Testing the updated next feature in Blogger

The little 'Next Button' has been updated.  Or so says the Blogger Buzz blog.

It seems to work with this blog; which either focuses on programming, technology, video-games, or the odd short story.  It tends to stick with technology; and away it goes.  I'll admit I was happily surprised that it picked up something that could potentially be interesting.

Now; the other site I tried was my "5 minute" experiment.  It's a series of short fictional stories (if you can call it that) written in five minutes without any backspacing.  I do correct the language a bit; but the words are as they came to my mind.  This blog, the 'Next Blog' button couldn't figure it out.  It's all over the place; it doesn't attempt to take any topic seriously.  It leads to some interesting places.  Actually, it found one person who seemed to have some creative writing.

The last one is my comic blog.  It's not worth linking to as I can't keep a drawing schedule.  I can't even keep a writing schedule for goodness' sake.  Let's say this one has the least chances of succeeding, and it fails miserably with the 'Next Blog' button.

So here's the conclusion - it's great.  As long as you're grounded on earth with some sort of consistent topic and not all over the place and writing about the non-existent.

I could also conclude that all technology is a work in progress...  no matter how perfect it seems now, something better is bound to arrive too soon...

First Impression of New Super Mario Bros. Wii

After playing the game until world 4; sometimes I feel this is a great game, other times I feel let down.  I'll start with what the game is, the move on to what's good about it, and leave with what could have been different.  Albeit, I'm sure my opinions will evolve as I continue playing the game.

This is a standard, 2D mario game with 4 simultaneous players who (theoretically) help each other through the levels.  It has everything that's expected, vibrant colourful scenery, a very short story line, goombas, paragoombas, spineys, koopa kids, ghost houses, multi-colored Yoshis, and anything else that has been seen over the years.

The good part - it's Mario's standard tried-tested-true formula.  The levels are designed to reward curiosity (see a block?  what if I hit the block?  what's in that tunnel up there?  can I go to the top of the level?)...  The levels, generally, feel fresh - they have oversized obstacles, gears sending the player every which way, spinning cubes, spinning secret pipes, etc.  The backgrounds look great; and the visuals are excellent (too much flare would have distracted from the game-play; and the screen can get quite busy with enemies which makes the clarity greatly appreciated).  Also certain underground levels are only lit by light-emanating enemies or mario himself which adds a new challenge.  As well; the difficulty level has increased - or so it appears.

The bad is the ease at which I got to world 4.  I'm hoping that the coins will keep me busy; as well as finding any hidden levels.  Fortunately; this game already is more challenging that the DS iteration.