Super Water Kills Bugs Dead

Wired News (article)

The solution looks, smells and tastes like water, but carries an ion imbalance that makes short work of bacteria, viruses and even hard-to-kill spores.

If this water does the stuff that it reports, it seems to me like it would be a revolution in medicine. Check out the article.

PlayStation 3 announced for 2006

GameSpot (article)

A couple of days ago Xbox announced its platform, today PlayStation announced theirs. Let’s see how the PS3 looks.

Sony also confirmed the PlayStation 3 will use Blu-ray discs as its media format. The discs can hold up to six times as much data as current-generation DVDs. It will also support CR-ROM, CD-RW, DVD, DVD-ROM, DVD-R, DVD+R formats. Sony also confirmed that the machine will be backward compatible all the way to the original PlayStation. It will also have slots for Memory Stick Duo, an SD slot, and a compact flash memory slot. It will also sport a slot for a detachable 2.5-inch HDD, somewhat similar to the Xbox 360's. Sony did not mention if the drive would be standard.

Everything looks good here. By Sony going with Blu-Ray that format gets a boost to its prospects (the other competing format is hologram discs) that Blu-Ray will win the format war. Also it is good to see that the PS3 will take Compact Flash, one because CF has 2gig of storage space, which is a good chunk to be able to save on to, two because having a CF slot makes the hackablility of the PS3 much easier, and three I just got a camera with CF so I like all the help I can get to keep that format around. Also I read somewhere else (i think ign.com) that the hard drive was 160gig... but I can't access the article right now, but if that is true that will hold a lot of saved game stuff.

Sony also unveiled the PS3's graphics chip, the RSX "Reality Synthesizer," which is based on Nvidia technology. The GPU will be capable of 128bit pixel precision and 1080p resolution--some of the highest HD resolution around. The RSX also has 512MB of graphics render memory and is capable of 100 billion shader operations and 51 billion dot products per second. It also has more than 300 million transistors, larger than any processor commercially available today. It will be manufactured using the 90nm process, with eight layers of metal. The RSX is more powerful than two GeForce 6800 Ultra video cards, which would cost roughly $1,000 total if purchased today.

On the G4 coverage of E3 today, they were discussing if computer gaming was getting killed by console gaming. At least in the graphics department the PS3 will beat my computer, and probably the computer I buy next as well.

Speaking of video, Sony Computer Entertainment's chief technical officer Masa Chatani was on hand to show off the PS3's panoramic video functions. Since the console has two HD outputs, it is can be hooked up to two side-by-side HDTVs to projecting video in a 32:9 extra-widescreen format (think Cinemascope in your living room).

So the Xbox does HD, the PS3 does HD twice... spiff.

Out of the box, the PS3 will have the capability to support seven Bluetooth controllers, which can be used for nearly 24 hours before they require charging. It will also have six USB slots for peripherals: four up front and two in the back. As rumored, it will also have Wi-Fi connectivity to the PSP, which can be used as a remote screen and/or controller.

Seven wireless controllers!?! Man that will make some fun sleepless nights... I don't even know if I could get seven people together to play PS3 all at once. Seven, jeez.

Dr. Richard Marx, the inventor of EyeToy, was on hand to show off the PS3's wireless HD IP Camera. The demo recalled rumors that the machine will have Minority Report-esque motion-sensing capabilities. Marx held two small cup-like objects in his hands, which moved the cups on the screen in real time.

Could the next EyeToy be the first large commercial version of augmented reality games? Let's hope so.

Sony also emphasized that the PlayStation 3 would have similar online connectivity and services as the next generation of Xbox Live. Calling it "an always on, always connected device," Chatani said the PS3 would be constantly in touch with a "PlayStation World" network "fundamentally based on a on community, communication commerce, and content." He said that subscribers could "exchange unique characters and items through the network," much like Microsoft's Xbox Live Marketplace.

The last thing that Xbox has going for it is that Xbox Live will be free on the weekends. If Sony matches this then the Xbox will have some serious catching up to do to keep up with the PS3. Let’s face it, the Xbox already has some catching up to do.

In almost every aspect the PS3 looks better than the Xbox, and it is looking more and more that the Xbox is only next gen 0.5 where PS3 is actually the next gen. (They debated this for a bit on G4). But, really, if Microsoft does not answer the PS3's call of awesomeness, Sony may be king of the consoles once again.

Although, Nintendo is expected to say something about Revolution sometime this week, we'll see how that turns out. Somehow I doubt it will beat PS3 prospects...

BSE update.

Project: Best Summer Ever (site)

The best summer ever is off to a good start, you can see the updates over at the site. I have posted 10 new missions, which brings the total up to 85 missions to do. Only 15 more for me to write until I can start to actually to something else. ^_^
But right now its dinner time.

Eight Ways to Win an Argument

Schopenhauer (article)

I like to argue. That is because I like to be in pursuit of the truth. Other people like to argue. That is because some of them what to be right at all costs, even when they know they are wrong. I don’t like them.

I think that all my beliefs are correct. If they are not correct, I will change them. This means that if I am shown wrong, I must modify my beliefs. So when arguing I am not arguing to make you believe what I believe, it is usually to see why you believe what you do, because if you have a good reason to believe such things it is worth wile for me to consider it. I argue to find the truth. Some others don’t.

This article is a guide on how to win arguments, and it will tell you how to win an argument. It has such helpful tips such as:

26. A brilliant move is to turn the tables and use your opponent's arguments against himself.
Example: Your opponent declares: "so and so is a child, you must make an allowance for him."
You retort, "Just because he is a child, I must correct him; otherwise he will persist in his bad habits."

But there are also tips on how to argue dirty:

38. Become personal, insulting and rude as soon as you perceive that your opponent has the upper hand.
In becoming personal you leave the subject altogether, and turn your attack on the person by remarks of an offensive and spiteful character.
This is a very popular technique, because it takes so little skill to put it into effect.

I hate when people argue like this. *They* are the “close minded” ones. When they see that they will lose, they do not change their opinion, or step back from the argument to think, they become crybabies. I HATE arguing with these kinds of people, I have tried to stop arguing with those that do not argue to find truth, but instead try to win at all costs.

It is worth looking at the list, so that you can recognize when someone is not arguing to find the truth, but arguing to win the argument. And if you find yourself every arguing with someone who is arguing dirty, I encourage you to stop the argument as soon as possible.

Mission #69 Completed!

Project: Best Summer Ever: Mission #69: Visit a family member more than 50 miles away. (500pts)

Doing stuff back in Garden (see the many posts below) helped me complete the first mission of the Best Summer Ever.

All-in-all the trip was fun, and it was nice to see everyone. I actually wish i could have stayed longer to do more stuff down there, but Nicole had to come back, since she had to teach today.

Oh well, 500 points down, 29500 more to go. :)

On Sunday we had a graduation party for Jenette and Chris (grad from K-State), Maria (from GCHS), and for my mom who got a masters from Newman. There were a lot of people that came by and we had all the normal graduation food, plus sandwiches from Adam’s Rib (the best BBQ in Garden City). Somary dropped by, and she brought with her kid Ashley. Ashley and Ava had fun playing with each other, as you can see here. After the party, we stopped over at Nicole’s mom house to say goodbye, and then we headed back up here, arriving at midnight.
Today I have not done much except for sorting through the pictures. But I do need too much on some leftover pizza survivors from Friday night.

Since the community college and the high school share the same football field the city finally raised the funds to improve the football field. Now we have awesome field turf. (Like k-state’s field, although Garden’s seemed a bit squishy-er, but it could just be newer.) It is improvements like this, that the city is starting to do, that is making Garden stand out a bit more that the other cities in western Kansas. (The reason this helps is because events, such as marching band competitions, are now held in Garden instead of switching between cities.)

(In the picture is Michelle giving some love to the end zone.)

(The housing and dining service guys just changed the battery in my smoke detector. I don’t have to listen to the stupid beeping anymore.)

After graduation we took a lot of pictures out on the field. Here is one on Nicole’s mom and sisters.

We basically went strait to the stadium when we got to Garden, and we made it just a little before the grads started to walk in. As far as I know this is the first time that they had graduation at night, and it was much nicer than having it in the day time when it is so hot. The graduation ceremony was good, and alot of the speeches by the elders, and the youngins had a very pro-Garden City vein in them. A am glad to see that because Garden City is *by far* the best, and biggest city in western Kansas (although I haven’t been to Hays in awhile, Amber makes it seem like hell, so I’ll say Garden is better than Hays), and everybody always seems to disown being from there. But I think that the city has been working on improving itself some, and at least to me, the kids are starting to be proud to say that they are from Garden. I am glad to see that.

When everyone was found we all headed over to Jenette and Chris for their graduation party. We brought our monster disc and played with it some while all the old’ns talked inside (boring ^_^). Soon after lunch was finished Nicole, Michelle, and I left so that would could make it down to Garden City for Maria’s (Nicole’s sister) graduation.

After graduation there were swarms of people. We were just glad to be able to find each other.

On Saturday morning, bright an early, was Chris and Jenette’s graduation. The ceremony took awhile, but I guess it wasn’t too bad; there were just a lot of names to call off.

When we got back home from Walsmart we broke open the junk and played with some of it. We took the monster disc and squirmy wormy out back and played with them for a bit. We took some pictures, but the ones of the monster disc did not turn out, mainly because it did not emit light. However the squirmy wormy did emit light, so we got a couple good pics of playing with it.

After Pizza Hut, Nicole, Michelle and I headed over to walsmart to get some supplies. We picked up some graduation gifts for Chris and Jenette, and bought a bunch of stuff to mess around with. Most notable is the 20Q ball, it kept me entertained for along time while in the car going to and from Garden.

My weekend; In pictures.

On Friday night everyone converged on man Happenin’ for Jenette and Chris graduation. Chris family decided to eat at Pizza Hut down in Aggieville, so we enjoyed a nice evening of pizza slaughter. My dad, Michelle, and my uncle Randy made it up here not too long after we started to eat, and then Aaron stopped by. Good times.

The people in this picture are (L to R): Audrey (Chris sister), Ava (Audrey’s kid), my dad, my uncle Randy, and Chris is head banging or something.