Monday, February 23, 2009

Playstation 3 Backward Compatibility

Apparently, today is PS2 Game Day on Amazon's gold box deals. I picked up Shin Megami Tensei Persona 4 which should get to me within the week. I expect to play it on my PS3, at least, whenever I have the time!

It should play...I own a PS3 80 GB, MGS bundle which I bought around the middle of last year, right before they all started to say that PS3 was going to get rid of backward compatibility. I think this is the first time in my entire life when "waiting" to get an electronic gadget wouldn't have been a good idea. So much for the rewards of delayed gratification!

Removing backward compatibility with PS2 from the PS3 is a terrible shame really. One of my main reasons for buying the PS3 is so I can play my old PS2 games (I have most of the Final Fantasy games, I think!), with the option of getting the newer versions of the game franchises I love in the future.

Since I got my PS3, I've only been playing PS2 games on it! So far, the following games I got work well enough:

1. Final Fantasy 12 (this is the one I'm working through)
2. Kingdom Hearts 1 and 2
3. Harvest Moon - Save the Homeland
4. Grand Turismo 3
5. Monkey Island 4 - Escape from Monkey Island

The only PS3 game I have is Metal Gear Solid 4 and Grand Theft Auto. Both are too violent for an RPG loving person like me!

This is the first time I got Shin Megami Tensei. I read some reviews that said it was pretty good. We'll see if Shin Megami Tensei Persona 4 works well on the PS3, and will post a report here later!

Thursday, February 19, 2009

In Memory and Celebration of Nathaniel

A few years ago, the son of one of my best friends passed away. She had been sending me his photos since he was a baby. He was such a good looking and happy boy, that I used to call my friend "future mother-in-law". She was a good sport about it and said that she had to train him to like older women. It was a tragic event, and my heart broke with hers. I remember receiving the news at 3 a.m. I cried so hard, all alone. I felt her pain, too. It was one of the saddest moments of my life. The name of the boy was Nathaniel. He died at the age of 5.

A few weeks ago another friend of mine from another circle gave birth to a baby boy. She had been married almost 9 years and had been wanting a baby so badly. They were praying about it, seeing fertility doctors...the works. I was starting to think that maybe the can't have children. After years of waiting, they have finally been blessed. It was truly wonderful news! A joyous event, and I was so very happy! And the name of the boy? Nathaniel.

My two friends...two women who never met, never knew each other. One in Germany, the other in California. Perhaps they will never meet, or perhaps they will. Who knows? However, the one thing they share in common is a boy named Nathaniel.

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Photography - First Steps

I would like to try to take photos again. I am not a very good photographer, but I would like to learn, though! I hope somehow, that I can bring in my own personal taste and eye into the pictures I take.

So far, I think I have all the required equipment. I have had a Nikon D80 for the past 2 years and 3 nice lenses (nikon 24-120 mm, nikon 50 mm 1.4F, and a nikon 18-35 mm). My favorite, so far, is the nikon 24-120 mm. That's the one I use all the time.

I also bought a tripod from Radioshack. It's a Targus 66" silver tripod, on sale for only $19.99. Another thing to be happy about is the point and shoot camera I bought, a Canon SD880 IS, which I picked up from Amazon for $240.99. It's not that cheap. I think it was on sale at dell.com last December for about $199+. I really need a camera I can take around with me all the time, though. I love my D80, but it's so big that I might break my back carrying it!

I am out of practice, though. I had not been very good to begin with, but a huge camera and heavy tomes are not valid excuses for continuing to practice! Thus, I finally gave in and got that point and shoot.

I would like to take some classes, but with the ongoing recession and my inability to get a job, I think I should try to make do with what I have. As part of my self-study, the following books are in my reading list:

Starting Photography 5th ed., by Langford & Andrews
The Art of Digital Photography - by John Hedgecoe

Perhaps, as part of my personal course, I will try to post a picture at least once a week.

It is a windy day here in DC. I wonder if the wind will carry a good shot with it?