure you that it’s not going away any time soon.

Thanks for dropping by Coffee Talk #400. Let’s make our way to #500!!!

Coffee Talk #399: The Mayweather vs. Ortiz Controversy

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, the Boston Red Sox possibly missing the playoffs, Peter Dinklage winning an Emmy for Game of Thrones, or your favorite candybar, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

“Pretty Boy” Floyd Mayweather, Jr. knocked out “Vicious” Victor Ortiz over the weekend, but did so in a controversial fashion. Before I get to the controversy, I wanted to make it clear that going into the fight I thought Mayweather was going to win, easily. During the fight I saw nothing that indicated Ortiz had anything more than a puncher’s chance. Prior to the knockout, I saw Mayweather well on his way to a decisive victory.

Now let’s get to the controversy! Late in the fourth round, it was clear that Ortiz was getting frustrated by his inability to land meaningful shots on Mayweather. Ortiz resorted to headbutts, including one so egregious that referee Joe Cortez (the “fair, but firm” guy) had no choice but to dock Ortiz a point. Ortiz tried several times to apologize. The action was set to resume when the fighters hugged. A split second later Mayweather landed a sharp hook on Ortiz, who was clearly not ready to fight. This was followed by a strong right hand that put Ortiz down for the count.

Some fans felt that this was a cheap shot. Customarily, when fighters hug or touch gloves, they wait a few seconds to resume boxing. Ortiz was obviously not ready and appeared to be waiting on further instructions from Cortez. Meanwhile, Cortez was looking towards the timekeeper to see if there was any time remaining in the round. While Mayweather did nothing illegal, some feel that it was unsportsmanlike. The fight-ending combo has been referred to as “a legal cheap shot” or a “by-the-books sucker-punch”.

Others feel that Ortiz got what he deserved. He blatantly cheated with the head butts. The last head butt did more damage to Mayweather than any of Ortiz’s punches. The feeling is that he punked Floyd and Floyd had every right to punk him back. Ortiz also forgot a set of instructions that’s given to boxers before every match: “Protect yourself at all times.” Referees say this before every fight and it was foolish for Ortiz to have his guard down. A boxer with more than 30 professional fights should know better.

On a side note, Mayweather’s post-fight behavior was probably more entertaining than the actual fight. HBO’s Larry Merchant was conducting a fair interview when Mayweather exploded on him. He went on an idiotic and profanity-laced tirade that shows what a mentally weak person he is outside of the ring. Merchant is an accomplished print journalist, an outstanding broadcaster, and a true boxing historian. He’s also 79-years old. It’s pathetic that Mayweather threateningly disrespected one of boxing’s treasures. It was hilarious that Merchant playfully yelled back, “I wish I was 50 years younger and I’d kick your ass!”

Ultimately, I think that Mayweather did himself a disservice. I believe he was angry about the head butts and wanted to nail Ortiz for the transgression. Winning this way was bad for his image. Some fans, particularly casual boxing fans, will think that he’s a cheap-shot artist. He could have easily won the fight without stooping to Ortiz’s level. It’s a shame for him, because he was putting on a boxing clinic and was going to school Ortiz. As HBO’s Jim Lampley said shortly after the knockout, “This isn’t going to win him any more fans.”

What do you think of the knockout? Was it a cheap shot by Mayweather? Was it amateur of Ortiz to forget the “protect yourself at all times” instructions? Does this win tarnish Mayweather’s reputation? Will the controversy increase his earning potential? Leave a comment and let me know (please)!

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