My Life With Technology

!!The following post is dedicated to... JOHANNA!!

Hey guys,

Today I'm going to write this post about my life and history with, well, technology. Gadgets and computers have been in my life since the very first time my dad plopped my on his lap, put my hand on the mouse, and let me explore. That was when I was about 5 months old. I immediately observed that when I pressed one of the keys on the keyboard, something would happen on the screen. I also remember playing this computer game with bubbles all over the screen, and when you moved your mouse over the bubbles, they would pop, and and animal would fall our of the bubble and run away (I know, wtf XD). I was addicted since infancy!

4 years old. I play Roger Rabbit on my computer. My little sister had her own computer as well. One day, her computer broke, and the Roger Rabbit game froze. She was really sad. I don't quite remember what I did, but I ended up fixing it. That was the day I decided that I wanted to be in technology for the rest of my life.

Now, moving ahead a couple years. I remember the first time I went to my friend's house, who had a NES, and her showing me how to play Super Mario Bros. I fell in love with the game (which was very difficult for me at the time, I couldn't get past the third stage after on level 1!). I was then exposed to Duck Hunt, and the original Legend of Zelda.

Now another couple years has passed. I'm 7. My dad teaches me the basics of HTML, and I write my first simple webpage, using notepad. I later on discovered "Microsoft Frontpage", and used that for a bit. In third grade, we started to learn how to type properly (touch typing). I remember having a crazy computer teacher who would scream at you if you didn't type properly. Most students in my class, including me, achieved about 25 WPM in touch typing by the end of the year.

I'm 8. I receive my first (handheld) console ever. The Gameboy Colour. My cousins gave my sister and I a green one, as well as Pokemon Silver. My other friend gave me Tetris Attack. I couldn't even put it down the first few weeks.

Another couple years fly by. Theres a craze with "Icy Tower", an extremely pointless addictive game (which I still play sometimes now). We had about 4 computers at the back of our class, and whenever we had free time, everyone would race to the back and take turns playing it, and "Bubble Trouble" as well. Neopets was becoming really popular at that time as well, so everyone had a "Neopet". Playing Neopets enhanced my HTML, as you need to have a well knowledge of it to edit your profile page. I retired with 4 painted pets, a few extremely rare items, and around 8 million neopoints. I also remember being addicted to the MMORPG called "Runescape". I would play it for hours and hours straight. Even though I was completely drowning my addiction for the game, Runescape was how I became a fast touch-typist. I typed 75 WPM at 10 years old.

6th grade. I switch from a small private school to an even smaller public school. The computer lab had Mac G3s. It was the first time I had experienced a mac. After using Windows all my life, I was completely baffled by the strange new operating system. I eventually got used to it, and became "BiOS" (I could use both a Windows and Mac machine).

7th grade. First year of high school (I'm Canadian). The computer teacher was teaching typing, with the goal of 30 WPM for every student in the class by the end of the year. I had already achieved this task in third grade, so he asked me if I wanted to learn HTML. I told him that I already knew HTML since I was 7. My computer teacher, who was completely in shock by my advanced computer skill, asked me to build a website for his basketball team, which I did. I also helped him enter marks of other students into the computer. I also got a DS and a Wii that year. It was also the first year I was exposed to the world of iPods, after received the iPod video for my birthday. This is the year I also stopped being a Microsoft fangirl, and started wanting a Macbook.

8th grade. My computer teacher thinks I am completely stupid and tries to teach me HTML. He then attempts to teach m CSS, along with Javascript, which I already know. The iPod Touch is released. I go crazy, dying to have one. I save up for one with holiday money and finally purchase it. Wonderful sense of accomplishment. After another few months of saving, I go out to BestBuy with the objective to buy the Sony MPEG4 Net Sharing Camcorder. I fail at completing the task, as the PSP had caught my eye, and I couldn't resist it. That was the day I changed minds about being a hardcore Nintendo fangirl. I became open to Xbox and Playstation.

To be continued when I grow up.

Top 5 Nintendo DS Games

Hey guys,

Today I come to you with a top 5 list of my favorite Nintendo DS games. Enjoy!

5. Elite Beat Agents - This music rhythm game is loads of fun, has great songs, and really suits the DS. It uses the touch screen in a very creative way, and is just a blast!

4. Metroid Prime: Hunters - Samus is back, but this time on the DS! This is just about the best first person shooter game on the DS. Use the touch screen to aim your gun, control pad to move, and L button to shoot. Innovative controls for the DS!

3. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - A game that seems boring at first, but turns out to be a great (somewhat adventurous) game! Play as a lawyer, solving murder cases, and more! One of the best storylines on the DS.

2. New Super Mario Bros. - After over a decade, our favorite Nintendo character is finally back! This time, it's on the DS! This is a must-have game for any of the Nintendo DS owners out there, from casual to hardcore gamers!

1. Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass - Toon Link is back in the latest game of the classic LoZ series. Join him on the greatest adventure game on DS, using ONLY the touch screen! There are no buttons to be used in this game, yet the controls are flawless! LoZ: PH has the best graphics the DS can offer, and was named the DS game of the year. Absolute must-have for anyone and EVERYONE!

Geek Movies

Hey guys,

Today I come to you with a top 6 list of best geek movies. Enjoy!

6. Pirates of Silicon Valley – The story about Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, and the creation of Apple and Microsoft.

5. Matrix – This is basically a classic geek movie about Neo, enjoyable to all!

4. Wargames – A teenager who hacked into the Pentagon and by accidentally starts World War III.

3. Hackers – This is a romantic hacker movie, starring Angelina Jolie. A real classic, and another great movie!

2. The Wizard – This is an absolutely amazing movie about old school Nintendo games.

1. Tron – A hacker who is sucked into a virtual computer world and forced to participate in several gladiatorial challenges and games. Nothing can really beat that!

Spring Cleaning for Geeks

Hey guys,

Heres a top 5 list on geeky spring cleaning. Enjoy!

5. Dust off those shiny gadgets - Technology can get quite a bit dusty, so just clean out the grime in the little spots, and make sure the screen is in good condition!

4. Organize your desk - Desks do get messy after a while, so organize your desk, and you will be able to maintain your organized geeky life! Oh, and while you're at it, you might as well also clean out the rest of your room/office.

3. Cable capers; organize them! - Being a geek, my cables do get tangled up with each other after about... A day of use. To prevent this, untangle and organize all of your gadget/computer cables from time to time.

2. Get rid of your old unnecessary computer parts/gadgets - Sell or discard any old useless geek stuff that you don't need anymore. You can make a bit of money, and you'll also have more space to store all your new upcoming gadgets!

1. Clean up your virtual desktop - All those downloads do eventually clutter up your desktop, so take some time off and place those files in the right folders!

List of things to do, get, and upcoming videos!

Hey guys,

Before I start my actual post, I just wanted to say that I FINALLY FOUND GUITAR HERO 3! My friends also got me Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas for PSP, so I will be doing a video on that soon too. Anyways, today I just wanted to post my list of possible upcoming videos, list of things to get/buy, and list of things to do. Enjoy!

1. Super Smash Bros Brawl review
2. Guitar Hero 3 review
3. Macbook Air review
4. Dell XPS M1330 review
5. Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas review
6. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City review
7. Daxter review
8. PSP Slim review
9. PSP Slim vs. DS Lite comparison
10. My upcoming TechTips segment (tips for general tech), probably a few videos or more.

Now, my list of things to get/buy!:

1. New LCD monitor
2. Super Mario Galaxy
3. Sony MPEG4 Camcorder (or something similar)

Yeah, my list is not too big for that (which is good =D). And now, my list of things to do (in general):

1. Get around to making all those videos
2. Save up/work to get the things on my list of things to get/buy
3. Beat my essential DS games (phantom hourglass, phoenix wright, etc.)
4. Beat SSBB adventure mode
5. Beat Guitar Hero 3 career mode in all levels
6. Beat my essential Wii games (corruption, twilight princess, etc.)
7. Beat PSP games

Finally, my last thing that goes on top of everything is: Study hard and work hard. That’s the most important for me.

See you next time,

Sonia

PSP Slim

Hey guys,

As most of you know, I recently bought a PSP Slim. I purchased the "Daxter Entertainment Pack", which came with the limited edition 'Ice Silver PSP', Daxter, Family Guy: The Freakin' Sweet Collection, and a 1GB memory stick pro duo. Also, there was luckily one copy of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City left, so I bought that too.

At first, I felt horribly wrong owning the PSP, like I was stabbing Nintendo in the face. But now, I really feel okay, and both games are incredibly fun! I also have a little 'behind the scenes' secret for all of you. You may have seen my "I'm Sorry" video, and then the "Confusion" video. In that video, I stated that the reason I didn't make an unboxing of it was because I didn't feel that it deserved one. But, the actual reason was that I HAD made an unboxing video, but my microphone screwed up and didn't get ANY sound! So yeah, thats basically all I wanted to write about, and also I will be making reviews for the PSP itself, and both games.

See ya next time,

Sonia

Top 7 Best Freeware Programs!

Hey guys,

Today I’m going to talk about my top 7 list of favorite freeware software! These days, there are many free alternatives to expensive programs. So, here goes! (Oh and, this list doesn’t include virus/security software).

PS – “Why only 7?”, you may ask. Well, 10 is an overrated number……… I also couldn’t think of anything else at the moment. ^_^. Enjoy!

7. Firefox

http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/

A free, fast, and clean internet browser. I actually prefer this over Opera, but that’s just because I’m used to it. Equivalent to Opera.

6. Opera

http://www.opera.com/download/

Another free internet browser. A bit faster and cleaner than Firefox. Equivalent to… Firefox!

5. Pidgin

http://www.pidgin.im/download/

An open-source IM program that allows you to login to multiple popular IM programs at the same time, all in one program! Equivalent to Trillian.

4. Skype

http://www.skype.com/download/skype/windows/

A free VOIP program that includes video calling. ‘Skype credits’ (for purchase) available to call actual landlines and cellphones. Beset VOIP software out there.

3. Audacity

http://audacity.sourceforge.net/download/

An open-source audio editor and recorder. Also able to convert audio formats. Also equivalent to nothing, since it is just about the best audio-editor out there.

2. OpenOffice

http://download.openoffice.org/

An open-source text-editing program. Equivalent to Microsoft Word!

1. Gimp

http://www.gimp.org/downloads/

A great photo-editing program. Equivalent to PhotoShop!