Three months later: My Nexus 10 Review

So my usual disclaimer - I'm by no means a professional reviewer, nor am I particularly knowledgeable about tablets. That said, I really love my Nexus 10 and have no complaints about it. The screen size and resolution are marvelous. This is my first tablet and my first "second screen" of any kind, so I'll admit to a lack of ready comparisons, so take my raving with a grain of salt.

I now find myself watching television or playing games while cozy underneath warm blankets in bed, which is an incredible luxury. As a result, I tend to go to bed earlier than I used to, since its easier to shut down and go to sleep when all you have to do is roll over and shut your eyes.

I haven't yet used it for reading anything other than the web. It sucks to try and type long messages on it since I'm a touch typist with a really high wpm on a traditional keyboard; feels like its taking forever. The voice recognition software is surprisingly better than I expected, though it does require a certain cadence of speaking in order to not get confused, and even then certain words are nearly impossible for it to recognize.

My favorite use for the Nexus 10 is tied between using it as a second screen while I'm watching TV (looking up details or having my confusion cleared up mid-way through an episode of Downton Abbey is pretty handy) and using the tablet as a portal gaming device. I love PC games and enjoy them way more than I do the offerings of a DS or PSP, but my gaming laptop is heavy and bulky and has a huge recharger block... so plugging it in and using it on a train (or god forbid, a plane) is pretty much never worth the effort. The tablet on the other hand - perfection. It is a divine portable gaming device!

My favorite game so far? Rebuild. (Technically this is Rebuild 2 but I guess the developer didn't want to be confusing.) After the zombie-apocalypse, you have to defend your bastion, reclaim city blocks while scavenging for food and weapons, and provide a safe haven long enough for the survivors to - what else? Rebuild civilization! This is a really fun way to kill some time, and a marvelous game-play concept. I am very much looking forward to the sequel that's currently in development.

Back to my Nexus 10: I haven't had any crashes or lockups, but I have noticed the internet connectivity will sometimes stop working if I've not turned the tablet off for a few days. I did update to Jellybean 4.2.2 and haven't noticed any issues. Other than that, I haven't rooted it or otherwise tinkered with changing anything substantial.

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OK, with that said, every good tablet should be protected with a good case, right?

I bought this case about 45 days ago, and love it. I read lots of case reviews before deciding on this one, mainly because a lot of the other "good" cases were reported to come with a strong scent that lingered for months and were considerably more expensive.

The Blurex ultra slim case fits my Nexus 10 snugly, but isn't bothersome to remove. It folds very easily into three different angles for a self-supported viewing platform. This was a huge issue for me prior to getting a case, since I had a really hard time with propping my tablet up when I wanted to watch some Netflix from bed. (Parks and Rec is my new favorite show!)

This case protects the tablet fairly substantially without covering up any ports or buttons, nor either camera. It feels nice to the touch and overall I'm impressed with it; this feels like a case that should have cost me a lot more than it did.

The one complaint I have is that the little handhold strap is awkward as its placed so I never use it. If it was rotated 90 degrees then it would be much more useful. That said, this case is some pretty amazing bang for your buck compared to what else is out there!

"Brief" is such a relative term...

Well, I can't say that I'm ready to resume regular posting, but I figured the occasional post would be a good way to keep in practice.

Around the middle of next month, I should be getting on a plane and moving to Japan. (Again.) I am so pumped! I have really missed Osaka, which may just be my favorite city in the world. It will be a trip to move there a second time, (no pun intended,) and I'm really looking forward to the weird experience of new and old, things forgotten and things I never knew.

About three months ago, once I had fully committed myself to returning, I was shocked to find my Japanese already coming back! I had forgotten so much of it but apparently my brain was ready for deep recall once it realized I was returning. Cool stuff.

I've written several drafts, including one finished story that's not very good and one vignette for NPR's 10th Three Minute Fiction contest. Here's hoping I get featured so that I'll have some resume fodder!

Life's been in the slow lane, but this has been exactly what I needed, and I've been loving my journey through learning how to write well. Turns out that the late James Oliver Rigney (Junior) didn't start writing until he was 29... an auspicious example, if ever there was one!

In the mean-time, I'm packing and sorting and writing and relaxing, and loving every second of this calm before Operation: Tachinomiya Storm!

(Maybe my next post will have to be about Tachinomiya's?)

Brief Hiatus

I'm going to take a brief hiatus, which obviously has already begun. I've been working on a short story for the first time in years, and I'm absolutely exhilarated that the muse finally visited me again! 2013 appears to be my year.

I enjoyed the holidays, busy yet quiet. I've packed up most of my life and put it into storage as I prepare to move back to Japan, and have been working diligently at my short story. I already have ideas for several more and am absolutely thrilled that I'm able to sit down for hours and hours at a time and just write! Here's hoping I'll come up with at least one or two short stories worth publishing.

Not sure when I'll resume regularly posting, and I'm not sure if I'll mostly post stuff about life in Japan on this blog, or resume my old one. Time will tell. Happy New Year's!

A Concert To Begin, A Concert To End

Last night I enjoyed a kick ass concert where Tegan & Sara opened for The Killers. I had heard a few songs here and there on Pandora by the twin sisters, and I knew I generally liked them, but even so I have to say I'm impressed; gonna be buying their album making a station seeded with them on Pandora.

I've been a fan of The Killers since Hot Fuss was released during my college days, but this was my first chance to see them live. They are one of those rare bands that sounds exactly the same live as they do recorded, and the lead singer (Brandon Flowers) really knows how to work the crowd.

I found it ironic to realize that my time here in NOVA has been bookended by concerts; got to see my favorite band Death Cab For Cutie live at the Strathmore right after I arrived, and now this concert a few days before I move away.

Can't say that my time here was wholly enjoyable, since I lived away from a metro station and had to fight traffic for work on average six days a week. Even so, I do like the overall vibe and feel like I would be willing to give DC proper another shot, assuming I could find a job that would pay enough to cover the insane cost-of-living.

With the looming fiscal cliff that the federal government is marching towards, I think that the timing of my retreat is rather auspicious. It is really looking like the DC metropolitan area (and in particular NOVA) is not where I want to be come early 2013.

A Brief Post

I originally started this blog to encourage myself to devote time specifically for writing. The way I see it, any writing is better than no writing, so blogging three times a week is at least getting some practice in. What I'm hoping to ultimately pursue is more of a story-telling style.

It has been hard to get back into the swing of things after a two year hiatus, but I'm glad to at least be heading in the right direction again. It is weird though, because the tone in this blog is very confessional; I often just talk about my thoughts and worries and hopes and plans. That's great for a journal, but will it help me develop my ability to write fiction?

First thing's first, I suppose, and I'm just glad to be back in the habit of writing regularly. I've been writing all afternoon today, for example, so I'm not going to take the time to make a real post about anything fancy.

Just know that sometimes one can take a whole new direction with your life, and you may pay dearly to do so, but the feeling of being reborn: the limitless potential of the world, and what may be... It is a sweet taste of things to come.

I'm feelin' pretty good.

The Sun God

For the past several years, this time of year has been a bit of an unhappy affair for me. It was never an issue until fairly recently in my life, but for some reason the lack of daylight in the evening really bums me out! And I know there's things like seasonal affective disorder, but I wouldn't really say that I'm depressed or that the season has a significant affect on my life or happiness.

I just like seeing the daylight when I'm awake. The problem is that I tend not to wake up very early in the morning, so sunshine isn't a big part of my life this time of year. Maybe I'm suffering from a vitamin D deficiency?

Regardless of causes, this has me quite motivated to celebrate December 21st: The Winter solstice!

I've been debating how best to celebrate in style, but I'm leaning towards taking a hot citrus bath in the style of the Dōngzhì Festival revelers, as well as imbibing plenty of ale as per the pagan holiday of Yule. (This was before it was absorbed into and adopted by the Christians as part of their Christmas holiday.) I'll likely also enjoy a large feast (probably chicken nachos, I'm thinking) to commemorate the turning of the celestial tide like they do for Şeva Zistanê. Longer days, here we come!

I'm thinking I will not be decorating cattle dung around a bonfire as the celebrants of Lohri apparently do, nor will I be celebrating Mummer's Day style by rubbing charcoal on my face and dressing up as an animal.

In any case, I'm a firm believer that the modern world needs to celebrate many more holidays than we currently do... So if you know of a good reason to celebrate an annual tradition, lay it on me!

For now, I think I'll order some Chinese takeout to help me commemorate Alabama Day. Yay Alabama!

On The Domestication of Internet Nerds

I really just don't get it.

Is it because of how we're wired? I've read about why certain animals can be domesticated and others cannot, and one of the necessary factors is a pack mentality which includes submission before an alpha. Is it just something along those lines?

The question I'm struggling with: Why do so many people fall into fan-boy behavior?

I enjoy really getting into the guts of game mechanics, and love hashing out strategies and the whys and whats of optimizing my strategies. I'm often found lurking on message boards for a new game obsession, and if the game has enough depth I've even been known to register and start joining in the conversations.

But one doesn't have to actively participate in forum communities to know what I'm talking about; fanboyism is rampant among gaming devotees. I suppose that is partly due to misplaced passion? If you love something, you can see no faults with it? I dunno. I love a bunch of games but I still stay grounded and can objectively complain about bits I don't find enjoyable.

So many people don't seem capable of admitting there are any problems with their favorite games, and I just do not understand the motivation behind this sort of behavior.

Then again, when I step back for a minute, I realize that basically I'm complaining about people being irrational and engaging in shallow, immature behavior. (People on the internet, no less.)

I can't say for sure if its because of latent herd/tribal behaviors, but I do think we can safely blame "human nature" for the problem.