Taste and Thirst – Downtown San Diego

Summary

I had never heard of this place before a month and a half ago. For the latter half of 2009, I walked around in Downtown quite a bit, and so probably walked by this place a fair share of times. Not only did I not really think to go there, I just plain didn’t even know it was there. I think it might be new-ish? It’s not a particularly hidden place… In any case, a friend and I decided to give it a try, after discovering that it had some pretty kickass happy hour specials.

Turns out that the place does indeed have some pretty kickass HH specials. I can’t actually recall most of them, but there’s pretty much one for every night of the week and I remember them being damn good deals. The actual establishment is not terribly large, with several tall bar tables parallel to a rather large and impressive bar, then a couple of standard tables towards the rear. There are a couple of TVs hung up on each end of the bar as well. Aaron and I grabbed a couple of spots at the bar. The girl behind the bar was friendly, greeting us and grabbing us a couple of drinks to kick things off. The drink special for that night was 2-for-1, which basically equates to 50% off individual drinks. Not a bad start.

Apparently, this place is known for their burgers and T-bone steaks. So I figured, “Hey, why the fuck not?” I ordered a standard cheeseburger, drank some beer and watched the basketball game. About 15 minutes later, our good arrives. This is not a hamburger. No. This is a meatloaf, placed between the confines of two buns, adorned with vegetation. This thing is fucking massive. It was one of those scenarios where I had to sit there and contemplate my attack strategy. I cut it in half and went to work. I was defeated at half. The french fries were pretty good too, though nothing really special. The second visit was a bit different. I ordered their philly cheesesteak sandwhich and tater tots. I was no impressed with the sandwhich. The meat came in larger chunks, instead of the usually finer, shaved form I’m accustomed to. The veggies were fine for the most part. The whole meal was just largely underwhelming for me. I definitely wouldn’t order it again. Unfortunate.

The moniker feels appropriate. ‘Taste and Thirst’ most certainly conveys both ‘food’ and ‘beverage’ and the place delivered on both counts. The menu is a bit limited and the place is kind of small, but the bar is impressive and the specials are awesome. Bring a friend or two, and you’ve got some good eats and drinks to dive into.

Overall Score (out of 10): 7.6

Summary

Ambiance: This place is more of a bar than anything else. There aren’t too many tables to use but the bar is nice and big. It’s also clean and inviting.

Service: Both times the service has been friendly and talkative. Food comes quickly enough.

Food: The burgers truly are awesome. The philly sandwhich I ordered the 2nd time through was the opposite. So it’s a mixed bag.

Price/Value: They have really good specials almost every night of the week and sometimes even during the day on the weekends. Outside of that, their prices are generally pretty reasonable and on par with most bar food.

Website: http://tasteandthirst.com/wp/

Yelp: http://www.yelp.com/biz/taste-and-thirst-on-fourth-san-diego

Brothers In Arms: Hell’s Highway

Summary

I wasn’t really sure what to expect going into this game. After all, I’ve never played any of the predecessors. I had a general idea of what kind of game it was, and with that shallow knowledge, I assumed it was something like the ‘Medal of Honor’ series. You know, sort of standard WWII shooter, maybe something that uses a team dynamic. I was sort of right, and sort of wrong, I’d say.

Brothers In Arms: Hell’s Highway is a shooter, yes, but it somehow transcends the adjective ‘standard.’ I say “somehow”, because I’m not exactly sure how to explain how it does that, but it most certainly does. I’ll do my best to sketch you a rough idea of why this is.

Let’s start with the gameplay. Hell’s Highway is a first-person shooter, but it switches to third-person once you duck into cover. This is key, because this is the perspective you will spending over half of your overall time in, and roughly 95% of your combat time in. Brother’s In Arms takes its use of a cover system pretty seriously. Failing to find and correctly utilize proper cover, will almost certainly result in your death. The game has no qualms over punishing you for thinking that it could or should be a run-n-gun. It’s odd,  but for me, this became the game’s biggest strength and biggest weakness.

The strength lies in the fact that each battle is a high-tension, strategy-based fight for your progress. Think of it this way: there are larger levels, broken up into “stages”, which are essentially defined as the individual skirmishes you will encounter. This feels very authentic, since my understanding of war is typically not defined as a single soldier, running through hordes of enemies with little concern for health or field dynamic. Most levels involve you utilizing a team, or even several teams, of troops to aid you and provide various strategic advantages. A couple of the teams include heavy machine gun troops, which provide excellent suppressing fire, or a bazooka team, for distracting, or even destroying enemy armor. How a player uses these resources greatly changes the flow of each battle. Sometimes, I used my team to provide covering fire while I plotted a course to flank the enemy. Sometimes, I just took cover, patiently marked my enemies and went for head shots. Mind you, head shots are the way to go. Unless you have closed the distance between you and the enemy considerably, then you’re best of just going for the head. Besides, if you pull off a particularly impressive shot, there is a cool slo-mo animation involving the bullet, a head and lots of blood. Excellent.

There are several points throughout the game, where the above dynamic does not apply, though it is the consistent manner in which you will move through the game. The stages or levels where this isn’t the case, were ironically, my favorite. One level in particular, titled “Down the Rabbit Hole”, starts you with no weapon and requires that you kill enemy guards, procure their weapons, then explore an abandoned hospital on the outskirts of Holland. This was, by far, my favorite part of the game. The atmosphere created in this level was haunting and effective. The cover system still applied, but felt far more visceral. It was far less chaotic, and therefore, far more personal. Ducking behind gurneys and medicine cabinets, while fighting 3 or 4 Nazi soldiers in a dilapidated hospital is far more my style. Interestingly enough, this is also where the game begins to showcase some of the psychological elements of the title. So it’s no surprise why I loved this part so much, right? So the gameplay is good. It feels right but I said that there was a weakness as well, didn’t I? The weakness for me, was pacing. The game just felt so slow and difficult at times. Because the battles are so involved, the rush I often associate with a first-person shooter was lost to the inherently more cerebral perspective that Hell’s Highway wants you to employ. I want to make a point here. By no means is this an actual flaw in the game. I am not stating that the game is any the worse for this style of gameplay. What I am saying, though, is that for me, this sort of game flow makes it difficult to want to pick up and play. The satisfaction I typically derive from a FPS isn’t all the way present here and that sort of stifles the experience for me.

The graphics in the game are great. Character models are some of the best I’ve seen on the PS3 thus far and the locales are impressive. The game is pretty damn violent, but never inundates you with gore. It’s a very selective title when it comes to presenting blood and guts. As a whole though, the presentation in this game is unbelievable. In fact, so much so, that I was taken aback by how impressed I was with the polish of the game. The voiceover work is wonderful and the characters come to life in a way that seems far more relatable than most other titles.

Then there’s the story. The story in Hell’s Highway is downright incredible. And here’s the weird thing: there isn’t really a direct narrative being told here. The story in the game is about the lives and experiences each of the soldiers in this division are having. It is simply amazing. The main protagonist, Baker, has a story and past of his own, but the game will revolve around the perspectives of several soldiers. Each one has a unique personality, ripe with distinctive traits and behaviors. The player really feels like they know these guys. As each story plays out, the web that is weaved and the eventual outcomes all bear great importance to Baker’s own sentiments and how he perceives his troops, the war and finally, himself. It’s a masterfully written game that focuses on character elaboration, instead of a traditional arc. The characters seem to have some developments based on occurrences from Hell’s Highway’s predecessors, which I unfortunately was not familiar with. Bummer, but not having exposure to the previous titles isn’t necessary to understand things in the game.

So all in all, Brothers In Arms: Hell’s Highway is a very well polished, unique and fun FPS. I have to admit that this isn’t a title I would come back to much, though, because I simply can’t get past the relatively slow and draining pacing of the game. Like I said before though, the style of the combat is by no means a bad thing, it’s just not ideal for me is all. The presentation is well formulated and the writing in this game warrants a play-through, if nothing else.

Overall Score (out of 10): 8.1

Summary

Graphics/Presentation: The graphics are terrific and provide some of the better character models I’ve seen on the PS3 yet. Textures are reasonably smooth though I did notice some pretty heavy lagging and drops in resolution during the more involved battles. Presentation is top-notch.

Gameplay: Well done cover system and a rewarding sense of accomplishment each time you progress. The team mechanics are decently efficient though your teammate AI is rather pitiful at times. Generally slow pacing makes it a difficult “pick up and play” title.

Story/Narrative: Expertly written by any definition of the term. Each character shines with distinct personality and development and the story(ies) really showcase the unique experience of each soldier. The main character’s personal struggles and observations of the various stories provides a cohesive narrative that brings the player a really effective framework for the game.

Sound/Music: Both are good. I didn’t even touch on this in the actual review but it is worth mentioning. The voiceover is fantastic and the general ambiance of the game is well conceived. The music is pretty standard WWII thematic type stuff, chalk full of horns and military-inspired pieces. Certainly good, but very familiar.

Replay Value: Not exceptionally high. There are some hidden gems to find, but the game doesn’t have a ton of unlockables or various modes to play. I didn’t try the online though, and if done right, I could definitely see the value in that.

Website: http://brothersinarmsgame.us.ubi.com/agegate.php?destURL=/

Metacritic: http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/ps3/brothersinarmshellshighway

Scoring

I think I’m just gonna make everything out of a possible 10 points. It’s all the same ratio, really, and I’m tired of trying to remember, and subsequently failing at recalling, the different scoring ranges for each category. Should make things simpler.

Ninja Assassin

Summary

Holy shit. I’ve described this movie in a single sentence before and I’ll repeat it to kick things off: “It’s like the creators weren’t even trying to make this movie NOT awesome.” I mean seriously. This movie is a whole lot of kickassery right from the get go. Look at the name of this film for god’s sake. I saw the poster, literally just the poster, and knew this film was for me. And boy, was it.

By the way, the title is not a simple repetition of the term; it is a description of the film’s contents. Let that stew.

In the same fashion as ‘300′ or even some Tarantino films, Ninja Assassin’s violence is gratuitous, relentless and over-the-top. The carnage begins at the onset of the film and lets up only when absolutely necessary to drive the story forward. Part of what I liked about Ninja Assassin is the transparent and relatively shallow plot themes that carry some surprising weight in the film. For starters, it doesn’t try to fool the audience or itself into thinking that it’s anything more than it’s supposed to be. It’s an action film, raw and unbridled, and it excels in that respect. The story that there is though, was surprisingly satisfying. There are elements of love, loyalty, and my favorite: revenge. I really enjoy revenge flicks, mostly for the visceral fulfillment that comes with cinematic vindication. Ninja Assassin is a fantastic revenge movie. It’s not unique, it’s not philosophical; it is bloody and it is cool.

Let’s shift gears for a bit. The visual presentation in this movie rocks the shit for a couple of reasons. The first is that, well, it really is so fucking cool. It just is. There’s fire and metal, rain and blood and things move and happen so swiftly and intentionally in the film. It seems as though the direction of the film was attempting to replicate the behavior of its primary constituents: the ninja. The camera angles focuses sharply then sweeps broadly, much like the weapons utilized by the ninja. It changes from slow and deliberate, a la Matrix, to rapid and jarring, reminiscent of some kung-fu films. Several scenes involve ninja fighting soldiers that are using modern weaponry, such as guns, and it’s a really neat concept. Bullets fly and spark while the ninja creep, stab and throw shurikens. It’s an awesome contrast of two very different approaches to killing. The second aspect is one that I really appreciated, partly because of my love for anime. There are some really neat supernatural components to the film, including the ability to focus energy to physically mend flesh as well as the ability to use the shadows in order to move faster than the eye can track. The latter ability is something I think is particularly cool and a really neat visual illustration of the notion that shinobi are “shadow warriors.” As addressed before, the movie uses various, copious elemental cues to highlight the emotional context of the scene. Some battles take place in the pouring rain , while others feature a fire raging around the characters. Each seems to reflect the tone of the combat and the accompanying sentiments. Then there’s the blood. There is so very much of it. What I loved about the blood is that it acted as more than gore in this movie. For me, the blood was a separate entity, its own character in each scene. It splashed, sprayed and fell in various ways and decorated the locales wonderfully. The killing seemed almost as a dance, the ribbons of blood moving with the blades. Grim? Sure. But I can appreciate the art in this kind of violence. There’s also a good chance that I’m fucking insane. These are not two mutually exclusive considerations.

The sound is something to address as well. The appropriate use of sound is something that was clearly an important factor in Ninja Assassin. Again, drawing a parallel between style and character, it felt like the aural environment was intended to be focused and dark. The atmosphere created by the sound is a powerful device in Ninja Assassin. The weapons created dramatic slicing and metallic sounds and the spiteful and murderous intentions of the ninja resonated in Raizo’s (the protagonist) thoughts as they approached. The water fell in torrents, pelting surfaces and fires blazed and crackled. Blood splashed against walls while short dashing sounds indicated the nimble movements of the silent assailants. The effect, for me, was incredible. The sensory incitement in this film is forceful and expertly realized. It’s a wonderful mix of sight and sound.

The characters in the film are relatively standard. Rain plays the lone warrior, doomed because of his warm heart, despite an incredibly refined killer instinct. Kosugi is the strict and unforgiving master. Naomie Harris is the innocent and kind-hearted support role for Raizo and Ben Miles plays the determined, straight-edge cop with good intentions. There’s honestly nothing new or interesting about any of these roles, with the possible exception of Raizo. Though not a novel character, his personality and ability garner excitement every time he is on screen. There is a veritable increase in my heart rate every time he does anything because, for the most part, anything = ruining everyone’s shit. Everyone often being groups of ninja, hence, Ninja Assassin. See? I’ll give you this tasty morsel: there is a scene where Raizo goes to the local laundromat to, you know, do laundry. It’s not a long scene but it ends with a dead woman. Fuck. This movie is not even kidding.

So look, I’m not gonna beat around the bush on this one. Ninja Assassin is the tits and I loved it. This isn’t the kind of movie that wants to be anything more than a bloody, violent and entertaining romp through a basic narrative. The story still manages to compel a bit though and the action sequences are jaw-droppingly cool. It’s a guilty cinematic pleasure, if you will, and if this movie is wrong, well, then maybe I don’t want to be right.

Overall Score (out of 10): 8.9

Summary

Story/Writing: It should come as no surprise that this is the weakest point in the film. The story is absolutely nothing special and the characters that navigate through it are generally stifled by that fact. Still though, the developments here are surprisingly effective and drive the film to each violent landmark.

Acting/Cast: The acting matches the profile of the story in this one. So it’s not that great but works for the purpose of the movie. Rain’s performance is pretty good, actually. The casting works well, with Sho Kosugi being my favorite placement.

Camera/Cinematography: Incredible. This is what defines this movie and it works magnificently. The camera flows ethereally through the scenes, much like the ninja, and the visual presentation leaves nothing to be desired.

Sound/Music: The sounds are effective and integral to the experience. The sensory environment crafted is a notable achievement in this movie.

Website: http://ninja-assassin-movie.warnerbros.com/

IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1186367/

Lego Batman: The Video Game

Summary

The Lego series of video games imparts a strange reaction in people, myself included. In fact, for awhile, I never even entertained the idea of playing one, even while one of my friends owned Lego Star Wars for the Xbox 360. Just didn’t occur to me to play it. Then one day, my friend and I decided to give the game a whirl. And why not? It’s got Legos, Star Wars and co-op. Seemed like a recipe for some reasonably satisfying entertainment.

Over the next few visits, we did not stop playing until we had conquered it.

To say that I was pleasantly surprised would be an understatement. The games are loads of fun. So much so, in fact, that it prompted the purchase of the Lego Indiana Jones game when I had access to a Wii and the Gamefly rental of Lego Batman. I never got to finish the Indiana Jones adventure, but rest assured, it’s in my queue for the PS3.

At first glance, any of the Lego games don’t look like all that much. The graphics are certainly smooth enough, but remember, the entire premise rests on using blocks for almost everything. So though the textures, resolution and mapping are quite impressive, the overall feel is still… well, blocky. This is not an actual problem though. Starting out, the game seems a little childish. Make no mistake, the game is clearly geared for younger audiences… to an extent. I’ll get to that extent in a bit. As you continue playing, you start to notice small things, like quality sounds taken directly from the source movies, impressive game flow and the most important aspect: incredibly fulfilling gameplay.

All of the games rely on the same basic principles. You advance from one stage to the next, fighting off enemies, discovering interactive pieces, building and manipulating items and using both yourself and your partner to overcome any number of obstacles. What is truly incredible about these games is that they manage to balance almost everything one could want from a game into one great package. The stages increase in difficulty, and admittedly, some of the later puzzles require some real brain juice to figure out. The real treat is the creativity put into the puzzling. It never gets truly difficult for the gaming or puzzling veteran, but it can be a bit challenging at times, requiring both players to work in tandem to come to a solution. Some require players to physically alter items or building, some require the players to split up and accomplish separate goals in order to adhere them and progress. Others require switches and levers, while others deal with vehicles or beasts. You begin to see how fun and different the various levels can be. On top of that, the action, while very simple, is fun. Because they’re all Legos, it’s not so violent and that plays well in the world they’ve created. The combat is essentially boiled down to a button mashing affair, but each game expands further on this by allowing either blocking, several methods of fighting, or in Batman’s case, some sweet combo action. It’s odd, because there’s no real reason why that particular aspect should really be enjoyable, but it is somehow. Not incredibly so, but not bad either.

Another resoundingly effective aspect to these games is the humor. The writers (creators) for the games have given each iteration an incredible sense of humor and it’s surprisingly relevant. It’s silly, cynical and topical. It’s really hilarious stuff IMO. Even more-so when they insert funny bits that parody other movies, video games or pop culture. Allow me to illustrate a parallel for you. The Lego series of video games is to gaming what Pixar studios is to cinema. Both are geared for a younger crowd but very much appeal to adults and an older audience. Both provide rather balanced entertainment experiences but don’t necessarily hit on any major genre points. Just good, clean, relatively simple fun.

So let’s touch on the Batman experience, specifically. The refinement in this iteration is impressive. The graphics are clean, colorful and smooth. The combat has been enhanced from previous games, by offering combo bonuses as well as the ability to throw your enemies. In addition, both Batman and Robin brandish projectiles (Batarang and whatever lame thing Robin throws), which you can use to lock-on to various enemies or objects. So there’s some surprising depth to the combat, despite the relatively simple execution. The puzzling is also enhanced. Most of the puzzles require a specific suit, that either Batman or Robin must employ, in order to progress. For example, Batman can get a glider suit to glide over to a switch and allow Robin to cross a gap. Robin can get a magnet suit that allows him to walk up certain metallic surfaces and interact with a switch or button to allow certain actions to Batman. The combination of the various suits plus the Lego building creates for some really nifty puzzles and really cool boss fights.

The game is divided into three large episodes, each spanning 6 levels. Each level is composed of several screens, or stages, and at the end of each level, you fights a different Batman villain. This is good old fashioned fun and even more-so for those of us who love the hero and the animated series that aired when we were growing up. True to fashion, the game is chalk full of humor and silly antics. Again, perhaps a bit childish, but for my money, really entertaining and a welcome component of the game. The replay value is actually relatively high, despite the short-ish play time necessary to finish the game. This is because there are all kinds of things to collect in each level, many of which you can’t access until you’ve unlocked “Free Play” and return with a specific suit. It requires some thought and plenty of dedication to remember certain locations but it’s fun to do, overall.

In the end, unless you’re really averted to games that don’t bear an ‘M’ or even ‘T’ rating, then I say to give this game (and any Lego title) a chance. You’ll find a really well-balanced and finely tuned experience. It’s a ton of fun to grab a friend, sit down and go adventuring. Even solo (which is actually how I ran through Batman), it’s a blast. BOOM! POW!!

Overall Score (out of 100): 85

Summary

Graphics/Presentation: The graphics never really wow, but that’s partly because of the Lego context. Try focusing on the actual presentation and you might find yourself rather impressed, I know I did.

Gameplay: Wonderfully executed and fun from start to finish. The best part of the game and what makes the entire Lego series shine. A solid mixture of combat, puzzling, platforming and vehicles.

Story/Narrative: Each level has you chasing a villain who is doing standard villain things. There’s no real story to speak of, which is unfortunate but not a huge hindrance.

Sound/Music: The sounds are spot on and comical. Like the music, many of them are taken directly from the films or culture they’re emulating, which provides an awesome gaming ambiance. Music follows suit.

Replay Value: Pretty high considering all the unlockables and hidden items to go back for. Won’t last forever though, as treasure hunting loses it’s excitement relatively quickly. The game itself is rather short, clocking in at around 15 hours or so for the first play-through and about half that any subsequent time.

Website: http://games.kidswb.com/official-site/lego-batman/

Metacritic: http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/ps3/legobatman

Apple Inc.: Company or Cult?

This is a topic that I have been privy to since my earliest days as a Mac user. It is also a topic I’m getting pretty fucking tired of hearing about.

I get it PC users. I was once a Windows guy myself and it’s easy to dislike that which you don’t use. I mean, it essentially boils down to a “gang-mentality.” This fundamentally ignorant, yet psychologically prevalent and powerful notion that we must invest a great deal of pride into what we have or what we identify with; and that we must detest anything negatively related. It’s odd, because a lot of the time, people conjure up this sentiment based on little more than an association with a certain group or creed, instead of an actual and logical dislike of the opposing element. We’ve all been guilty of it at some point or another. Taking up allegiances then finding ourselves not tolerating whatever it is that that allegiance deems unworthy. In this case, it’s this PC vs. Mac debate.

Before I get into it, I’ll start out by saying that I understand that both sides are guilty of fueling this bipartisan contention. I’ll address my problems with both perspectives. My problem is not that there is a divide here. It’s not that people have opinions or even strong feelings about this. It lies in the fact that too many people are willing to blindly lump Apple and more importantly, Apple users, into a “cultist-elite” hive-mind, incapable of understanding rational computing or marketing trends. It’s like the whole of the technology community assumes that all Mac users eat shit out of Steve Jobs’ asshole and would march right off a fucking cliff if he asked us to do so. Check it out people: WE ARE NOT LEMMINGS. Believe it or not, a lot of us don’t worship the ground that Steve Jobs walks on. I know that’s very tough for some of you to believe, but I’ll give you a second to let that soak in.

Now, I do understand that there are those who are what many of us would refer to us “fanboys.” Yes, they LOVE Apple and everything that Apple does. Blind devotion? Maybe, but not necessarily. I think one of the biggest (and most flawed) arguments that PC users like to tout over Mac users, is that the PC allows for unlimited flexibility and far more options; which translates for a far more robust user experience. Sounds good on paper except for a glaring problem. Many users, including power or advanced users, don’t always want that degree of “flexibility.” Sure, more apps are written for Windows, but if a user wants to keep things simple and streamlined, then what does it matter if there are 100,000 or 10 choices? As long as the list of limited options includes functional and well designed choices, then there isn’t a fundamental problem there. In fact, I believe it makes the whole computing process that much easier. And yes, both Mac’s built-in software and available third-party choices are well constructed, functional and comprehensive. Remember, some people actually like things really, really simple.

There are just some programs that OSX can’t run yet though. I know that. For some professionals, certain esoteric software suites or applications are just not available on the Mac platform and that’s a legitimate gripe. Good news is that Macs come with Boot Camp now, giving users a decent, though not perfect solution. Just create a Windows partition and boot up into that sum’ bitch and you’re ready to rock. Downsides? Have to reboot to use it and you have to pay for the OS license. The functionality is free though, which is a plus. So this whole idea that having a giant range of options in order to have a truly satisfying computing experience is just bullshit, up and down. It is arrogant to assume that everyone has the same needs, desires and motivations in their technological pursuits.

Now, for the other compelling argument. This one states that Apple is just way too expensive and not worth the cost; in other words, the performance does not reflect the entry fee. To me, this is the far more poignant assertion and certainly carries some weight to it. The fact is, Apple’s are more expensive. They just are. PC users can grab a great, lightning fast machine in the neighborhood of well under $1000, and often, for half that number. That’s just not a viable budget for the Mac user.

If only we lived in a society built on capital competition and consumer evaluation. A society that valued corporate success, partly by allowing for value appraisal throughout the business process and encouraging investment priorities based on the personal assessment of cost vs utility. If only…. wait.

</cynicism>

Seriously though. Yeah, Macs cost more but there is clearly a value vs. price consideration here. For those of us who choose to buy an Apple product, we choose to do so because we believe that the product or service tendered is deserving of the cost associated with it. The Nissan GT-R competes pretty much pound-for-pound with a Porsche 911 Turbo, which is just stupid to think about considering it costs about $40,000 less. Yet people still purchase the Porsche. Are they stupid or misinformed for doing so? Of course not. It might have a few more amenities, sure, but that might not fully justify the seemingly vast price difference. There’s a degree of elegance and pride in purchasing the Porsche. There’s so much more to value than price. The owning experience and the satisfaction of having a well-crafted, beautifully designed product is often more than enough to warrant not only the purchase, but brand loyalty as well. What Apple offers is a full community, not just the withdrawal from your bank account then the subsequent product usage. There is an ecosystem that comes with the Apple product. Yeah, that ecosystem can be a little overwhelming and ethereal at first, but it’s nothing to go crazy over. It’s a smaller, tighter knit user-base and one can elect to participate or not. One of the huge advantages that Apple has is that they design both the hardware and the software, allowing them to systemically manage the relationship between the user, the interface and the device. And to that end, they are incredibly innovative. I will agree though, at times, they can be overbearing and controlling. It’s a hassle at times, admittedly. I believe this behavior will be leveraged off as they continue to grow and understand what the market wants from them, just my opinion. On top of that, their marketing is imaginative and alluring; utilizing incredible typography and topical (as well as applicable) contexts.

So I started by stating that a lot of us aren’t “fanboys” then went on a tirade about how great Apple is. Hmmm, fair enough. Time to move onto the other side. I mentioned that Apple is expensive but that there is a value associated with that price. Though true, some of Apple’s products are honestly just too damn expensive. No ifs, ands or buts. Just too much fucking money. If Apple wants to maintain their status as a higher end computing company, that’s fine. But their products get steep really quickly, and quite frankly, the lower priced ones just aren’t equipped competitively enough. Again, I’m not saying that it’s not worth it, per se, but I see why so many people would be turned off by Apple’s offerings. Personally, I’d like to see a few more sub-$1000 machines and a more relaxed pricing hierarchy. $2500 is way too high of a starting point for a 17″ laptop, plain and simple.

With the relative success, Apple has been enjoying lately, I’ve also witnessed something I honestly have to admit I do not like one bit. Recently, Apple has gotten a bit stubborn and bullish. Combating companies and consumers alike on mere principle and getting themselves into some needless debacles simply because they have achieved a considerable market-share or product IP. As a Mac user, Apple’s success makes me happy, but certainly not at the cost of an inflated business ego. I’m not going to provide a list of examples because I really don’t want to. Either you know what I’m talking about or you don’t. I imagine those of you still reading this probably do. Lastly, and this relates a bit to my prior point, is that Apple has begun to display some pretty clear signs of vulnerability in the form of defensive advertising. I wish they would stop. For me, it just comes across as petty, threatened and condescending. The latter quality is something that Apple most certainly does not need to be associated with their brand. I’m a fan of their print media and iPod commercials in general, but their extremely popular Mac v PC TV ads with Justin Long simply don’t do it for me. Though clever and sometimes accurate, they just seem like a dick move, for lack of better term. I can’t help but understand why some Windows users would see that and think “uhhh, OK, go fuck yourselves Apple.”

At the end of the day, it’s all about choice. For some users, Windows and a PC make more sense, for others, Apple’s OSX and Macs might do it. And for some, it comes down to just one aspect. Could be price, design or even the sense of community. None of those constitutes a bad or invalid reason for a purchase, and certainly, none are cause for accusations of religious devotion. Both are great options IMO. I’m not naive though. I do know that there are those out there who might consider Apple to be the best thing on Earth, ever, for all time. Yes, they are crazy. Fine. But the same could be said for many brands or services. It’s easy to label people who have a passion as “crazy” or “nuts” but god forbid that someone really enjoys the product they just purchased with their hard earned money. I think the point where someone is completely oblivious to the flaws in something, to the point of denial, is where there is a problem. For instance, I love my iPhone, but holy shit, it annoys the hell out of me sometimes. Best phone I’ve ever had but it’s far from perfect and I know that. I too, would have a problem with a loyalty based on nothing more than hearsay or obligation. Recognizing the flaws with something you love is part of maturity (like in any relationship you have) and that applies to something as superficial as a computer company. So get over yourselves, buy what you want and love it (hopefully). Otherwise, shut the fuck up. No one cares that you think that Apple is a cult. Asshole.

I Miss Reading – The Short History of a Boy and His Books

Books and I broke up early in college. We had always had a great relationship; spending plenty of time together and making sure to give the other what they wanted. Books wanted to be appreciated and understood; I wanted to expand my imagination and learn. Everything was going so well.

Then school came along. At first, it wasn’t so bad. After all, high school was laughably easy and though there was required reading, I typically elected to not read it and go ahead and get an ‘A’ anyways. NBD. Textbooks are a different beast though and ignoring those entirely was not a recommended approach. So I found myself reading out of textbooks, glancing at my leisure reading from time to time, just to let it know that I still cared and that the textbook was strictly business.

It happened slowly, but by the time I made it to college, the sentiment was palpable. I was beginning to dislike books. I still took some time out to sit down and revel in a good read, but those times were becoming more and more tenuous. College, unlike high school was most certainly not easy. In all honesty, it was tougher than shit and I found myself forcibly plucked from the upper echelons of academic accomplishment and shamefully tossed into the veritable gutter of scholastic failure. (A bit of context for you: I transitioned from a small, private Christian high school that emphasized religion and moral value over college preparation and rigorous curriculum; to the University of California San Diego, conceivably one of the most strictly-academic focused schools on the west coast, if not America.) As I slowly adjusted to life in college, I quickly discovered that reading the books assigned to me, whether textbooks or not, was no longer an option.

And that was the straw that broke the camel’s back. I became resentful towards reading. I was now being forced to read and therefore, it was no longer enjoyable. When I had free time, I didn’t even want to be around a book. It was an unfortunate digression, but there was nothing I felt like I could do about it. ‘Leisure reading’ no longer existed in my lexicon and that saddened me.

It has more or less stayed that way for years now. A couple of times, I’ve managed to pick up a book, but it’s always a very forced effort to get through them. I can’t even count how many books I used to read; but in the last couple of years, I think I’ve finished two good novels. To their credit, I really, really enjoyed both books (The Da Vinci Code and Diary).

Recently, I’ve felt an urge to get back into reading. I have learned so much from literature, and that’s to say nothing of the incredible and creative expeditions my mind has taken while reading. This urge has grown stronger and stronger each day. Obviously not strong enough for me to just pick up something and read, but certainly strong enough to persist on the periphery of my ambitions. I really enjoy the horror/sci-fi/mystery genre(s) and really want to start reading my way through some authors I think have helped to champion these genres: Clive Barker, H.P. Lovecraft, Chuck Palahniuk, Steven King, Anne Rice; as a few examples. There are plenty of other authors I want to read as well and considerably more books by any given author. Once I started to think about this, I realized that buying all the books I want to read would be rather expensive.

Naturally, my mind starting concocting ways I could start reading the wealth of material I was interested in. Libraries are one way, but the selection is typically rather limited plus I would have to, you know, go in them. Still not a terrible option. The next is to just pony up and accept that buying them is what it’s gonna be. Not cheap, but I’ll own them and can revisit them whenever I please; which is not uncommon for me to do when I enjoy a book. The last option is an e-Reader. These devices are all the rage now and I honestly never even considered one until very recently. The idea behind an e-Reader is great: take a tablet-sized device, focus it on reading, digitize the content and give the user thousands of options. Nice. Two problems for me though. The first is that it’s a bit pricey. The cheaper ones still cost about 200 bones and the one I like in particular, The Nook, is closer to $300. The second issue is that I actually like the tactile experience involved in reading. Physically turning the pages and holding the actual book is enjoyable to me, odd as that may sound. Admittedly, the second issue is not nearly as important as the former one, and the advantage of having a plethora of varying literature at my disposal is noteworthy.

So that’s my dilemma with this new aspiration. Either way, I want to figure it out relatively soon and I have a feeling the e-Reader solution is gonna win out on this one. If that’s true, then the purchase wouldn’t be made until next year, when money is a little more stable and the post-holidays recovery has set in. What do you guys think?