Gotta agree with JP on the load times.  There seems to be a noticeable improvement in the slim.  On fragility?  I couldn't really say.  I have dropped my slim and it still works fine, but the way the door works now means it's a little more prone to the disk coming out if you do drop it.  If you're really worried about that, I'd just recommend a wrist strap - problem solved.


I forgot to mention other good upcoming stuff - soon you'll be able to use your PSP to make Skype calls, and a camera and GPS are reportedly on their way to the US this year.

I've had both a DS and a PSP for a long time now, and I have a big old stack of games for each of them.  Like you, I only want it for playing games (although I have used it from time to time for movies & music).

I like RPGs but haven't played some of the old classics (like FFT and Disgaea), so some of the remakes/ports have been great for me.  I also really enjoy action-oriented RPGs like X-Men Legends and Marvel Ultimate Alliance, and I like playing those on my PSP.  Stuff like that, when they release a PSP version and a DS version, the PSP version tends to be pretty similar to the consoles (just not as pretty), with some really nice exclusives.  The DS, on the other hand, tends to get really crappy versions that aren't anything like the home consoles.

I also like non RPGs, and have played some really great (and exclusive) games on the PSP like Syphon Filter (the first one - second one's next on my list to buy).  I loved Pursuit Force too, even though it had its problems.  PSP's also getting God of War in March, and that's gonna be a whole bucket full of awesome.

I'm not knocking the DS here by any means - just saying there is some really great stuff to be had on the PSP.  If you're buying new, I'd definitely go with the Daxter pack - it's a pretty decent game, and you also get the memory stick, a disk of Family Guy episodes, and the silver one doesn't show fingerprints like the black one does.  Having TV out makes the UMD movies much more worth bothering with, too.

Haha - crazy!  Let's just hope this one's better received than the last one (Soulcalibur Legends' current average is about 5.3 - nasty).

I just finished I Am Legend.  Been wanting to read it for years, and got it as a Christmas present.  Good stuff.  Now I'm reading Peter and the Starcatchers, which I've also wanted to read for years because I love Dave Barry's stuff.

I did too, and I thought the second one was pretty decent.  Not the greatest film in the history of the world, but fun.  Just so you know ahead of time, there's nothing after the credits.  (So yeah, that thing that feels like they should resolve it after the credits or it's setting up for a third movie?  It's setting up for a third movie.)

In DVD stuff, I also recently saw Shoot 'Em Up, and I must say it lives up to its name.  Plus, any movie where the hero kills two guys with carrots... it's so over the top you have to love it.

I just finished Jonathon Strange & Mr. Norrell - it was pretty good stuff.  Sort of historical fiction/fantasy.

Then, I read I Am Legend.  I can see why they've made three movies of that story - it's good stuff.

Every day I walk past the theater on Broadway where they play "Mamma Mia!"  I try not to even look at the posters for fear I'll have that song stuck in my head all day. :)  Abba's music is just too darned catchy!

We took the gift cards we got for Christmas and bought Rock Band for the 360 yesterday.  Here's our band as they were originally (Damien's on guitar, Daphne sings, and Jonas is the drummer):






And here's Daphne's new look:


Sorry for the huge images - I didn't know how to shrink them to something more reasonable that you could click on for the bigger size.

My wife and I bought Rock Band yesterday.  It's not a CD, but it's got a lot of music I never had before...  It's awesome!  I've played plenty of Guitar Hero, which I love, but drumming in Rock Band is maybe even better.

Oops - I totally assumed it was, and I shouldn't have.

Repeating classes is another option - make sure you ask about the school's repeat policy before you get started, though.  That's another area where schools vary GREATLY.  Some will let you repeat whatever, others will only let you repeat classes where you got a D or F.  Some will let you repeat as many classes as you want, others won't let you repeat more than a certain number of credits.

A surprising place to ask the question, but perhaps more surprisingly, I can answer your question.  I have worked with universities all across the USA (I'm a software consultant), and as far as I can remember, they've all had some kind of policy allowing this.  

The bad news is that I can't be more specific, because the policies vary so greatly.  Some schools will let you get rid of just your Ds and Fs, others make you get rid of everything.  Some will let you do it after a few years, others after no less than ten.  Some will do it for free, others may charge you a nominal processing fee to help cover the time of the person doing the actual work.  The one constant that I've seen is that it's a one-time deal.  If you do it now, you can't come back later and do it again.

To find out the specifics at your school, ask at the Registrar's Office (in person or on the phone, whatever) - it may be called a "forgiveness" policy, but everyone has their own name for it, so it may not.  If you describe what you're looking for, they're sure to know what you mean.

My wife got me a solar-powered backpack (you use it to charge up other stuff), which is pretty freakin awesome, as well as a couple of New Kids on the Block comics as a joke (I like comics, not really a fan of boy bands).

Since I sold my PSP to Losfer, I bought myself a new slim PSP a couple of weeks ago, so that's sort of Christmas-y.  Other than that, I got a couple of gift cards, and kudos to the people who got them for me - they're visa cards, so I can use them wherever. (McDonalds, here I come! ;)  I'm planning on using that to get Mass Effect, and if I'm lucky, the new Pursuit Force game on PSP.

Can you get that in a can now, or is it still just in pill form? ;)

As they say in my line of work, it's "working as designed."  NIS decided that if you're playing Disgaea with component cables, you're obviously hardcore and need the difficulty of the game ramped up.  Clearly, since this is a display question, the best way to do so was to make you play blind.  Have fun with the new, more studly version!

;)

I've been kind of skeptical, but I must admit that was pretty awesome.  Can't wait for summer!  (Of course, that probably has to do with the freaking freezing cold wind this morning...)