I seem to keep myself one step behind when it comes to game consoles. Until last week, the newest system I owned was a Playstation 2. Given Sony's recent actions, it's unlikely I will ever buy a PS3 (or anything else from them). They're too big a company for me to avoid entirely, probably, but I'm going to do my best.

Anyway, I just got myself an Xbox, pre-modded with an Xecuter 3 modchip. I can't really recommend the company I got it from, as there was a long delay, unprofessional and worrisome (ie, I thought there was a chance I'd never get it) emails, and the DVD kit they sent was a third party region 2 kit. Useful. When I finally did get the Xbox, though, it worked as it was supposed to.

I will probably eventually get a few games for it, but the primary reason for the purchase was to use as a media center, with XBMC. After dealing with flashing the ROM on the modchip (after realizing that I needed to hook up composite cables first to get this done), and installing the software, I'm very happy with the end result. I had it scan my mp3 directories over a samba share, and can now play all my music through my stereo system with a very nice interface, including visualizations and album cover art. It can also play just about any movie file out there. The next step is to rip my DVDs to server storage and use the Xbox to play those over the network as well. That would probably require another hard drive purchase or two, though. My DVDs may well end up in a box in my garage like my CDs are now. I can also now copy shows off of my Tivo, and play them back through the Xbox (I'm behind the times with a hacked series 1 Tivo, too, so it doesn't have that feature built in). It also has a nice photo browser and slideshow feature.

In addition to XBMC, I also installed an NES emulator. I can now play any old NES game on my 74" projected screen through my new toy. It looks good. There are also emulators for N64, SNES, Genesis, and other systems, which I have yet to try. There's also lots of other nice software I can play with. I think it's gonna be fun. Given the cost of the alternative that I was considering, and how much more the Xbox does, I'm very happy I decided to go this route. I know the Xbox 360 will do some of the media center stuff itself, but I like being able to customize it and play with it as much as I can with the modded Xbox. I suppose I could have waited for 360 modchips.

Now I just need to get the right DVD kit so I can start using the remote control for everything.

I haven't posted anything since my disastrous third place finish in this week's Shootout in the Desert. My tourney luck has been awful since my WWdN win a couple of weeks ago. Well, it turned around, sort of. Last night in the WWdN West Coast Warmup #2, I made the final table and finished 6th out of ... however big the field was. Today, in the HeyKidsItsBG Invitational, I took 3rd out of 28, after sitting out the first half hour while I was at lunch. I went out when I lost a race (surprise! I haven't won one all in preflop in at least two weeks in a tournament) with 77 vs AQ. An ace on the river. The turning point for me though was when I had around $12k chips in second position, and ZowieZ had me covered by a few hundred. I made a standard raise to $1200 and ZowieZ instapushed for about ten times the pot. Sires, a shorter stack, called behind. After a bit of thought, I folded. They flipped 33 and AK. Dammit... and this race, I woulda won, making a full house with my J coming out on the turn. I woulda busted Sires, and knocked ZowieZ down to a few hundred in chips. Instead, AK won and all the stacks at the table were about even after the hand. Nice push, ZowieZ. Sires went on to win, instead of busting to my jacks.

The ring game at Stars hasn't treated me well, either, losing most of what I won in the Donegal Invitational. I finally decided to do PSO's Nevada Jacks Promotion at Paradise, and finally got treated well. Played the 1000 raked hands in about a day of 5max $100NL, and made $450 plus the $100 bonus. Plus, the chipset is worth about $200. Pretty pleased with those results, finally.

It's strange how I can make two final tables in two days and still be so damn disappointed with the actual finishes. I feel like I definitely should have won today, and should have done better yesterday. I guess I can't expect much when I can't win a single race. Thanks Wil for hosting again!

I think I'm gonna miss Saturdays with Dr. Pauly tomorrow, unfortuantely. There's a chance I won't be able to make Bill's last Shootout qualifier, either. Good luck to everyone who plays in them! I'll do my best to make it.

Dammit, why can't everything stay working all the time?

It appears my laptop's wireless has died. I have an internal mini-pci wireless card... two actually, and neither work. The antenna connection or something else inside the laptop is messed up. My wireless router still works, and tested with my portable D-Link ($20 after rebate a few weeks ago... I knew it would come in handy).

Grr... I really don't want to send my laptop back to Dell again.

Update: My old 802.11b mini-pci is working (after a little electrical tape on the internal antenna - don't know if that has anything to do with it). It's just my 802.11a/b/g card that doesn't. My computer recognizes the card, it just can't get any wireless signal. I guess I should try it on someone else's machine to make sure it's not something with the signal not being strong enough because of the damaged antenna or something, and if not, replace it.

Update 2: I doubt it has to do with the antenna. The 802.11b card works without them even attached to it. Guess I just need a replacement.

Wow, my tournament luck has been terrible since my WWDN tourney win. I've played in six of the $20+2 180 person SNGs at Stars. I have yet to make the money. I can't win a coinflip. Two of my bustouts were desperate shortstack pushes. The other 4:

• KK vs AA (all in preflop)
• KK vs AKs (flush, all in preflop)
• AA vs A5s (quads! the last of my money went in on the 557 flop, but still...)
• KK vs AA (all in preflop)

And in Saturday with Dr. Pauly today, I had to make a tough laydown of 76 on a 779Q board (the winner showed A7), and then bust out with a set of 3s vs a set of aces later anyway. Damn set over set. Thanks for hosting, Pauly!

For the most part, I've been paying for these tourney fees with the Stars ring game, though. the $100NL there is nice. Plus, I just cleared a bonus that had been sitting in my account for 6 months or so because I hadn't been playing there. I keep playing the 20 table SNGs because the play is just so bad, but I think I might have to give up on them for a while. It's just too frutstrating.

I will play in the Six Gun Shootout qualifier tomorrow at FullTilt, though.

I play my very best donkey poker in this one. I don't know what was wrong with me, but I was playing terribly. It wasn't the "real" weekly tournament, so maybe I'll try to defend my title tonight. With blinds at 25/50, I got knocked down to 160 when Maudie's QQ beat my 99. She made a 3x BB raise from early position after pushing all in the previous hand with A4o. This set off all kinds of warning signals. I knew I was beat. My mouse hovered over the fold button, and then I went all in. The next hand, Wil raised to 150 (also 3x BB) and I had JJ. I pushed all in for my 10 more, and his AK beat me. It was fun, anyway.

I took my donkey play on over to the blogger side game, a high limit .01/.02, $5 buyin NLHE game. I lost 5 or 6 buyins there, playing even worse (but at least intentionally) than I did in the tournament. My standard preflop raise was 15x the big blind (0.30). We saw people get quads so many times there (3) that "thems quads beetches!" was simply reduced to "tqb" by the end. Or dqb. I don't remember. It was lots of fun playing with 7 bloggers and 2 unsuspecting micro-limit players. One of them requested money from us, so I sent him a whole penny through the Stars money transfer. Hope to see everyone again tonight, and Saturday with Dr. Pauly, and Sunday at the WPBT Shootout in the Desert.

Update: Well, that sucked. Rivered by a two outer when all the money got in on the J77 flop when I had KJ vs TT. That left me with 170 with 50/100 blinds. Two hands later I get TT in my big blind, pushed all in by the small blind with J2, and he flops a J. I hate TT.