Fatwallet.com

If you've never heard about www.fatwallet.com, you're about to. This website is completely dedicated to saving you money. It's a collaboration of deals people find either online or at retail stores and share with everyone else. There are tons of different categories. Personally, I just visit the electronics and computers sections.

Just hit up their forums and you should see a "Hot Deals" section, and in there, a bunch of links to different threads. If you don't live in a major city, there might be a lot of deals that won't really apply to you and those are listed as "YMMV" (your mileage may vary) as in....you might not be able to find this deal near you. Since that applies to me...I just look for the online deals. So if you are looking to buy something and are shopping around online, make sure to check in with fatwallet.com first, you might find a good deal on it.

Kind of like the TJMAXX Apple iPad sale...freakin $399 for the 16GB Wi-Fi version. Only certain stores in certain cities were doing this promotion. So if you lived in or near one of these places, YOU COULD HAVE PICKED ONE UP! Even if you didn't want it, you could have sold it on eBay and made yourself a nice easy hundred bucks!

Gaming Mouse

Anybody looking for a new mouse? If so, take a look at the Logitech G500. It's a 10 button gaming mouse that can go up to 5700 dpi (way too high for anyone imo). Either way though, it's a very comfortable mouse and feels just as great as you would expect out of any Logitech product.

I owned the Logitech G5 before this and loved it. After a couple years with the G5, it started to show sings of use...unresponsive buttons, shoddy scroll wheel...but the G500 really picks up where the G5 left off. I'm very happy with this mouse and would recommend it to anyone that is fine with paying more than $25 for a mouse.

I also got it off newegg.com because they had a promotion for a $25 mail-in-rebate. Go to this link http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826104318&Tpk=logitech%20g500 to see for yourself. This is the second time I have seen newegg offer this mail-in-rebate for this mouse. I just got my mail-in-rebate check from Logitech last week. It actually came a lot faster than I expected it to. Here's what it looks like:

Save as .ico in Photoshop

Ok, I've got another tutorial for you guys. I'm currently writing a program and I wanted the shortcut icon to look COOL instead of SUPER DUMB like the default. In order to do that though, you need a .ico file. So...now we begin.

By the way...this tutorial assumes you are using Photoshop.

1. Go to this link: http://www.telegraphics.com.au/svn/icoformat/trunk/dist/README.html. Here is where you will refer to if you encounter any problems in the process.

2. Next, either follow this link http://www.telegraphics.com.au/sw/#icoformat or click the "Download the latest version here" link on the above website.

3. Now you will see several different choices on the right. Look at your computer and determine whether or not you own a mac. If there is an Apple logo anywhere on the computer, you PROBABLY have a mac. If you put an Apple sticker on your PC, you SHOULD KNOW YOU HAVE A PC LOL.

4. So anyways, click the correct link and it should begin downloading a .zip file.

5. Now on Windows 7, navigate to either:  

 C:\Program Files (x86)\Adobe\Photoshop CS\Plug-Ins\File Formats

   or

 C:\Program Files\Adobe\Photoshop CS\Plug-Ins\File Formats.

   depending on which version of Photoshop you are using, 32 bit (x86) or 64 bit (x64). Otherwise I am pretty sure it is the latter on all other versions of windows.
  
   and I can't really help you if you own a mac because I don't own Photoshop for my mac. But, I'm going to guess that it is in something to the effect of

Library/Application Support/Adobe/Plugins/CS/File Formats

If not, you're a mac user, YOU OUGHTA KNOW THIS STUFF, RIGHT?!?!

6. Now extract the "icoformat" file into the "File Formats" folder.

7. Restart Photoshop and you should see .ico as a possibility to save as when saving a document. If not, the first link I posted has some possible fixes for you.

8. If you have any problems, ask in your comment. I'll try to respond to you and shed some happiness. You know, those rays of sunshine that come down when you're feeling blue.

8. Restart your computer. Why? Because I said so. And it's good. For you. And you computer. The end. YEAH< I DO HAVE TWO NUMBER *"S DEAL WITH IT AND YES I"M HOLDING DOWN SHIFT<

Electronic Arts (EA Games)

Why does EA have to frustrate me so much? It seems like they drop the ball on every game they make nowadays. I'm specifically talking about the Need for Speed series. I used to be a HUGE fan of this series. I played the NFSU games non-stop! Man, I even started way back at Hot Pursuit III, which wasn't even the first (this is a very very long series). Then they changed it up a bit with Most Wanted and Carbon which I still enjoyed playing. But ever since then, they have all just sucked.

They just recently released their newest version. Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit. So after having to deal with the last couple titles, I am a little nervous about buying this one. So, what do I look for? A demo. So I go to the Playstation Store and start the download. Once it finishes downloading though (a couple days later because you can't play games and download at the same time on the PS3), it says the DEMO HAS EXPIRED! THE DAY BEFORE IT WAS RELEASED!

How do they expect me to buy the game when I don't even know what I am buying. Why would a demo even expire? It's not like you can give away how the whole game is. Or do they do that so you don't find out that their game sucks once again and don't buy it?? Hmm......

Yeah, EA has let me down once again.

Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager

Anybody a KiD CuDi fan? I imagine there are quite a few of your out there. Either way, his new album was released a little over a week ago. So far I've only listened to some of the songs on YouTube. But, once again, his album is one I'm going to go out and buy. The only albums I know I can go out and buy because I will like them is him and Linkin Park. Here's the album artwork:

So, if you haven't heard of KiD CuDi, look him up on YouTube. His music is very relaxing, has great beats and you can listen to it over and over. He's kind of linked with the pot heads and what not but you non-pot heads can like him too haha!

Full Tower

I'm thinking about buying a new case for my computer. I'm going to be moving soon and this place should be fairly permanent for a while. Because of this, I think want to get a full tower. Does anyone have any recommendations for a good case. I'm looking at the Corsair 700D right now because I really like the look and it looks like I could make my insides look really clean.

The only problem with this case is it's price. It's a $300 case but my thinking is something like this will be with me for a really long time. How often would you need to change out your case if you already have a full tower. But then again, it's $300...LOL. So, I don't know, opinions?

Windows Phone 7

I was at the AT&T store this weekend with my friend because he was getting his new iPhone 4. While he was doing that, I got the chance to play with the HTC Surround. I was actually very surprised how smooth it was. I didn't expect it to be as cool as it actually was. I figured that the Windows Phone 7 OS had a good chance at being very nice but didn't expect what I found.

This was the phone that I played around with. It was actually pretty cool. After playing with it, I'm considering giving it more of a glance when my contract expires come April. If you haven't gone and played with a Windows Phone 7 device yet, go do so.

3D Doritos

Does anybody remember 3D Doritos?

My mom used to buy these for us all the time and they were probably the best Doritos I had have had. I realize they are generally the same thing but for some reason, these were just better.

But anyways, they need to bring them back!! I WANT THEM RIGHT NOW!!

Steve Jobs

So I hear about this a lot. If you send an email to Steve Jobs (Apple's main dude), there is a chance that he will personally reply. I've always wanted to try my luck at this and see if I could give him a cool idea or tell him an improvement.

Has anyone ever done this before? Or at least try to do this?

The reason I am asking is because I just read a story on macrumors.com that an iPad developer who got his app rejected actually got a phone call from Jobs. Apparently it was in regards to why it was rejected. I think that would be one of the coolest things to happen.

Steve Jobs would basically be saying "Hey, I took the time out of my day to look at and review your app. Although it is really cool and is well put together, we just can't use it at this time."

I think I would feel almost as good if not better than if my app got into the app store. But then again, there is no profit to be made on an app that took probably quite a while to write.

iOS 4.2 coming this Friday??

Rumor has it that the newest iOS for iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad will be released this Friday.

That's cool for iPad owners like myself because it brings multitasking, folders, AirPrint and AirPlay among other things to the device.

I'm already loving how much I can do with my iPad. Now purchasing a word processing app like Pages or something might actually come in handy. I've got the wireless printer already, so I'm good to go.

Does anybody have any other app recommendations? Preferably like utilities or productivity apps? I always a fan of new GOOD games though. So list those too!!

Short One

Sorry, short post today.

I got Call of Duty: Black Ops yesterday lol!!! It wasn't supposed to be released until today. But Wal-Mart decided to send it to me a day early and I can't stop playing it even though I get so mad at it.

They need to fix the respawn points. I get killed from behind probably 80% of the time.

Anyone else seeing anything they need to change?

Free Solo Mountain Climbers

Ok, so this is just ridiculous. I don't know why anyone would even try this. Seriously though, who was the FIRST to say: "Hey, I'm going to climb this extremely high and steep, ROCKY cliff with my BARE hands and NO CABLES!"

Either way, I applaud these people that do this. That has to take some hardcore concentration. I also bet that they are some of the calmest and laid back people you will ever meet.

North Face Lifetime Warranty

Does anybody here own any North Face gear? If so, did you know they have a lifetime warranty on their products? Yeah, they will replace your product by either repairing it or giving you a completely new one if it becomes damaged in anyway. This explains why their stuff is so expensive.

Hit up this link to read about it on their website:
http://www.thenorthface.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/TNFAttachmentDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=207&attachment=/corporate/customer_service/warranty_product_guarantee/warranty_and_repair

The only reason I am saying this is because I just bought this new North Face fleece:

And yes, I LOVE IT! I would recommend it to anybody!

Daylight Savings Time!

Don't forget to set your clock back an hour before you go to bed tonight.

In other news...I just read that Verizon is trying out a new unlimited data plan like Sprint. It's apparently only going to be by invite though...probably to current Verizon customers, just to test it out.

Here's a link to engadget:
http://www.engadget.com/2010/11/06/verizon-trials-unlimited-text-and-data-cellular-plans-for-prefer/

But if becomes something for good, they might be in the running for being my new carrier in April. Right now, it looks like I'm going to Sprint for their unlimited data plan. So hopefully Verizon's plan isn't abused by it's customers and they instate it as a plan for everyone!

Anyone have an problems with Sprint or Verizon that you would like to share?

iPhone Table

Have any of you seen this thing?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCbSwOgNzZg



I can only imagine all the possibilities of something like this. I know there are other "touch tables" being developed but who can't be interested in an iOS touch table, whether being developed by Apple or not. Which, by the way, you never know what Apple is doing.

What makes most technology great is the software it runs. In the case of things such as mobile devices, it's the OS. That's why the iPod, iPhone and iPad are just better than their competitors. IN MY OPINION.

But either way, this table is just sweet.

Your OWN Favicon

Have you ever wondered how to get a cool little picture next to the title of the website? You know...like this one:

Well, here is a simple tutorial on how to do it for yourself.
1. Create an image you want to have as your Favicon (that's just what it's called). To make it look good, make the image a perfect square. I used 400x400. It will get re-sized later but this works well.
2. Go to this link: http://www.iconj.com/favicon_hosting.php
You will then see this picture:

 

3. Click browse and select your image you want turned into an .ico file.
4. I used No Sharpen for the Sharpen Level. Click Upload it!
5. If everything well well you should see something like this:

6. Copy the line of code towards the bottom that starts with <link ref="shortcut icon"........

7. Ok, now the semi-tricky part. Go to the Edit HTML part of the design tab:

 

8. Inside of the HTML, search for (CTRL + F) </head>. Right above the line with </head> on it, paste the code you copied before. It should look something like this:

9. Save your template.

10. If everything worked, you should be able to go to your blog and see a SWEET NEW FAVICON! WOO!

There are other ways to do this. This is just one that I know works. By the way, thanks to the folks at IconJ.com for hosting these files for free! You guys RULE!

Thin Bezels

I don't know if guys read up much on tech news but here is a little something I find very interesting. The previous record holder for the thinnest bezel on a TV was Samsung with this 55 inch beauty. It has a 3.8mm bezel on the top and left edges and 1.9mm bezel on the bottom and right edges.

But just today I read that LG now has the record with a 2.5mm bezel on the bottom and right side of the screen and a 1.5mm bezel on the top and left sides.

I feel like TVs become obsolete just about as fast a cell phones....if that's possible, HAHA.

By the way, I get all my tech news from engadget.com. These pictures were taken from there. I'm a big fan of engadget and visit their website every day for new tech news since they have like 20-30 new stories every single day!

I want one of these :)

Messy Roommates

Ok, does anyone else have messy roommates or have had messy roommates? This might be one of the most annoying things in the world. Not only are they messy, but they don't ever "get it" when all their trash is just magically gone the next day.

One of my other roommates helps me clean up all the time but as soon as we clean up, we come back to a messy room again. No matter how many times we tell our messy roommates to clean up their crap, they won't.

Anyone have any ideas on how to either
1. get them back?
or
2. get them to clean the room every once in awhile?

The worse, the better, hahahaha.

Apple Competitors

Ok, so I realize tablets are the new coolest thing. I own an iPad and I love it. But why do Apple competitors always do such a terrible job in imitating Apple's latest and greatest things? I mean...look at this thing.

Why would someone want a tablet that is that small? That's what a cell phone is for. Seriously, look at the Droid X. That thing is enormous. Why would you want a small tablet and why would you want a huge phone? I'm not bashing those that own either and like them a lot, it's just my opinion. I feel like Apple's competitors aren't leaving a big enough gap between cell phones and tablets. I guess that's cool though, they just probably won't be successful.

Not to mention that the Galaxy Tab is $699.....