Showing posts with label computer gaming. Show all posts
Showing posts with label computer gaming. Show all posts

Monday, March 31, 2008

Popular Software @ Amazon.com

This is the one of a series of quick articles on popular products from Amazon.com. Of course, the most obvious measure of popularity is Amazon sales rank, the default listing order of Amazon's aStores. That order is already represented in the search engine listings, at least in theory. These items are ones that I have actually sold.

The idea here is that these items are popular enough that someone would buy them, but not so popular that they are widely listed elsewhere. Though this approach may seem wildly random, it is very likely that if someone bought these before, someone else might want to buy them in the future. Perhaps they are just what you're looking for!

Software

Popular Brands

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Popular Video Games @ Amazon.com

This is the one of a series of quick articles on popular products from Amazon.com. Of course, the most obvious measure of popularity is Amazon sales rank, the default listing order of Amazon's aStores. That order is already represented in the search engine listings, at least in theory. These items are ones that I have actually sold.

The idea here is that these items are popular enough that someone would buy them, but not so popular that they are widely listed elsewhere. Though this approach may seem wildly random, it is very likely that if someone bought these before, someone else might want to buy them in the future. Perhaps they are just what you're looking for!

Items

Sunday, March 09, 2008

How Google Sees My Site(s) - I

Google isn't necessarily the best search engine; in fact I'd rate it third out of a field of four. Nonetheless, a recent survey showed that Google accounted for 58% of all the searches performed on the Internet. Obviously, Google's opinion is important to any webmaster whose goal is to attract viewers to their content. The following Amazon.com products are those that Google believes are the most "significant" ones listed in my Amazon aStores.

Google's idea of significance isn't necessarily mine -- or yours. My goal is to help shoppers find what they're looking for -- a task which should correlate pretty well with sales (which, of course, is my real goal.) Google's evaluation is based on a number of mostly irrelevant data, which produces some fairly odd results. (Similar results can be found with Live Search and Yahoo! )

Here are a couple hundred products Google thinks you'll be interested in. Frankly, none of them have been big sellers for me, but that could change. In any case, I've placed them into the appropriate subcategory aStores, which should help customers and indexing 'bots alike.

How Google Sees My Site(s) - III

Google isn't necessarily the best search engine; in fact I'd rate it third out of a field of four. Nonetheless, a recent survey showed that Google accounted for 58% of all the searches performed on the Internet. Obviously, Google's opinion is important to any webmaster whose goal is to attract viewers to their content. The following Amazon.com products are those that Google believes are the most "significant" ones listed in my Amazon aStores.

Google's idea of significance isn't necessarily mine -- or yours. My goal is to help shoppers find what they're looking for -- a task which should correlate pretty well with sales (which, of course, is my real goal.) Google's evaluation is based on a number of mostly irrelevant data, which produces some fairly odd results. (Similar results can be found with Live Search and Yahoo! )

Here are a couple hundred products Google thinks you'll be interested in. Frankly, none of them have been big sellers for me, but that could change. In any case, I've placed them into the appropriate subcategory aStores, which should help customers and indexing 'bots alike.

Friday, January 25, 2008

Get True Uninterruptable Power with Tripp Lite

Most uninterruptable power supplies would be better termed shutdown power supplies. They protect your computers and other sensitive electronic equipment from disatrously abrupt shutdown during breif power outages, but they typically will only sustain operation for a few minutes while power is restored, either by the public utility or on-site generators. Then, when their meager batteries run low, they signal your computer to shut down normally. This is all very worthwhile, but it won't allow you to run internet servers reliably, or even continue your dungeon-crawling if online gaming is more your style.

What you need is a Tripp Lite APS2012 2000W UPS, or if you're serious about converting to off-grid power, perhaps it's 48-volt cousin, the 2400W APS 2448. These units take the admonition "batteries not included" to new heights, but that's a good thing. You can outfit these with deep cycle marine batteries (the kind electric trolling motors use) or, if you're installing the unit indoors, large SLA batteries designed for electric wheelchairs and scooters. Connect as many as you think you'll need in parallel to add up to the desired Ah rating. (1 Ah = 1 Amp current x 1 hour)

Note that one user commented that he was "only" getting 18 months to two years battery life with this unit, which he felt might be due to overcharging since the unit continuously supplies a float charge to the batteries. It seems that it would be easier to cycle the entire unit off (i.e., on battery power) periodically by adding a simple lamp timer to the circuit, than to modify the unit internally as he suggested. If you add a cord to the hard-wired junction box the unit comes with, be sure you get the "hot" and "return" lines right. Most equipment will work if these are reversed, but it negates the effectiveness of the ground line. You can check all this with an inexpensive circuit analyzer. You will also want a power usage meter to ensure that you are operating within specifications. (Since published power requirements are necessarily conservative, you might find that you can support more equipment than you thought.)

Now that you're thinking along the lines of serious batteries, chargers, and invertors, you might want to take the next step, and recharge using solar panels and an appropriate charge controller. That discussion will have to wait, though, while I delve a litle deeper into Amazon's new Home Improvement Section.

Before you settle on this solution, though, you shold be aware that complete standby power systems are much cheaper than they were a few years ago. Once an item available only for mission-critical commercial installations, they have become commonplace in new home construction. The increased volume has brought the per-unit cost down to a few thousand dollars, so you might just want to put your whole house on standby power.

Free Shipping Specials on Generators

Free shipping on portable generators (limited offer) permalink
Free shipping on standby generators (limited offer) permalink





Friday, January 11, 2008

Gaming Mania

I should have been paying attention when the TV program I was watching casually dropped the "most popular video game ever" bomb. I thought they were referring to Grand Theft Auto, but they went on to say that the games distributor had escaped the "one hit wonder" category with the introduction of BioShock (from 2K Games).

2K Games is hardly in the aforementioned category, though, with titles like Sid Meiers' Civilization, and Elder Scrolls. Perhaps the story was that Rockstar Games had recently acquired Bioshock? No matter. The ongoing CES event in Las Vegas is sure to shake up the gaming world a bit, so herewith are several new feeds to keep you abreast of the changing computer gaming world.

Subscribe to Amazon Feeds by FeedBurner

You may recognize the orange squares below as feed icons, but you may not know that these feeds display as normal web pages in your browser instead of the cryptic raw xml most feeds give you, and contain additional useful links thanks to a little tweaking by FeedBurner.





Wednesday, January 09, 2008

Electronics Mania

The 2008 International CES Consumer Electronics Show is in full swing now, and I guess it's time to upgrade my Electronics Mania aStore. The big news coming out of Las Vegas this week seems to be in the Home Theater arena. Time-Warner announced that their future high definition DVDs will be released in Blu-ray format, and a number of other distributors have already indicated that they will do the same, or seem to be leaning in that direction.

It seems that Sony, after being on the wrong side of the VHS / Betamax standards war, is about to get a little pay-back as Toshiba's competing HD DVD standard may have to struggle for market share. It may be time to look into a High-Def DVD Player to go with that new HDTV! Of course, if you are a "belt and suspenders" type there are Combo Players like LG's BH200, or you could get their GGC-H20L Blu-Ray/HD DVD Rewriter Combo Drive to be prepared for anything.

Maybe this Blu-ray announcement is the impetus you need to get that Playstation 3 you've been lusting after, or perhaps you'll need to compare the games available for Sony Playstation 3, Microsoft XBox 360, Nintendo Wii first. Another big hit at the show is the VUDU Box (pronounced "VooDoo," naturally.) which downloads movies on demand via your broadband connection and plays them on your (HD)TV.

Now since the CES is always the occasion for a lot of new product releases, I've resyndicated several Amazon feeds using FeedBurner. While a lot of people are aware of feeds, many others aren't -- particularly since they tend to be displayed as raw XML. These are human-readable. Just click on the feed icon. If you're already using feeds you know what to do. If not, you might want to try subscribing via an online feed reader (upper right corner of feed.) If you already have an account with Yahoo, MSN, Google, AOL, or "other," that would be the logical choice. If not, many people swear by Rojo or NetVibes, but YMMV.

Subscribe to Amazon Feeds by FeedBurner

You may recognize the orange squares below as feed icons, but you may not know that these feeds display as normal web pages in your browser instead of the cryptic raw xml most feeds give you, and contain additional useful links thanks to a little tweaking by FeedBurner.



Mbr />

Wednesday, December 26, 2007

Amazon's Most Wished-For Video Games

In addition to their Gift Guides, Amazon.com publishes a series of "Most Wished-For" items, taken from customer's wish lists. Their gift guides generally parallel these wish-lists pretty closely, but sometimes there are significant differences. While these Most Wished for Video Games are substantially similar to the "most gifted" category this list places considerably more empahasis on the Nintendo Wii, which was in short supply at local retailers during the Christmas rush.

Please note when ordering these items that many games have been ported to more than one gaming platform, so you should double-check to ensure that you are getting the right game for your system.

  1. Super Mario Galaxy (Wii)
  2. Assassin's Creed (XBox 360)
  3. Mass Effect (XBox 360)
  4. Wii Nunchuk Controller (Wii)
  5. Wii Charge Station (Wii)
  6. Wii Zapper with Link's Crossbow Training (Wii)
  7. The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (Nintendo DS)
  8. Halo 3 (XBox 360)
  9. BioShock (XBox 360)
  10. Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga (Wii)
  11. Wii Play with Wii Remote (Wii)
  12. New Super Mario Bros. (Nintendo DS)
  13. The Orange Box (XBox 360)
  14. Uncharted: Drake's Fortune (PlayStation 3)
  15. PlayStation 3 80GB Motorstorm Pack (PlayStation 3)
  16. Assassin's Creed (PlayStation 3)
  17. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (PC)
  18. Flash Focus: Vision Training in Minutes a Day (Nintendo DS)
  19. Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (Wii)
  20. Metroid Prime 3: Corruption (Wii)
  21. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (PlayStation 3)
  22. Mario Party 8 (Wii)
  23. PlayStation 3 40GB Spider-Man Movie Pack (PlayStation 3)
  24. Mario Kart (Nintendo DS)
  25. Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings (Nintendo DS)
  26. Carnival Games (Wii)
  27. Wii Classic Controller (Wii)
  28. The Orange Box (PC)
  29. Nintendo DS Lite Onyx Black (Nintendo DS)
  30. Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction (PlayStation 3)
  31. PlayStation 3 Wireless Sixaxis Controller (PlayStation 3)
  32. Xbox 360 Wireless Controller (XBox 360)
  33. Crysis (PC-DVD)
  34. Super Paper Mario (Wii)

Featured Brands



Sunday, December 23, 2007

Amazon.com's Featured Geek Gifts

"Geek" was once a pejorative, but with internet start-ups selling for billions of dollars it now seems that everyone wants to get into the act. Here are some of Amazon.com's picks for geeks and geek wanna-bes, possibly approved by Ă¼ber-geek Jeff Bezos himself.

Amazon.com publishes a series of gift guides, which change over time and may even disappear altogether. These snapshots are an excellent indication of what products are popular on any given day. While the content of the guide may vary, these Gifts for geeks should be around for a long time...

  1. Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga
  2. Marry Me
  3. The Ghost Brigades (Sci Fi Essential Books)
  4. Battlestar Galactica: Season 2.5 (Episodes 10-20)
  5. The Marvel Encyclopedia
  6. PlayStation 3 40GB Spider-Man Movie Pack
  7. Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories Boxed Set (Kingdom Hearts (Graphic Novels))
  8. Mass Effect
  9. The Essential Guide to Alien Species (Star Wars)
  10. Penny Arcade Volume 4: Birds Are Weird (Penny Arcade)
  11. Leatherman 830039 New Wave Multitool with Leather Sheath
  12. Serenity (Widescreen Edition)
  13. Fawlty Towers - The Complete Series
  14. Final Fantasy XI Online: Wings of the Goddess Expansion Pack
  15. Crysis
  16. Mattel Magic 8 Ball
  17. 300
  18. Nerdcore Rising
  19. The Adventures of Brisco County Jr. - The Complete Series
  20. Ghost in the Shell SAC Complete Collection Box Set
  21. World of Warcraft 60 Day Pre-Paid Time Card
  22. Planet of the Apes - The Ultimate DVD Collection
  23. Logitech MX Revolution Cordless Laser Mouse
  24. Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction
  25. Atari: The 80 Classic Games in One (Jewel Case)
  26. Mystery Science Theater 3000 Collection, Vol. 12
  27. J.R.R. Tolkien Boxed Set (The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings)
  28. Logitech Harmony 880 Advanced Universal Remote Control
  29. The Ed Wood Box (Glen or Glenda / Jail Bait / Bride of the Monster / Plan 9 from Outer Space / Night of the Ghouls / The Haunted World of Ed Wood)
  30. Dune (Extended Edition)
  31. Sling Media Slingbox PRO (SB200-100)
  32. Hacking Firefox: More Than 150 Hacks, Mods, and Customizations (ExtremeTech)
  33. Doctor Who - The Key to Time Collection
  34. Arrested Development - The Complete Series (Seasons 1, 2, 3)
  35. The Complete Monty Python's Flying Circus 16-Ton Megaset
  36. The Lord of the Rings and Philosophy: One Book to Rule Them All (Popular Culture and Philosophy)
  37. Only Revolutions: A Novel
  38. Star Trek The Original Series - The Complete First Season
  39. Mind Performance Hacks: Tips & Tools for Overclocking Your Brain (Hacks)
  40. Power Sentry 5-Outlet PowerSquid Power Multiplier
  41. How To Draw Manga Volume 26: Making Anime (How to Draw Manga)
  42. Star Trek: Music From The Original Television Soundtracks, Volumes One, Two And Three
  43. How to Do Everything with Your TiVo (How to Do Everything)
  44. Super Mario Galaxy

Featured Brands

Friday, December 21, 2007

Amazon.com's Featured Gifts: College Students

Amazon.com publishes a series of gift guides, which change over time and may even disappear altogether. These snapshots are an excellent indication of what products are popular on any given day. While the content of the guide may vary, these Gifts for College Students should be around for a long time...

  1. The CollegeHumor Guide to College: Selling Kidneys for Beer Money, Sleeping with Your Professors, Majoring in Communications, and Other Really Good Ideas
  2. Dr. Strangelove or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (Special Edition)
  3. Reno 911 - The Complete First Season
  4. Gaiam Balance Ball Chair (Black)
  5. The Godzilla Collection
  6. Logitech FreePulse Wireless Headphones
  7. The Dog Dialed 911: A Book of Lists from The Smoking Gun
  8. HP Officejet 5610 All-in-One Printer/Fax/Scanner/Copier (Q7311A#ABA)
  9. BioShock
  10. Iomega 33832 160 GB eGo USB 2.0 Portable Hard Drive (Red)
  11. SmartMonkey Premiun Raw Food Bars, Carob Brownie, 1.7-Ounce Bars (Pack of 16)
  12. Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007
  13. Logitech 970173-0403 mm50 Portable Speakers for iPod White
  14. Brita Slim Pitcher
  15. Targus TXL617 17 XL Notebook Backpack
  16. The Graduate (40th Anniversary Collector's Edition)
  17. Oxford Atlas of the World, 14th Edition
  18. This Is Your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obsession
  19. The Orange Box
  20. Dyson Root 6 DC16 Handheld Vacuum Cleaner
  21. In the Studio: Visits with Contemporary Cartoonists
  22. Robot Chicken - Season Two (Uncensored)
  23. Sennheiser HD201 Headphones
  24. Olympus S711BLUE Microcassette Voice Recorder

Featured Brands

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Amazon.com's Featured Gifts: Teenage Boys

Amazon.com publishes a series of gift guides, which change over time and may even disappear altogether. These snapshots are an excellent indication of what products are popular on any given day. While the content of the guide may vary, these Gifts for Teenage Boys should be around for a long time...

  1. PlayStation 3 80GB Motorstorm Pack
  2. The Simpsons - The Complete Tenth Season
  3. Apple 8 GB iPod nano AAC/MP3 Player Black (3rd Generation)
  4. The Official SAT Study Guide
  5. Spider-Man 3 (Widescreen Edition)
  6. Thames & Kosmos Microcontroller Computer Systems Engineering Kit
  7. Audio-Technica ATH-ANC7 QuietPoint Active Noise-Cancelling Headphones
  8. Xbox 360 Console Halo 3 Special Edition (with HDMI)
  9. Metroid Prime 3: Corruption
  10. Wild Planet Spy Video Car
  11. Bell Influx Bike Helmet
  12. SYNERGY from SwissGear by Wenger Computer Backpack
  13. Flip Video Ultra Series Camcorder, 60-Minutes (White)
  14. Selected Stories of Philip K. Dick
  15. Canon PowerShot A570IS 7.1MP Digital Camera with 4x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom
  16. The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
  17. Amazing Spider-Man Complete Comic Book Collection Win/Mac
  18. Toysmith Professional Car Designer Kit
  19. Fullmetal Alchemist The Movie - The Conqueror of Shamballa (Limited Edition)
  20. Saitek X52 Flight Control System
  21. Marvel: Ultimate Alliance Signature Series Guide (Bradygames Signature Series)
  22. Playstation 2 Silver Console
  23. Sony Cybershot DSCW80 7.2MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom and Super Steady Shot (Silver)
  24. Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords
  25. James Bond Ultimate Edition - Vol. 1 (The Man with the Golden Gun / Goldfinger / The World Is Not Enough / Diamonds Are Forever / The Living Daylights)
  26. Mayfair The Settlers of Catan Board Game
  27. Sports Illustrated [1-year Subscription]
  28. Star Wars Battlefront: Renegade Squadron
  29. Wilson F1100 Official NFL Game Football
  30. Spalding 64-460 Spalding NBA All Conference Basketball (Official Size)
  31. Panasonic DVD-LS80 8.5" Portable DVD Player
  32. Skate
  33. GMC Denali XL Road Bike (22.5"/57.5cm Frame)
  34. Path of Destruction: A Novel of the Old Republic (Star Wars: Darth Bane)
  35. U218 Singles
  36. Eragon / Eldest (Inheritance, Books 1 & 2)
  37. Men's Casio Diver's Watch
  38. Jam Sessions

Featured Brands

Monday, December 17, 2007

Amazon.com's Featured Gifts: Preteen Boys (9-12)

Amazon.com publishes a series of gift guides, which change over time and may even disappear altogether. These snapshots are an excellent indication of what products are popular on any given day. While the content of the guide may vary, these Gifts for Preteen Boys (9-12) should be around for a long time...

  1. Razor Ground Force Electric Go-Kart
  2. Star Wars: A Pop-Up Guide to the Galaxy
  3. Yomega Power Brain XP Yo-Yo
  4. Transformers
  5. Ripstik Caster Board
  6. adidas F50 Xite Soccer Ball
  7. Cosmic Catch - Colors May Vary
  8. Hoot
  9. Flybar Foam Master Pogo Stick
  10. The Looking Glass Wars
  11. Spinmaster Air Hogs Havoc Heli (Colors May Vary)
  12. Kenneth Cole Reaction Boys' It's a Wrap Slip-On
  13. Oh, Yuck! The Encyclopedia of Everything Nasty
  14. Forbidden LEGO: Build the Models Your Parents Warned You Against!
  15. LEGO Mindstorms NXT
  16. Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Blue Rescue Team
  17. Delta Airzound Bike Horn
  18. Heat
  19. Snap Circuits SC-300
  20. High Rise Dominoes
  21. Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots
  22. Batman Beyond - Season One (DC Comics Classic Collection)
  23. The Phantom Tollbooth
  24. Ringgz Game
  25. SanDisk SDMX4-2048-A70 Sansa e250 2 GB MP3 Player with microSD Expansion Slot
  26. The Curse of the Ruby Rhino
  27. The New Way Things Work
  28. WowWee Robosapien Version 2 Humanoid Robot
  29. Transformers Optimus Prime 20th Anniversary Figure
  30. What's Going on Down There?: Answers to Questions Boys Find Hard to Ask
  31. LEGO Snowmobile
  32. Bounty Hunter Fast Tracker Metal Detector
  33. Sports Illustrated Kids [1-year subscription]
  34. K'Nex Double Ferris Wheel
  35. Intech Lancer Junior Golf Set, (Right-Handed, Age 8 to 12, 17.5 degree Driver, 4/5 Hybrid Iron, Wide Sole 7 and 9 irons, Junior Putter, Deluxe Stand Bag)
  36. JanSport SuperBreak Classic Backpack
  37. Scary Stories Boxed Set
  38. Genius
  39. Nickelodeon
  40. Hot Wheels Radar Gun
  41. Timex Kids' My First Sporty Fast Wrap Watch #T77241
  42. Daxter
  43. Raph's Shell Speeder
  44. Where the Sidewalk Ends 30th Anniversary Edition: Poems and Drawings

Featured Brands