Casting the Demons out of my iPad

I've never understood or appreciated the direction that Apple went with their user interface for their operating system or their programs. That was, in general, not a big problem, I didn't use Apple PCs, so it didn't affect me so much.

When I got The Croods for review via iTunes, however, I suddenly had to actually find my way around the program. The iTunes interface is, in my opinion, one of the most unintuitive wandering garden mazes I've ever had the displeasure of being lost in. It. Makes. No. Sense.

If I were merely going to rant about the UI, however, I would probably not write anything. That's old news. However, the UI was the annoying icing on a nearly lethal cake.

The first problem I had was with the download. I had used a remote access client to log into my machine remotely, then redeemed the code on my computer and started the download. I received a message (almost instantly... that should have been a clue) that it completed successfully. So, I ended the session and expected to start watching The Croods as soon as I got home.

However, when I got home, the movie wouldn't play. I found that it had errored out when attempting to download and still had over ninety percent yet to download. I clicked the button to restart the download. Several times. It seemed to get about one thirtieth of a megabyte each time I clicked the restart button, the failed. I did this several times, getting a popup every couple of times or so, but could never really tell if it was actually downloading anything or was simply advancing the counter a tenth of a megabyte every third time I pushed the button. Fun.

I rebooted iTunes and tried again and it actually downloaded. Yay. Then, I tried to watch the movie on my PC. The app started acting like the movie was playing, with the play position bar advancing at the bottom, but there was no sound and the screen remained black. After closing and reopening iTunes a couple of times, I was able to watch the movie. (No idea what fixed it, mind you.)

I still had yet to put it on my iPad, however. So, I plugged in my iPad and synced, something I hadn't done in quite some time. Then, when that was done, I told it to put the movie on my iPad. I got a warning saying there wasn't enough room on the iPad, so I started deleting things. Lots of things. Old apps, documents, lots of stuff. Eventually, the meter at the bottom indicated that I would have some free space after removing everything I wanted to remove and putting the movie onto the iPad... but it still said there wasn't enough space. I turned the problem over to JR Nip for a bit. He resolved it, but had to reboot the iPad before it would work. Great.

So, after watching the entire movie, some on my computer and some on my iPad, and after watching all the special features and writing most of my review, I go back to get some information from the movie (language options, subtitles, that sort of thing) and the picture is black again. I'm not sure what the problem is that causes this, but I eventually determined that I can fix it by changing my monitor's resolution to 1920x1080. That restores the picture and audio and, once I've done that, I can then go back to my monitors native resolution of 1680x1050 and it works, but if I try to view it on my second (smaller) monitor (1280x1024), it complains and says it will have to load the SD version and then, generally stops showing video until I put it on my primary monitor and switch the resolution again.

If you use iTunes and you're happy with it - great... good luck with that. Personally, I loathe having to open up the iTunes application and can only imagine that there wasn't nearly enough testing effort on Windows machines with multiple monitors.

T500 RS Setups... In Detail

T500 RS Gaming Setups

The T500 RS racing system (wheel and pedals) is obviously aimed at racing enthusiasts and not the mainstream and casual gamers who may occasionally play a racing game.

Casual Gamer Setups?

Even so, given that a non-enthusiast (or budding enthusiast?) may pick up the T500 RS before investing in other hardware, such as a virtual racing chassis to mount it on, I tested the T500 RS with a few different possible configurations that could be available to the average mainstream PS3 / PC gamer.

Lap-Mounted

First, the idea of lap-mounted play is right out. At over 32 pounds, the steering wheel is not the kind of thing you want to hold in your lap for any length of time. Besides, the steering wheel would rest in your lap and when the force-feedback or initialization centering starts up, it could roll on out of your lap. This would not be comfortable... and, no, I didn't try this configuration at all; it's simply not a good idea.

Gaming Ottoman

I did attempt using the T500 RS on a LevelUp gaming ottoman, by clamping it down onto the top of the ottoman, and playing with the steering wheel on top of the ottoman and the pedal cluster in front of it. There were two primary issues with this setup: the weight of the steering wheel made it really easy to topple forward, requiring me to have to push it back about three or four inches to make it more stable, and the fact that I had to lean forward in a strange and uncomfortable posture to accommodate this setup. The posture problem was caused by the fact that the pedals need to be under (and possibly further back than) the steering wheel, which requires that there be open area under the steering wheel, for your legs to be able to stretch out to reach the pedals.

Another Bright IKEA

Next, I tried the T500 RS on a small wooden stackable chair, with the chair facing me as I sat on the couch. The pedal cluster fit under the chair, the steering wheel clamped down onto the seat of the chair fairly snugly and I was able to see the television over the chair without it blocking my vision. This setup worked well, in general, but, again, the weight of the wheel placed on the edge of the chair made it want to tip forward, much like the ottoman setup. I was able to get a little more legroom and make the setup more sturdy by turning the chair sideways, which might be a good option for anyone who picks up a T500 RS without something to set it up on. I actually played a good bit while set up on the chair; this setup was quite workable.

Let me take this opportunity to make something clear; with the heft of the T500 RS, it should not, under any circumstance, be used with a folding chair or television tray. That would be reckless and it would be just a matter of time before the unit came crashing down on someone's legs or feet. This would likely injure both person and device. Only use a sturdy stacking chair, at that.

PC Gaming Setup

For the PC-compatible side of things, I tested the T500 RS on my computer desk by taking my keyboard off of my keyboard tray and mounting the RS in its place. It clamped down nicely and held tight, and the pedal cluster fit nicely right in front of my desk, after slightly moving my PC out of the way. I tested it out with the Ignite! demo and it worked quite nicely. To use the T500 RS on the PC, I had go to the Thrustmaster website and download the Windows driver, first, but it installed without incident and the Properties Section in the device interface (in Control Panel: Device Management) includes the ability to tweak the steering wheel's lock-to-lock range and feedback motor strength, among other things. Changing the steering wheel's turning range can be a necessary step in making the T500 RS usable with various games on the PC; for Ignite!, I found a lock-to-lock range of around 300 degrees made it most playable. Overall, using the T500 RS on my standard computer desk worked nicely, but I should offer one warning: Carefully evaluate your desk for things that might shake loose as you play - especially if your desk, like mine, has a hutch and you have various items stacked precariously on its shelves. I was drifting around a hair-pin curve and bouncing off a wall when a stack of blank CDs lept down upon me unexpectedly from above. It was enough to get my attention, but could have been a lot worse.

Enthusiast Setup

The VR-1 Virtual Racing Chassis

My most "blinged-out" setup that I tested the T500 RS with (and the setup most likely to be similar to the average purchaser of the T500 RS) was setting it up on a Bob Earl Racing VRC-1 virtual racing chassis. Personally, I found the T500 RS steering wheel unit mounted securely on the wheel podium and stayed put just fine, likely due, in part, to the rubber pad on the top of the podium that gave the clamp something to "bite" into, but I did notice that on the Bob Earl Racing website, they suggest bolting the steering wheel to the podium, but that instructions are forthcoming. They also mention that the pedals should be bolted in place and, although I haven't done so yet, I agree that it would probably be a good idea. The VRC-1 has an angled mount for the pedals which, for run-of-the-mill pedals, puts them in a more realistic orientation. However, since the pedals on the T500 RS are already at a more realistic angle, this built-in angle makes mounting the pedals more complex than simply using velcro. Well, the weight of the pedal cluster doesn't make it easier, either. I found that I could use the pedals in the floor-mounted orientation without much extra work; it would be best to mount them in a more stable, permanent fashion, but for the purposes of testing, the pedals stayed put, as the very edge of the cluster just sort of lips around the VRC-1's pedal cluster support, keeping it from shifting laterally, while the heavy-duty Velcro kept it from scooting around. Using the pedal cluster in back-mounted orientation, on the other hand, would require mounting to the VRC-1 and, perhaps, some additional fitting. When I attempted this orientation, I found that the pedal cluster would slip up and over the end of the VRC-1's pedal support, due to the gap between the diamond plate footrest and the pedals, themselves in this orientation. Again, instructions on use with the VRC-1 is forthcoming on the Bob Earl Racing website.

Over-the-Top Custom Setup

Yes, you can take the T500 RS even further, if you wish. Here, for example, is a video showing a custom racing simulation cockpit which utilizes a T500 RS and the optional TH8 RS shifter (sold separately).

Skylanders: Spyro's Adventures versus Media Center PC - Fight!

Skylanders: Spyro's Adventures versus Media Center

So, my current gaming machine is using the motherboard (and Win7 OS) from my Media Center PC. Essentially, I upgraded the Media Center PC with the graphics card from my old gaming rig. When I first installed Skylanders: Spyro's Adventures, It wouldn't launch. I didn't even get the Activision animation video. Just a blank screen that said, "NGL" in the top-left corner, and an immediate crash upon trying to play the game. I resolved this problem, but it was quite a pain to figure it out.

As it turns out, the Media Center computer had been set up with large icons, to make it easy to see from across the room. The "Make it easier to read what's on your screen" setting apparently wreaks havoc on the Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure, however, and it will not launch when the icon size value is set to 150%. When I changed the icon size settings down to 100% (down from 150%), the game ran fine. I found that I was able to play with the settings on 100% or 125%, but not 150%.

How to solve the Win7 Media Center / Skylanders: Spyro's Adventures problem:

1. In Win7, go to Control Panel > Appearance and Personalization > Display
2. Under "Make it easier to read what's on your screen", my computer was set to "Larger - 150%". It worked when I changed the value to "Smaller - 100% (default)" or the 125% percent option.

Note: to those who find the description above to be a bit clunky, my apologies. It uses the words Skylanders, Spyro, Adventures, Win7, Windows 7, NGL, Activision, Media Center, Crash and Not Launch repetitively in hopes of making this solution easier to find.

Gaemstrom is dead... Long live Gaemstrom!

My gaming rig died on me several weeks back. That can be really inconvenient for those who play PC game, write, surf the web or develop software. Sadly, I do all of this and had deadlines to worry about, but wasn't in a position to throw a large wad of money at the problem...

Introducing, Gaemstrom 2.0:

I did a good bit of research into gaming rigs... buying vs. building, boxed PC vs. spec'ing one from a boutique gaming PC company, online vs. brick-n-mortar stores... and that will probably result in an article or two, at least. However, for the moment, I chose to cannibalize a non-gaming PC that I had in the house already... the family Media Center.

First off, it would be more accurate to say that I cannibalized my gaming rig to upgrade Media Center so it could play games, but, since there was more room in my gaming rig's PC case, everything was moved into the gaming rig case, so it looks like my old gaming rig, even though its insides are more Media Center than Gaemstrom 1.0.

Something Old...

I kept the old case, since it had more room and easily could accommodate the 850 watt power supply that my gaming rig had. The 850 watt may have fit in the Asus Media Center case, but I would have had to move the optical drive down a slot, at the very least. In the Asus Essentia case, this wasn't a small ordeal.

Also coming along for the upgrade was the XFX ATI Radeon HD 5750 graphics card. It's dated, now, of course, but I'm biding my time for an upgrade soon.

I also brought over my old hard drive, not merely as an extra drive, but as a dual boot drive. I can still summon my XP gaming rig from within this new Win7 Media Center PC, when needed. The trick, here, though, is that if I'm in XP when a TV show is supposed to start recording, the Win7 Media Center has no way to know - or do anything about it, since it's turned off. That means that I generally stay in Win7 and, when I need to venture back into XP, I check the recording schedule to make sure it's clear before going back into XP. Also, I have to make sure that I don't leave the machine in XP when I'm done.

Something New...

Since the motherboard had fried on my old machine, using the motherboard from the Media Center was essential. And, along with the motherboard came the CPU and memory.

Something Borrowed...

Well, I would have borrowed a power supply tester, had I been able to find someone who had one (and knew where it was). Since I couldn't borrow one, I picked up a power supply tester from a local PC shop for about twenty dollars or so. However, now that I've used it, I can put it into my tool chest for the next time I use  it, so it was still "borrowed" as far as the gaming PC is concerned; it's not like I installed the power supply tester in the machine.

...and Something Blue?

Um... I guess Media Center. The button is green, but the interface is OH-so-blue. Future upgrades include the addition of a Blu-ray player, but since this is intended to be a zero-dollar upgrade, that's something for later.

So, the stats of my new-ish test rig are:

• Processor: AMD Athlon(tm) II X2 220 Processor 2.80 GHz
• RAM: 4 GB dual-channel DDR3
• Motherboard: ASUS
• Power Supply: CoolerMaster 850watt
• OS (dual boot):
  • Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit
  • Windows XP Home Edition
• Graphics:
  • ATI Radeon 3000 (on motherboard)
  • XFX ATI Radeon HD 5750 1GB graphics card
• Monitors (dual monitor setup):
  • Gateway HD2201 21" HDMI Monitor
  • Sony SDM-HS73 Monitor
• Hard Drives (dual hard drives - not RAIDed):
  • 1.5 TB Western Digital Caviar Green SATA Hard Drive
  • 750 GB Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 SATA 3Gb/sHard Drive
• Gaming Mouse (swap back and forth):
  • Logitech Wireless Gaming Mouse G700
  • Logitech Gaming Mouse G300
• Speakers:
  • Logitech Z313 2.1-CH PC multimedia speaker system
  • A30 Gaming Headset
• Network Connectivity: Cable Modem

I'll try to get some benchmarks off the machine in the (near?) future, but for now, my Windows Experience score is a 5.9, and is indicating that my RAM's memory operations per second and my primary hard disk's data transfer rate are holding me back:

Component	What is rated	Subscore
Processor	Calculations per second	6.3
Memory (RAM)	Memory operations per second	5.9
Graphics	Desktop performance for Windows Aero	7.3
Gaming Graphics	3D business and gaming graphics performance	7.3
Primary Hard Disk	Disk data transfer rate	5.9