thewunderbar

Well, I only went 1-3 in round 2, with the Pens beating the Flyers.  Hopefully I can do better in round 3

West:

(1)Detroit vs. (5)Dallas

Marty Turco is 0-7 with 2 ties in his NHL career in Detroit.  I believe you can say he will at least get one win at the Joe this year in the playoffs, he has to if Dallas will win the Series.  I think every series now will be a good one, and this one has the billing to be a classic.  In the end, I think that Brendan Morrow will carry the team on his shoulders, for their first appearance in the cup final in 8 years.  Detroit is a great team, with few weaknesses, but I really think that they play at such a high level that they cannot elevate it to the next step you need to in the playoffs, where Dallas will.

Dallas in Seven

(2)Pittsburgh vs. (6)Philadelphia

Pittsburgh played a gritty enough game to beat a skilled Montreal team.  Montreal did not show enough grit and toughness to beat Philly.  Philly finished last in the NHL last year, and are in the Confrence finals one year later.  That is an amazing turnaround, and the management must be commended.  However, the Pens are just too good, and I think have punched their ticket to the Stanley Cup Final.

Pittsburgh in Six

GTA IV has, in fact, exceeded all expectations.  It is hugely fun, Liberty city is amazing, and the story is very compelling.

The most amazing part of the game is the physics and AI in the game.  The city really does feel populated, people react as they should to things like weather events.  People bounce around in cars as you drive.  if you crash hard enough, you will be ejected from your vehicle.  People notice you when you pull out a gun, and run to hide.  I had someone who was trying to beat me up after I crashed into his car run away after I pulled a knife out on him, and this is all AI.  The work that was put into this game is simply astounding.

I just wish I had more time to play it.  Between life, NHL playoffs, and getting ready for my upcoming trip to Florida, I haven’t put nearly as much time into the game as I would like.  Rest assured that I will remedy that situation as soon as I am back from Florida.

If you own a 360 or a PS3 and do not own this game(and are over the age of 17), go buy this game now.  If you do not own a 360 or a PS3, you should go buy one, and buy this game.  This game really is a system seller, for both platforms.

So GTA IV comes out Tuesday.  It seems that people have been talking about this game forever.  The hype machine around it was almost as big as Halo 3.  Seriously.  Over the past 6 months I’ve heard terms such as "Genre changing," "The biggest game since Ocarina of Time," and "the biggest, greatest video game ever created."  this scared me.  Not because I didn’t think GTA IV would be one of the best games to come out in 2008, but that the bar was being set so high that there was no possible way that GTA IV would be able to match it.  I was still expecting to to be an amazing game, one of the best in a while, but I kept my expectations lower than those bold predictions.

Over the weekend the reviews have started coming out.  I’ve read through about 3 of them.  In these reviews, I’ve heard the game described as Genre changing," "The biggest game since Ocarina of Time," and "the biggest, greatest video game ever created."  GTA IV has apparently actually somehow managed to meet, and possibly even exceed the hype.  6 of the 7 reviews I have seen so far rate the game their equivalent of 10/10.  IGN gave it a 10/10, their first 10 since Soul Caliber in 1999.  Half Life came out in 1998.  That game was described as a game as to which all other games should strive to meet.  In general, that still holds up.  Half Life pioneered several staples of it’s genre that are still in use, 10 years later.  Now, 10 years later, perhaps it is time to say that there is a new measuring stick.  Perhaps GTA IV will be the game as to which all others are compared to for the next 10 years.  I absolutely think that it will happen.

all I know is that GTA IV comes out Tuesday, and I absolutely cannot wait.

I work in a job that does require some travel.  The latest trip that I’m on has brought me to Saskatoon, SK.  I have been here since Tuesday, and I go home Today.  Saskatoon sucks.  That’s all there is to it.  The downtown core shuts down at 5pm.  Almost everything, restaurants, shops, malls, everything.  when you are stuck in the downtown core with no car, it is not fun.  Everyone I know who comes from Saskatchewan says that the only thing to do here is work and drink.  I have discovered that it’s true.

At least the last couple day have been better than my first day of work.  My job here was basically to set up a new office we are opening here.  It’s a small office, 2 users, 1 computer, couple printers, that sort of thing.  Wednesday I was supposed to receive the computer, furniture, and the photocopier.  After 3 hours I got the computer.  I got the furniture at 2:30, but there was no one to set it up, a fee in which my company paid for.  I spent the whole day with no furniture at all, no Internet and phone until 2:30 in the afternoon, and not really much to do.  The only good thing about the day was that my blackberry paid for itself, as it was pretty much my only communication to the outside world.

After a really bad start, the trip has actually stabilized, however that doesn’t change the fact that Saskatoon sucks.  I fly home today, and I can’t wait.

After going 6-2 in round one, It is time to make my predictions for round 2

East:

(1)Montreal vs. (6)Philadelphea

Montreal will have a tougher time with Philly, but Price will play better, and not give away any games.  Philly will play well, but in the end, Montreal has more than 3 players that can score, and a better Defence than Washington

Montreal in Seven

(2)Pittsburgh vs. (5)NEw York Rangers

Lundquist is a very good goaltender, and very deserving of his Vezina nomination.  He Played very well Against New Jersey, but New Jersey is just not a team that can score a lot of goals.  Pittsburgh can.

Pittsburgh in Six

West:

(1)Detroit vs. (6)Colorado

the playoff picture in the west makes me really feel like the late 90’s/eartly 2000’s.  This is a matchup that used to have such significant meaning, and such a powerful clash of the super powers.  It is still going to be a clash of the super powers, but the cast, on Detriot especially will be much different.  I said before round 1 that I think Colorado is a lot better than their seeding shows, and I’m going to stick to it.  If Theodore can play as well as he did in the first round, Colorado stands a very good shot.  Enought that I’m going to go out on a limb

Colorado in Seven

(2)San Jose vs. (5)Dallas

this will be a monster of a series.  In my opinion these are the two top teams in the west.  Both have a lot to prove, and a lot at stake to win this series and move to the confrence finals.  In the end, San Jose has more to prove, and more to play for.

San Jose in Seven

As promised, here are my predictions for the east

(1)Montreal vs. (8)Boston

Montreal went 8-0 against Boston this year.  That should be the only stat that matters.  Boston is one of the feel good stories of the year, and I’m happy to see them back in the playoffs, but they will not win.  The bigger question is will they win a game?  Can Montreal beat Boston 12 times in a row in one year?  No.  but they will win 12 of 13.  Montreal will get past this round, and move on to much tougher opponents.

Montreal in Five.

(2)Pittsburgh vs. (7)Ottawa

How the mighty have fallen.  After the first 19 games of the year people were wondering if Ottawa would ever loose again.  But since Christmas they have the 5th worst record in the NHL.  They should be a great team with good goaltending, instead they are a good team with mediocre goaltending.  Pittsburgh, on the other hand, is an emerging NHL power house.   Without Crosby for over 1/4 of the season, we saw the emergence of Evgeni Malkin, who finished second in the socring race to some Russian named Ovechkin.  When Fleury went down for a couple months, few thought Danny Saborin could carry the load.  They were right.  But Ty Conklin came in and carried it instead. He went 18-8-5 with a save percentage of .923.  This is the guy who got run out of Edmonton after a mediocre season and a gaffe in the Stanley cup final in 2006.  He coudln’t get back into the NHL last year, and ended up on Pittsburgh’s farm team to start the year.  Now he was the guy who pretty much kepts Pittsburgh’s chances at a high seed alive.  Fleury will carry the load in the playoffs, but Conklin could come in and still win the cup for the Pens.

Pittsburgh in Six

(3)Washington vs. (6)Philadelphia

Alex the GR8 finally gets into the post season.  Team Ovechkin, as I like to call it, now bolstered by a good goalie in Huet, a rookie sensation in Backstrom, Mike Green on Defence, and the vetran presence of Federov.  Washington has been the second best team in the league behind San Jose for the past 2 months.  This is the Atlanta of this year.  They are a team that could easily challange to win the east, or a team that could go out with a whimper in round one.  Watching Ovechkin play in the playoffs will be a treat, as there is no one in the NHL who loves playing the game as much as he does.  I think he will elevate his play even more now that he’s in the playoffs.  The Flyers are an interesting team, they’ve had 5 players suspended for substantial periods of time this year.  They have some great players, and some goons.  Their goaltending is good, not great.  Can they beat Washington, absolutely.  They just need to play well, and smart.  Will they beat Washington?  I don’t think so.  But it will be a long series

Washington in Seven.

(4)New Jersey vs. (5)New York Rangers

So, what’s the record for the fewest goals scored in a playoff series?  Both of these teams have so-so offences and great goaltending.  Every game might end up being 1-0 in triple overtime.  Neither team can score.  I would say that New York *should* score more goals than New Jersey, but then New Jersey has a better goalie.  I think that in the end, Jersey will win the series, simply because their goalie is better in a series that will be a battle of the goalies.

New Jersey in Seven

Quite possibly the best time of year if you are a hockey fan has arrived.  Playoff hockey.  The second season.  Call it what you will, but when hockey playoffs start, it is something special.  The first round is amazing, there are at least 3 games on every night for nearly 3 weeks straight.  Some days, you can watch all 4 games in a row, others, there are 3 games being played at the same time.  I can’t wait for Wednesday.

There will be some good match ups in both conferences.  first I will start with the west.

(1)Detroit vs. (8)Nashville

I think Nashville will give Detroit a tough time.  after the fire sale last year few thought that the Predators would even make the playoffs this year.  Yet here they are.  Detroit’s biggest, and possibly only, question is in goal.  Can Hasek play at a high level for the entire playoffs?  I think Chris Osgood is a more consistent goaltender right now, but when Hasek is at the top of his game he is one of the best.  If Hasek can play at a high level, it will be a much easier series for Detroit.

Detroit in Five

(2)San Jose vs. (7)Calgary

This is one of 2 series I’m really looking forward to watching in the west.  I think it will be a tough series for both clubs.  San Jose has proven that they can be a dominant team in the regular season, while Calgary has shown flashes of brilliance this year, but also have been terrible for stretches.  Nabokov played 75 games for San Jose, one has to wonder if fatigue will be a factor, although for right now it does not appear to be.  Calgary will give them a really tough time, but San Jose will likely over power the Flames weak offence.

San Jose in Six

(3)Minnesota vs. (6)Colorado

This is the match up I’m looking forward to the least.  It will be a decent enough series, but lacks the big storylines of many of the others.  I personally find Minnesota a very boring team to watch, but since they ended up with the third seed I can’t really criticize them.  I think that this series will rest on the shoulders of Jose Theodore.  If he plays decently, the Av’s will win the series, if he plays like he did last year, the Av’s will loose.  Colorado has been decimated by injuries this year, and now that they are somewhat healthy, they are a much better team than the standings show.  Remember, for about 1/3 of the season they were missing 3 of their top 4 forwards(Stasney, Sakic, and Smyth)

Colorado in Six

(4)Anaheim vs. (5)Dallas

This will be the series to watch in the first round.  This one has all the makings to be a war. These are two very good, very tough teams, that will tear eachother apart to win the series.  The Ducks are the defending champions, and have most of their core from last year back.  I really think this could be the coming out party for the Dallas Stars, and Marty Turco in particular.  The Stars seem to always be good in the regular season, but fall apart when the games start to count in the Playoffs.  I think that this year will change all that, and that the Stars will be strong playoff contenders.  don’t knock the Ducks though, they still do have a legitimate shot at winning this series.  They have the best defensive core in the league with Neidermyer, Pronger, Beauchemun, Schneider, and Bergeron as their top 5, and they can score too.

Dallas in Seven.

Check back tomorrow for my Eastern Conference picks.

In the world where more and more services are moving into "the cloud" I’m finding myself more and more torn about it.  We are in a world where if I really wanted to I could do 99% of my computing from within a web browser.  Let me explain.

My current web browser of choice is Flock.  Flock is pretty much an all in one browser.  Integrated into Flock are features that show you live updates to Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, and Youtube.  It integrates with del.icio.us.  It also checks my gmail automatically.  It also has a blog writer/editor.  Those are the tools that are built in.  Now, via various web apps, I have iGoogle as a portal, Google reader for my RSS goodness, Google docs for the basic word processing, Meebo for IM, Google calendar for an organizer(that also sync’s with my mobile phone).  I can also stream music via Last.fm.  I know Firefox has extensions for most of the tools that are already built into Flock, but in my opinion Flock does it better.

If I did all of that in my browser the only non gaming application that I run on a regular basis is iTunes.  So, in theory, I could do all of my non gaming applications with simply Flock and iTunes, with VLC or Windows Media player for the occasional video

Now, while this works, and I really don’t have much of a problem with it, I can’t help but still want to use more stand alone applications.  The biggest one I still use is a stand alone IM client.  I am currently beta testing Digsby(www.digsby.com), but also use, and enjoy Windows Live messenger.  I much prefer these to Meebo.  Meebo is a really good browser based IM client, but nothing beats a stand alone client for IM.  I am currently writing this post in Windows Live Writer.  The blogging tool in Flock is functional, but Live Writer is just so feature rich that flock currently does not hold a candle to it.  for photo organization I use Windows Live Photo gallery.  It is much better at managing large numbers of photos than flickr.  Flickr has it’s uses for me, i use it to upload photos that I want to share with others, but my primary photo collection and organizer will always be local to my computer.  I’ve been experimenting with using a stand alone e-mail client, for the first time since the middle fo 2004.  I use outlook at work every day, and I hate it.  I’ve been using Windows Mail and Windows Live mail, and while I do say I prefer Windows Live mail to Windows Mail, the jury is stil out on whether or not I want to use a stand alone e-mail client while at my primary computer.  I would love to use Windows Calendar more, as the Google calendar interface can frustrate me at times, but there is currently no way to 2-way sync Google Calendar to Windows Calendar to my knowledge(feel free to correct me if there is a way).  I use office 2007 for Word processing.  Office 2007 really is the best version of office put out by Microsoft since Office 97.  The interface, once you learn it, really is wonderful.  There are also several apps for Twitter that can run on Windows, although I do admit that I have no need for that at all, as I would either use Flock, TwitterFox for Firefox, or Digsby to look at twitter.  Also, I’m not sure if you noticed, but I do use the Windows Live apps quite a bit.  They are actually generally really well done Apps by Microsoft.  Mail and Photo Gallery are essentially enhancements of the versions built into Vista, but are still worth installing and using if you are on Vista.  And I’d recommend the entire suite to XP users, as it adds in some of the Vista feel to XP.

so I’ve just typed for the better part of 30 minutes and I’m not quite sure where I’m at.  Basically what I’m trying to say is that I’m not sure which way I want to go.  Sure, I can do everything using a web browser, and generally, it works, but I’m not sure if I want to do that.  I’m kind of at an impasse with myself, torn between wanting it all bundled in and done well in one application, or having everything done really well in different apps.

Well, nothing left to say except that I’m right back where I started.  In the world of cloud computing, do I want to totally live in the cloud, or still use all my normal applications and just point up and store things in it?  I’m not sure.

So ya, as you can probably tell, i haven’t updated this in a while, but that’s okay.  My April resolution is to post at least once a week.

just a few quick things:

• The Logitech VX Nano is the best small mouse I have ever used.  If you have a laptop and travel a fair bit, this mouse is absolutely worth the high price
• A waterproof kit for an iPod(a shuffle, in my case) is the greatest thing ever.
•  speaking of iPods, I purchased the shuffle 3 weeks before Apple dropped the price and brought in the 2GB version.
• The Border is probably the only Canadian made TV show I’ve truly liked.
• Guitar Hero3 is awesome
• I can grow a pretty good beard if I don’t for a week
• I hope that Veronica Belmont gets a job where we can still see her work on a regular basis.
• I’m really proud of the Oilers for the late season push, looks good for next year.
• Ubuntu 8.04 looks like it’s going to be pretty good.
• There’s currently a small blizzard going on outside.  Spring in Canada, wonderful.

Green Bay.  Favre wants it more than Manning, and the Packers are a better team.

New England.  San Diego is too hurt.

Easy picks this weekend I think.

Blogged with Flock