The Widget: Games, Tech, Whatever

We strike, like lightning! This week was a little light on news, but we managed. First up is an impromptu discussion about the current smart phone market, then an argument about it, and then we laugh. Apple updates Mac OS X to allow GPU acceleration of h.264, and Adobe updates Flash to utilize it. Surprise: Flash video runs better on Macs now. Also: we get nostalgic about old computers and ask for your stories, Toy Story 3 sounds kind of neat, and a dude at Wolfire Games says that crappy console ports hurt PC gaming more than piracy. That, more, and your emails. Word.

After taking an extended break (5 weeks actually off, 1 week because it took that long to get the show posted) we're back and so are you... if you're reading this. You know, come to think of it, does anyone actually read this preamble? There's some weeks where I put some actual effort into what goes in here, but I suppose I could just write any old drivel and nobody would care. Whatever the case, this episode is pretty much all about the new Nvidia 480GTX, the iPhone 4G and Gizmodo craziness, the new i5 and i7 MacBook Pros (which Tim bought one), and obviously a mountain of viewer mail.  Sorry for the delay on this one. I'll try not to let it happen again.

Let's do this: the XBox 360 gets a board shrink, with rumors of a smaller console and USB mass storage support for game saves running rampant. Next: i7 and i5 chips are getting cheap, the Playstation Move looks dumb, Dave admits his undying love for Pokemon games, Tim spent an ass-ton of money on some stools, Viewer Mail, Voice Mail, and name calling. Finally: This is our last show for a month, as we're taking some needed time off (and we're lazy). Talk to you in 60.

See what I did there with the title? I thought it was pretty witty. Other choices included "Let off some Steam on your Mac", "The Half-Life of your Mac" and "F#%k you Apple bitches".  So if it wasn't already apparent, we talk about the (at the time of recording, unofficial) announcement of Steam coming to the Mac. Dave hasn't been this happy since that time in Thailand, where he got that hooker to... bah, you don't want to hear about that. The usual stuff is in there too; profanity, name calling, Viewer Mail... enjoy!

We worked really hard to try and get this show in under the 2+ hours we've been handing in lately. This time, we discuss (because Dave can't help himself) the news that Hulu may be looking to make their service iPad compatible. Does this mean Flash is going to DIE... Die... die? Probably not, but Dave still has to bring it up. Also, we discuss DisplayPort vs. HDMI and how it's creating a mess in the marketplace, and we get to hear about Paul's PC gaming woes. Seriously, Ubisoft can go f#%k themselves with this new DRM nonsense...

We can't believe it ourselves. People actually used our voicemail line, and it wasn't just to leave angry comments about how badly Tim sucks, or how Paul is a miserable Irish bastard. Nope, they were really real questions for us. We also go over some stuff; the iPad, Apple vs. Adobe and Google, Sonic 4, Alien Sex Addict Part II (otherwise known as Mass Effect 2), and some serious talk about computer hardware. Also: Be sure to listen up for the contest to win a free game via Steam! All you have to do is insult us. No, really.

I think the entire universe was somehow conspiring against getting this episode posted on teh internets. However, it's here, and it's... well, it's not great... more 'acceptable'. Nah, fuck that, it's awesome! Dave bought a fancy new microphone, Paul is a wanker, and Tim takes a piss during the show. I'd write more, but hey, I'm pressed for time. I guess you'll just have to listen.

The holiday break is over, and all of the tech news and disgusting conversations we've been saving up in our heads while being surrounded by our families now have a release. This episode, we cover some of the wonderful, but mostly stupid, things shown at CES 2009. We spend a bit of time talking about the Nexus 1 from Google, and the rumored iSlate from Apple (of which Dave is making happy in his pants about). Games, tips on seasonal pornography, and a new app for your iPhone to document the places you've masturbated. Just another wholesome episode of The Widget to help kickstart your new year.

What a week! With this semester winding down, this episode is officially 7 days late. No worries though, the info is still fresh and raunchy enough. This week, the usual gang of 3 is joined by none other than Sgt. Blogkitten, all the way from the exotic locale of downstairs. Topics this time are such wonders as Tim agonizing over a chip in the case of his new PS3, Google DNS and why it's kind of 'blah', adding USB plugs to your power outlets, and Space Beer. We also answer some really great emails this week, so thanks to everyone that took the time to contact us. We'll be back in 2010. See you on the other side.

Sorry for the delay in getting this to you. The holiday week has thrown my schedule into chaos. For everyone in the U.S., I hope you had a happy Thanksgiving. For everyone else, how was your November 26th? Big show this week, with topics including such gems as: The feds are using fatboy PS3 systems to bust pedophiles. Google Chrome OS is officially unveiled. Kill all the clones: Apple wins against Psystar. Paul gets a free video card upgrade from BFG. Tim bought a new router (you'll find out why halfway through). And oh so much more (plus swears). Remember kids, we love to hear your feedback. Be sure to hit our Contact page to shoot us an email, or even leave us a voicemail on our GTalk line.

It would seem the The Widget Crew™ went on a bit of a buying spree in-between shows. Every host now owns all three of the current generation game consoles (well, except Tim with his PS2.5). We give our impressions of the current state of the three of them, and how they stack up now that we're heading towards the end of this console generation. We're also joined by frequent guest Tim of the Flying Faustinis, who has a spiffy new pair of Grado headphones to review. Keep on rocking in Baghdad folks!

Windows 7! New Macs! New Android phone! New Widget! Grab hold of yourself (and those around you), and prepare for the onslaught of this week's show. Lots of tech stuff, not much gaming. Hey, that's how it is around here. Be sure to stick around till the end, as we read a truly disturbing (and slightly homoerotic) piece of viewer mail. We're starting to think that we have a lot of prison inmates as subscribers... which we kind of like.

This week, Paul and Tim are joined by long-time internet friend MacDragon, or Dave if you'd like. There is an unusual amount of talk about sports at the beginning, and well, we're sorry. No worries though, as we make up for it with more nerdy nonsense than you could shake a dead baby at. Paul goes 3D with his gaming thanks to his spiffy new 120hz monitor and Nvidia glasses, Tim finally get a damn Wii, and Dave comes clean on a bad experience he had at the Apple Store.

This episode, Paul and Tim are joined by Jack of Knaves. You might know him better as "the brother of Nature Boy who actually took the photo of him putting his computer together nude". This week, we talk about the new Core i5 chips, the Intel socket change and how it screws up the current Core i7 user base, ATI has new cards coming out that support 6 (yes, six) monitors on one card, Left 4 Dead 2 gains some new fans in the form of it's most vocal opponents, and of course, there's the hentai... thanks Dave!

In this 100% less live episode of The Widget, Tim and Paul are joined by one-half of the Flying Faustinis - Tim the Iron Pirate. Topics include why you should always strip down to your bare ass when building a computer, Snow Leopard's 64 bityness has some flaws, why Microsoft hates black people, a metric ass ton of viewer mail, an explanation of the above image of Diddler Jobs, and so much more. Hit play to listen now, and hit the link to view the 'show notes' (yeah, we laughed at that notion too). Snow Leopard and it's less-than 64 bit kernel http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9595_22-336194.html Racist Microsoft http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8221896.stm The Racist PSP http://kotaku.com/185081/offensive-psp-adthis-time-racist Two new ION based ITX boards are out from Asus and ASRock http://www.anandtech.com/mb/showdoc.aspx?i=3630 Oh, and bonus Diddler Jobs image: