EA Online Ad Supported

So I decided to play some FIFA 07 for PSP online today. I go into multiplayer, it ask if I want to create a new account or using an existing one. I pick create a new account. I tried various usual usernames, they are all taken. I was surprised by this. But when I try recover password using one of my usuals, it says the user doesn't exist.

I was very puzzled, so I decided to check out EA's website and figure maybe I'll create the account on the website first. Turns out, EA has a deal with AOL. If you have AIM acccount, all those names are "reserved". But you can use a AOL sign up to "claim" the username, and in the process I imagine tie your EA account to your AOL AIM. I thought about it, and then I was like, this is the EA that just came up with that stupid BF 2142 spyware thingy. So I decide to create a new account on the website. Then login on PSP using the account I just created.

So far so good.

Then the next part comes out. Would you like to pay by credit card or use ESPN soccernet sponsored payment method? I was like "huh?". So get this, I either have to pay $2 a month, or agree to give ESPN complete access to my profile and have the rights to contact me, etc etc. It's at this point, I'm very happy I created a new account instead of having it tied to any of my existing accounts elsewhere and was very careful what info I filled in. So morale of the story is, give EA nothing. Don't let them tie their EA account to anything you have that has valueable info. I'm so glad I didn't tie my Xbox Live profile to EA account. FYI, if you refuse either of the payment option, at this point the game kicks you back to the main screen. You can't even download roaster update, or see any online news update. You are just toss out of the multiplayer area completely.

Sony Needs To Recheck Their Factsheet

Sony started the marketing dash for PS3 launch this week. They released a Next-Gen fact sheet on PS3 vs the compeition. There are some funny things that they made up. It claims if you buy the Xbox 360 Core for $299, you are required to buy the 20gig harddrive, the upcoming HD-DVD drive, wireless controller, and get the Gold Xbox Live subscription. Well, gee, considering that the HD-DVD drive isn't out yet, does that mean none of the 6 mil 360 out there are working? We are all just staring at a blank TV everytime we play games on 360?

I bet Microsoft is going to take legal action against Sony. I doubt MS will take this lying down, they aren't Sega.

Meanwhile, I just have this feeling that Sony won't be able to ship as many PS3 as they claimed.

Blue Dragon Bundle Preorder Sold Out In 10 Minutes

Blue Dragon Xbox 360 Bundle preorder showed up on Amazon Japan this weekend. It comes with Xbox 360 Core, Blue Dragon the game, one of the Blue Dragon figures from TGS, and the face plate. Amazon Japan sold their allocation of 10,000 units in 10 minutes.

The image is from gamewatch.

MP3 Players Preload With Virus And Trojan

Okay, QA department is falling asleep here. McDonald in Japan gave away 10,000 mp3 players. They came with a Trojan.

Then we find out some of the newer video iPod came with a virus.

EA Spyware, It's In The Games!

Battlefield 2142 was released today. Anyone who bought a copy, has a nasty surprise inside. You don't know about it till you buy the game and open it. And by installing the game, you agree to let them install spyware on your computer.

I think I'll be skipping this game. EA has stated they will be using this in other EA PC games as well. So from now on, all new EA games will be treated as spyware till proven otherwise.

Google Release Doc Tool

Google has launched the web based word processor they purchased. Check it out here
You are also given an option to move your old documents on Writely over as well.

There are some nice intergration features. Now you can write your post in the Doc Tool, spellcheck it and publish straight to your blog on blogger.

Much like Google Spreadsheets, there is quite a bit of collaboration features in the Doc Tool.

Django Setup Problem

For those of you that I convinced to look at Python and Django.

The standard instruction have you do

python ez_setup.py

But if you have Python 2.5, you'll get an error because the ez_setup.py that came with Django is too older.

Do the following instead.

python ez_setup.py -U setuptools

Then when you do

python setup.py install

Everything will work perfectly.

Visit King Tut

When I found out Tutankhamun exhibition was coming to the United States, I was determined to go see it. As luck would have it, it landed in Chicago. It's great because I can visit both King Tut, J and A. Killing two birds with one stone.

It was simply wonderful to see the exhibition. No photos were allowed, so I don't have any pictures to share on the exhibition itself. However. I do have a picture of Sue the T-Rex, the most complete fossil of a Tyrannosaurus rex. She's on display in the Field Museum in Chicago.

Of course, no visit in Chicago would be complete without the Chicago hotdog.

We also went to a Croatian restaurant where A used her language skill to take advantage of me. A used the skill to pay the bills while I was helpless to protest. The German chicken was quite good though.

We went to China Town the next day for a little bit of shopping and wondering around. Where I used my language skill against A, right back at you! There is a parade going on for the Chinese Indepdence Day. I also saw the new Sony K800 cellphone and the new Samsung D900, sadly they didn't have the Sony K790, otherwise I'd probably have bought it on the spot.

PS3 Overheat At TGS UPDATED

At TGS, several PS3 overheated. It's now making its round in news, which caused Sony shares down 2.75 percent on Tuesday in Japan.

UPDATED:

Sony claims "Despite the report from Macquarie Securities implying that they had heard of reports of PS3s needing to be rebooted at TGS, SCEI are not aware of any instances of this occurring at TGS, nor have we received any reports from third parties to such effect"

The image is from Kotaku