The Spam Musubi Mayor of FourSquare

As a silly change of pace, I'm going to talk about "smart" phones, emulators, and being mayor.

From the beginning, mobile devices (excluding the Game Boy) always seemed like more of a hassle then they're worth. I avoided cell phones like the plague and openly refused my first. Skype and email were my avenues of communication and they worked well enough for being free. So, when I say I was a late convert to the mobile world, you know just how late I'm talking about.

In August of 2011 I finally ditched my flip phone for a "smart" phone. There are days that I regret this decision, but little stories like the one below make the switch seem totally worth it.



I downloaded the FourSquare App for my Android almost a month ago for one, single purpose: to become mayor of a new Asian/Hawaiian restaurant and take-out place. This "bistro" popped up where a Panda Express recently went out of business, so I had little hope for another "asian" eatery in the same location.

Giving the new place a shot, my roommate and I ate there shortly after it opened. He was not a fan, but I was. Right there I declared I would be the FourSquare mayor of the place that served spam musubi. I didn't leap atop the counter to make this proclamation for the entire restaurant (although I should've, it would have made for a better story), it was more of a silent promise.

On February 23, 2012, I booted the incumbent and took my rightful place at the seat. Unfortunately, a FourSquare mayor doesn't have any real power. But I can pretend that I do. So there.

In honor of such an accomplishment, I downloaded a free Game Boy Color emulator for my Android and loaded a rom of Pokémon Yellow into my mostly empty micro SD card. It's working well so far. Plus, I can take screenshots.

Doesn't "Spam" sound like a great name for a Ratatta?

Happy PS Vita Day!

In regards to my Valentine's Day post, I've decided to pass on the Playstation Vita for now. This conclusion was mostly reached over the weekend during a Lumines lazy afternoon on Saturday. So I crafted three arguments for why I can wait on the PS Vita.

1. I still play and love my PSP. It's battery life isn't what it used to be, but my silver PSP-3000 still gets playing time, usually in the form of Disgaea, but I whipped out Lumines and AvP: Requiem for a change of pace. I should chat about my library of PSP games sometime. Noted. Saving for later. As long as my PSP is operational, I will continue to use it. But this did bring one question to mind: If I download PSP titles for my future PS Vita, will I be able to transfer my current save data to the new console? Must find this answer.



2. How much money could I save by waiting? Right now the WiFi PS Vita is 249.99. The two games I'd buy right off the bat are Lumines: Electronic Symphony and Gravity Rush. Only one is a launch title, but both will run 39.99 as new games. On top of all this, I'll need one of Sony's proprietary memory cards; it's go big, or go home on this subject for me. I plan on embracing the digital distribution (so long as Sony keeps the hackers out, another good reason to wait and see) and pick up a 32 GB memory card for 99.99. On top of this, I'm going to want a case to protect this hot, new piece of technology. I'm not really sure what that will run me, but there is a bundle out there for another 39.99. It comes with a 4 GB memory card (which I won't need) but let's use it for the sake of the argument. Are you keeping track of all this math?
   

   249.99 + 39.99 + 39.99 + 99.99 + 39.99 = 469.95

   The grand total for everything, brand new, is 469.95. Also, let's think about sales tax. In Ohio, shoppers have to worry about a state tax and a county tax, which are 5.50% and 1.25% respectively. So, shopping at my favorite Best Buy in Grove City, Ohio, the tax comes out to 31.72. You want more math, you got it.
   

   469.95 + 31.72 = 501.67

   So the ultimate total for everything, brand new, is 501.67. Half an effing grand. The big question (or challenge, however you look at it) is: How much could I save if I waited a year to pick this bad-boy up? My psychic ability tells me there's a price drop in the PS Vita's future. Even if I'm a terrible psychic, this possibility is good enough reason to wait.


3. Besides, look at the Nintendo 3DS. This silly little handheld launched in the U.S. with a price of 249.99. That was in February 2011. At the end of July 2011, Nintendo slashed that price to 169.99; a significant drop and one that made the device much more appealing at a time when better games were becoming available. I think history will repeat itself here. Plus, right now, I'd rather go out and buy a Nintendo 3DS and a copy of Resident Evil: Revelations.

Which is exactly what I'm going to do.

If Only I Could Fit My Desk In My Van

I have to admit: I'm busy right now. I'm doing stuff. And by stuff, I mean apartment hunting. Apartment hunting sucks. There, I said it. Apartment hunting sucks.

My biggest beef with the whole process (besides application fees) is how something looks/sounds perfect when I read about a location and see pictures online, then I go for a visit and the perfection bubble bursts.

Screw owning a home or renting, I want to live in one of these:

Kind of like living in a van down by the river, only in style.

Being the nerd that I am, the most prominent piece of furniture that I own is my desk; it's my workspace and my gamespace. It's where the magic happens. It's also nothing special; two filing cabinets, four cider blocks (eight to make it a standing desk), and one piece of finished plywood. There's also a shelf that mounts on the wall above the desk, but I might re-purpose that in the upcoming move.

Lifehacker has this flickr photo group that's all about showing off your workspace. I've wanted to put something together to enter into that photo pool, but I haven't had the balls. Plus, my workspace is always pretty messy. However, I have high hopes with moving to a new apartment that is my own place, allowing me the freedom to do what I want with my workspace and gamespace.

I haven't sketched anything up yet, but I'll probably take before and after pictures as I dismantle my current setup upon moving. Knowing the space beforehand will be key here. But that's hard to foresee until I actually visit some of the apartments in person.

One possibility is to use my desk as the entertainment center; with a twenty-three inch iMac and an additional twenty-three inch monitor it's totally possible. On lazy nights I lean back in my chair and watch DVDs on the iMac or play PS3 on the monitor. Doing the same on the couch wouldn't be that hard.

Pick A Side, Buy With Pride

So I've got a crap-ton of 3DS links and articles tabbed up in one Chrome window and a second Chrome window filled with another crap-ton of PS Vita links and articles. The question is: If I can only have one, which portable gaming device should it be?

Erroring on the side of caution, I'm always happy to wait on the brand new console and let its first batch of bugs work through the system. This means that I feel comfortable picking up a Nintendo 3DS right now. It's rookie year is almost over and there's one particular Resident Evil game that I want to play.

The PS Vita, on the other hand, is the shiny new toy. I played with one at a Best Buy while it was attached to a young man like a high-tech ball and chain. Did I mention shiny? It was shiny.

Only the Little Deviants game was playable, but I fiddled with camera (wasn't impressed) and the UI (enough to know that I still prefer buttons over touch screen tapping) and thoroughly annoyed the machine's fleshy anchor. The only launch-day game I'm interested in is the new Lumines: Electronic Symphony. Gravity Rush also looks neat, but that's it. New game prices are over-priced for games that just look neat. Of course, there's a Disgaea 3 port in the pipe, but I didn't really care for Disgaea 3 on the PS3, so I'm not biting at the moment. Just looking.

The big question right now: What are the chances that Resident Evil Revelations will end up on the PSV? I hope that those chances are good. However, an excellent counter point is that no Resident Evil game appeared on the PSP in its entire lifetime. I'm not counting the PS1 "classic" downloadables. Here's to hoping.

For now, I can stick with my trusty silver PSP. But if Nintendo cuts the price of the 3DS to compete with the PSV, I might have to cave.

The Blog is Dead?!

How do you know when a blog is dead? Dying? Maybe it never even saw the light. Well that's how I feel right now. The DoNothingMan Blog has not had a single hit since January 27, 2012.

Here's the screencap. I know it's not easy to scratch out a name and a space for yourself in the blogisphere (I hate that word), and, I admit, this bundle of text and images has never exploded in terms of popularity, but I feel like I should be getting one or two hits a day, from Russia. Where's the love? I like vodka. You like vodka. I like video games. You like video games. Let's be friends here.

I guess it's just a dry time for the DoNothingMan right now. And that's okay. It happens. Besides...

February is a dark month. A dark month.