New Market: I'm in Computer Shopper!

That's right! I'm now a contributor to Computer Shopper! My first work there is a netbook review with an interesting twist: The Acer Aspire One AOD250-1613 features Google Android in a dual boot setup with XP.

Here's a snippet:

Bringing us the first netbook with Google’s much-talked-about Android operating system, Acer has cemented its place in the mini-laptop marketplace. The $349 Aspire One AOD250-1613 comes with both Android and Windows XP in a dual-boot configuration, but once we test-drove the machine, we questioned how just useful this really is to the average user. Despite that, we found that performance and battery life on this model were impressive for a netbook, which makes it worthy of a look, even without Android.

For the whole thing, clickety-click right here. Read and enjoy!

Too Many Good Games, Too Little Time

If you're going to have a dilemma, this is a good one to have to endure. Between my Steam press account and a stack of games that includes titles for PC, PSP, PS3 and Xbox 360, I don't have enough time to play my collection. My list of titles goes back to this past Summer, and if I'm going to catch up I have to do it before Holiday season. 2010.

I've already weeded out the games I know I'm not going to finish--the crappy games that I can't be bothered to mention. That leaves me with, to name a few:

• Red Faction: Guerilla (PC)
• Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood (PC)
• Batman: Arkham Asylym (Xbox 360 and/or PC)
• Forza Motorsport 3 (X360)
• Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (PS3)
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (PC)
• Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars (PSP)
• Dragon Age: Origins (PC)
• Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 (X360)
• Undead Knights (PSP)
• Borderlands (PC)
• etc

Okay, so it's not a terrible thing to have more games than I can play. Best of all, now that Amazon accepts game trade-ins, allows you to spend the proceeds on anything on the entire site, and offers more dough per title than GameStop, I can fund a nice Christmas for the little ones with trades alone. Take that, Santa!

I've got blogs to update, proposals to write, work to find, and, of course, games to play. Someday I'll even post impressions! Stay tuned.

Derek Torres

Back when Windows Vista was in beta, I was commissioned by Wiley to write the Windows Vista Ultimate Bible. I knew when I looked at the sheer scope of the book I couldn't do it myself. My agent paired me up with an experienced writer named Derek Torres, and together we wrote that huge tome.

After that, Derek and I kept in casual touch. We'd share witty remarks now and then, and when the Facebook fad went big we quickly became FB friends. It was always a pleasure to read his often-hilarious updates, and his sly comments on my own updates. Derek had a way with words that I can only envy.

We teamed up for another book, which also features the wonderful Loyd Case. That book, the second revision of Wireless All-In-One for Dummies, will be published posthumously for Derek. Derek died last week of complications of H1N1, and I'm absolutely heartbroken.

So here's to a great writer, a reliable collaborator, an incredible wit, and a great friend. Derek, I miss you terribly. Rest in peace, my friend.

Rest in peace, Derek Torres

My friend, fellow scribe, and two-time co-author, Derek Torres, died tonight in Paris, France, of complications of H1N1.

More to come.

I'm an Interviewee!

One of the local Rochester Examiner writers, Andrea Coventry, interviewed me. Topics included family life in Rochester, NY; my Examiner blog on indie music; and Denny's.

Check out the interview, and drop a comment, if you care to, about how utterly cool I am. Also, take a gander at my take on buying locally from independent shops vs. buying from Amazon. If you care about independent music, bookmark my Examiner blog--I'll be posting there 2-4 times a week.

Case Roundup at Tom's Hardware!

Missed this one! A review of five gaming enclosures went live at Tom's Hardware, written by yours truly.

Here's a snippet:

The cases in this roundup range in price from $120 to $400; these are not your $49, low-end, plastic chassis. All of them feature several fans, but I still tested their cooling abilities on a fairly standard Core i7 setup. Of course, to really throw in a challenge, I added a ridiculously hot graphics card (an ATI Radeon HD 4870 X2-based card from Asus), as if any number of fans can keep that monster cool.

Head on over there and check it out!

I Sold My Soul to Rock n Roll

Hey folks, I'm now a rock writer!

Okay, here's the thing. It's for Examiner.com--I'm the Rochester, NY Indie Music Examiner. I know all about Examiner, and you've got to understand I'm not doing this gig for money (though there might be a little bit of cash involved). I'm doing it for two reasons:

1. I totally dig indie rock.
2. I'm trying desperately to break out of my tech writer thang and write about more mainstream stuff.

That doesn't mean I won't write about tech anymore--it's still my bread & butter. But I'd really like to be a more well-rounded writer, and this is a step toward that goal.

Please don't tell me Examiner horror stories. I've done my research and I know what I'm getting into. Some people swear by Examiner, others feel dirty and used after writing there. I'm on the fence right now, having only written one piece, but any excuse to write, write, write is a good one.

Be sure to check out my mini-review of Mike Doughty's new album and see where you can stream it all the way through for free. Try before you buy!

So there you have it. Thoughts?