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Finding the Best Mouse/Keyboard for PC Gaming

Posted on April 30, 2017 by connectedking

PC Gaming Keyboard and Mouse

At Connected Consoles our namesake implies that we are focused purely on gaming consoles, but in reality we are focused on all types of technology and gaming, including mobile apps, gaming consoles as well as PC gaming.

In PC Gaming, the performance of your system is really going to influence the experience of your games, but it also comes down to the peripheral equipment (i.e. mouse and keyboard). After all, a bad interface is going to screw with your entire experience, and a perfect interface can even give you a leg up on the competition.

So we’ve set out to find the perfect peripherals, including the best mouse for PC gaming, ergonomic keyboards, even going so far as picking a perfect chair. Why not join us on this endeavor? Here’s how we will do it.

We are going to ask that you send in your choices for the best peripherals for pc gaming, send them in to gaming@connectedconsoles.com. After we get 100 responses we will take the top results and compile a list, do our own research, and present the findings. Sound good?

So go ahead! Send your responses to gaming@connectedconsoles.com, and include your favourite mouse, keyboard, chair, monitor, and any special setups that you use for your hours of gaming fun.

Look forward to it!

How Apps Are Modernizing The Legal Marijuana Market

Posted on July 21, 2016 by Hector Morror

It wasn’t too far back when we didn’t have fancy Androids or these iPhones. Hell, go further back and I remember in the 90s when I was in high school and using the pay phone to make phone calls, hoping I had just enough quarters to make the calls that I needed to. I also used to own a Polaroid camera which I loved dearly as well. Finally, in the late 90s when we had a “family cell phone”, I’d use it for hours to speak with friends and unfortunately, run up the bill (which my parents weren’t happy about). And how could I forget using a modem to connect to AOL (America Online) and its shoddy service in hope of connecting online and escaping to a whole digital world?!

Happy to reminisce with you, but what does all of this have to do with medical marijuana and apps and technology? Well, hold your horses, Youngin’…!

Fast Forward To Now

Even in the early 2000s, the marketplace had a great need for standalone devices such as watches and GPS (global positioning systems). However, due to the advancement in mobile phone technology, the need for such things, for the average consumer, is practically non-existent.

You can use free apps of all kinds on your phone. You can even “upgrade” or pay for apps related to any niche. Now, relate all of this to the grown up world of medical and legal marijuana and it will blow your mind.

In the 90s, you would have to deal with drug dealers to get any weed, whether for recreational purposes or medicinal. Thanks to the legalization of weed in several states, this is no longer the case. However, the medicinal marijuana industry is just as complicated, as dispensaries that are open legally still have to battle drug dealers or anyone selling this beneficial drug illegally, really.

While you have legal dispensaries popping all over the place, this one San Diego marijuana delivery dispensary is doing a fantastic job adopting to today’s marketplace. Patients suffer from many illnesses and may be unwell to pick up their prescriptions or feel inconvenienced; the reason doesn’t matter. A Green Alternative uses an app like Meadow to provide its clients with their prescriptions at their door, in the privacy of their home, as they wish.

This Changes Everything!

This changes everything! Do you know how simple this makes it for patients to get their meds? They no longer have to walk into a dispensary or feel anxious. There is still much stigma attached to the usage of marijuana, even when it is for medical purposes. There are countless patients who rely on the medical benefits of this plant for treatment and coping with extremely serious illness such as epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s, and HIV/AIDS.

To be clear, many studies are being conducted for more conclusive data. However, users of medical marijuana have reported beneficial results such as slowing down of diseases or coping with side effects from treatments of earlier mentioned diseases.

The legal marijuana industry is headed in an exciting direction and already has a nice start with using apps in a smart way.

Technology Isn’t Always Grand…!

Posted on June 3, 2016 by Hector Morror

While there are many advantages to using technology in every day routine, it should also be noted that it is another reason that our children are having trouble focusing all around. How can we expect our children to do well in school when they are glued to social media with apps readily available on their iPhones and Androids? These children have learned to become dependent on their phones, tablets, and computers for simple research and calculations.

An Experiment

Ask a student to sign for a gmail.com account and watch him or her do it in a heartbeat. They will go a step further and set things up on your phone for you, so you can retrieve your email while using your phone.

I find that to be hilarious!

Now, go ahead and write down a simple math problem on the board; something like 28 + 23 is sufficient. Ask them to to put away their phones and anything technology related. Ask them to grab a pen and paper and to solve the answer. Note how long it takes them to solve a simple problem.

It should take them less than 7 seconds to solve this addition problem. Watch and see students or your kids struggling. That’s where our problem is.

While I have myself advocated for new laptops and desktops in our school systems, making our students too dependent on them is a mistake. Next, ask your children to write a simple paper, two page essay. Make it a challenge for them by requiring they pull their research from not the internet but rather from a book they have to cite.

Force them to visit a library. Have them go through the book isles and watch their frustration mount as they will realize they lack basic patience and skills to search books!

This is not the case with all students but rather at least half the students in class.

Of course, laptops are great for additional research but the problem with online sources is that everyone thinks they are an authority on a subject. The danger in that is that students believe everything they read online and also, this leads them to laziness, as they will cite anyone online.

Also, I have seen many cases of plagiarism in the last few years. Not only is that a nuisance, but it is definitely a sad state of affairs for our educational system. I love Copyspace (see how certain apps are extremely helpful?!) as it tells me right off the bat if a paper has been plagiarized.

Every year, I catch at least 10 cases within a 6 month span.

Now, let’s talk about the apps I do trust children with: Photoshop, Gmail. Those are the only two I myself use in class. The three that I loathe that students use on the daily? Facebook, Instagram, and SnapChat. These are highly disruptive. When students use these in class, they take away other students’ attention away from the teacher as well. If a student does this more than twice, I confiscate their phone for the day.

Why Opt For A City Hall Wedding? Tons Of Reasons!

Posted on January 5, 2016 by Hector Morror

City hall weddings are becoming more and more common and for good reasons. Let’s face it: even budgeted and at “cheapest”, weddings can cost a lot!

If you add up guest costs, renting a hall cost, food cost, bar cost, rehearsal dinner cost, wedding dress and full parts clothes costs, the cost of the cake… and that’s just the beginning. From there, the budget only goes higher. Sometimes, tailoring a dress can cost tons as well or if the bride changes her mind last minute.

Economically strained (or smart and frugal!) people think “the simpler, the better”, so they opt for city hall weddings. A lot of times, if both parties are dominantly religious or completely non-religious, such an option seems very attractive.

Also, since city halls have limits on the amount of people you can invite, most couples end up inviting extremely important guests such as their best friends and parents, instead of the typical couple of hundred people they may have fought over.

Perhaps a couple may consider a city hall wedding due to an illness they may be experiencing (something serious) or something such as stage fright (which is a bigger fear than most folks don’t admit to). Truthfully, the biggest reason couples cite to sticking with quick city hall weddings is budget.

Most couples could use the money for a down payment on a car, house, or a sweet vacation. Millennials have grown up thinking that experiences through traveling are something to be cherished over investing in traditional things such as overpriced weddings. Why not celebrate a couple’s union in their beautiful backyard or a gathering at the beach? Why not have a potluck dinner or opt for an experience with your close family and friends?

A city hall wedding presents couple with a quick, cheap option and one that a lot of young couples are happy to have and take!

Who To Hire For Your Next Corporate Event

Posted on December 16, 2015 by Hector Morror

When you are putting on a professional event for your company, you cannot afford any mistakes. Everything ranging from food, entertainment, decorations… literally, everything has to be on point. If something goes wrong, guess what? It is your name on the line, unfortunately.

When you’re in charge of a whole event like that, it is a good idea to build a small team and to delegate extremely competent people. Depending on the size of the party, things can get complicated fast.

You can find a company like www.jugglinginferno.com that exclusively handles the entertainment portion for you. They employ enigmatic and mesmerizing fire performers, glow performers, and jugglers. These aren’t any old performers that your guests will snooze over; these performers deliver memorable performances.

You can do the same thing with the food aspect. Whatever you do, do not skimp on the food! This could mean compromising quality, which could mean compromising the health of your guests (and employees). There are so many up and coming chefs that you could probably hit up your Facebook network and have your friends share your message. Make sure to request references and to call those references. Most people will request the references but never do anything with them. It is very important that whoever you have has had experience at catering food for a party. A new chef could really make some awful mistakes.

One of the more important things: the decorations! The ambiance! What is the theme of the event? Is it extremely formal and classy? Business casual? Let loose and have some drinks? Planned around a holiday? Or a ball? First, you have to determine the decor. Imagine how the guests will be dressed. If you are feeling overwhelmed and this is a big affair for a big company, it is essential you hire someone who has experience in decorating for such big affairs.

Once you nail these details, you will feel confident. Keep the folks you have delegated to in check. That is very important. If you slack, for sure, the people under you, no matter how good, will slack for sure!

Top iPhone Accessories & Apps

Posted on December 14, 2015 by Hector Morror

With so many iPhone versions on the market, the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus being among the top options available, it’s no wonder there are hundreds of really cool applications and accessories that one could take weeks to choose from, download, and play with.

Once you’ve had the iPhone for a few months, unfortunately, you will notice the wear and tear of your iPhone charger that it came with. First, you’ll see the outside, the casing, go, and then the exposed wires.

Same thing holds true for the headphones, unfortunately.

While you are making a list of which apps and accessories to purchase, you may as well add these to your list:

#1. Quad Lock Bike Mount Kit

This is one of the sweetest accessories on the market, especially if you love riding your bike over long distances, whether it’s mountain biking or road biking. The mount fits well, is extremely sturdy and durable; it can handle water, sweat, and basic elemental abuse.

#2. iOttie Easy One Touch Universal Car Mount Holder

This one is for folks who can’t live without their iPhones, especially on short trips. Obviously on long trips, it’s a given that you’ll use your iPhone a fair amount. What we have here is a car mount holder for your iPhone; it consists of a 360 degree mount and is super secure. The best part? While you’re using the mount, you can also charge your iPhone.

#3. Zuckerim Gekkopod Adaptable Smart Phone Mount

At first, this accessory looks like an imitation of a formidable sea creature! Upon closer inspection, however, you will observe that this is one of the neatest mobile tripod’s available on the market (especially for under $25!) It allows you to mount your iPhone to anything, really, but wrapping the “arms” around an object.

How cool is that?

It also has a ball accessory so you can tilt the phone 360 degrees, making it possible to capture any cool shots or videos you can imagine!

These are some of the most fun accessories available. Of course, you can also check out some free apps that you can download within a matter of minutes and get things going. However, there are apps that are not available for free and are typically priced from $0.99-$4.99. Most free apps include advertisements or in-game purchases which means for anything extra, you’ll have to pay.

Some of the most popular apps for the iPhones are the video and image editing apps, as well as games. Of course, Youtube, Instagram, and Facebook are some of the top apps available.

Water Sports Can Be Expensive And Dangerous!

Posted on November 29, 2015 by Hector Morror

For those that know me well, they know that I love sports of all types but more so “alternative” sports: snowboarding, skiing, hiking, ping pong, kayaking and canoeing, jet skiing, and surfing. While I may not be great at any of them, I’m pretty decent at most. While I love doing all of these things, what I hate is the money I have to spend on equipment every few years. That’s why, I go out of my way to fish cheaper deals and buy stuff that will last me years (well, that’s the goal!)

To save money, I do intense online research like when I did with inflatable kayak reviews. Usually, I find great deals and when research fails me, I specifically look into forums but I’ve been mostly lucky so far. What I enjoy about water sports is… basically water. I’m a water baby.

If you do need to check out kayaks or canoes and are just beginning, then you will find some of the best inflatable kayak reviews on that site. The thing with starting with an inflatable kayak is that they are MUCH cheaper than the hard shelled options. You can get one for around $150 to muck around in. I suggest checking out reviews and looking at options that fit your budget.

Some safety tips for water sports in general: Always go with a buddy! While the water/ocean/sea can be tons of fun, there is still great danger lurking. Sea creatures are one thing but drowning or capsizing are real threats. Expert swimmers and canoers have lost their lives out in the sea. Even close enough from the shore…

That is the biggest safety tip anyone can give you. I have a few buddies who have been doing water sports for years and while I understand why they are confident, I firmly believe it’s stupid to be this overconfident. Why gamble with your life?

Either way, holiday season is upon so have a great time with your family and friends and if you’re lucky enough to enjoy the beaches on both coasts, be safe and have fun.

Transportation Made Easy with Vehicle Hire

Posted on April 15, 2015 by connectedking

When you lease any type of vehicle, you don’t need to depend on someone else. With car leasing services, you can pick the vehicle of your choice from several different vehicle options. Each person will have a different opinion while picking a vehicle which will depend upon the place they’re visiting and the number of persons traveling in the vehicle. If you need a particular type of vehicle, you might need to make reservations well ahead of your schedule.

Nevertheless, early reservations offer certain advantages while hiring a vehicle. You want to pick a car that will be reliable since you’ll be away from your house for quite some time. You may be visiting the place for the first time so it is very unlikely that you’ll know where to ask for help if anything happens.

However, not everybody will be on a trip when they are looking to lease a vehicle. Leased vehicles are the thing which persons use for a particular time frame only. And you need to take this thing into account while picking a vehicle as well.

If you’re feeling comfortable, you can travel even longer during the day.

Majority of the individuals will try to go at the nearest airport. A few might lease a car with drivers, whereas others might prefer to drive the car themselves. When you’re driving a vehicle, you are free to stay at any particular place for eating or rest.

A few might be more comfortable with a small car while others might be looking for an SUV or a van. For this, a car leasing firm offers the customers with a broad range of vehicles to select from.

A car lease company makes sure that the vehicle there offering is in the best possible shape and condition. So, it becomes necessary for you as a customer to use the vehicle with proper caution just like you would if it was your personal vehicle. At times, the car may undergo small damages while you’re driving it. In such situations, a proper van hire insurance may come very handy. It will cover up any issues or harm done to the car mistakenly.

In case, the car suffers a mechanical issue, you must immediately get in touch with the vehicle rental firm. A car rental service lets individuals to travel anywhere and at any time.

Staying in Shape While Playing Video Games 12 Hours a Day Is Not Impossible

Posted on March 30, 2015 by connectedking

I play a lot of video games. Probably more than I should, although not as much as I know some of my south korean friends do. That is to say, it is probably the most enjoyment I get out of my day (I’m weird like that) but I’m smart enough to know that my body probably doesn’t enjoy it as much as me. I’ve cut out the sugary drinks and stick to mostly diet soda (if any soda at all) but it is still an uphill climb to get fit and in shape, and not regress into a fat piece of shit that so many gamers today become. Trust me, I know the extent to which no physical activity and munching on potato chips can take you.

Me.

None the less I’ve decided to get in shape, or at least stop getting fatter. I’ve ordered a new treadmill which is going to be installed next tuesday and I’ve made some space for it next to my gaming console. This means I will be reminded of its existence all the time. I won’t need to go out of my way to get their and it will always be in the back of my mind (even if it does end up being the placeholder for my coat hangers and dirty laundry, let’s hope that doesn’t happen).

Lastly I’d like to know that it doesn’t come dissassembled, because I won’t put it together at all. I will have to get an installation company of some kind, which I asked the store about, and they said no problem, fatso, we got the guys for the job. I was like, Ok, dick, thanks for the insult. Ok, it didn’t quite go like that but you get the idea.

So now I know I will be able to hit the treadmill at least once or twice a week as I continue to veg out in front of the TV or play my video games. The next step is to get enough protein so that I can build muscle when possible and cut out a ton of carbs and worthless junk that I eat constantly. This is going to be pretty difficult but at the same time it’s not impossible. I think I’ll just get used to eat chick breast and vegetables, which when made correctly can actually be pretty delicious. Maybe start making smoothies and stuff like that.

But that’s pretty much it, hit the treadmill 2-3 times a week and cut back on junk food. Getting the treadmill online and getting it assembled in-house is really convenient (I didn’t even need to move out of my comptuer chair to do it. Is that ironic?) And now I just have to have a bit of discipline and I should start seeing results.

Putting Together My New Entertainment Center

Posted on January 26, 2015 by connectedking

We all know the plight of the gamer, a million different controllers, a million different consoles and a just one big entertainment center to hold it all together. Now I’m not saying that we don’t all have some different rooms in our houses or different places where we sit and veg out on the latest copy of Final Fantasy, but for the most part we have one area where we like to sit and be merry. This area consists of the TV (obviously), the consoles, the computers, the seats, cushions, tables, food, etc. Well I wanted a great big old entertainment center for my set up. I didn’t want to skimp on anything. So I took to ye’ old Internet.

The Most Baller Entertainment Center Ever

What I wanted to get was the most baller TV stand/entertainment center/etc thing ever conceived. So I went to Sears, I went to JC Penney, and I even went to P.C. Richard and Son in hopes of finding one (cue annoying jingle in your head). What I ended up getting was this, at least what the picture said:

entertainment-center

Pretty sweet, right? Well, wrong. I got this thing and it looked more like a pile of boxes then a TV stand. Why? Because it was a pile of boxes. Now I don’t know why I didn’t think of this when I was checking out at the store, but I needed someone to come assemble this damn thing. For whatever reason I thought that there would be magic fairy handymen that just came and put it all together for me. Or that it would magically be shipped as-is, just like in the picture.

Slight Exaggeration

What Can I Say, I was Dumb.

We all are stupid idiots some of the time, and this was one of those times for me. So I took to ye’ olde Internet-o again to try and solve my problem, there what do you know? there are handymen with whole businesses devoted to this sort of thing. Companies that will put together your furniture, install your basketball hoop or even assemble your little sisters playset in NJ. It’s all there right in the internet. Who would have thunk it? So I called them up and they solved my problem of being a dumbass.

So don’t do this to yourself. Be a smart person and order the installation with the delivery. It will save you time. Time you could be using playing more pointless videogames. But that’s another story.