Oddball Update – Page 18 – Chief Oddball writes about tech, games, cars and family life

Pictorial: The Xbox 360 Hard Drive Transfer Kit

March 24, 2010September 29, 2011 Chief Oddball

Since there seems to be a dearth of conclusive information (and a lot of repetitive questions) about the Xbox 360 Hard Drive Transfer Kit, I thought I’d document the process of using mine in case anybody is wondering how the thing works.

If You’re Gonna Buy an Xbox, Buy an Xbox

March 22, 2010September 21, 2011 Chief Oddball

So after my 2006-era Xbox 360 suffered terminal RRoD on Friday night — you may have read about it — I decided to pool together my remaining Gamestop store credit and some cash from a recent side job in order to replace it.

Three Rings to Screw Them All: Another Xbox Dies

March 20, 2010October 7, 2011 Chief Oddball

Crap. My 360 died. Part Deux. A long time ago in a not-so faraway land, my launch day Xbox 360 console bit the dust, killed by GPU failure. Tonight, the refurbished console that Microsoft sent me as a warranty replacement for that original unit also bit the dust, also killed by GPU failure.

SHO-CO-REVIEW 10: Shishousetsu

March 9, 2010October 7, 2011 Pooch

Shishousetsu, released August 26, 1998, was Shoko Suzuki’s first album under her record contract with Warner Music Japan, with whom she signed after leaving Epic/Sony Records in 1997. Like her previous two albums there is an appreciable rock and roll influence; however, this is balanced with orchestrated pop, ballads and even a country number, making for a fairly diverse album (and more-or-less setting the pattern for many of Shoko’s future releases, which all tend to have a fair bit of diversity to them).

TiVo’s Big Announcement Is…WebTV?

March 4, 2010March 4, 2010 Chief Oddball

Last month, TiVo teased us with an upcoming announcement, saying that their inventing the DVR was just the opening act, or some such puffery. This week they finally revealed the meat and potatoes: it’s the all-new TiVo Premiere, otherwise known to us old hats as the Series4.

SHO-CO-REVIEW 9: Candy Apple Red

March 2, 2010December 19, 2011 Pooch

Candy Apple Red, Shoko Suzuki’s final album recorded for Epic/Sony Records, was released on March 1, 1997. In hindsight, Shoko leaving her record company seemed to be a foregone conclusion — the record company wasn’t happy with Snapshots, and Shoko presumably wasn’t happy with how they handled her career after Hourglass.

Star Trek Online: Latest Screenshots

February 28, 2010September 29, 2011 Chief Oddball 2 Comments

I last posted about the massively multiplayer PC game Star Trek Online during the open beta phase. The game hit retail release in early February, and now that it’s been several weeks since then, what’s the current state of the game?

Review: Star Trek: The Original Series (Blu-Ray)

February 27, 2010October 7, 2011 Chief Oddball

For my birthday this year, my friends Pooch and Reaper gifted me with the Season 1 and 3 boxed sets of Star Trek: The Original Series on Blu-ray disc. Since this series (hereinafter referred to as TOS) was perhaps my first television love, and sparked an obsessive fanaticism which hasn’t waned for a minute since, I thought it appropriate to post my impressions of these all-new, high-definition episodes.

Quick, Act Like We Give a Crap

February 24, 2010February 24, 2010 Chief Oddball

Today the president of Toyota Motor Company, Mr. Akio Toyoda, appeared before a U.S. congressional committee to answer questions about the ongoing recall and safety/PR crisis that his company is currently suffering. My wife watched the proceedings on live TV, and as she put it, the result could only be described as “a serious culture crash.”

Thoughts on Being Thirty

February 23, 2010February 23, 2010 Chief Oddball 5 Comments

At 6:43 p.m. this evening I officially turned thirty. For the last few days — weeks, even — I haven’t known exactly how to feel. Mostly I wasn’t even thinking about my upcoming milestone birthday; I’ve been too preoccupied with how wholly dissatisfying and depressing life seems to have been of late.