Anime Review: Aldnoah.Zero

Aldnoah.Zero Review

   “Another weird anime with punctuation marks in its name” is the first thing that came to mind. I liked .hack but still, it was different but lacked unique. If you are ready to watch an anime that you don’t really know what to expect, then Aldnoah.Zero is for you.

Story: 7/10
   I was surprised by how good this was. First the characters don’t seem very well developed nor do they relate to the viewer, and that is what makes them a lot more realistic in the fact that all characters have a deep emotional side story, and even if it didn’t get covered on the screen, it actually happened. The way characters act in the time of crisis should be unpredictable, but this random flow of emotions is really well portrayed here. 

  Also, despite the main protagonist being a guy, there is a surprisingly huge number of female cast in this anime, but not enough to completely erase all romantic aspects of the main lead. This is both good and bad, but again it failed to pull me in towards the protagonist’s inner struggles, if he had any.

Music: 4/10 
  Taste in music is a personal opinion, but I find the opening annoying, but including the ending theme in some cutscenes – er, I meant climax scenes? - makes it worthwhile.

Artstyle: 10/10
   Come on, this was made in 2014. Not much senseless censorship like Black Cat or Tokyo Ghoul, and the world was very inclusive. Some scenes had cliché camera angles which really give the retro feel of the old anime, while not looking boring at the same time. The animation was smooth, the boring robots had smooth motion cycles, etc.

Overall: 7/10
   There are many points that do not make sense (such as the infinite repair supplies, anyone?) but overall this is a good anime to watch if you want something that tries to be unique like Code Geass did, and didn’t fail nor succeed, like Code Geass did as well. That said, it is quite from everything else you’ve watched, and if you like tactics, Aldnoah stresses on points never explored in anime and difficult to find even in a video game.

  I wish they make an action-RPG with this, because seriously this anime if filled with things comparable to video games. Play More Zelda!

Message to 2014 kids

Message to 2014 kids

     If you write, blog, or just live, you will definitely face a writer’s block. However, currently the lack of content on my blog is not due to not finding an idea to write, but rather that my ideas are totally unrelated to the theme of the blog. Thus I focused more on recording my hobby and uploading it. But recording sometimes gets noisy and ruined, so I cannot really upload everything. So what now, just sitting ducks?

    I figured if this is the only way for me to overcome the writer’s block, I will simply write the persistent idea that wouldn’t disappear. This is a warning that this post is not about technology or video games or anime, so if you read on, don’t expect that, ok?

    Ever since I was a kid, I theorize things about life. One of my thoughts were about the future me. I wanted to see a cool, tall, overachieving hyperactive adult who is into technology (at that time, I only used Windows 95, 98 and MS DOS, and Dad didn’t let me use his Linux device until high school) and can drive very well almost any vehicle with ease. I wanted to be AWESOME when I grow up. So as any kid, I started pursuing my dream. I ate so much that I became chubby and worked out every day just so I’d get taller. And you know, now that I am getting driving lessons next semester, you can pretty much say I make myself proud. I. AM. AWESOME.

   Yet I look at teens not so far away from me not working out every day, anorexic, and without any motivation to try anything new. They have outstanding technology at their fingertips and they do not even try to explore its quirks. They do not try to make apps, mod apps, and few start a new youtube channel or blog and actively add content to it. Nobody wants to make ECHOcasting a thing, which I would if I had time, the only thing they do is talk about sexuality in forums and watch Disney movies.

   Message to all teens: watch where you waste your time! My dad gave me the best chance of exposure to technology, and you are sinking in it but not using it properly. Discover, push the walls themselves, think outside the box. Because the moment you graduate from high school, you will have a million responsibilities, you will need to make your own food, remember to pay your own bills, manage your own money, etc. If you are unmotivated now, how will you be when you are even more too busy to have hobbies? 

     Then again, even I don’t have my life planned out. Getting my driving license is the end goal to prove my awe-inspiring worth. What will I do after that, and after inventing the beef cake (smoked beef, milk, and eggs. Three of the best things ever)? Will I die before I turn 20? That’s what I always assumed. I will die a horrible bloody death soon after finishing school. So I always set out to try everything before it is the end. I wanted to experience every job there is, every minute has to be fun, but another part of me is always worried about trying to survive (because I am almost 20 and I finished high school).
   
     This is YOLO. YOLO is living your ideal standards, your ideal morals, all while having fun. Become a role model and inspire others but just being you. YOLO is not about parties, money, and all that. Let’s not link all our culture to music culture. You Only Live Once, but if you do it right, once is enough. That’s all I got to say to younger teens out there. Maybe next post I can write about technology, but in the meantime, I am uploading videos of me playing games, so you can check that out I guess. They’re all scheduled stuff.

How to sync Outlook Calendar to Google

How to sync Outlook Calendar to Google

This is an extremely frustrating idea that updates take humanity a few steps backwards by stopping the different services from talking to each other. Flash isn't supported for Android 4.0+ anymore, and now Google calendar refuses to sync with Google Calendar app on Android? What is this?

  Luckily for you, I am here to tell you how to fix that, and also mention a few useful quirks for Google Calendar App in case you have too many "calendars" loaded at the same time (you'll see why soon). I used a Samsung device for this, and it does not screenshot. Without further ado, let's dive in.

  So you probably used the app Outlook.com for your mail, right? In this tutorial, it is completely useless. It's sync calendar doesn't work. But you can keep it. I know I am.

 Well first step is to install the Google Calendar App. Don't open it.

exactly the Samsung one. from totalchoicehosting.com

  Next you need to go to the stock android app called "email" that looks like the stock SMS app too (depends on manufacturer) for comparison purposes, this app looks like this and is definitely pre-installed.

no sync for you, bad app

  Now if you still want to use Outlook.com for email, make sure you uncheck email sync from the next step.

  Open the stock email app, click the menu button, add exchange activesync account, go through the steps, make sure sync calendar is checked. After you are done with the process, go to settings, account settings, sync settings,  go to sync schedule and set it to five minutes.


  Close the email app, then open Google Calendar app, and it should be synced. If you have a problem you can again add the Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync account but that's just repeating yourself.

    Now to the important thing: Calendars to display. On your Calendar app, click the menu button and then on calendars to display.

from makeuseof.com

   If you are using Outlook.com as well, you will find two of the same email: the one with many different calendars (such as "birthday calendar" and "USA holiday calendar") is your working calendar, and the other one is from Outlook.com. Make sure you uncheck that one, and then toggle the check of the working one. The calendar should be synced.

   Now that you are synced, go to the email app, and in the sync schedule settings and set it to push, because now you are good to go.

   If you have any issues, make sure that you toggle the email app settings before the Google Calendar's sync. There is a manual sync button at the email app. Try the email app first before you try the Google Calendar.

from thegeekdaily.com

    I hope this has solved the issue, and I find it really frustrating, as exporting and importing calendar to my Google account instead made me lose a lot of data, and I only needed to view it in the app rather than have it on my Google account.

Zelda Month: Let the Selfies Begin

Zelda Month: Let the Selfies Begin

  Since it is Zelda month, as inspired by PBG, it seems logical that I write an article about Zelda, considering that I didn't write any article since a very long time. For that I apologize, but I have another alternative. My youtube channel is becoming populated with more videos, so you might want to check it out for my fail at gameplay. If I ever start doing a Zelda Let's Play, I'll mention it here too.

  That aside, instead of leaving this post empty I got a fantastic idea to make a competition between Zelda fans on Twitter using the hashtag #windwakerselfie. Post the funniest selfie you got and the one with the most retweets wins! isn't that a cool idea? I might even post all the entries on my blog at the end of the month, and the winner gets.. well honor and glory, my friend, honor and glory.

   Also, I am planning to make a Majora's Mask gameplay series this month considering that the 3D remake is confirmed, but just when I  figure out how to capture the full screen of it... Also, the Wii is not with me right now so I cannot record the awesome Skyward Sword for now.

   But please check out my youtube channel! It's a gaming channel that took away most of my time that I used to post on this blog, but in no way am I planning to forget my blog! You are my real audience, my real viewers, and the youtube was just because of lack of time, that I need to game and post on the internet, so I thought, why not both? However, when I get a good time to write (I am actually hesitant to show you a really good idea that is unrelated to technology aka the theme of the blog) I will! Thank you all for supporting me this far.

Tokyo Goul No Spoiler Review

Tokyo Ghoul No-spoilers Review

   As this is literally the first anime I watch episode by episode instead of wait for the episodes to accumulate and watch when the last episode airs, you can tell that it is no ordinary anime. In this review, I will try to be as brief as possible, with no spoilers.

   If you have heard about Tokyo Ghoul, then you have obviously heard the impatient fans urging anyone to read the manga and forget the anime. There are other fans, including me, who would suggest that you don’t watch the anime until the uncensored version is released on the internet, because the version right now is the TV-approved version. However, the rising DDoS attacks should be enough reason for you to disregard this message and watch right now.

   A problem with trying to describe an anime like this without spoilers, is that it is slightly unique in the way the story is portrayed.

   Synopsis: With enemies of humanity against every corner, the battle between the hunter and the hunted intensifies as more factions crop up, all with the desire to gain control over humanity. But the hunters have yet to realize the biggest threat to their own survival.

   The story itself is not extremely different from some [insert cannibalistic humanoid here] ideology that you have read before, but actually, it is quite different in the way it is portrayed. Extremely. At the beginning you will not think it is your typical cannibal clan plot, and the “typical” plot points that are portrayed are actually putting you on other people’s point of view. You won’t sympathize with the enemy, you will be the enemy and feel the pain of being the hunter too.

    They really put a lot of 3D sound into it. I’d give that more than the animation because sometimes they censor almost everything on the screen. 10 /10 for sounds. The music tracks were ok, there was one track that was distinctive, the opening is quite cool, and the instruments used were fine. I’d give music an 8/10.

   The animation gets 4/10 comparatively and artstyle gets a good 7/10. Although the animation isn’t repetitive or failing in any way, it doesn’t compare to the innovative styles used in the production of Tokyo Ghoul itself. This is bound to change when the uncensored version comes out, really.

     The plot gets a good 9/10 for having factions that aren’t too cultist, but there really should have been the main focus of the story. I’d prefer the story on a bigger rather than on a personal level, even though it was portrayed perfectly from one faction’s perspective.

   That said, the overall score has to lose because of the sadly inappropriate and random “fanservice” that makes it appeal to a “male” demographic (seriously who even likes distractions from the plot anyway) that the world of anime in general would do without. Overall 7/10 for censorship and fanservice.

    If you are looking for something similar, there is Kiseijuu that is currently airing, and hey, it has dubstep at the core of the best scenes, but it has even more “fanservice” so watch at your own risk. Although it isn’t as dark as Tokyo Ghoul, but it sure is kissing up to it so bad that it’s worth the watch!

  Tokyo Ghoul made me start watching anime again after I gave up on anime entirely. I do not know about you, but that means something. I watched Shiki entirely because I couldn’t wait between each episode and another. If Tokyo Ghoul and Attack on Titan shape a new genre, then it’ll be the rules of that genre that are shaped in Tokyo Ghoul.

    My complaints on that imperfect genre is to stop talking to only one gender and stop the useless fanservice. Protagonists should be women, romance doesn’t need to exist, and censorship for violent scenes should stop existing too because “fanservice” brings the rating up to M+ anyway, so why censor blood?????? #logic

Attack on Titan Jean please

Call of Duty Advanced Warfare Theory

Call of Duty Advanced Warfare Theory

    With Sledgehammer’s first Call of Duty development for the next generation of consoles, there is a lot of speculation on what the fourth game mode is beside campaign, multiplayer, and exoskeleton modes. “Fourth game mode” refers to the intense survival with waves of immoral mobs that do not use CoD’s traditional weaponry, Just like Black Ops 2’s Zombie mode and Ghosts’ Extinction. Will there be one?

   Knowing Call of Duty gaming style, the fact that you picked this up to read it means you are that curious, so I’ll keep it short: The mobs of terror in this game will be humanoid beasts that follow the Japanese’s magic-girl robot culture. However since they’ll be humanoid (i.e. flesh limbs) the closest thing they’ll be to current scale is the Final Fantasy XIII’s Ghast:

some old fashioned RPG magic

   Now that you are reading further, here is the proof or evidence that backs the theory. In the Western culture, after zombies and aliens, there’s only vampires, and we all know that for Activision to add vampirism is to spell its doom. It is illogical to even collect this much vampires unless a single bite is fatal, in which they are exactly like zombies in their mechanics.

vampire in skyrim is humanoid

   Magic “robot” is new to the table, plus the baddies will be able to use melee and middle ranged attacks with an endless list of possibilities. So why “robot”? Because this is usually the back story for their origin. A big AI had the power to mutate all humans in a village to turn into magical beasts that follow the robot’s will. They will be armed with a short ranged laser from their stomach and will look ugly. They’ll be slow, having a livelier skin color than zombies, and having extreme lack of recognition skills or morality. They’ll charge right at you with the intent of turning you into roasted robot breakfast.

the father of android

gotta love the standard knightmare frames

  The reason behind these would be the screenshots. They are a little bit futuristic like Halo, but they already covered aliens in the previous game.

  What do you think? Would you believe this theory? I guess we'll find out when the game rolls in. Until Then!

Choose Your Death: The Future of Android

Choose Your Death: The Future of Android

This is the third entry in a series. Read the previous one here.

Is android dead?

   It may not look like it, but android is dying, and we can prevent it. But before we can come to that conclusion, we first need to dive into the history of Android.

   A simple Wikipedia search would tell you the open source software that originated from a camera software, but that is not the history we need to conclude evidence. It's the behind the scenes' little clues that rarely appear to the public. These clues were around us all along.

froyo wasn't good though

    Nowadays whenever you hear android, you hear Google. Google adopted android and created the Play Store. So there is pre-2.2 and post-2.2 for android store. Then the android fragmentation issue starting increasingly spreading, so Google countered that with Google Play services and a bunch of a few more API to help developers reach a wider audience, and save people with old phones from splurging money unlike the iPhone. Now, the Android site has the API for android L and the Wear even before the first android L software is out. 

Good interface, bad intentions

    Looks like Google likes working on an android software, right? Especially since it recently acquired Motorola and all of its future nexus devices and wearables will be on it, it seems like Google wants to continue forever, right?

Just put "phone" in-between the two words

    Wrong. Android was only a platform for Google to test its ground in. Then, after it becomes completely professional at it, it will launch Chrome OS for smartphones and eventually abandon Android, leaving someone else to care for it.

    Actually, the fact that Google wants to impose more Google apps to be built-in to the new android phone is just to have enough test subjects for more statistics and bug-fixing experience. Google is taking it slower than ever though, because it will go on for a longer while.

    These APIs for Google play services are also a test for its own OS, so instead of an android OS upgrade, you get to use Google's code instead. Take good note of this because this is the seed of Chrome OS.

    But so what? Android is open-source, and there are enough developers in the world ready to replace the play store with dozens when Google abandons it.



     Well, what about the hardware manufacturers? Things aren't looking too good for us there either. Samsung, the main competitor against Apple in the western market, is also making its very own operating system: Tizen OS. With Samsung's stunning success to android exclusive updates and having a big global market share, for it to leave the Android market is to leave a real big gap. Luckily, there is no point in worrying about that as there are many other manufacturers that have the potential to adopt devices. I am not talking about Sony, HTC, or all that, but rather any local vendor.

    Honestly though, I am not worried as much in the near future about main supporters of android abandoning it. There are Huawei phones that exist without the Play Store that run android, as well as various Nokia devices. However, the threat is there, and will continue to grow in the next few years, and it will be alarming.

very creative and innovative and artistic logo.

On the other hand, Google is not only gaining benefits from open source then planning to abandon it; the search giant is also trying to take this migration in steps, and ensure developers would want to switch over to Android One, which Google controls. I know it’s tempting as a developer or as a phone manufacturer to switch there, but it’s sad and destructive.

Above all else, remember to choose open source software, because you can. Nobody wants a world where we can’t be programmers or engineers because everything else has been patented or owned by someone else. Especially that software can be owned, patented, and privatized. It’s duplication isn’t always as successful either.

Mini Speaker: Mini Bees Hands-on Review

Mini Speaker: Mini Bees Hands-on Review

  Found a cute Chinese office toy of your favorite droid and decided to splurge money on it blindly without understanding the controls? Well, fear not, because I have included a video that figures out how to start it up and use it.


 Now, I didn't explain the Radio feature because I realized it afterwards. Just adding the audio jack alone will serve as the antennae.

   Turning it on will automatically turn it to radio mode where it will keep scanning the FM channels. After it's done, you can briefly rotate his head back and forth just like the MP3 version.

  The only different controls are the play and pause, that just re-initiate the scanning of the radio channels.

  The speakers do have clean sound, but every time you press on and off, everything resets, which isn't good. Also, the maximum volume is great but not fantastic. Every time the device is turned on, all settings reset to default, and radio mode is on.

  I hope that these are enough instructions for you to not feel ripped off and try again. This speaker isn't cheap: it really does as advertised.

Voxel Racing Game: Android vs. iOS

Voxel Racing Game: Android vs. iOS

It's time, android fans, to prove your worth and make your mother proud. Voxel Rush, a racing game, is testing your skills, pitted against iPhones, iPads, and iPods in our endless tilting game. Will you let your device down? Will you let us all down? You won't, so grab every smartphone in the house and make sure you beat my score. I am competing with three android devices, including this one that I am blogging with. I won't share the names of the other two. Competition starts on 1 pm EST so practice well before then.

As a motivational picture, I drew a little poster. Since this is my first drawing on the World Wide Web, I'll go with the initials B.C.Z. just as my youtube channel.

iOS users: make sure you download the game too. Don't go easy on us either, so that you get crushed fair and square.

Spectators: Watch the twitch stream. Make sure you tell everyone about it, and also, if you are android user, stop watching and get your head in the game!

Tokyo Ghoul No-spoilers Review

Tokyo Ghoul No-spoilers Review

As this is literally the first anime I watch episode by episode instead of wait for the episodes to accumulate and watch when the last episode airs, you can tell that it is no ordinary anime. In this review, I will try to be as brief as possible, with no spoilers.



If you have heard about Tokyo Ghoul, then you have obviously heard the impatient fans urging anyone to read the manga and forget the anime. There are other fans, including me, who would suggest that you don’t watch the anime until the uncensored version is released on the internet, because the version right now is the TV-approved version. However, the rising DDoS attacks should be enough reason for you to disregard this message and watch right now.



A problem with trying to describe an anime like this without spoilers, is that it is slightly unique in the way the story is portrayed.



Synopsis: With enemies of humanity against every corner, the battle between the hunter and the hunted intensifies as more factions crop up, all with the desire to gain control over humanity. But the hunters have yet to realize the biggest threat to their own survival.



The story itself is not extremely different from some [insert cannibalistic humanoid here] ideology that you have read before, but actually, it is quite different in the way it is portrayed. Extremely. At the beginning you will not think it is your typical cannibal clan plot, and the “typical” plot points that are portrayed are actually putting you on other people’s point of view. You won’t sympathize with the enemy, you will be the enemy and feel the pain of being the hunter too.



They really put a lot of 3D sound into it. I’d give that more than the animation because sometimes they censor almost everything on the screen. 10 /10 for sounds. The music tracks were ok, there was one track that was distinctive, the opening is quite cool, and the instruments used were fine. I’d give music an 8/10.



The animation gets 4/10 comparatively and artstyle gets a good 7/10. Although the animation isn’t repetitive or failing in any way, it doesn’t compare to the innovative styles used in the production of Tokyo Ghoul itself. This is bound to change when the uncensored version comes out, really.



The plot gets a good 9/10 for having factions that aren’t too complicated, being extremely unexpected, having a majority of psycho cast for the first time in modern anime in a satisfying amount. Trying not to say any more would be spoilers.



However overall it’s only 7/10 because of horribly unnecessary fanservice. I was going to drop it, although luckily they are few and predictable. Be warned, and also, don’t mind the beginning of the first episode. I’ll keep this short not to ruin the short season. Don't read any further if you do not want spoilers.

 Tell me your opinion about the last and totally different episode of Tokyo Ghoul. Wasn’t it really a calm climax?

Dear iPhone 6 haters

Dear iPhone 6 haters

  Oh you Android fans throwing tomatoes at iPhone for copying Android very late because it’s out of ideas. How dare you insult iPhone 6 like that?

  Actually, you should direct more hate on it, but this time the obtuse iPhone zombies might wrongly accuse us of being jealous on the iPhone 6. Of course, nobody has the right to insult the users themselves, so we just start pointing out how slow-paced the iPhone series is, right?

  Ron’s joke was good, but when Samsung and HTC gang up like that, we don’t look very good at making fun unless we are innovative. So let’s spread our innovativeness by sharing these kind of user-generated jokes along social media. Android fans should always remind the rest of the world why supporting open-source products is the only thing that is saving humanity from destruction (by titans!)

  Initially I also thought of comparing an iPhone 6 with the Motorola Nexus 6, because since Google bought Moto and the Nexus series is closer than ever to being Google’s perfect realization of the Android OS, but it has not yet been revealed completely.

   What about initial thoughts on the Apple Watch? It’s probably going to be a total rip-off, however with outside looks it’s almost on par with the Samsung Gear models, I’ll give it that. It does look glossier that Sony’s previous retro edgy looks on the sides. But with their surprisingly bulky buttons, it barely feel like what I expected the iWatch would turn out to be.

   What do you think about the misleading title? Be honest. The rest of the articles aren’t so misleading.

September Smartphone 2014

September Smartphone 2014

thanks to this blogger for transparent eyes

    
   Every beginning of an academic year, and most people do a back to school shopping spree, nerds do their own hunting. This year we’ve got a lot of smartphones that just load more numbers and more digits into their processors but what we really need to limit ourselves with here is functionality.

  Although I say that and here is a specifications comparison of the four flagship native KitKat phones, namely the LG G3, the Sony Z2, the Samsung S5, and the HTC M8.

  Before the comparison tables, I was actually reluctant to include the HTC, because their model numbers are simply confusing, and they always try to remake every model they have. They are going to make a Windows Phone model out of this too.

  What’s special is that all these phones were released in 2014, which made me drop the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 out of the list although it should be worth comparing.

   This year around I shall consider the budget phone of the year, which, surprisingly isn’t an android. Let’s introduce it first: The Nokia Lumia 525. As any living human being, I always advise that the RAM of a smartphone have to be => 1GB and no less. Nokia loves to trick you into not getting one of these, and their apparently well-sold Lumia 520 is very similar with the exception of RAM.

   Budget phones are not just about the initial price; it’s also about the lifespan. Generally dual core 1 GHz phones should have a good life span if the OS allows it. iPhones degenerate quickly, and so do Android phones if used extensively, or connected to shady networks. Nokia’s version of any software is usually the safest to go, however it’s best to have a full experience on any phone, so steer clear from the Nokia X and Nokia XL as they do not have proper Google Play stores, while the Windows phone does. Microsoft also has some cool cloud and other services, and if you are an Xbox fan it’s a bit of a plus.

click to enlarge

*=two different models exist with 16GB,2GB RAM and 32GB, 3GB RAM respectively


   Now that Sony decided that increasing phone resolution is not worth the battery life drop, I am really considering waiting for the PS4-game enabled Xperia device. Hooray for smuggling video games into study areas!

  As for the table, this time I’ve went on to do something new and almost completely try to omit the extremely similar features and repetitive ones. Since these flagship smartphones are directly competing with each other, the main focus will be on the differences rather than similarities.

  The CPU, GPU, Chipset, etc., are exactly the same for all. The native OS is as well as Bluetooth, so I only included some of them because they are more important. Mainly, all these Quad-core processors are of equal caliber, and there shouldn’t be a great difference in there, but the LG sure has stepped up its game by including two models, and one of them (the 32GB internal storage one) has a whopping 3GB RAM. 

   Most people consider this a “Shame on you, Samsung” because the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 had 3GB of RAM, and the S5 looks like a downgraded version released in the wrong order of time. But compared to every other manufacturer it doesn’t lose much ground.

  Apparently HTC M8 is planning to rob iPhone of its user base, with no need to change the SIM card or try to fit it into a small adapter in order to use an Android device right now. Speaking of the odd measures of HTC, they have a phone with a dual 4MP? What does that mean? It means it is essentially 4MP, but with better brightness and faster focus on images and videos. If you already have a digital camera, then trying something new is not bad, but it sure is a little bit of a risk to get a flagship phone with the inferior camera. However, for selfie enthusiasts, this phone is better than your iPhone for taking a front-camera selfie with back camera iPhone quality. Have you ever seen a phone with 5MP on the front? HTC really targets the iPhone users this time.

   A sad point to note is that Samsung is using the new charger, which is why I colored the USB field black to contrast. Version 3.0 of the micro-USB is actually something like a micro-USB version 2.0 with a smaller version stuck to it. The micro-USB v2.0 is just the normal one we use on most android and even old Nokia and Samsungs. Of course the Samsung Galaxy S5 is backward compatible, but that just means one more sophisticated cable in your house. You’d want to need it for faster transfer speeds on your laptop, as my 1TB hard drive really goes smoothly with that cable as well, so it’s not a lie, but personally, I believe it’s not worth it unless you live alone. Most people who live in a family probably store their old mobile phones for headsets and chargers, or even other family members are likely to buy from the same manufacturer. Generic Nokia phones had a standard, newer iPhones now have a standard, most Android devices have always maintained their unspoken rule about standards, so why now, Samsung? You were the early adapters of micro-USB v2.0, why are you selling it out now?

  Both Sony and Samsung were competing really hard with the camera specifically. The Xperia has the higher MegaPixels at 20.7 which is magnificent, and the resolution is probably better (more square-ish) than Samsung’s. It is amazing though, that you can record a video on a phone with a resolution higher than the screen itself. Playback is a waste on the cell phones now!

  Things I forgot were that the Galaxy S5 and the Xperia Z2 are both waterproof.

  LG is quite spectacular with the screen this time, completely winning in the pixel density war as well as the resolution. Having a lower brightness on one of the earlier adapters of the Corning Gorilla Glass series is a plus point. Most people assume that brighter is better just because it is a word that mathematically refers to a positive change in a variable, but actually a screen with lower brightness is a lot less stressful on the eye, and also heats up less. Of all my experience, a Samsung phone with an AMOLED display would heat from the front extremely, to the point where the “dust” on your hand would electrostatically become released from your fingertip. An LG device normally heats up whenever the 3G or the screen are on and white light is displayed, but only the upper part where the upper speaker and wifi are positioned. Glad that Samsung is using Gorilla Glass 3 this time around.

  I almost went through everything, and I did not really intend that, but for now I will delay all the other points regarding general phone issues to a later date. Which phone appeals to you most, and are you actually planning to buy a flagship this September? It is the beginning of the academic year, so I’d love quick responses in the comments below. Play More Zelda!

Is the gaming community oppressive?

Is the gaming community oppressive?

   The internet may be known for its trolls, heated debates about religion and politics, but gamers also use the internet, even if in a different way. Here’s what I think gamers, me included, do wrong in the world we are building. They may be wrong, so feel free to judge.

   With game developers and server owners limiting the control and creating non-existent rules on the internet, it is quite surprising how so many of gamers still think that they are the cool rule breakers and the dangerous ones on the web. Nowadays, a lot of gamers know a little bit of coding, or they can just have a cheat engine, and think hacking in-game can also make them the top elite of the gaming community, when in fact, admins can just ban them and these “hackers” won’t work their way back with the same username. 

  On the contrary, I’ve seen a lot of people kissing up to sys admins and in-game admins to the point of slavery just so they can get perks like own a land close to spawn or get to use military grade weapons, secure a place in a tournament or even (not saying names) work their way up in the hall of fame for no reason. That’s lame. Sure, admins should get some thank-yous for their long hours of coding (I’ve once had to take care of two servers for a week) and trying to juggle all the problems in real-time, but some admins just buy a server from a hosting service that does all that for you. Maybe at the beginning of time admins were nerds who wanted total power over something, but now they are social animals like us too and do not need to be worshipped.

   Then there are the people who like to play with a twist: mods everywhere and all these complicated registration rules on servers. I’d rather study calculus than know the history of your father’s father’s father, and how in 1888 there was a guy who changed your life forever that’s why I need to change my skin to enter this lobby. Really, thank you for making matchmaking possible, and for having a good playerbase, but make it easy and quick for me to go anywhere! Also, I do not like the “wait for admin” button that people use when they are angry at my attitude.

  Now onto developers, and their three new discriminations: region, internet speed, game rep. They hate and love people based on these three factors more than they should hate cheaters, or how we hate griefers.
   
Region restriction is the new racism, and not just for games: for any downloads. In a world where it’s easy to travel anywhere, and where anime such as Log horizon portray gamers as people who don’t like classification, how ironic is it that we cannot download certain software simply because of our IP. It’s really turning down a lot of potential customers to anything and extremely frustrating for travelers or people with friends in different countries that can’t all use the same service at once.

so much real time

  The game reputation is probably the only way developers recognize and eliminate griefers and bad sports. It started out entirely based on the community so it does require people who report are unbiased, and gladly, it works miraculously. However, it does kind of mean that if in GTA 5 you are a “bad” person and then went to the “jail” servers for two weeks, you are more likely to friend “bad” people (seriously who is “bad” and “good” in criminal game) from the bad people’s servers then when you can go back to ordinary lobbies you will end up going back to the bad sport lobbies a lot more frequently because even if you want to start a new life, you kind of can’t. It’s worse than fearing to put your real name online because now your game name that you cannot change since you paid a lot of money for all the virtual game library you own -cannot start over - are now stuck with these labels. Permanent ban from Minecraft servers are kind of the same thing. Your name is now something you must protect, which kind of reduces the fun of hearing people rage. 

 no can do

   Then the last type of “discrimination” which is a silent suffering, and that is internet speed and lag. You’ve probably suffered lag before, been kicked from a lobby once, but believe me some people have it way worse. Servers with anti-cheating code kick people with significant lag for suspected teleportation. If people are around, you may get reported and eventually banned forever.

from otakudaydreams.wordpress.com

  “I’m scared to make friends and promises on skyblock servers because I can’t use the internet.” My friend, who only plays skyblock, once told me I never understood what she meant until I joined a skyblock server with her. She takes the emeralds and then can’t buy with them because the villager’s trading HUD doesn’t open.

  Apparently, Microsoft hates people with bad internet speed. If you’ve played the console version of Happy Wars, you’ll see an entire team rush out to build towers and completely annihilate the enemy with epic meteor showers while one guy with the speed of a snail is going to build a ballista in the main tower. Even though this is under the excuse that other players don’t lag, but occasionally the game suddenly ends or does these PC version bugs like towers not responding thing. Most people would think that this is a claptrap argument, and that other players don’t have to deal with this, but losing league points because your DSL doesn’t connect is too much. Penalties are good motivators, but they should be smarter in their penalty system.

 who's happy now?

   Going to the title, is the gaming community oppressive? We only pretend there is no rules when there is too many? We pretend there is no kingship when we are participating in making people look more important than us? I don’t know, and this is kind of why I only join servers for minigames in Minecraft. With the exception of Watch dogs’ online feature (you’re all notoriety points thieves anyway), most online games do have worrying issues like griefers and cheaters, but does this really mean that all of our gameplay is affected and all of us suspected of being bad people just because of a high internet traffic on a few days? Tell me your opinion in the comments.

Top 3 Underrated Tech Gadgets of all Time

Top 3 Underrated Tech Gadgets of all Time

   Remember when, as a kid, you wanted to become a spy? When you hoarded a huge amount of sunglasses and walkie-talkie looking plastic objects? Those were the days, man.

   So now, when sending a file via Bluetooth no longer fascinates us, is there something out there to spark our excitement, as a tech geek and/or a child? I hope these three I found can fascinate you as I did.

 #1: Android phones with T9 keyboards

  Okay, so T9 keyboards are the best keyboard ever, and android is the best mobile software ever, so why not combine both and feel the shiny awesomeness? Samsung has already done that for you stuck-in-the-past ‘90s kids. Twice, actually. And nobody knows that! It’s like Samsung whispered it to China’s ears the second time and I have no idea what happened to the first. If you can get your hands on one, and you can speak Mandarin, then root that device to English already and duplicate it with your magic wand or something. How did you get it from the start unless you had a magic wand, right?


  On a side note, this probably isn’t the first android T9 phone of all time, just is for Samsung.

First, the SCH-W999 . The first T9 Samsung device that has entered the realm of internet and runs native android 2.3. If that’s not awesome, then I don’t know what is. Take a look.

from technave.

  The second one is the one released in 2013 which led to all the rumors about a Samsung Galaxy Folder (?) just because the phone can flip (??) seriously people, where are you all copy-pasting this from? Just because Samsung patented a dual-screen phone with mechanics doesn’t mean that China is their experimental grounds. China, home to more than 1 billion people, is a great market for large numbers and more accurate statistics, but more importantly, it’s a market! The customers are real people, not experimental bots, ok?

from Sammyhub.

   Pretty cool phone right? You can read more about it from here, since, this post isn’t about it entirely anyway.

#2: Audio jack adapters

  I don’t even know why in 2014 we still have 2.5mm audio jacks around. My Xbox controller has it, Nokia phones have it (well, not in all phones), and I have no idea who even has working 2.5mm headset that doesn’t buzz if it goes to a different manufacturer’s device, or one in a different year of production. 

  We just have to thank these little adapters for existing, because they can let us use our expensive apple headsets on a GPS lacking device, so the NSA couldn’t track us down, and also because it’s an extinct beauty. 

  Like the 2.5mm jacks, their adapters are obviously and eventually going for a really close death. But until then, they deserve a salute.


#3: Kreyos smartwatch

It looks geeky, it was there before the Sony Smartwatches AND it’s multiplatform. I would’ve bought it first except that the only way to get it was online. I seriously think it should be more popular than the qualcomm toq.


So what electronic device that you think is very useful or cool that wasn’t mentioned in this short list? Comment below what you feel.

Did you see My Facebook Page Yet?

   This is a little bit of a short post, because I'd like to draw attention to my new Facebook page. If you are on the web version of the blog, then you can probably see the like button at the side, right? Well, a huge percentage of my viewers use phones, and I respect all my viewers, but Blogger's design will not allow me to add a Facebook mobile Like button to its template so simply.

   The Facebook Page is www.facebook.com/HylianGamerBlog and has more frequent posts than the blog because I do not need to follow any format or add "quality" content (a long revised article takes time), and with Facebook I have more room for picture posts and flexibility in posting my opinion on things unrelated to the blog's theme. While that may seem successful, it is my first time talking to my blog's audience on a social network, so I'd like your co-operation in gaining the first wave of Likes. I see a lot of G+ likers in many of my posts, and that makes me happy too.

   A Twitter profile is up too, which is @BlogHylianGamer , which will have like campaigns and new blog post feed. I'd appreciate any follower (Twitter sounds like a religion with bird gods) but I am not really too comfortable with Twitter's 140 character "essays". After all, I started a blog because I am a talkative person with a sore voice, so I had to write it down somewhere, and here we are now!

   That was a joke. I don't have a sore voice. And I probably didn't start a blog because I'm talkative, although I do not recall a time when I was being silent except while sleeping.

   I wish I could write a success story and a brief How To Blog series, but I am only one step away from success, and that is writing about it. Not really if that would fit the theme, but it's almost time for the blog to grow and metamorphose, hopefully. That's why I started entering the social media world: not to reach a bigger audience, but to have more podiums to speak through.

   Anyway that's all for now, as this is a pretty rushed post. If there's anything else I may add it's that Shiki is not a gore anime, but it can draw you into it even though it's very boring. And the ending is disappointing if you are on the village's side. No spoilers here. For more anime related posts, check the anime label, and the previous post, which is about Attack on Titan. www.myanimelist.net is a great place to track your progress, in case you lose history, and find similar anime to your likes. Play More Zelda!

Why Attack on Titan Revolutionised Anime Entirely

Why Attack on Titan Revolutionised Anime Entirely

  You liked it. You watched it twice. You bought the figurines and the manga. You told all your friends about it. You printed the survey corps design on your jumper and wore it every day. Ever stopped to think why this anime held so much of a place in your heart?

   Actually, this anime has not only influenced you, and all of the audience. This anime has potential to shake the entire entertainment industry and bend its rules. Even though it hasn’t yet.

  First off, this anime starts with westernised theme: from clothing to naming, at first glance it seems like a typical anime aimed at audiences outside Japan. But with the introduction of their new mob of zombies, everything takes a whole new level.

   I believe the main thing with Shingeki no Kyojin is that it doesn’t hesitate to kill off a main character even though that may seem less elaborate on the manga, this anime is the only one that I know of so far that has been able to pull that easily and successfully, leaving you to create the emotions yourself rather than having a lot of extended screen time of repeating the same scene over and over to induce the grieving of the characters over one’s death to the viewer.

image from here

  Attack on Titan shamelessly destroys have its cast on each episode in real time. Let’s assume for a moment, that you were in the survey corps during the first unexpected titan attack. That you were one of the people who ran out of supplies and needed to go to the building swarmed by Titans just to get the gas for your escape. Now, Eren, Mikasa, Jean – your classmates, are “main characters” to you, right? That still does not mean that this is the perfect time for flashbacks since someone (your friend who is the center of those flashbacks) is about to die in this episode. During a time where you really needed to stay on high alert for quick reflex actions, it would seem irrational for you to start remembering things (for the sake of the viewer) and what a coincidence it is that Eren got eaten just when you remembered the time when he stepped on your paper boat! Because during the time when a titan is so close to you both, you just had to remember your childhood grudge on the “main character” that was about to die, and realize how foolish that was to not give him his share of cake as a punishment, right? And you didn’t feel any adrenaline rush because the people who made the anime are not ready to give up a main character so easily, no? 

   If this paragraph above really happened, then the fourth wall (you, bonus points if you are a girl with a Roman name) is very distant from the actual real time battle between the survey corps and the titans. Sadly, the assumption above is what happens with most anime, including long ones like Hunter x Hunter 2011, Naruto, Fairy Tail, One Piece, Bleach, Detective Conan, etc. These anime have always been known for success because they do not kill the main cast, and keep increasing and investing emotions into the protagonists’ personality so they’d all look like the role models, idols, and heroes of the viewers. 

   But the viewers can never replace these main characters, or actually be with them in a canonical appearance. However, with Attack on Titan, the characters are actually there, no sudden moments of random emotions flowing, because in real life, nobody is a bland useless high schooler with no dreams (modern day setting anime stereotypes), but at the same time, nobody is a peacock with wings of infinite traits, who grows new traits to match the modern culture. These soldiers are human beings, each have their moments, their weaknesses, like we do. And if you were actually on a rooftop, the only thing you’d see of your friend is his kicking legs as the titan gobbles him up, then your pupil would widen in shock for a millisecond, before another scream behind you makes you look forward and press on with your maneuver gear. That is exactly what every other character does; not because they do not care about their comrade, but because they need to press on right now. The sun is boiling their shoulders with all that leather jacket on, and the air from the titans is just giving their bodies more energy to feel the situation and grieve later than stand there without a scratch nor a bruise.

   Speaking of bruises, they do not roll up their sleeves and raise their arms to show the world that they got hurt while working; since everybody is in the same situation, people change and don’t have to tell the viewer about it. Remember how Reeves was a selfish person but also held his own ideals close and took Levi’s side? The author does not need to explain how people change with every character, like the unexplained reason as to why Annie trained Eren and gave him a chance to learn more about himself. It’s like how an atom will remain an atom regardless of whether you understand it or not. This is how the world works, and how it was portrayed beautifully in Isayama’s work.

   This explanation might make Attack on Titan look realistic i.e. boring. But actually this realism is what puts you before the fourth wall and know more about the characters. Even some soldiers that are weak willed survived so far for a reason. Eren’s life is not only there to fascinate you, but it’s there because he wants to live and fulfill his dream of eliminating the titans.

  So instead of looking at role models, you look at people that you can relate to, and not high schoolers. Simply put, Attack on Titan is brave enough to let go of potentially useful characters and leave you to reflect on it on your own, trusting that you will get the emotions they imply.

   That said, why hasn’t the series influenced new anime yet? Why is the new male stereotyping consistent in new anime and the same boring personalities used over and over? Publishers still doubt that going out of the mainstream style will profit them, so they are waiting to see how many years Attack on Titan will survive. However, I do hope that the manga continues its own and does not fall into fanservice. Even the awesome-looking Tokyo ghoul will not be able to rise as much as Attack on Titan because it relied on using methods of success that are already out there: i.e. fanservice. If Isayama-san really decides to end Attack on Titan quickly, that will kill a great series, but that would protect it from becoming like Case Closed is now.

   Do you agree that Attack on Titan is a game changer? Do you believe that killing the protagonists should be used increasingly in the future? Tell us below, and Play More Zelda!

Where Hyrule Warriors Should Have Been in the Zelda Timeline

Where Hyrule Warriors Should Have Been in the Zelda Timeline

   Personally, I am convinced that Hyrule Warriors should be after Skyward Sword. The problem with this that there is not enough in-game proof.

   The main reason for this suggestion is that Skyward Sword is the only time when Hyrule itself does not have Zelda as its princess, i.e. the kingdom is not actually established yet. During Skyward Sword’s events, Zelda is a student in the knight academy, which means, she is training to fight. Let’s say after the events of the game, humans descend to Earth and make Hyrule Kingdom, just as the timeline says.

   When any kingdom is first formed, the king usually claims his land by conquering it, like a general of war kind of king. That would explain why Zelda is a PC like Link. That is what makes me believe that Hyrule Warriors is after Skyward Sword by quite a while.

   Another piece of evidence is this Link’s resemblance to Link in SS prequel manga. Link has a new look in every game, but Link usually looks similar to his image of hero at that time. At first, I thought it would mean that this game is way before Skyward Sword itself when they used to live on the ground normally, but Hyrule’s existence proves otherwise.

  The main problem this theory faces is Midna (also that it’s too short). Just like how the Impa tribe was living on the ground during the time of Skyward Sword, the shadow tribe of Midna’s would also be there, right? What about Midna’s lifespan? What about the events that lead to Majora’s Mask’s escape from that tribe? It’s too much of an assumption. Also, by that point in time, Midna has never met TP Link, so how did she know that she can turn a human into a wolf? Assuming she can, that is.

   As much as I’d like this theory, as much as I’d have to dismiss it. It does explain new Link’s design and the fact that Skyward Sword enemies are there (still no time for them to become extinct yet) but it has its holes.

  This is a part 2 of the previous article, which discusses Hyrule Warriors' location in the timeline if it were canon. Play More Zelda!

Hyrule Warriors Timeline Position

Hyrule Warriors Timeline Placement

Spoiler Warning: Skyward Sword, Ocarina Of Time, and Fire Emblem Awakening are mentioned here. 

   It’s almost time for the first console Zelda game to be released after Hyrule Historia revealed to us the timeline. This game is a collaboration between Techmo Koei and Nintendo, where the games are slightly similar… actually, it’s a lie.

   As you are all aware Keoi’s Dynasty Warriors involves a single man against a ridiculously colossal mob of human enemies, accompanied by other generals of the same caliber. If you’ve never owned a Playstation, but have a 3DS, try Chronicles: Samurai Warriors. It’s the most recent Koei game I’ve played and will base the rest of comparisons on.

   Just from the beginning, it seems that this will be a very unique game. But judging from the screenshots, you’d probably say otherwise. The enemies Link faces are all demons, no humans here, but these demons are personified to have emotions like fear and retreat, as mentioned before. 

does this look like the face of mercy? I know it doesn't make sense.

   However, from just scratching the surface, what about the generals of the same caliber? The uniquely cool playable characters fill that role, right? Does that mean that these characters were, say, candidates for becoming the hero of time and bearing the triforce of Courage? At this late stage you’d think possibly not, but do not rule it out. Especially since Skyward Sword reveals that Zelda is Hylia. So it is possible that this Zelda chose all these as candidates. Because both Link and Zelda look like “fighters” such as the tactician of CSW. Which automatically means all other PCs have something special to be added. This is a very special roster, and their back stories have to be satisfying.

   You probably want to hear where it should land in the timeline, assuming a non-canon Zelda game would land there. Before we can get there, we have to observe all the other obvious differences that Dynasty Warriors and Zelda have, and see what the development teams have stitched those patches with. Only then can the story become clear.

from zeldadungeon

   Post-OoT:
    First in the background of earlier screenshots, it is very clear that there is a castle that looks exactly like Ocarina of Time’s castle, but from Zelda’s character art, it is impossible that OOT’s adult timeline is the setting because during OOT’s lifespan, it is awkward for the princess to do any fighting. Fighting princesses are fantasy in that era. We can clearly lock out the other two timelines because then none of the guards would know Link in the Child Era and the castle would be in ruins in the final branch of the timeline.

   The next obvious think is characters from Twilight Princess are there, so the setting is probably post-TP during the same Link’s lifespan, right? Then where is immediate wolf transformation button? Since this is a non-canon game that probably will make it to the timeline, all of the current Link’s possible powers and tools have to be fully utilized, in order to emphasize on which Link it is. However, this Link has a piece of clothing very similar to the pre-SS manga thus cannot be the same protagonist of TP. If he was, Ordon children would be present, and Ilia too.

   Another hint in TP is that there are reused characters in general. Skull Kid was originally of OoT but even though according to Nintendo hints outside the actual game plot (i.e. through Navi text and manga) that this is the exact same Skull Kid since he has a long life span, there is no indication that he truly is since he is greatly retextured.

   In Japanese culture, and throughout the Zelda franchise, people are re-incarnated, which is why Link, Zelda, and Ganon have the same role and similar looks throughout the series. It is highly likely that Agitha is an incarnation too.

   The main hint that we can draw a conclusion that it is likely not before Twilight Princess in any way is Midna. As other rumors speculate, the evil tribe of Majora’s Mask is the same of Midna’s tribe, which means, any sooner than OoT in the timeline and there is a chance that Midna was a human of that tribe at that time. Since this is true, and Midna was not revealed until TP, it is also slightly possible that Twilis have short life spans (though I do not believe it) so it has to be the same Midna.

   A rather paradoxical part that makes it actually not fit in the time line at all is the fact that these are Skyward Sword enemies. However thanks to a hint from Fire Emblem Awakening’s Risen and time hopping theory such a paradox can exist.

   Conclusion: If this game were to fit in the timeline it would be after Twilight Princess, but not during TP Link’s life. Unless it is outside Hyrule or somehow the Twilight Realm’s borders are able to warp the SS enemies that actually are living in a place outside Hyrule at that point in time. There could be a new era between TP and Four Swords Adventures. Play More Zelda!

The new article is almost ready, but doesn’t make any sense, so I decided to go with a Zelda rumor instead. I wish to publish my own story on my blog in parts, but the first few parts of the story have absolutely nothing to do with technology. That’s why I do not write articles. I may decide on publishing it eventually. There is a Facebook Page with more short content sometime, as well as a Portal 2 map.