Nintendo is in deep trouble. Their CEO, Satoru Iwata, took a 50% pay cut. Nintendo expects a loss of 25 billion yen instead of gaining 52 billion yen and there's still no compelling reason to buy a Wii U. Where's Metroid? Where's Zelda? Where's all the other great characters that I'm all of a sudden forgetting about because it's been so very long since I've seen them? 

Nintendo could have delivered a powerhouse of a console but instead, they decided to go with innovation a second time around which worked so very well for the Wii. The GamePad is the Wii U's ball and chain and Nintendo wants developers to make cool software which could help sell it. Is it the developers' fault for being too lazy? I think they already have their jobs cut out for them with not only the Xbox One and PS4, but also with iOS and Android which are cash cows if you're lucky enough to have a killer app.

Their way of innovating is the reason they aren't competing with the Xbox One or the PS4. They distanced themselves too far from gamers this time and they don't seem to be able to dig themselves out of their hole. Investors want Nintendo to start developing titles for iOS and Android but then they'd become Sega. I actually want innovation. The 3DS is a fantastic handheld but since smartphones have replaced nearly every device on the market, there's really no need. In fact, when's the last time you've heard about the PS Vita? Who cares. If I can get cool games right now without having to spend an additional pile of cash on another mobile device that doesn't connect to 4G or enable me to connect with my friends on my favorite social networks, then I don't care.

Well I do care. I love the 3DS's ability to StreetPass with other players. You would be tickled to find out the amount of people I've passed and the countries that they were from. Now imagine if Nintendo decided to make the perfect smartphone that is also a gaming device. Or just install a Qualcomm chip into my 3DS and I'd be very happy. Of course, their software and interface would have to be drastically different and deals would have to be made with cellphone providers. But if anybody could do it, Nintendo could, right? Maybe years ago, but this Nintendo just released one of their best franchises Mario Kart 8 and they're already projecting to be in a deep financial hole. It's unfortunate that they weren't able to push software like this out on day one because this might have sold me. Might have.

By: Alex Zarnoski | @ajazz16 | Crappy Comics

Amazon just announced the fireTV. It's essentially like Apple TV or Roku but adds some compelling features to truly make it stand out. The fireTV represents the beginning of the next generation of streaming boxes with the addition of gaming, voice recognition, and instant streaming. Not to mention, Amazon is publishing its own games and producing its own TV shows such as Sev Zero and Alpha House respectively. 

If you don't already own a streaming box, I would highly recommend the fireTV. It trounces the other streamers currently on the market without limiting the services on the device exclusively to Amazon. Netflix users can rejoice! Here's the kicker: Apple is no doubt way ahead of Amazon. It's only a matter of time before they introduce the next generation Apple TV. To be honest, the Adreno 320 graphics chip inside the fireTV is a bit dated, however, very powerful. Apple's custom 64-bit desktop class A7 chip is way more powerful and has been on the market since September 2013 and if Apple decides to introduce the next Apple TV with the A8 chip, it's game over fireTV in terms of performance. 

Each device is set at $99 but it's really all down to functionality and what will work best for you. If you absolutely must buy a streaming box right now, the fireTV is a no-brainer. But I would recommend waiting, as the fireTV is sure to light the competition ablaze.

By: Alex Zarnoski | @ajazz16 | Crappy Comics

When I first started hearing rumors about Microsoft Office on the iPad, I was very excited. Now, this was way back when the iPad was first launched in 2010. I thought that putting productivity software onto a tablet could really change computing. But years passed with no Word (no pun intended) and the PC market shrank, tablets and smartphones started eating what little was left of that market, and I just didn't care how I wrote words onto a digital page. I think for some, Microsoft Office or Word to be exact, was synonymous with typing something on the computer. "Oh, do you have Word?" "Can you send me a .doc of that file?" "Hold on, let me open Word and see if I can find what we're looking for." Yeah... Word was the equivalent of the Kleenex. 

That was years ago which was a time before tablet computing (2009). Now I can write by swiping, tapping, touching, gesturing, dictating, and good old fashioned keyboard typing. But input is just one aspect of writing. Input is the "how." It's the "where" that seemed to fade away once new platforms were developed like Google Docs (now called Google Drive), which enabled these highly portable devices to have an anywhere-resume button on writing your latest chapter for that novel you've been writing...

Also, there was the HUGE fact that we didn't have the equivalent of a Microsoft Word for emerging platforms. We had and still have Simplenote, Evernote, Springpad, and a massive amount of tether-able apps which connect to cloud storage services such as Box and Dropbox.

So yeah, Microsoft today announced Microsoft Office for iOS and Android. But do we really care anymore? I sure as hell don't. I bought Pages a long time ago and to be honest, I've always preferred Pages (and *cough,* *cough* Open Office's Writer) over Word. I just couldn't justify spending piles of dough each time Word had a minor update for doing something so very, very basic. And now, you have to pay a subscription fee if you want to use Office on a tablet or PC. To be fair, my needs aren't your needs but I had to take some kind of angle here and if writing is your priority, you don't really need to waste your hard earned dollars on something that is available for free. Let the comments for why you need to have a powerful word processor commence!

By: Alex Zarnoski | @ajazz16 | Crappy Comics

I'm sure that you've heard somebody say that they don't like to spend time reading books anymore. Well, I don't blame them. Our world is filled with wonderful distractions such as smartphones, gaming consoles, giant screen TVs, movie theaters... Why would anybody bother wasting their time doing something that, frankly, is so very last century?

But what if we didn't have to spend as much time reading, yet consume the same amount of information? What if the words on the page were suddenly tossed into our brains and retained faster than ever before? What if we could allow our smart devices do most of the reading for us? What if we barely had to move our eyes? There are so many what ifs when it comes to the possibility of changing the way we consume words on a "page."

In fact, I would say that reading has been rejuvenated and repopularized by mobile devices. And to be honest, I love to read but I don't have a lot of time to do it. I typically listen to novels. But there's nothing like taking the time to paint a picture in your mind about what you're reading. Perhaps our brains need breathing room to turn words into beautiful worlds. Consuming something too fast might not allow for us to become creators but rather allow for us to become consumers. When we slowly paint a picture in our minds we are exercising different parts of our brain.

New technology like Spritz allows for our brains do what they do best which is interpret, process, and retain information. The creators behind Spritz figured out that focusing our attention on centered words allows for us to pay close attention to each word that pops up. When the speed is cranked up to around 500 words per minute it's still possible to read each word that pops up because our brains are able to keep up! All it takes is a little relaxation and focus.

I can see technology like this being used in smart watches. I can also see it becoming the new way to consume news and articles. All you'd have to do is press a Spritz-It button at the top of an article and after a brief countdown, you'd be on your way (that's how I'd have work it anyway). I think it could change the way students study. It might even encourage them to read chapters of a schoolbook for retention purposes (something that is loathed among students). It would not, however, be good for carefully studying different concepts within a chapter. In other words it's not good for everything, just some things. But I'll tell you what, I certainly would love to have this right now and if I could, I'd have a Spritz-It button at the top of this article so you wouldn't have to spend so much time reading all these words.

By: Alex Zarnoski | @ajazz16 | Crappy Comics

Fans of the still amazing TV wonder Seinfeld must have dreamed of setting foot inside Jerry's apartment. Well, with the help of the Oculus Rift, a virtual reality headset that is currently getting mass recognition, it might be possible to grab something from Jerry's fridge and see what's on his TV.  This VR recreation was made entirely for fandom's sake and will be available for free if you own an Oculus Rift.

By: Alex Zarnoski | @ajazz16 | Crappy Comics

Battle wounds aren't like flat tires but they can now be repaired in a similar way. These tiny medical grade sponges are coated in chitosan (made from crustacean shells) and wood pulp. Packing these into a gunshot wound, for example, is a faster way to stop bleeding and provide a temporary fix. It'll surely save lives. So it's kind of like bike tire Slime without the green mess.

Via: Popular Science
By: Alex Zarnoski | @ajazz16 | Crappy Comics

It's almost time for the Commercial Bowl and that means eating foods that are awful for you. You might have clam dip, onion dip, salsa casseroles, and sour cream and onion chips. Shrimp will be dipped into cocktail sauce or ketchup and bacon will wrap itself around everything. Cheese will be chopped up into tiny little cubes, each skewered with toothpicks and cheese dips will be making messes on sofas. You will be sold beer, soda, chips, pizza, insurance, and more beer, soda, chips, pizza...

The fact that these commercials cost companies millions is enough for me to sit through what they come up with. Horses will be trotting into stables, people will fly through glass, celebrities will sell you just about anything, but hopefully we will see some innovation this year. Make me interact! Make all of us do something besides go to a website to see more Go Daddy chicks. I want to scan and download something like a coupon for cheese dip.

Better yet, I want to attend a Commercial Bowl while wearing Google Glass so I can truly be mind invaded. Virtual everything will pop up and I'll just want to reach out and drink it. We should be given Google Glass for free, paid for with the support of augmented reality popup ads. 

Oh yeah, don't forget about the Puppy Bowl!

By: Alex Zarnoski | @ajazz16 | Ajazz Tech

Matches burn after we strike the side of a matchbox or the side of our scruffy beards. However, this giant match was lit by a torch and it was captured at 4,000 frames per second. If you want to learn about the amazing chemical reaction taking place go here. But if you want to learn a out how they managed to capture it burning in slow motion, you've come to the right place. 

They said that they used 2,000 watts of light at 4 inches plus mirrors and reflectors in order to capture the burning flame in slow motion. Isn't that going to overexpose the match and flame? Isn't the flame itself going to be a sufficient amount of light anyway? Nope.

Even though the flame is producing a seemingly sufficient amount of light, it's not enough to be captured at 4,000 frames per second. As you increase framerate, the amount of light that is required to capture a subject is also increased. If the framerate were reduced to a standard of 24 fps or 30 fps, 2,000 watts of light at 4 in would be overkill and completely overexpose the subject because the frequency at which an image is being captured has decreased.

Another factor is shutter speed. As a general rule, shutter speed is "double" that of a given frame rate to produce a decent looking shot. This is of course completely subjective. A shot captured in 24 fps would then have a shutter speed of 1/48 and a shot captured in 30 fps will have a shuttle speed of 1/60. If they shot at 4,000 fps then they may not have set their shutter speed to a high number. Most of the time it's electronically controlled on a high speed camera. Shutter speed ultimately decreases the amount of light that is captured as the fraction of the shutter speed decreases. Technical mumbo-jumbo aside, it's really cool to watch things in slow motion.

Via: Inscider
By: Alex Zarnoski | @ajazz16 | Ajazz Tech

Ladies I apologize but this bra is really crazy. It's not the bra itself that fascinates me. It's the concept of smart clothing. Our consumer technology is currently limited to the power of a smartphone. It does everything. It has more sensors than we can utilize and more functionality than any one device ever created. Just think of all of the devices that a smartphone has replaced.

It's a communication device, it's a camera, it's a tiny computer, it's a calendar, a calculator, a photo album, a clock, it's a flashlight, a barometer, a radio, and just about anything you can think of. Soon, it'll be the hub for smart things like clothing, body sensors, glasses, shoes, contact lenses, and it'll be the device that'll look at the insides of your body as it receives transmissions front the tiny consumer camera you just swallowed.

So, that bra... It senses when your heart becomes filled with true love. Someday, sadly, it'll take a smart device to tell us when we are in love, when to go to the bathroom, when to change our socks, and when to eat. There might be a time where it decreases our ability to spell, to remember, to construct proper sentences... We are outsourcing our minds and our memories to these things (photos, calendar reminders). It shouldn't take a smart device to tell us when it's time to remove a bra or tell us when we're in love.

Via: BuzzFeed
By: Alex Zarnoski | @ajazz16 | Ajazz Tech

By the year 2019, the New York City subway system is likely to phase out those flimsy plastic MetroCards in favor of RFID chips (Radio Frequency Identification). So, by the use of cellphones or some kind of tiny key chain device, hopping on the train will be one wave away.

Via: Circa
By: Alex Zarnoski | @ajazz16 | Ajazz Tech