Happenings

PS Vita – A Diehard Fan’s Ultimate Eulogy

September 24, 2018 General Happenings Technology
PS Vita
The PS Vita (Metallic Red) version which was exclusively launched in Japan in 2016. 

I was kind of expecting this update for some time now so there were no surprises for me in discovering that Sony has decided to put an end to the manufacturing and supply of the PlayStation (PS) Vita through 2019. This handheld gaming platform which received a well-deserved upgrade 4 years ago in the form of PS Vita Slim is sadly going to be buried forever. Personally, I was never able to push the potential of the gadget, which I bought when it launched in North America in 2014; beyond playing the Uncharted – Golden Abyss, with other exclusive titles such as Killzone Mercenary and WipeOut 2048; and Mortal Kombat. In fact, it was the storyline of the Uncharted series that kept me hooked to the Vita for the duration of its gameplay and I bagged the Platinum trophy as well, but it also left me lurking in the dark about why some of the other more popular franchises such as the Second Son or Crash Bandicoot (available on the Switch) for that matter, weren’t introduced on this handheld platform. Presumably, Sony’s gaming studios were more focused on developing games for the PlayStation 4.

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Behind The Mac, Once Again!

September 18, 2018 General Happenings

Of all the places in this vastness of Toronto city, I spot a massive poster hung atop a building featuring none other than the musical maestro AR Rahman, I’m still wondering how that location somewhere on Bloor Street West was chosen for this grand display! One is used to seeing a diverse mix of models complementing anything from creams to cuisine, so the excitement of watching an Indian celebrity endorsing a premium brand in a foreign land was palpable. This is Apple’s attempt at projecting it’s Mac lineup of computers as brilliance personified.

This ad was also unique for a reason because this month I chose to move on from my ‘old-but-gold’ MacBook Pro and opted for the new 2018 line-up. Here’s a little background to my old Mac which is still my favourite – the second-generation unibody Macs were first announced by Steve Jobs in October 2008 and the timing couldn’t have been more appropriate for me to order one in Canada back in 2009. It was a tedious buying episode, to say the least, however, this time the shopping experience was definitely surreal & seamless (thanks to my location in Toronto) right from placing the order on my app to receiving it within a few hours at the nearest Apple Store. The new 15-inch configurations are loaded with Intel Core i9 (up to 6 core) and upgradeable to up to 32 gigs of RAM which definitely makes it sheer desktop-class. Besides having been on Mac for several years now the need to experiment or work on a Windows (eco)system is fairly diminishing.

Which brings me to a question. In a previous post about my first Mac I had pondered if this indeed is the end of my association with the Windows family and the answer is probably “nah”. Because as someone in the creative arts field I need to constantly push the boundaries of my artistic and innovative desires and not let my limitations or beliefs stifle the positive outcomes. I guess Rahman would have definitely smiled on that note.

Gutenberg & The Era of Modern Editing

August 6, 2018 Happenings Technology
Gutenberg - WordPress

WordPress launched a sleek visual editor and named it after the German publisher Johannes Gutenberg who introduced the printing press in Europe in the 15th century, I thought that naming by WordPress is quite an oxymoron! This would only be my second post in Gutenberg, and ever since I have embraced WordPress blogging as a regular activity I’ve considered it as an art form of composing thoughts that are interspersed with emotions and delivered through phrases. Others might simply label this creative outfall as ‘content’. That it requires the blogger to reconcile with the technology & design first is only a part of a challenging journey in publishing a blog post. But it cannot, rather, technology should not make it any more complicated in putting at risk a writer’s heartfelt endeavour. What about the non-techies then? Bottomline, blogging platforms should aim to minimize any barriers, minimize fuss, and allow writers in publishing their views creatively & constructively.

It’s time to hail WordPress for achieving this goal and for introducing Gutenberg’ which I was amazed to ‘test-drive’ in their latest update. It’s also available as a plugin although Gutenberg would be a standard feature with the future release of WordPress 5.0. Least to say, when I thought about how the Classic editor could be further enhanced WordPress has just provided a modern & sleek replacement. Firstly, I’ve taken a fancy to the metaphor of ‘blocks’ as a WYSIWYG feature, these are movable containers carrying media such as images, audio, gallery, paragraphs, etc., (ah! similar to Gutenberg’s ‘movable type’ printing press) and each block which can be individually customized. In contrast, the Classic editor treated the entire post as a single structure and all media had to be inserted & refined from the toolbar. The other attribute which stood out for me was the often used ‘link’ feature which has now become more focused and it’s easier to choose whether or not a link should open in a new window. I’m pretty certain in the coming days these collective features would provide a new visual language to the blog posts here. I’m certainly open to experimenting in the coming days.

That being said, although there are some glitches and I’m still learning the ropes, I am particularly eager to see how the other taskbar functions through third-party plugins would be integrated within Gutenberg (or not!!). With that, I’d like to say that WordPress has become a robust, most widely-used blogging platform which is why it should now aim to integrate popular blogging features into its core program, such as SEO or web analytics which are currently being delivered through third-party plugins. This would not only provide efficiency to the non-techie bloggers, it’d drastically minimize security concerns, make the platform faster, and enable WordPress to become a clear alternative to the competition.

The Nintendo Classic Is Back In Stores

June 28, 2018 Happenings Technology

The Nintendo Classic (aka NES Classic) is making its way back to the stores beginning tomorrow. After its initial but limited launch in November 2016; like always, I was disappointed that I couldn’t grab this legendary gaming console, however, I was told there was a chance that it would be back in stores very soon until news came in that Nintendo was discontinuing the product for lack of “resources”. Sigh. With its in-built package of 30, classic games and a price tag of around C$80, the NES Classic feels like a great purchase for reliving that wonderful era of low-pixel gaming on the big TV.

On the other hand, the enthusiastic market reaction to the NES Classic back in 2016 should have prompted them to invest in a new product line and it was a clear mistake to discontinue it. In fact, tomorrow’s launch could have been an updated version with some notable improvements, such as in the product design by making it relatively distinct to the original Nintendo 64, as well as, adding more games to the list. Sadly, the loyal fans are being thrown under the bus with an unvarying experience, again.

A Sultry Start To This Summer

June 18, 2018 Happenings

Summer TimeToronto weather never fails to surprise me, not even with its topsy-turvy weather system, possibly since I’ve anticipated nothing short of a spectacle from the skies most of the time. The alerts and heat wave warnings of the past few hours are ample proof of the abnormally balmy summer lying ahead! For a start, it was a particularly hot and humid Father’s Day on Sunday and the sultry wave persisted on Monday as well. When I checked the weather in the morning it was feeling like 39°C, though in a few hours, the complexion of the system changed and there was a thunderstorm with heavy showers. This was as chaotic as a Toronto weather could be. And talking about summer, it might come as a rude shock but the sunlight in this part of the world isn’t the same as in the tropics or India, in fact, it gets brutal due to Canada’s geographical proximity to the north pole.

Put in a nutshell, it’s not about the amount of sunlight you receive but the UV radiation which it transmits that causes skin damage including cancer. So when you move up north and nearer to the Arctic circle, you are closer to the ozone layer which is damaged owing to ‘climate change’ (the same with Antartica). The one way to protect against the Sun’s intense heat in the north pole and the direct exposure to the UV rays is by covering yourself and applying sunscreen generously during summers. This is even more critical for someone close to where I am in comparison to the deserts of UAE, although I wouldn’t dare challenge the Sun anywhere without copious protection. Besides, I learned this frighteningly quickly that I need to check the UV Index before stepping out. I am already sweating thinking about the next few months!