Alt+Tab

Vista Speech Recognition Rocks Big Time

2007-07-12T06:37:00.000-07:00

A little video that shows us how freaking easy it actually is to work with Vista's Speech Recognition Software. Keyboards are so gone, dudes.

So gone...

MS Photosynth demo

2007-07-04T02:22:00.000-07:00

I know Apple rules and all but Microsoft has got some pretty cool projects too.
Just check out the way they manage to create some really rockin' multidimensional spaces with super zoom and navigation features just by 'linking' pictures together. The responsible for this nifty new tool is a guy called Blaise Aguera y Arcas. And this Photosynth Thingy is like the Michael Jordan of all pictures slide show!

Cool huh...?

"Kitt... come and get me"

2007-06-17T14:37:00.000-07:00

We are now closer than ever to be hearing this line again! Please, keep those guns away from your mouths, though... I'm not talking about a new Knight Rider series. All I'm talking about is the cute little blue Volkswagen from Stanford: Junior. The robot-car recently graduated on his first basic driving test, and is now headed for bigger challenges! A race on mock city streets. I have to say, I never liked artificial intelligence driven cars (as seen in computer games). Remember that the one thing that keeps us from driving recklessly is the fact that we have our life on the line all the time while driving. Machines don't care (just play "Driver" and watch those cops ramming you with no care for their passenger's 'lives'). On the other hand, I do take some glee in knowing that human taxi drivers are now doomed and will face extinction! I mean, even a robot can't possibly drive worse than them...

Apple FTW

2007-06-13T04:55:00.000-07:00

I don't know what's happening lately, but everywhere I turn i see some Apple related product-news-hype-ad something! Even this blog has its share of Apple hype. Apple iPhone, iPod, iBook, i wonder... where is this resurrected company going?? Kudos to them for this 'reborn out of their own ashes' move. Here are some of the latest Apple related headlines:

iPhone, developer friendly... someday
Explore Safari on Windows
How to get an iPhone, by Steve jobs

...an Apple a day keeps my pockets empty of change.

Americans are F-U-N-N-Y

2007-06-07T11:56:00.000-07:00

I'm not even gonna bother to give you guys an explanation. Just watch the clip.

I'll show you mine if you show me yours...

2007-06-05T02:46:00.000-07:00

Genomes that is. The hype in internet sharing is not each own's private parts anymore. I predict that in a few years time, all the lets-make-friends online services will not be about sharing glamorous or revealing photographs of ourselves, but it will be all about showing our secret genes to our friends. Dr. James D. Watson has now started it. After his genome was decoded, he has decided to share it with all the researchers around the world. Well, not his whole genome... There are some parts that he decided to keep away from the public... And this is where this gets interesting. Watson has decided to not reveal "his apolipoprotein E gene, the status of which he does not wish to know because it predisposes a person toward Alzheimer's disease." ...His "private parts" genes. This will bring us to a whole new discussion. A complete genome of yourself will expose all your imperfections. And it would empower people to scorn you around with scientific backing! I can already hear the shouts in future kindergartens: "Your dad is likely to become bald! And he has smelly feet! Its all in is vitaminic ABC genes! Ha-ha" ... Oh the kids these days...

The question now is: Which genes will be your "private parts"?

So much time...

2007-06-01T06:12:00.000-07:00

So Nathan saves New York by flying Peter to the stratosphere as Hiro meets with Takezo Kensei face to face, Locke kills Naomi but Jack still gets through to whoever is on 'the ship', Michael and Mahone look at each other before being thrown into fearsome Sona and Kellermann's good deed gets him dead... or does it?
We wont know what happens next, not until next autumn and maybe even next year!
Why is it that we wait so much for these things? Why is it that we can get so hooked on stuff we cant control? Why is it that they know exactly how to make us go mad with anticipation? These guys are good. So good! And I guess it's ok for us to wait right? I mean we wouldn't want to rush those guys, it's our entertainment they're messing with, so they might as well take their sweet time and make it extra cool for us.
But it just sucks ass that we have to wait so damn long! AAHHH!

I was going to put quote about patience here... but I just wasnt about to waste my precious time searching for one that said what I felt. Tough luck!

Guitar 'Super' Hero

2007-05-30T04:06:00.000-07:00

Ok. So I was trying to keep my promise to not post youtube videos, cause that's a so hi5-flicker-myspacish thing to do but... After I've seen this guy, I just can't seem to stop wanting to share it with all you Guitar Hero fans. For those of you who don't know what Guitar Hero is, well, congratulations, you are not nerds. But this guy...

Yet Another Pointless Videogame Movie Announced: The SIMS

2007-05-25T04:07:00.000-07:00

I think everyone in our huge audience knows about "The SIMS". The acclaimed life simulation game, where you control a bunch of characters going on about their daily life, work, social gatherings, love relationships, and so on... The game has sold millions and has had loads of expansions and added content... It is a hugely popular franchise so... I guess it automatically qualifies as an obvious target for the hungry Hollywood industry. Even so, I wouldn't imagine someone would actually try to make a movie conversion out of this... Don't get me wrong, I really like to explore the "Big Brother" side of my sick mind, but, after the great movie "Truman Show" I don't see much space left for something like this to happen:

«20th Century Fox has acquired feature rights to the life simulation computer game "The SIMS" from Electronic Arts, and has set project up with Fox-based John Davis.» in Variety.com

What i WOULD like to see, is 'machinima' spoofs made from already existing films, done with The Sims engine... like these two cowboys from that gay looking mountain in the back.

Bottom line, it is only fair that the movie industry comes up with pointless videogame ports... the Videogame industry has been doing pointless movie ports for decades.

What is your take on this?

Rambo IV - Why the Geriatric Comeback?

2007-05-25T04:06:00.000-07:00

I'm ok with old actors working as long as they don't do sex scenes and stuff where they have to show their wrinkly bare assets. I also must comply that many actors and actresses have found a new boost of vitality and creativity and hence have managed to reach success yet again, if not for the first time , in their autumn years, people like Judy Dench, Morgan Freeman and Ian McKellen... But I cant help to think Stallone has seen better days, and by better days I mean: #1 - being a runner up for Best Actor in the Oscars back in 1976. #2 - Cop Land.
So why take a character as likable as the slow thinking, fast striking, speech impediment enforcing John Rambo, now a retired killing machine, and make him go through hell all over again? Well, I don't have the answer to that unusually long question, but I do have the trailer of this Rambo IV for you guys to see; and if my eyes don't fool me I believe this is gonna be a Sunday of Grumpy Old Men's back problems and refusal to take their medicine with Rambo's sweaty men in jungle suits covered by a topping of Starship Troopers exploding bodies and excessive usage of fake blood with a cherry on top.
If this doesn't make sense to you, try to read this very slowly after watching the trailer.

SK + SCft = Luv 4 Ever more

2007-05-22T02:45:00.000-07:00

For those of you who dont know a thing about Blizzard's Starcraft, lay back, relax and try to take it all in as I tell you about the love story between a country and a computer game.

Back in the day, I think it was 1998, Starcraft was the bomb! Everyone played it, everyone knew it, everyone barfed when the Zerg leader had to say something. But the buzz around Europe was nothing compared to the huge impact it had on the South Korean geek comunity, they went pro over yonder. Starcraft went live on 3 TV Channels, the geeks won sponsorships and were catapulted to stardom, dudes would build maps and story lines for a living, the leagues could pay as much as $200.000 usd in prize money. Bottom line, they took it to a whole new level making Starcraft into a highly competitive real-time strategy multiplayer game that moved a lot of people, a lot of money and ultimately ruled the lives of 3.5 million South Koreans.
So last saturday, in Seoul (South Korea) Blizzard came out swinging with the new game, the 'numero dos', it looks amazing, it sounds amazing, the gameplay is still super psyched and the Zergs still look like crap.

Last saturday Blizzard gave South Korea an orgasm. I wish them both all the best!!

"Fool Engadget Once...

2007-05-21T09:41:00.000-07:00

Shame On... Shame on You. Fooled me... you can't get fooled again."

Why did I just mashed that wonderful Bush Saying with one of the most respectful online news source? Well, because I'm a dick for easy and lame jokes, and also because Engadget indeed got played. And very well played I must say. Last Wednesday the rumor that Apple's iPhone was significantly delayed broke out in the respected blog, and that speculation lead to Apple's stock going down. The blog later called it a false alarm, still the damage was done, and I'm betting someone made a profit out of it. Lessons learned, don't believe everything you read in a news blog. That is, if that blog is not Alt+Tab. Obviously...

Bootleg Mashup Sensations!

2007-05-18T02:51:00.000-07:00

I've been introduced to the Best of Bootie cds through Boingboing.net about a year ago, and just now I sense that the Bootie Fever is hitting portugal "Pow! Right'n the kisser!"

So for those of you who want a nice experience, that combines 1980's biggest stars with our contemporary ones, go and get those two cds. They're free, they're fresh, they're fun, fun, FUN!

-> Go get'em, tigers!

Little Big Planet

2007-05-17T17:14:00.000-07:00

I know that two gaming posts in such a short time is probably too much for this blog to take, but just take some time to go through these pictures in their full-size... These high-definition screens of Little Big Planet due on the PS3 are just beautiful. Aching beautiful. These adorable creatures taken directly from one of your many kiddie shows you used to watch, are user-generated content. This puts you in control of a wonderful world that can also be user-generated, populating it with these weird ragdolls. Yes, they made a game out of what used to be kindergarden playtime. I'll be watching this game closely, so don't worry, just keep alt+tabbing, and I'll keep drooling.

Yippee Kai-Yay... you meanie!!

2007-05-17T06:34:00.000-07:00

The whole controversy about the new Die Hard movie being rated PG-13 is quite the conundrum. I mean, seriously who wants to see a politically correct Bruce Willis?... I've seen one, in that Disney movie where nowadays Bruce Willis meets with his 1950's chubby quirky self, that movie sucked big time. Bruce himself said that he was pissed about the movie being cut up like that, that it takes away a bit of John McLane, and I agree cause now all he's got is guns. No more shall we laugh at his surgical one liners right before the bad guy bites it. We want to see a Bruce Willis who's always cracking sexual jokes, poking fun at racial minorities and doing all that with the silly stupid grin we're all so used to see. I mean he doesn't even have Samuel L. Jackson by his side, and we all know that between the two of them Mr. Potty Mouth is Vince Vega's buddy, right?

Please, gentlemen of the MPAA, I urge you to reconsider your decision. Or at least redo the movie with Haley Joel Osment as John's 'overgrown kid trapped in an adult body' sidekick... please.

Fire Emblem - The Sacred Stones

2007-05-17T01:12:00.000-07:00

I guess we all know what happens when a Demon King, imprisoned by a set of sacred stones, manages to somehow influence great kings and rulers to find these stones and one by one break'em to pieces.
Yes a great turn based RPG happens. It had been a while since I'd played such an entertaining game on GBA, but this one was a big suprise because it combines a lot of cool stuff in one lil' tiny cartridge. Story wise, we have a bad wave of demon possessed kingdom that is running throughout the land, wrecking havoc just so they can find the dammed stones, you play Erika the princess of the first kingdom to get drop kicked by the meanies, and you'll meet lots of exciting people, not in the Knights of Xentar way though (+10 geek points), and you'll even get a chance to switch character later on in the game. The story and structure is very much like every other RPG, I'll call that structure the 'Square Enix Structure'(+1 geek point) so that you geeks out there know exactly what I'm talking about. You start the game with two character, being led through a very self explanatory battle/tutorial. You play map by map with quite a big array of objectives, enters the Advance War similarities (survive # of turns, kill all enemies, seize throne, etc...). Very soon you understand that you can do things with these characters, you can equip them with cool stuff, weapons, you can choose how they will spend the experience they earn after each battle, and ultimately you can build yourself a killing team worthy of Cloud, Barret and Tifa (+5 geek point!). The difference here is that you dont go around maps like in Zelda, cutting down plants and hitting monsters with your stumped sword. You get an overall perspective of everything, very much like in Advance Wars(+1 geek point) and the turn based engine makes it feel even more 'Advance War-y'.
Because of the huge number of characters that you will stumble upon throughout the game you'll have to make choices. So will you choose the stealthy metrosexual thief or will you choose the Abercrombie & Fitch model who happens to wield a massive axe? I wonder. It's on you man, and this makes the game a complete new experience every time you start a new campaign. So here it is, Fire Emblem - The Sacred Stones, is a lengthy Advance Wars meets Seiken Densetsu 2 (+5 geek points) where every choice you make might very well mean losing or winning the battle on your precious GBA.

Please leave you Geek scores in the comment box.

LOST: Who is Jacob after all?!

2007-05-16T13:13:00.000-07:00

«Since we first heard of "the Jacob's List", we have all been curious to know about this misterious spiritual guru of the "hostiles" (...)» (in 'many journals of Lost's loonies'. Actually it's on my journal. Or it would be, if I kept one)
Yes. I too, am a freak for the TV show "Lost". Some have already given up hope that its plot one day starts making any sense, yet I, never stopped reading theories, explanations and hidden informations, in my quest to fit all the puzzle pieces of the most compelling TV show since Twin Peaks (yes, I understand the seriousness of my claims and take full responsability of its consequences). The point of this post is to warn you that the 3rd season is at an end, and I would very much like you all to make this place a haven for your theories and views. Who is Jacob? What is the black smoke? Am I mentally challenged and a complete nerd? Don't miss out on today's Lost episode...

More Macbooks. More Stuff I'll Never Have?

2007-05-16T03:07:00.000-07:00

It may come as yesterday's news for most of you, avid readers of this high-tech and completely up-to-date blog, but I've only found out today that Apple has released a new brand of Macbooks. 13.3'' displays (1280x800px), 2.0 to 2.16Gh Intel Core Duo processors, 1GB RAM (expandable to 2GB), and 80GB, 120GB and 160GB of hard drive disk space are the main features of this new batch, featuring also built-in iSight video cameras, AirPort Extreme wireless cards capable of 802.11n wireless networking, two USB 2.0 ports and one FireWire port. Prices are probably what surprised me the most on this new set of laptops, ranging from 1,099$ to 1,499$, making these babies cheap enough for me to dream on, but still not enough for me to actually buy them. Alt+Tab (or Cmd+Tab in MacOS).

Spider Man 3 - The Bad guys!

2007-05-15T08:12:00.000-07:00

Peter Parker, man! What can I say? Of course, by now everyone on the planet has seen the movie, but they still don't know what I have to say about it, right? So here goes!
For this last chapter on the Spidey trilogy, we come face to face with a Peter that's more confortable in his skin. He knows he's loved by those he cares about, so I guess the movie could very well end there. With a happy ever after ending and so on. But no! There HAS to be something, the proverbial wrench in the crank. And that wrench comes in several masculine forms.
First, we welcome back Green Goblin Jr., played quite nicely by James Franco, the bad boy from Freaks and Geeks, who's on a quest to avenge his crazy ass father who's famous for dying majestically in Platoon. His super powers are: throwing bombs and flying around shaking his fist in fury. I'll give him a 7.
Second, a new opponent arises. He is big, looks dumb and is made out of sand! OMG! Haden Church delivers a poor sap of a Sandman, we dont know wether to feel sorry for him and his sick/crippled kid or just to make fun of his taste in fashion, super powers are as follow: big hands, big smash, big sleepy time. I'll give him a 4.
Then comes three. Venom aka Topher Grace, who is not called Venom but Eddie Brock. This guy is, at first, very cool and funny and you get attached to him, like with Jim in American Pie, but then he gets violated by that black tar looking stuff and gets real scary real fast, like Jim in American Pie 2. Super powers are: big teeth filled mouth and sarcasm of death. I'll give him a 9 ('cause of his messed up mouth...brrr)
Oh! By the way, Kirsten Dunst still has a crooked tooth and for that I'll give her a 1.

Spidey 3 trailer here.

The boss is looking. Or is he?

2007-05-15T07:28:00.000-07:00

An Introduction to Alt+Tab, by The Sundance Kid

Much like a normal day at work, we 'Nine to Fivers' take refuge in things that have nothing to do with work. Hence the clever name of Alt+Tab. Yes, this may make you less efficient, you may produce less, you may be cutting through your focus chart with a chainsaw. But really... who cares as long as you're having fun?

Here you will find everything that you love, that is if everything you love is comprised of Video Games, Technology, Gadgets, Mild Swearing, Movies and other merry distractions. Two happy go lucky cowboys, Butch and I, the Kid, will try to give you the low down on what's what and all that mumbo jumbo.

Have no fear! Our posts will be nothing like this introduction, i'm sure they will be very entertaining.
And now, read on!

Sincerely, Kid.

Budget 1080p LCDs

2007-05-15T04:07:00.001-07:00

I've been officially in the market for a Full-HD LCD television set for some time now. But, being the same old cautious buyer (and one with not that much dough to spend), I've been alt-tabbing on some price comparison sites (http://www.kelkoo.com), tv set reviewers' views, and friends' opinions (yes I use alt-tab on my friends too). I've came to the conclusion that i must either buy a Samsung LE40F71B or a Sony KDL-40W2000. The Samsung is 500€ cheaper and has some nifty features (like that USB port for some picture viewing), but the Sony apparently has a better picture (1:1 pixel mapping on Video sources, the Samsung only does it on PC input...) All things considered, we know Samsung is around LCDs for a lot more time than Sony, and even being a great fan of the Sony CRTs, I think that price tag of 2K € has just sold me to the 1.5k Samsung set. I'll be giving you a more careful review after the purchase. Alt+Tab.

Will you Alt+Tab?

2007-05-15T04:06:00.001-07:00

If Alt+Tab is a common shortcut in your daily work routine, why not add this extra tab for your alternative reading?