Get off mer lawn, yer damned hooligans!

GTFO.

Seriously. Do not trespass on my property. I've seen you do it before but you lie like it ain't your business. Don't touch my gatelock you filthy little prick. You don't have permission to touch it. What the heck do you think you're doing? Coming around here at 9 in the morning and standing outside my gate and trying to unlock it? You wanna steal something? Well if you do, GTFO.

I've had it up to here with you little brats. Even if your ball lands over the fence and into my yard, you don't have permission to just climb over the fence and get it. No-siree. You have to ask. Why can't you be like that other kid who actually had the courtesy to ask for his ball back when he kicked it into our yard? But nooo, you have to just bother the living crap out of us and try and get it back yourself, WITHOUT EVEN ASKING. SO WHAT MAKES YOU THINK THAT IT'S OKAY TO CLIMB OVER MY GATE?

And NO. IT ISN'T OKAY TO TOUCH MY GATELOCK EITHER.

And this is why I feel senile at 21.

Is Jerry Cards Legit?

Alright, so we pretty much all know that if you wanna download music, movies, apps, books, podcasts - whatever, that the best place to go to is the US iTunes store. But for users, like me, who don't happen to live in the US, we're pretty much left in the dust when all the new stuff comes out. For instructions on how to set up a US account, you might wanna visit here:

I was able to make one after a little bit of struggling here and there, but you should be okay. I must've overlooked some things. Well that might be okay if you wanna just download free stuff from the iTunes Store but So off to the payment part of things.

The problem with leaving your credit card details or even setting your payment method as Paypal, is that it is seriously unsafe. Remember all those reports about people getting their iTunes accounts hacked and people spending hundreds of dollars? And even if you are willing to use your credit card or your Paypal, you'd better make sure that they were issued in the US. So, the solution? iTunes Store Gift cards. US iTunes Store Gift cards, that is.So if a thief were to get access to your account, they could only use up a set amount and nothing more.

So I actually found myself looking around for legitimate sites that would send the codes behind the scratchy bits of those cards via e-mail, 'cause snail mail would be much to slow, expensive and unjustifiable. This brought me to Jerry Cards (which, strangely enough has two links that direct to the same site). I also came across another site, but I shall review that later.

I read a handful of testimonials that said how fast the shipping was and I even checked out the Facebook page, where Jerry gives out free iTunes cards   occasionally. A lot of fans and lots of ways to contact Jerry - MSN, Skype, Twitter - you name it. So I decided to dive in, myself (and for anyone else wondering how this thing works, of course).

Now I have a Paypal account so I used that to buy my iTunes gift card from Jerry Cards. But there's also a checkout option (where you can use your credit card) and you can even pay by Western Union. Dude's got this thing down. Anyway, so I clicked "Buy" and clicked on the Paypal button and entered in my e-mail and password for my account when I was prompted. Wondering where this would lead me, I got this verification:

Okay, cool. So I went over to mailbox - which then told me to click on a link to finish the transaction. Well, actually, I received two e-mails with the same link. So I did what every normal person would do and clicked on both.

And somehow I ended here:

Wow. Jerry must be making more than a little profit if he can offer free cards. But still, it's reassuring that you can grab yourself a freebie if you spread the good word about Jerry Cards. You win, I win. Well, actually, this little piece itself is an ode to instruction number 1. I'm writing this as sincere as I can. So. 10 minutes. Really?

Well, let's take a look then. What? I've got mail! And it hasn't even been 10 minutes yet! I would've been impressed if it came within a 24-hour window. But whaddya know, someone's early. And it's from Jerry Cards, too.

Click. Image link. Here was what was at the other end:

Alright - where's the code guys? I was expecting a scan of the whole card. Greedy, old me. As long as this code works, I'm not too fussy. Let's give it a spin:

And…success! So, the code works. Hoorah. And here, I was getting all worried about nothing. So, yes. I'd say Jerry Cards is legit. And now I've got ten bucks to spend at the US store. Let's go shopping. I mean, time for me to go shopping.

Go get your own card! This is mine! (Yes, Mr. Bean styles). Links below!

Review: ADATA Classic CH94 (320GB)

Design
Instead of being big and black, the ADATA Classic CH94 is stylish and portable - very much resembling a wallet or purse with its matte black plastic exterior and glossy black outlining its edges. It's small and light, being able to fit into your hand and easily carried around in your pocket. The small USB cable actually tucks into the side so you just take this out when you need it. It gives you that extra space you need without the need for power cables - though it does give off a cool blue LED light when it's connected to a computer and that flashes accordingly if you are using the files or doing a file transfer. The package also comes with some character stickers (you know the alphabet song) that you can use to tag your drive too.

Price

It comes with a 3 year warranty and only costs around 28 cents per gigabyte (if you buy it at Mighty Ape, that is) which is quite good.

Format

The drive comes formatted as a FAT32 which makes it compatible with both Windows and Mac computers but if you want to transfer or back-up files that are greater than 4GB you'll have to format it to NTFS.

Side Tangent

Windows can read and write to NTFS drives no problem but Mac seems to have a problem with writing onto NTFS drives rather than reading them. There is of course a workaround - just download MacFUSE along with NTFS-3G so you can read and write as you like to NTFS from your Mac as you like. Remember though that this is only a 15-day trial for NTFS-3G, but to this day (only been a couple though), I've used it with no problems. 

UPDATE: Okay, so my licensed for Tuxera expired awhile ago but you know what? I'm still able to use my portable hard drive when I connect it to the USB port on my wireless router as a device - I can drag and drop files onto it even though it's formatted to NTFS. How so? The router just recognizes it as a device and doesn't really care about the format. So two thumbs up. It's all good. 

Verdict

This a great little drive for those on the go - who want to transfer files here and there and perhaps those who need a little more storage than what their average hard drive yields. Definitely recommended, with a variety of disk sizes and colors to suit your needs and lifestyle. 

DeAD: A security code - my security code

What's with the damn security codes these days?

Okay, so I was signing a petition the other day and then I came across this: 

It was all very serious up to that moment because of some startling issue to do with animal rights but…well, I typed it in anyway though they probably should've given me a different combination of characters, not something that spelt "Dead". Thanks for filling me up with sunshine and hope.

And it looks like a crazy compulsive texture wrote that - you know the type. H0w aR3 Y0u +0daY?

Review: Just Dance 2

Oh where art thou, Random Thingamablogger?

Well actually, I've just been out the back testing Ubisoft's sequel to Just Dance. Yes, Just Dance 2. Now let's just make it clear that I've never owned or played Ubisoft's Just Dance, so this review should be read independently of JD. 

So let's get it started.

Graphics
First of all, the visuals are great. I haven't played Xbox's Dance Central (mainly because I don't have an XBox and I think I would want to heavily reconsider buying a whole new console as well as a camera and dance game since that would hurt my pocket and make Bill Gates happy) but there's something very cool and retro about those neon colored avatars in gear that always suits the song compared with the really try-hard anime-like avatars from DC. You basically just follow/copy/mimic the actions on screen as shown to you by your dance coach (sort of like looking into a mirror).

Gameplay
The gameplay for DC is probably better though, when it comes to motion-tracking technology. All JD2 has for motion-sensing control is the Wii Remote, which you hold in your right hand. But this really is a step-up from the old Dance Dance Revolution games since it's unlikely you'll slip on a dance mat ever again. That's probably because DC uses a camera to track even tiny movements from your body, which sounds pretty cool, like a new type of scanning machine. Well, actually, that idea's not really new. Remember PS2's Eye Toy line-up? It's just that they never focused on capturing precise movements. The motion-tracking teachnology for JD2 is good, but it's not perfect. Sometimes you know you're doing the right move and it won't register (a 'miss') and sometimes you'll be totally out-of-sync with the dance coach and it'll register as an 'OK', 'good' or 'perfect'.

Choreography & Tracklist
The dance moves for JD2 were all carried out by real-life dancers with the obvious aim of making most of those dance moves actually feasible for your average person. All in all, the choreography is excellent. It's all a little bit of silly fun really. Some of the choreography is hilariously outrageous. But sometimes laughing is good for you, even if the game is a bit on the shallow side. As for the tracklist, this is totally one of the best set tracklists I have seen for a long time. Especially for a dancing game. Most dancing games feature club songs (that your typical mainstream music listener) but this has a track for everyone - ranging from A-Punk's "Vampire Weekend" to The Pussycat Dolls' "When I Grow Up". There is even an option to display lyrics so you (or your friends) can sing along too.

Just Sweat
This little section of the game actually lets you use the power of dance to help you sweat and burn off those calories. The programs range from mild to intense (and yes, that means a lot of sweat) and depending on what songs you cover (some are more calorie-burning than others) you'll either do something from 1 song a day to about 6 songs per day. Yes, for a week. Now I can see why dancers have such nice bodies.

Lasting Appeal
I would have to say, the lasting appeal of JD2 would have to depend on how you actually use JD2 and how much you like dancing. And I suppose I like dancing. The fact that they've actually added a store to purchase new content (new songs and dances) is something of a nice feature, keeping the game alive. It's a little bit hard to keep playing on your own though - since there are no unlockable items or difficulty levels. I've yet to play this multi-player but I think that's when the party comes to life. But you know, at times I find myself just wanting to grab the Wiimote and start dancing to It's Raining Men, or something. And at times, I find myself giving in.

Software: 10 Minute Mail

So you wanna sign up to some service that offers you some free downloads but you don't wanna bit hit with a crapload of spam? Well, my friend, you gotta try 10 Minute Mail. Not to be confused with Missy Elliot's One Minute Man, 10 Minute Mail is a temporary e-mail address given to you for those very purposes. It basically throws itself out after the 10 minutes is up. But, of course, you could opt for another 10 minutes, if you need to. You could even use this as an e-mail to leave an anonymous comment here, or somewhere else, if you're worried about your privacy. Yes, websites do and will sell your information to third-parties when and where they can. So protect yourself!

I must say I was a little cheeky and made a few fake Facebook accounts using 10 Minute Mail. And I totally came across this link. It's not like anyone would have a name like the fake accounts I made. It's like when Phoebe's boyfriend, from that oh-so-popular sitcom, Friends, Mike called himself "Crap Bag".

Review: Mad Catz Wiimote

Ever since the Wii made its launch in 2007, people have been wondering whether there would be third-party accessories. Now I'm not usually the type to go around third-party accessories but I took a punt with the Mad Catz Wiimote when it went on sale for $30 at Mighty Ape. And here are my thoughts:

Design
First off, the Mad Catz Wiimote looks and feels like the original Nintendo Wiimote. Well, pretty much. I even swapped the battery covers to see if they would fit into each other. I can say, nice click. The D-pad is a little different - it's enclosed in a circle. I would say however, the plastic finishing is a bit rough around the edges (no, literally - I found this random piece of plastic that was sticking out the side which I pulled off) compared to the ever smooth and well-defined original Wiimote. I never thought that I'd ever say that about a remote. And I guess I took the workmanship quality of the original Wiimote for granted. Although there's this piece that says that there are no differences in weight between the two makes, I would say that the Mad Catz Wiimote feels lighter and somewhat slimmer.

Winner: Original Wiimote

Compatibility
On the package, it states that the Mad Catz Wiimote is compatible with all Nunchuks and controllers, as well as Wii Motion Plus. I was able to fit my original Nunchuk into the Mad Catz Wiimote to do play some boxing in Wii Sports, as well as go wakeboarding and whatnot on the Wii Sports Resort Island. So, I can say, it seems to work well. Oh, and even though I said that the Mad Catz Wiimote feels lighter and smaller, it fits into the original Wiimote silicone sleeve perfectly. It didn't seem to have any weird tracking/communication issues at all.

Winner: Tie

Sound
I guess I might've forgotten to mention the fact that the Mad Catz Wiimote has 5 rows of 3 speaker holes as opposed to 6 on the original Wiimote. And I think this is the difference between sound quality. I'm not exactly sure whether the Mad Catz Wiimote gives out sounds that are more louder or just muffled, but to me, it just sounds more muffled.

Winner: Original Wiimote

Conclusion
So, really, I guess this all comes down to is price. The 'normal' price difference between the original Wiimote and the Mad Catz one is a mere $10. At that price, I would normally go for the original Wiimote but at $30, I'd go pick up a Mad Catz one instead for a spare remote and some multi-player fun.