PS3 finally supports Netflix streaming....sort of.

One of the biggest frustrations I have had with my PS3 (Besides the lack of time to fire her up) is the lack of support for online streaming content, like Hulu or Netflix. The PS3 was one of the first devices that were to receive Netflix Playitnow streaming support way back in 2007, but it never showed up, even after Netflix showed up on the Mac, then the Roku was released, and then became available on the XBox. This is especially aggravating to me because, as anyone who owns one can tell you, the media playback abilities of Sony's gaming machine are really good.

Now, just yesterday, I finally had the pleasure of getting my Netflix Streaming disc in the mail and watching my Content on my TV. That's right, it requires a disc. And after waiting for three years for I'm now pretty comfortable with hooking my Mac up to the TV to watch anything I want to on the internet. So is it worth the trouble?

First off, I know some people will bitch about having to use a disc for the playback, but considering that the disc is free for you to keep, no obligations, and delivered to you free of charge with Netflix's usual prompt delivery, it's hard for me to be that upset with it. It's not like you're going to be playing a game or trying to listen to a cd or watch another movie will using their service, after all. The playback experience has been nothing but buttery smooth, and the wait time and quality of playback have been just as good as anything I could have experienced on any other device. The interface is simple and intuitive, and the fact that you can add to your instant queue right from the PS3 is definite advantage compared with the initial XBox service (I believe that this has been fixed, btw.)

There is one downside though, it doesn't seem to allow you to search the entire catalog of Netflix's streaming catalog, and this can be a problem. For instance, while I can see that season 4 of Heros is available for streaming now, I have no way searching for the previous seasons, or anything else that isn't in their suggested lists. While the catalog the do post is large enough for anyone to find at least something they want to watch, it's kind of a drag if your looking for something specific and don't have your computer handy. Even with this drawback, I would recommend that anyone with a PS3 and a Netflix subsciption go ahead and get this, since it's free. You can order the disc from Netflix's website for free. Have fun!

It's halloween time....

It’s almost Halloween this year, and for that reason I present to you my little brother’s website, www.unholydead.com Make no mistake, I fracking hate zombies, but even I got a chuckle out some of this.

I love Coffee

For those who know me, the thought of me going for any period longer than a few hours without some coffee is probably unthinkable. So what would they think about the fact that I have gone three months without my legal stimulant of choice? Well, today I just had my first 'real' Americano in a long time, and nothing could be sweeter.

I have been drinking coffee, soda and tea for most of my adult life. The first cup of coffee that I can remember having was at the age of 6. Why so early? Growing up in the ‘Ritalin’ age, my parents were willing to try any alternative to putting me on what was perceived at the time as the cure all kid’s drug of the day. So as a result my first cup of coffee was a dixi cup with with a lot of sugar. Of course the ultimate reason for my troubles would not be discovered until I was nearly twenty, for reasons I may go into later.

Flash forward to my thirties. I have always had trouble going to sleep, and the last year or so more than most. For a  while I have wondered what life would be like without caffeine addiction as well, so I decided in mid-July to detox from not only coffee but all forms of caffeine. Some quick research on the internet indicated that while it would only take two weeks for the caffeine to work its way out of my body, it would take three months to adjust to life without partaking in Java every morning. I found that by substituting orange juice and lots of water I could minimize the effects withdrawal, and eating an actual breakfast instead of coffee and a ‘simple carb’ bomb actually made my mornings much more productive and enjoyable.

The experience has overall been positive and I do think that I am better off for it. The withdrawal symptoms were actually not too bad after the first week and I have noticed that actually falling asleep is much easier, and my energy level seems to be about the same despite being 'off the sauce'. A side benefit is that caffeine actually seems to do what it’s supposed to now, instead of being merely something to drink.While I'm glad that my moratorium on one of my favorite beverages is finally finished, I intend to be more careful and aware of just how much of this substance I put in my body.

The Ups and the Downs.

So I'm hanging out in a cafe in Nevada City waiting for a friend of mine to finish up her work and hang out with me. So far this trip has been fun, with the highs including seeing several old good friends, some of my family and side trips to the CAF Museum in Camarillo, the Monterey Bay Aquarium, the Chandelier tree, and now Nevada City. The downside so far is that my car is filthy (easily fixable), somewhere after Camarillo I lost my iPod cup holder insert (easily replaceable), and my poor Cannon ELPH point and shoot seems to have died (Not so easily replaceable. I am pretty picky about cameras.). I'm prepping for the long drive down by updateing my podcast entries and I'll give Audible's audio book service a try as well. I have been posting pictures and updates on Flickr and Twitter and will upload the pic's off the Cannon once I can salvage them. So far I have been fairly pleased with the performance of the iPhone 3Gs, with the exception of the battery life. Reception has been fairly spotty in some spots, but ever all not to bad considering some of the more remote places my travels have taken me. I'm particularly pleased with the new camera, and when combined with the Autostitch app has actually managed to fill in for the Cannon a lot more than I thought it would. The battery life with everything has been somewhat disappointing, and it is only exacerbated by the inability to charge through my Scions built in iPod cable. Thanks Apple/Scion. The problem is only slightly offset by the Scorshe PassPort adaptor, which I will review more thoroughly in a later post.

On Vacation...

I'm finally taking two weeks off and takeing a bit of a road trip up the coast of Cali. It's about time that I see some of the more attractive places in my own home state! I'll try and take pictures as I go. I just got a new iPhone 3gs to take with me on the trip and am so far loving the extra speed and better camera. I'm curious whether it can replace my Cannon SD1000 as my day to day camera. I hope so because the Cannon seems to have disapeared.

Update on Monday, August 3, 2009 at 3:17PM by Adam Dale Lissy

In between Camarillo and Monterey I found my Cannon hiding under the passenger seat of my car. But now my iPod holder is missing. Go figure.