For the last year I have been working and finishing up a second degree at GWU in DC. To celebrate surviving school I wanted to have a barbecue with a group of girls I graduated with, their families and then all my work friends from Apple. Normally my different groups of friend have no trouble mixing but with the addition of my friend’s families the party become two separate parties. My Apple friends were inside playing Rockband while my college friends outside with their families.

Luckily for me someone suggested that it would be fun if we could get all of the parents to give Rockband a try. Now after watching my father try and play Guitar Hero over Christmas and not make it through the training session let alone a song I admit I had my doubts.

The Players:
THE DOC: On drums we have my father…. who has no musical talent and even less rhythm though sadly he thinks that he does.

THE WIVES: For vocals we had Amanda’s mother and stepmother who from what I understand are not really on the best of terms, lucky though both could sing.

THE SINGLE MOM: Reluctantly Caitlin’s mom agreed to play the bass guitar… having raised a very girly-girl on here own, games like this were a complete mystery to her.

THE ARTIST: We rounded out the group with Amanda’s father taking the lead guitar, he seemed more comfortable behind his camera then the guitar.

The Game:
ROUND ONE: Each parent received a quick tutorial as to how the games is played by our local Apple Clarendon Creative team, and then the group was ready to select their song. The Last Train to Clarksville by the Monkees was picked because they figuring that at least would have a fighting chance of knowing the words.

ROUND TWO: After getting over the shock of not completing the song the parents promptly demanded that they be allowed to try again. More quick pointers from the Creatives and the group was off again ………

ROUND THREE: With spirits high the group decided to give the song one more go…. they started out strong and even figured out how to save another player who had failed out. Sadly they did not even come close to completing the song but they did manage to complete 24% of the song, which was meet with a rousing cheer from the whole room.

The Wii has received much acclaim for its ability to bridging across the generation gab and if my party was any indication Rockband can be added to that list. It was a great vehicle for breaking the ice between two different groups and even if the parents did not complete the song they had a blast trying and everyone else got kick out of watching them try.

I never thought that having my family failing out repeatedly on a song at 24% would save my graduation party….

Written by Megwin

Finish What You Start...

If you’re the type of gamer that likes to be on the edge of your seat from beginning to end, then Resident Evil 4 is the game for you.

The game starts out several years later after the destruction of Raccoon City. The character you play is Leon S. Kennedy, an agent for the U.S. Government. Leon has been sent to a small village in Europe to rescue the Presidents kidnapped daughter Ashley Graham. The evil Saddler has infected mostly all the people in the villages, even Leon and Ashley. Thus, begins the search for an antidote in addition to the rescue of Ashley, and ultimately escaping this awful place.

At the same time you’re fighting against the "Las Plagas". They are a variety of “things” infected by this virus that mumble and yell profanities in Spanish. Behind every door you open there is something lurking, just waiting to attack! The game has six adrenaline-rushing chapters and within each chapter is a vicious viral beast that must be taken out with patience and tact. As you move along the "Las Plagas" change and become more resilient to your attacks. Luckily there are save points along the way with a man who buys, sells, and upgrades weapons at a cost. This is the only source of comic relief you get in the game because the man sounds like an Australian who says “Got some rare things on sale stranger!” and “What are you buying?” and “What are you selling?” You’ve got to play the game to understand, when you hear him speak its like a pusher on the street trying to make a buck. At first you don’t know if you can trust him and you shoot him and he dies. There goes your chance to shop. Oops!

The end ensues with an epic battle between Leon and Saddler; you must be patient and come up with a plan to destroy him. When you do beat the game it unlocks several mini games where you can play as different characters. It’s really cool because when it comes to an end you kind of miss the "Las Plagas" and blowing their heads off. So this game is also the gift that keeps on giving because just when you think its over you can go back and have a few more heart palpitations. With the Wii remote and nunchuck it actually feels like you are holding the guns (my favorite is the Magnum, gets the job done). The music is what keeps your heart racing and mind going a mile a minute as you’re trying to figure out how to solve the little riddles and along the way and come out a survivor.

If you have surround sound I highly suggest you use it. Grab a buddy; you’re not going to want to be alone. Get some munchies and get ready for an exhilarating experience. Sometimes I actually thought I was going to have a panic attack. It was amazing! I could not shut the game off; I played it nonstop from 10am in the morning to about 11:45pm. When you play a game like that you know you got you’re moneys worth.

Submitted by freeloader HOTmess

Finish What You Start...

When it comes to listing the current sexy [and expensive] cell phone gadgets, there's no denying that the Apple iPhone is seated firmly at the top of the list. If you have an iPhone and are terrified of damaging it, then this post may be helpful for you. I'm going to review the iPhone Defender case for the iPhone by OtterBox.

There are a lot of different cases made by a plethora of different companies that serve can project your precious device in various ways. If you carry your iPhone in your pocket then you probably are looking for a case that doesn't add a lot of bulk to your device, and that will protect it from the other items you may have in your pocket. If you carry it in a bag, you may look for a case that will keep your iPhone from being dented by the heavier items in your bag, or from liquids that you carry along with you during your daily commute. After a month with the iPhone Defender Series case by OtterBox, I can say that the Defender series can be a great protective case for your iPhone. Like many of the cases that OtterBox is known for creating, the iPhone Defender is a water resistant hard case with protection in mind. It features a silicone membrane that slips over the main hard case which aids in your gripping the phone so it doesn't slip out of your hand, or off the dashboard of your car. The hard case itself is made up of two interlocking pieces that once closed leave the headphone jack and dock connector area of the iPhone exposed for easy connection to your peripherals. It's good to note that the iPhone is not dockable when in this case. The texture of the membrane is keeps the phone comfortable in your hand if you have to hold the phone for long periods of time, which you are familiar with if you've ever used the google map feature for driving directions.

The Defender comes with a hard plastic holster with swivel clip that complements the case, but add quite a bit to it's overall bulk and is the first negative thing I have to say about the Defender. While the holster is solid, and firmly locks in place as you swivel, it's hard to overlook how much it affects the footprint of the iPhone. The clip of the holster is broad and not easily swayed from the pocket or belt you clip it on. While in the holster, you will only have access to the sleep/wake button at the top of the phone, the headphone jack, and the volume controls on the side of the device. This is where my other major complaint about this particular case comes in. While a great amount of detail went into this case, you have no access to the silence switch at all while your phone is encased in it. The only way you can turn sound on and off is by using the settings controls on the phone which is tedious at best.

All in all, the OtterBox iPhone Defender Case delivers everything it promises: protection against light precipitation, bumping, dropping, dirt and dust for your 4GB, 8GB, or 16GB iphone. It is not as affordable as some of the other cases that offer similar protection, but $49.95 is a small price to pay for extra protection of your $399 or $499 iPhone.

Finish What You Start...

Konichiwa my little Quack Pack crew! The King Baby Duck is here, making his grand debut in the world of the Electric Sistah Hood! To mark this debut we're going to look at the 2006 album "Bubblegum Viking" by Japanese punk rockers STANCE PUNKS!

Gather together the best tracks from the Clash’s “London Calling,” Dropkick Murphys’ “Sing Loud, Sing Proud,” and the Blue Hearts’ self-titled debut album. Now drop an atomic bomb on top of them. The end result still would not be as powerful as the new STANCE PUNKS album.

Their fourth album release, “BUBBLEGUM VIKING” takes in every style of punk rock known to man and gives it the 10,000-volt jolt it has desperately needed these past 13 years. From its one-two march into battle named “Waving a big flag in the wind” that follows forth into the trash-your-hotel-room-blitz called “Monkey Seventeen,” to the mosh-enthralled “Cheryl wa Blue” and the Guitar Wolf-inspired licks from Kinya’s Epiphone in “Dropping ones of star,” the album clearly has the purpose of grabbing a baseball bat and smashing every piece of furniture in your house. In other words: pure punk bliss.

Its signature track “LET IT ROCK” calls out to the people who first heard the Ramones back in 1975. It’s clear in this song that vocalist Tsuru forever wishes to be on stage with the late Joey and Johnny; despite the fact that his voice would be better off with the likes of Joe Strummer and Mick Jones. There also seems to be a bit of a Sublime-inal influence in both “Night Airship” and “The party does not enter (Main part)”; and while these tracks are more ska than punk the band does a great job reminding the listener that their inspiration is more than from just one genre.

From start to finish “BUBBLEGUM VIKING” is the thrill ride that makes you want to get back in line to get on again. If you have a single ounce of love for the punk genre, this album is for you. Play it for your non-Japanese friends. If they complain that they can’t understand a single lyric, remind them that’s how punk is supposed to sound: loud and incoherent. The true spirit of punk has been brought back; and by the end of this masterpiece you, too, will be screaming, “WE ARE THE BUBBLEGUM VIKING!!” Five stars, hands down!

That's it for this corner today.

This is King Baby Duck saying "If it ain't made in Japan, it's usually crap!"

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When it comes to great looking high fashion tech accessory cases you can have practical but ugly, great design but not really useful or you can get both great design and practicality but you are not going to get both without paying big bucks.

As a result we end up with mediocre bags that fit are needs but really were made with the supposed "hip" business men in mind... but no more Golla's new spring collection fills our particle side as well as having a mean design sense. They make every thing from bags for your phones and ipods to laptop sleeves and backpacks. The company is based in Finland and all of there products have a great European style to them yet the designers have thought about all the ways people are going to be using there technology.

Music Bags
The music bags really stood out to me because while they were design with the mp3 player in mind they really can be for a variety of devices from you phone to camera. There are multiple pockets where you can slip in an ID or metro card and there is even a great zipper pocket on the back so you can put items you want to be really secure. They have also opted to not do a belt clip in favor of a small carabineers which I think will led it's self to be more versatile.

Backpacks
Golla also introduced new colors with both males and females in mind for there backpack collection. For anyone who has had to dig through there bag trying to find that one item that you swear you had with you only for it get lost in the dark pit then this is the bag for you. The back compartment is for you laptop but unlike conventional backpacks you load your computer from the side making it so much easier to fit everything. The second compartment where I at lease end to just dump everything else into has see-through zipper compartments so you can put everything into it perspective place. But just in case you forget where you put it you phone those see-though pocket come in handy.

So the final part where can you get these bags? Depending on what you are looking for there are a variety of places from cellular store like AT&T Wireless for the phone and music bags to Target for the laptop sleeves and backpacks. While the holidays are over and we are all strapped a little for cash now you can think of these are part of your New Years resolution to get organized.

Posted by FreeLoader Megwin

Finish What You Start...

While there are thousands of great new tech gadgets being showcased at CES this week what has caught my eye is all of the fun cases out there to hold and organized all those gadgets. It is almost an overload of sparkling logo branded cases... so I am going to endeavor to select some of the more fun or exciting new products.

Crocs + Cell Phone Cases?
We are going to get it started with one of the most bizarre new accessories out there the Crocs Phone Case. The makers of those ugly, yet oh so popular shoes have decided that the shoe market is not enough and have created a phone holder. Now I am venomously apposed to the shoes some how the combination between the color and the shape always reminds me of clown shoes. And yet somehow I am kind of drawn to them as phone cases, minis the charms of course. The cases are made out of the same materials as the famed shoes, and sport a very sturdy belt clip. The only really drawback that I can see in the design is the flimsy plastic that the ID card slot is being made out of... after sliding those cards in and out a few times and that thing is toast. I would expect to see young children and soccer mom's alike sporting these babies in the near future.

Embracing Design...
While much of what Belkin has come out with is what you come to expect from them sleek urban design that while nice done not always scream I need to have. This year there were a few items that did catch my eye. In the iPhone/iPod case area much of what they have are just a variation on there same theme just in new spring colors. Though the new Nike-esk Micro Grip looks great though it only comes in lavender and smoke gray. Belkin was also featuring new laptop bags and the Ceylon Messenger Bag stands out as a must have for this spring. It comes in a variety of both boy and girl friendly colors and sports a cellphone case on the strap. The best part is that it is only going to retail for around $50 so that is not so bad is you are looking new look.

Posted By FreeLoader Megwin

Finish What You Start...