What's Going On

Hey there.  March 1st, that's today.  It is exactly 12 days away from finishing my 3rd year of blogging.  I can't believe that it's been close to 3 full years already!  I  was thinking of maybe doing some kind of give a away.  Maybe a game?  Maybe some cash?  Maybe some kind of prize?  I don't know just yet.  I've been thinking about it, I've just haven't decided what it will be.  Any suggestions?

Best workstation ever!

On a side note, I just wanted to fill you guys in and what's been going down on my side of computer.  My geek side has been pretty busy.  I unlocked my cousin's iPhone last night, I am working on fixing 2 more PS3s, and I have an XBOX 360 coming my way later tonight for me to take a look at.  I'm sure my wife is not thrilled about it.  I'm one those people that gets a little geeked out by this kinda stuff and will spend hours non stop working on all things tech. My wife made a comment to my cousin and his wife how she should dress up as some broken tech device so that I would pay attention to her.  lol 

Things on the blogging side have been going well.  Just not as well as I would like.  I managed to get the computer at home working but I haven't been working much at home.  My time online has been tight and I manage to churn out a post or two.  I need to get on the ball with that and spend some more leisure time on improving my online stats.  I've also made a conscience effort to provide more comments on blogs.  I've been horrible at letting know that I've stopped by so that's being improved upon.

Midnight snacks are the best!

Working out has been good to me, I guess.  I missed my exercise check in last week (damn time restrictions) so I'll make sure that I have one in this week.  Most likely be done tomorrow or Thursday.  I don't feel as winded as I have before and the wife says that there is some subtle differences in my body.  But, I don't know if I'm helping the cause by having ice cream at midnight.  lol

I also had a so called "man date" this Saturday with the compadre and a friend.  That adventure will be detailed in an upcoming post.  lol 

I know I'm forgetting some stuff but I'm sure that'll just come to me later.  So what's going on with you, friends?  What's new in the life of you?  Hope to hear from you soon.  Later!

Fixed My First PS3 and the Owner Let Me Have It

Hey there.  I've been tinkering with electronics my whole life.  Back in the day, when my Super Nintendo or my Sega Genesis stopped working, I would open them up and see what made them tick.  More often than not, I was able to get it work again.  A loose wire here, re-solder here, dirty circuit board there.  I mean, I was young and would pretty much open up my stuff just for the hell of it.  I guess that's where my love of "fixing" stuff comes from.  Something wrong with your computer?  No prob, let me fix it.  XBOX 360 showing RRoD (Red Ring of Death), let me fix.  Now...  PS3 showing the YLoD (Yellow Light of Death), let me fix that too.  Here's the story.
I fixed 2 XBOX's for a coworker of mine some time ago.  They both were showing the RRoD figured that he would let me take a stab at fixing them.  I managed to get them both to work and handed them back.  Another satisfied customer.  Several months later, he happens to score a free PS3 console.  He's never owned one so he's giddy, the problem is that it doesn't turn on.  He then decides to bring it to me and gives me a rundown of what's wrong, "I turn on the PS3.  It beeps a few times, then turns off".  He asks that I take all the time in the world since it's not urgent and he didn't pay anything so he has the mentality of "If you can fix it, great.  If not, oh well."  I've never really worked on one before so I was eager to crack that baby open and take a look inside.

Right away, I noticed that someone else has messed with it.  Some of the wires look a little off and some screws are missing.  Still, I pressed forward and go the core of the problem.  I noticed that the heatsinks have some white thermal paste on them but it's overflowing from the edges.  I figure that's the problem.  Thermal paste should not be hard and brittle.  This stuff definitely was.  I scraped the crap off and cleaned it up.  I reheated the motherboard to connect any bad soldering and then applied some fresh thermal paste (artic silver 5 all the way!).  I put the sucker back together and voila!  It turned on!  But what's this...  "Cannot start. The correct hard drive was not found"  Hmmm....

I don't remember seeing a hard drive inside the PS3... maybe it's straight out missing.  So I call my bro and ask if his PS3 has a hard drive.  Yup, he says, and that's it's easily accessible from one of the sides.  I take a look and BAM!  There's no drive.  Oh man.  So I can't test it out 100% but at least I got it to turn on.

So as I'm getting ready to take it back to the owner, the owner says to me, "You know what... I'm just gonna get a new one.  Just keep the PS3."  What?!?!?!  Just like that, I'm now the owner of a PS3.  lol  So I end up getting a hard disk for the PS3 along with a controller to give it a good test run.  Everything seems to be working ok.  DVD check, Audio CDs check, PS2 games check, PS3 games....  PS3 games...  Hello....  where's the check on Ps3 games!?!?!?  I have a problem with the blu ray disc drive... Oh man...

So now, that's where I stand.  I have a new PS3 with a busted blu ray drive.  Well...  I'm hoping that it's not busted and it's just a matter of cleaning the lens or updating the blu ray drivers.  I've read across the internet that I need to do a system file restore to assure that every thing is in order.  I haven't tried that yet.  But I'm hoping that it's not dead and the fact that I can still play DVDs, PS2, and Audio discs is a good sign of life! 

I'll try the system recovery when I get home tonight and hope that seals the deal on my new and free PS3.  Pretty damn awesome turn of events if you ask me... and it all started with my curiosity as a child.  Later!

PS:  I can use the PS3 and I have figured that if it comes down to it, I'd have to play downloadable content only.  Nevertheless, if you're a PS3 owner, add me to your list of friends and we'll get our gaming on!  PSN Tag:  M3TLLMNX

Final Fantasy XIII - 2 Trailer

Freakin' awesome!!!

Final Fantasy XIII - 2 Announced

Hey there.  I'm giddy.  Not too long ago, there was word that Square Enix was trademarking logos and potential names for future Final Fantasy projects.  Me being a huge fan of the series, saw it as a sign that we may be getting a new Final Fantasy game soon.  Well, it looks like we will be getting a new Final Fantasy game and it's going to be a direct sequel to Final Fantasy XIII.  Check out the logo below.

Looks like we're in for another adventure with Lightning.  Well... at least the woman on the right looks like Lightning.  As with all Final Fantasy logos, there definitely is an insight to the game there.  Black and white?  Good and evil?  Maybe the reinvention of Lightning?  Who know but I'm definitely looking forward to this game!  Until then, later!

Video Game Reviews are Coming

Hey there.  I've got a new gig doing video game reviews!  How awesome is that?!  Now I have a legitimate excuse, err... I mean reason, to play video games!  I need to go over the terms and conditions of the job to make sure that I am not violating any kind of exclusive rights of any kind.  Since the reviews are for a different site that is not mine, I don't know if I'll be allowed to post the same content elsewhere.  If not, no prob.  I'll just provide a link to my awesome review! 

Now, I'm on the hunt for a good video game renting system...  Should I go with Gamefly?  Which I've heard good and bad things about?  Or should I go with that "Red Box" thing that I have seen pop up on super markets everywhere?  Or should I just borrow them from friends and return them when I see fit?  lol  Since I will be reviewing the games, I figured that it would be an expensive job if I were to have to purchase a game a week so I'm sure it's best to rent them out for a few days to get a good feel for the game.  So what do you guys think?  Any suggestions?  Once I go live, I'll provide more details on where I'll be posting my reviews.  Until then, I'll keep you guys in the dark.  =oP  Later!

Get Moving with the Playstation Move

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of PlayStation MOVE. All opinions are 100% mine.


Hey there friends. Have you guys heard of the new Playstation Move yet?  It is an innovative way to play PS3 video games.  No more will you be sitting on your butt and mash buttons.  With the Playstation Move, you have a full range of motion, using the motion sensor controller, to control your characters in ways that have not been done before. 

I, myself, can be a hardcore gamer.  My wife, not so much.  So when I sit and start playing games for a while, she can feel a little out of place.  With a Playstation Move, I would be able to get her and the kids into the action.  With motion being the key component to many of the Playstation Move games, anyone will be able to pick up a motion sensor control and get into the action.  And as an added bonus, it could count as some light exercise since you will be up and moving around.  Also, the wife and kids won't be put off the complexity of the some of the games that I enjoy playing, enabling us to spend more family time together in the form of a family game night. It would definitely be a great way to have a few laughs, have some fun, and bond with the family.

We've already starting looking into the games and prices.  You can score a Playstation Move bundle for only $99 for those that already own a PS3.  For those that don't, there is a bundle where you can add the Playstation Move.  And the cool part is that it comes with the game, Sports Champions.  But that's not the one we want to try out.  We have our eye on Start the Party.  A family friendly game that looks like a load of fun and something that the family can definitely get behind.  Check out this one screen shot!

Adding the Playstation Move sounds like a good move to me.  Especially since it's something that the whole family can enjoy.  Video games have evolved.  It's no longer just pushing buttons and using a plastic controller.  Your body can now be the controller and that opens up a wide range of excitement and fun.  Check it out friends.  You won't look back after you do.  Later!