Concord, MA Bans Bottled Water

In a move you’d expect from a city in California, the sale of bottled water has been banned in Concord, Massachusetts. According to Treehugger:

Last week residents of Concord, Massachusetts voted to ban the sale of all bottled water by next January, making it the first U.S. town to take such action.

The effort was lead by Jean Hill, an 82-year old activist, who lobbied neighbors and officials alike on the consequences of plastic bottles filling landfills and polluting local waters.

While I definitely have green leanings, this ban seems a little ridiculous. Why aren’t bottled sodas and juices banned too? Why not give incentives to consumers that buy glass containers or get their water from companies that reuse large containers of water? Instead of banning bottled water, wouldn’t it be more useful to offer incentives on products like metal water bottles, Brita/Pur filters, etc.? To me, expensive bottled water is pretentious (looking at you Voss), but this ban is pretentious in its own way.

I’d love to hear what you think of the Concord, MA ban on bottled water. Is it an inspired move or a misguided one?

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Sprint HTC Evo 4G Hitting Stores on June 6 for $200?

There’s a chance that the Sprint HTC Evo 4G — America’s first 4G phone — will be on sale sooner than most were expecting. AndroidCentral came across several promotional flyers photographed by a forum user from its sister site. The photos allegedly come from Radio Shack (or as its known in some parts of the country, The Shack). A Radio Shack salesman allegedly said that the phone will be available for $200 with a contract and $600 without. The estimated arrival date for the phone is June 6.

I was expecting the Evo 4G to be available towards the end of the summer. A June 6 release date would be much better for Sprint. Verizon’s HTC Incredible has been getting great reviews and Apple is expected to announced its next iPhone later in June. The sooner Sprint launches the phone — which was recently approved by the FCC, btw — the better. Of course the June release would only make sense if Sprint has completed extensive work on upgrading its WiMax 4G network.

If the phone comes out in June, would any of you make the jump to Sprint and the Evo 4G?

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Lost Planet 2 Party Pictures

Last night I went to an excellent party for Lost Planet 2. In addition to drinks and food, there was an LP2 tournament, custom t-shirts from I Am 8-Bit, a Lost Planet ski-ball machine, tons of celebrities I didn’t know, and that Olivia chick from the Iron Man 2 movie. Here are some pictures and goofy comments.

Here’s a shot from the opening moments of the party, before all the kids arrived.

The Lost Planet ski-ball machine was completely awesome. I want one!!!

Here’s a shot from the red carpet. There was dozens of celebs from television shows that I don’t watch, so I didn’t really recognize anyone.

It’s usually awkward running into your ex-fiance, but I’m always thrilled to see Capcom Melody. *sigh* It never would have worked out….

I Am 8-Bit served up some awesome custom-made t-shirts. You’ll have a chance to win mine  soon!

Look, it’s that chick from Attack of the Show and Iron Man 2…Olivia something or another.

Today’s Poll: Icee vs. Slurpee

This is probably the most important question you’ll answer all month — which slush beverage is superior, Icees or Slurpees? I had this argument with a friend yesterday and we almost ended up in a fist fight. I love Icees. I prefer the texture and flavor of them over Slurpees. In my mind it’s not even close. That said, everyone is entitle to their own opinion (even if it’s completely wrong). What say you?

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What Are You Playing This Weekend?

My nemesis Zoe Flower left me a very sweet tweet that reminded me of the many wonderful times we’ve had drinking coffee and playing Scrabble. It also reminded me that I’ve gotten at the game. Perhaps I’m just better at Scrabble when I can see the actual board and arrange my tiles with my own hands, but RPadholics Big Blak and N8R have been making me look silly in Hasbro Family Game Night Scrabble. I need to practice…and it all starts this weekend!

I’m hoping to make some time for Final Fantasy XIII as well, but I’m guessing that competitiveness will win out and I’ll work on raising my Scrabble power levels (it’s like Dragon Ball Z…but you don’t need a scouter).

As always, let me know what you’re playing this weekend!

Coffee Talk #140: What Are You Looking Forward to at E3 2010?

E3 2010 is a little over a month away and I wanted to get your thoughts on the show. I’ll probably ask you this question a couple of more times in the next few weeks so I can see how your answers change as information leaks. For now let me know what you’re jazzed about.

Are you looking forward to PlayStation Move vs. Project Natal? Perhaps you’re more interested in the future of streaming gaming and want to see how Gaikai vs. OnLive plays out. Mobile gaming is growing crazy fast and there will tons of great iPad/iPhone games on display. Perhaps you’re not interested in these new battles and trends. Maybe you just want more info on an exciting console or PC game.

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, your plans for catching Iron Man 2 this weekend, Nutrisystem dumping Lawrence Taylor as a spokesman, or your UFC 113 predictions, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

E3 2010 is a little over a month away and I wanted to get your thoughts on the show. I’ll probably ask you this question a couple of more times in the next few weeks so I can see how your answers change as information leaks. For now let me know what you’re jazzed about.

Are you looking forward to PlayStation Move vs. Project Natal? Perhaps you’re more interested in the future of streaming gaming and want to see how Gaikai vs. OnLive plays out. Mobile gaming is growing crazy fast and there will tons of great iPad/iPhone games on display. Perhaps you’re not interested in these new battles and trends. Maybe you just want more info on an exciting console or PC game.

Let me know what you’re looking forward to at this year’s show. It will certainly alter my approach going into it. While I’m not going to write every story you’re interested in — I’m just one guy and have my own angles to play too — you’ll certainly be on my mind as I process story ideas. While I’d love for all of you to attend E3 with me, this is sorta kinda the next best thing, yeah? Use your influence and shape my E3 2010 coverage (please)!

AT&T iPhone Exclusivity Extended Thanks to iPad Deal?

To borrow The Rock’s schtick, the millions — and millions — of people wishing for an Apple iPhone on Verizon will have to wait a little longer. At least that’s the word according to BroadPoint AmTech analyst Brian Marshall. According to him, AT&T’s flexibility on iPad data plans has extended the company’s time as the exclusive iPhone carrier in America. He told ComputerWorld:

For that pricing [on the iPad], AT&T was able to negotiate a six-month extension on the iPhone exclusive.

If Marshall is correct, that’s brilliant news for AT&T and crappy news for the rest of the country (I’m exaggerating). The speculation was that Verizon was gunning hard for an LTE iPhone to help kick off the launch of its 4G LTE network in Q4 2010. The buzz on that scenario has been dying. Now kindly excuse me as I go weep on my pillow.

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Virgin Mobile (Sprint) Announces Aggressive Prepaid Plans

Sprint has announced several prepaid plans for its Virgin Mobile brand. Dubbed “Beyond Talk”, these plans look like a great option for consumers that want the reliability of Sprint’s network, but also want to save money and/or don’t want to commit to a contract. Here are some highlights from the press release:

  • The revolutionary $25 plan is the industry’s lowest price point for unlimited messaging, email, data and web with 300 minutes of voice per month, ideal for high-end device users seeking an unbeatable price to enable the text and data services they need.
  • The $40 plan includes unlimited messaging, email, data and web with 1,200 minutes of voice per month — the perfect value for those seeking an affordable plan with everything they need.
  • The $60 plan includes unlimited messaging, email, data and web with unlimited voice to offer great value for high-end smartphone users expecting an unlimited plan to cost much more.
  • For the first time, Virgin Mobile customers can add Blackberry data service to any of these plans for just $10 more, enabling an unprecedented $35 plan consisting of both voice calling and Blackberry data service.

The press release mentions that the Virgin Mobile will offer RIM’s BlackBerry 8530 phone at the end of May. While it’s not the most advanced handset in RIM’s catalog, it’s capable enough. Combined with Beyond Talk’s aggressive pricing, it’s a compelling choice for people looking for a smartphone on the cheap.

Any of you interested in Virgin Mobile’s Beyond Talk plans?

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Darkspawn Chronicles Lets You Play Dragon Age as a Baddie

Just in case you’ve been wondering what goes through the mind of a lonely genlock, the Darkspawn Chronicles DLC pack for Dragon Age: Origins lets you experience a brief portion of the game from the darkspawn’s perspective. The DLC will be available on May 18, 2010 for $4.99 on PS3, 400 BioWare Points on PC, and 400 Microsoft Points on Xbox 360. Here are some highlights from the press release:

  • Imagine a world without heroes, where the greatest among you never became a Grey Warden
  • Play through the Fall of Denerim from the perspective of the darkspawn
  • Complete the module and unlock an epic darkspawn item for use in Dragon Age: Origins and Dragon Age: Origins — Awakening
  • Use the “Enthrall” ability – recruit any darkspawn you encounter into your party

As a huge Dragon Age nerd, I’m certainly going to play this batch of DLC, but I’m not super excited for it. As I mentioned in Coffee Talk #36, I just don’t enjoy playing as the villain.

Any of you planning to pick up this Dragon Age: Darkspawn Chronicles?

Coffee Talk #139: Do You Break Videogame Controllers?

I love watching my friend James play videogames. He gets angry. He curses out the television. And inevitably, he flings his controller. Sometimes it’s more fun watching his reactions than watching the game itself.

I’m usually pretty calm when I play games. There are a few things that can drive me into a controller-throwing rage. Cheap deaths and cheap boss fights immediately come to mind. Last year I was playing Street Fighter IV while dealing with a malfunctioning Xbox 360 that often made the screen impossible to see. This made beating Seth — one of the cheapest bosses ever — even more irritating. This also made my hand hurt from punching my arcade stick.

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 latest American Idol elimination, Milton Bradley being stressed out by earning millions of dollars playing baseball, or 61* being in the HBO rotation again, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

I love watching my friend James play videogames. He gets angry. He curses out the television. And inevitably, he flings his controller. Sometimes it’s more fun watching his reactions than watching the game itself.

I’m usually pretty calm when I play games, but there are a few things that can drive me into a controller-throwing rage. Cheap deaths and cheap boss fights immediately come to mind. Last year I was playing Street Fighter IV while dealing with a malfunctioning Xbox 360 that often made the screen impossible to see. This made beating Seth — one of the cheapest bosses ever — even more irritating. This also made my hand hurt from punching my arcade stick.

Do any of you throw or break your controllers? What drives you into that zone? Consider today’s Coffee Talk therapy and release your videogame rage!