Interview with Wii browser developers

The good folks over at Nintendo Life had the opportunity to get the development team of Opera for the Nintendo Wii console to spill a few details about the upcoming browser software.

Will Opera for Wii support tabbed browsing and bookmarks? And will we be able to have personalised bookmarks, so that each family member can have their own profile?
Yes, Opera for Wii will include bookmarks. But Nintendo and Opera have not yet revealed specifics on the unique browser features on the Wii. More will be announced as the Wii launch approaches.

Will the browser be sold as a separate item, like it is for the DS? If so, is it possible to “install” the browser rather than having to swap in the optical disc?
The Opera browser is saved to the Flash ROM on the Wii console, and does not require a separate memory card as Opera for DS does. The browser can be launched in only a few seconds, immediately delivering a great user experience.

What version of Opera is the browser based on? 8.5 or 9.0 ?
Opera 9

Lots more great information at the full article.

So, what do you suppose is the chance that the homepage will be set to Nintendo.com? =D

I can’t get recognition for my blogging! Oh, NOES!

The conversation on the blogosphere regarding this apparent blockage from “upper-tier” bloggers somehow keeping lower-scale bloggers from reaching the heights of power and fame is absolutely ridiculous. Mike Arrington and Jason Calacanis (of all people) are making the most sense of the discussion. From Crunchnotes:

It’s not so much about how one blog can rise through the ranks and get popular. What I love about blogging is the fact that an ecosystem exists, where conversations spring up about anything at all, involving all who wish to participate (through blogs, comments and trackbacks), evolve and move on to other things. Geography, time zones, and cultural differences are mostly irrelevant. It’s about the purity of ideas and the two-way web, where we get to say what we think when we disagree. And trust me, I see disagreement on a constant basis in the trackbacks and comments on my blog. But I’m just happy I’m part of the conversation. Is the system perfect? Nope. But its the coolest thing I’ve ever encountered, and my non-sleeping life is now dedicated to being a part of it.

Blogging is not about the individual. It’s about the power of the blogosphere as an entity.

And from Calacanis:

Filled under “hello?!?!” — there is no A, B, or C list in the blogosphere people. There is your list, my list, and the entire list. No one is blocking anyone, no one is in a position of power, it’s flat… you can do whatever you want–stop crying about it and post something interesting.

I find myself agreeing completely with Jason. The myth of the A, B, and C list bloggers is holding up only within certain people’s nearsighted perception. I have a list of blogs that I read. Their posts are all lined up nice and tidy within my RSS feed reader. I read those blogs, and I am oftentimes introduced to new ones. Maybe the bloggers I’m reading are selective about who they reference on their blog, but I read a litany of blogs from a variety of writers, and I have a feeling there’s no conspiracy here.

I blog for my own reasons. It’s cathartic. It’s a place to spew thoughts that occur to me randomly throughout the day. It’s a way to write, and see if I can force myself to come up with something at least marginally meaningful to say on a (somewhat) daily basis. It’s mainly for me, but I post it publicly just on the off-hand chance that someone else cares to see what is running through my aging head.

I average anywhere from 50-75 daily readers, which is roughly 45-68 more readers than I ever thought would ever care to absorb my musings for any reason whatsoever. If I don’t climb higher than that, it wouldn’t faze me. If it drops to nothing, so be it. To put it plainly, I’m not doing this for YOU, I’m doing it for ME.

Though that doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate you stopping by.

Okay, this conversation can end now. There are more important things to discuss. Say, did you hear that our government’s illegal spying program is finally being dealt with? True!

Blogger getting a MUCH needed upgrade

I switched to using WordPress because Blogger simply lacked the tools I wanted to use. I wanted categories (tags), I wanted a customizable template (but not necessarily free-code), and I wanted speed and efficiency. I may have all that now.

There’s now a beta Blogger available, Mike tells us. Here’s a rundown of some of the cool things Google is finally adding to their blog software that hasn’t been updated with new features for roughly three years.

  • Integration with your Google account
  • Labels (tags)
  • Template customization
    • ‘Widget’-like customization
    • Free-form coding still available
  • RSS feed widgets
  • Javascripting (there’s something they will have over WordPress)

I’m playing around with the features, viewable over here. As I learn more and tinker, I’ll see if this is something I feel like staying with permanently. I’ve used Blogger for several years now (my very first blog was setup on Blogger back in 2001), so I feel that now that they’re beginning to add features and improve the system, I owe them a second look.

I’ll report back here on my experiences periodically.

Netscape Navigators still digging?

The way Jason Calacanis made it sound, the digg users now on the Netscape payroll were going to be “exclusively” ‘scaping (god, I hate that term) for the digg-like social news system. However, a look at the submission history on digg for top users Wayjer and dirtyfratboy shows that they are still contributing to the digg community.

There was never any official statement from Calacanis regarding the users’ contracts, so it’s highly possible that their deal with Netscape isn’t exclusive. However, it’s interesting to note that top digg user Bloodjunkie appears to have completely stopped submitting stories to digg, his last contribution posted at around the time of the Netscape Navigators announcement from Calacanis. So make what you will of this. In any case, it looks like I was right. It doesn’t appear that we truly need to save digg after all, though for different reasons than I had previously noted.

Looks like Wii60 has more power than we thought

Even the editor of the Official Playstation Magazine won’t be picking up a PS3 this year.

So ultimately, I can’t justify it. $600 is a lot of money, especially when I can get what–for me at least–will be a very similar experience for $400. I would like to own a PS3, and I hope that the price drops soon so I can consider it. But until then, this Official PlayStation Magazine editor will have to join the dark side.

Found via digg.

W00t! Radio chat with City of Heroes developer

Looking at my blog stats, I see that I get a LOT of hits from people searching for information on City of Heroes upcoming issue 8. So, let’s appease the masses. Matt Miller, aka “Positron”, a designer for City of Heroes and City of Villains, was interviewed the other day by W00t! Radio. In the discussion they talked about a lot of the things that might or might not make it into issue 8. The results are unfortunate. There’s a rough play-by-play of the interview over here on the official CoH forums, and the interview itself is available for download over here. Here’s a few hightlights:

  • Wings are coming as a costume option
  • Jetbacks on their way as another costume option
  • Invention/skill system was planned for i8, but has been pushed back. Again
  • 5th Column not returning this year. Boo
  • Power customization is too hard
  • Not touching minion customization (also too hard)
  • Nictus is a level 50 villain epic archetype. It’s basically a warshade. Incarnates not coming yet for heroes
  • War walls are coming down

I look at this and come away a bit disappointed. I cancelled my CoH subscription back in February, and I haven’t seen anything in i7 or the upcoming i8 that is making me want to sign back up. Even the double xp weekend wasn’t enough to get me back into the game. At this point, they need to stop tweaking the CoH/CoV balance issues (because I care absolutely ZERO about PvP), and concentrate on making new cool things for CoH. That’s the only way I’m coming back. Until they remember what made them famous in the first place (CoH!), they’ve lost a lot of former users that they will have to work hard to get to sign back up for the game Cryptic left behind.

My two cents.

Camp Hyrule campers to contend for a Wii

I didn’t realize this when I signed up for Camp Hyrule, but evidently Nintendo is giving away a Wii to one lucky camper next week:

This year, each and every registered camper will automatically be entered in a sweepstakes to win a Wii console! We’ll randomly select one camper during the Camp Hyrule 2006 Closing Ceremonies, and as soon as Wii is released it will shipped to that camper’s home. The official sweepstakes rules are included at the bottom of this e-mail.

Penny Arcade Xfire chat

The Penny Arcade guys, Jerry (Tycho) and Mike (Gabe), had a chat session hosted by Xfire earlier this evening, and zrikz over at Evil Avatar had the opportunity to sit in on the Q&A. He posted a chat log of the session (which I’ve also hosted over here). There were quite a few excellent questions thrown around during the hour-long chat, and I’ve collected a few of the highlights here for your viewing pleasure.

What happened to the Podcast?
The podcast went on a vacation. I am happy to say that it has returned, fully rested, and after PAX it’ll be back as a regular feature. Sorry about the hiatus!

(For Tycho) I’ve noticed that your “blog” posts are often as amusing as the comic itself. With such a natural skill and unique wit for comedic writing, have you ever considered working on other writing projects, such as books or a screenwriting?
Thank you for saying so. More than consider it, I have actively begun working on extra projects. Expect one to be announced at PAX, and another shortly thereafter.

Are your jokes about “premium content” backhanded jabs at Tim Buckley of CAD?
No they are not backhanded

Are you upset that you must have the “-” in penny”-“arcade.com?
No. In the future, dashes will be a form of currency. That single dash is with over a billion Galactic Credits.

Who do you think will win the console wars?
Wii60.

East Coast PAX?
This was always the plan.  Give us time to bury E3, and we’ll come see you.

The rest of the chat log basically consists of some pretty standard questions you would expect people to ask the PA guys, interspersed with a lot of people coming and going in and out of the chat room. Most interesting news to me would be this secret writing project that Jerry has evidently been working on. I’m truly curious to see what that might be.

Save Digg? Does it need saving?

Evidently the person(s) responsible for setting up SaveDigg.com think so. The site is a fantastically interesting concept. Basically it aggregates all the news stories that those three top digg users now on Netscape’s payroll post to Netscape. The idea is that you see what they are doing over there, and you post the same content on digg so that…well, I’m not sure. So you accurately copy Netscape, I suppose?

Their hearts are in the right place, for sure, but the fact that these top users have now focused on adding content to Netscape is not going to kill digg in any way. Will digg’s traffic decrease and Netscape’s increase? Possibly. Will that make digg somehow a failed website/community? Hardly. Copying the news stories that Bloodjunkie, Wayjer, and dirtyfratboy post to Netscape over to digg will not keep anything from happening, other than making you feel warm and fuzzy that we are somehow stemming the inevitable collapse of the digg community by doing so. The thought is simply laughable.

If you think the stories are worth posting to digg, then do so. But don’t do it just because these top users have posted it to Netscape. Do it because you think it’s something digg users will enjoy reading. That’s what made digg so popular in the first place.

And lighten up. This is the internet, after all.

Michael Moore slams Hollywood

Think what you want about Michael Moore, that man has the right idea:

“The continued decrease in attendance (for Hollywood films) is not because of piracy, videogames, or the Internet, it’s because the movies aren’t very good anymore,” Moore says.

Thank GOD someone is saying it. Too bad it’s someone that no one in Hollywood will listen to. Still, maybe it’s the first step to getting other indy filmmakers to stand up and assert themselves in front of the big Hollywood executives and convince them that they’re making crap. And that the only way they can win back the audiences is by forcing theaters to lower prices and MAKE BETTER MOVIES!