A few weeks ago, Joost came out of it's invite-only beta and went public. I'm only getting around to blogging about it now because I was having problems signing up because of avast!, my antivirus software.
I think Wikipedia puts it quite well: Joost is a system for distributing TV shows and other forms of video over the Web using peer-to-peer TV technology. What this means is that you can get some pretty nice looking video playing fullscreen on your computer minutes after you sign up. There's lots of interesting content on the Joost network, I found Numb3rs to be quite interesting, and CBS has put more of their shows up for streaming too. While I much prefer Miro, I like Joost as well for it's legal, good quality, and interesting content. There's something for almost everyone on Joost, and it's free, so why not give it a try? Go check it out now. I'd usually write more, but I have to finish watching the latest episode of Numb3rs.
Joost
-James
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
New Google Ads, but only for things I like
Uh oh, 4 days since my last post. I should talk about some of my changes. First off, I've put up a Google AdSense block at the bottom of the right nav column, the kind that tell you about cool Google things. This is really cool for me, as I get to have links to things I like to use on every page, and I get money when someone clicks on it. I've gone through the motions of looking for things other than Google's stuff in the selection of ads, but there is nothing there. I decided to settle on just a few of Google's products because, despite the very large selection, everything else kind of... sucked.
But anyway, if you see an ad that interests you, that you really feel just from the ad that you might use whatever's advertised, click it. I get money, and you get something awesome. And as much as you like me, don't click ads solely to give me money, not only does it make Google unhappy, but our advertisers too.
I will also be adding some contextual links too, so if you're reading an article about a game, there'll be a nice link directing you to where you can buy it, etc.
More to come,
James
But anyway, if you see an ad that interests you, that you really feel just from the ad that you might use whatever's advertised, click it. I get money, and you get something awesome. And as much as you like me, don't click ads solely to give me money, not only does it make Google unhappy, but our advertisers too.
I will also be adding some contextual links too, so if you're reading an article about a game, there'll be a nice link directing you to where you can buy it, etc.
More to come,
James
Friday, November 2, 2007
Let the coolness begin!
Hi, welcome to the Blog of Cool Things. I'm James, and this is where I talk about everything cool and interesting. This is my second blog, I ditched the first - Game Day Blog - after I realized I wanted to blog about more than just gaming. (However, I did repost my entries from Game Day - they're tagged 'Repost'.) Now, everything I want to talk about goes here, and it fits fine. But this is all very boring, and, ultimately, not cool or interesting in the least. So, let's move on.
Here, you can find a wide variety of... well, stuff that I like. I'll write up articles about everything I find noteworthy enough for my readers. In the coming months, you'll see a great deal of articles on dozens of sites, games, programs, and more. I hope to provide interesting news, reviews, tips, downloads, solutions, advice, videos... whatever my userbase wants to see this site grow into. Since I currently have no one to define what they want, I'm going with a general category of topics to attract the right first users to shape this into something of quality. (Seeing me struggle to dispense women's fashion tips doesn't seem very interesting, now does it? I need people interested in things I know) From there, we'll move forward either through your clicks, seeing which topics are most interesting to you, or through votes, letting you change what topics I focus on most as you see fit.
Soon, I'll have lots of great services available on my site, letting you communicate with me and your fellow users, get the latest thing I'm talking about, suggest future topics, and much, much more. And if you're really into it, hey, who knows? I just might let you put up some posts of your own.
The initial slurry of topics will include most of the things I'm into; here's a general list with some examples:
I want people to love this site, so if you want something, ask. Don't be afraid to email me or post to the forums asking if I could put up a media streaming system on the site, I can. Games? Okay. Host a file for you? I'll certainly consider it. Ask and ye shall receive.
Welcome to the Blog of Cool Things, ladies and gentlemen. We've been waiting for you.
Here, you can find a wide variety of... well, stuff that I like. I'll write up articles about everything I find noteworthy enough for my readers. In the coming months, you'll see a great deal of articles on dozens of sites, games, programs, and more. I hope to provide interesting news, reviews, tips, downloads, solutions, advice, videos... whatever my userbase wants to see this site grow into. Since I currently have no one to define what they want, I'm going with a general category of topics to attract the right first users to shape this into something of quality. (Seeing me struggle to dispense women's fashion tips doesn't seem very interesting, now does it? I need people interested in things I know) From there, we'll move forward either through your clicks, seeing which topics are most interesting to you, or through votes, letting you change what topics I focus on most as you see fit.
Soon, I'll have lots of great services available on my site, letting you communicate with me and your fellow users, get the latest thing I'm talking about, suggest future topics, and much, much more. And if you're really into it, hey, who knows? I just might let you put up some posts of your own.
The initial slurry of topics will include most of the things I'm into; here's a general list with some examples:
- Sites and services, like Digg, Stumbleupon, and GrandCentral (and that's just a few)
- Images (though I'll try to keep those to a minimum, it's a slippery slope to post a funny image instead of write actual content)
- Gaming - reviews, news, downloads, me pleading for money (for, alas, I am poor)
- Videos (No, not that kind of video)
- Programs (only the coolest)
- Humor - I'm not talking lame or silly jokes, I'll take this seriously. I might not post Humor often, but when I do, it'll be because I got at least a full laugh out of it.
- Misc. - A catch-all for anything that doesn't really fit above.
I want people to love this site, so if you want something, ask. Don't be afraid to email me or post to the forums asking if I could put up a media streaming system on the site, I can. Games? Okay. Host a file for you? I'll certainly consider it. Ask and ye shall receive.
Welcome to the Blog of Cool Things, ladies and gentlemen. We've been waiting for you.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Unreal Tournament 3 Demo
Wow. I'm amazed that Epic managed to pack so much awesomeness into 700mb. The latest in the Unreal Tournament series looks better that ever, and at a very playable framerate. I cannot wait to get my hand on the final game (and a comupter that'll let me crank the settings).
The game starts out with a few logos that will (hopefully) be gone in the final game. Then we get to the main menu. The music is unfamiliar at first, then subtly grows into the UT theme. We have our usual menu options, the same as UT2004.
For some odd reason, UT3 wanted to use 50% of my screen to render. Let me explain. With a screen resolution of 640x480, it wanted to expand 320x240 pixels to fill my screen. While this is probably because my computer isn't fancy new, it's still odd.
When I actually went into a game, it looked beautiful. No surprise, but I thought I should mention it. The gameplay still feels like UT, all the weapons feel the same, and the vehicles are still good as well.
Though I didn't win my first match, it was still a blast. The greatest FPS is back with a vengeance, and it's kickin' ass and takin' names.
Download
-James
The game starts out with a few logos that will (hopefully) be gone in the final game. Then we get to the main menu. The music is unfamiliar at first, then subtly grows into the UT theme. We have our usual menu options, the same as UT2004.
For some odd reason, UT3 wanted to use 50% of my screen to render. Let me explain. With a screen resolution of 640x480, it wanted to expand 320x240 pixels to fill my screen. While this is probably because my computer isn't fancy new, it's still odd.
When I actually went into a game, it looked beautiful. No surprise, but I thought I should mention it. The gameplay still feels like UT, all the weapons feel the same, and the vehicles are still good as well.
Though I didn't win my first match, it was still a blast. The greatest FPS is back with a vengeance, and it's kickin' ass and takin' names.
Download
-James
New Crysis demo out!
The new Crysis demo is on Fileshack, and despite it's size, it's worth every megabyte. I took a little time to play it this morning, and even on the lowest settings, the game looks beautiful. My computer managed about 10 fps, which is not bad for my computer's age.
We start with hearing a scientist sending out a short radio message, but she's found by the Koreans before she can say much more than 'This discovery will change the world'.
Seven days later, you are in an airplane over the main island, listening to the chatter of your teammates before your jump to the LZ. On the way down, you get hit by something, and lose your chute. Fortunately, you land over water and your suit protects you. From there, you must meet up with the rest of your team and proceed to rescue the civilians. I won't give away too much story, but suffice to say that Crysis is going to be amazing.
It took me a while to get used to the suit controls, but once I did, it only took me about half a second to change modes, tops. It would seem that Cevat Yerli has really put good effort into this game, and I strongly recommend that you download the demo now. You won't be sorry.
-James
We start with hearing a scientist sending out a short radio message, but she's found by the Koreans before she can say much more than 'This discovery will change the world'.
Seven days later, you are in an airplane over the main island, listening to the chatter of your teammates before your jump to the LZ. On the way down, you get hit by something, and lose your chute. Fortunately, you land over water and your suit protects you. From there, you must meet up with the rest of your team and proceed to rescue the civilians. I won't give away too much story, but suffice to say that Crysis is going to be amazing.
It took me a while to get used to the suit controls, but once I did, it only took me about half a second to change modes, tops. It would seem that Cevat Yerli has really put good effort into this game, and I strongly recommend that you download the demo now. You won't be sorry.
-James
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