What is a Wii Anyway?
Posted: July 23rd, 2010, by Bob
I admit it. For a nerd, or even just a part-nerd which I believe I am, I am pretty “out-of-it.” Like, I have no idea, really, what a “Wii” is, other than one more thing my kids want to have and I see no reason for, or to spend money on. Well, this is my chance to explore the world of the Wii, and get some mature perspective on what all the noise is about.
First of all, you need a console. It looks a bit like a computer and the start-up package comes with a remote controller, a “Nunchuk” controller, a sports gaming package, and a sensor bar, which I assume is how the thing knows when you are moving. What I didn’t know before is that if you have wireless broadband internet access you can play on-line games, too and stream TV and movies via Netflix. OK, so what else?
Well, I just looked at the accessories which can be purchased in addition to the basic Wii thingy. Let’s just say it is possible to spend oodles of money having fun with this thing. So what kind of fun is actually possible? Well according to their own web page, there are 1,010 different games to choose from. Luckily they have a cool way of helping you find exactly the game you would love. (Otherwise uncool people like me would probably get frustrated from all the choices and end up buying nothing, woe is me.)
There are 8 “favorite game types” you can pick from, not including “other,” ranging from role playing, sports and music and rhythm. (Even I have heard of ‘Rock Band.’) I took a look at ‘other’ and to my surprise saw a selection of regular type games, like chess, jungle speed and Texas poker. Not 100% sure why you need a motion detector for these games, but I guess it just comes with the territory.

The next choice to make is the preferred ESRB rating, in case there are some parents out there trying to protect their kids from the bad values so easily exposed to our kids. I was happy to see that (at least) in the “other” category there are no ‘M’ (Mature, 17+) titles. The highest rating in this category was ‘T’ for Teen, 13+. The vast majority of games in this category fell into the E10+ which means “Everyone 10 years old and above.
OK, I admit again that the “other” category is not really what the Wii is all about. So let’s just take a look for one minute at one of the categories that the developers of the Wii really had in mind when they spent all their time and creativity thinking up this nifty toy, I mean device.
In the Music and Rhythm category, in the Teen 13+ rating are a large selection of different versions of “Guitar Hero” and “Rock Band.” Not too sure what the differences are between them, but maybe I should stop writing and start playing, I mean interacting. I’ll let you know how it goes, and whether I have been convinced this is a real boon to civilization, or not.
We humans certainly seem to be preoccupied with the various ways “life as we know it” might one day cease to exist. It’s definitely a good sign that at least many people believe “life as we know it” is a good thing, because you certainly wouldn’t necessarily think that judging by the way some people act. Several disaster films have waxed eloquently on the many possible ways the world could be destroyed. We have wayward meteors heading for earth, aliens set on destroying the earth, earthquakes and other natural disasters of such enormous power that the entire planet will be either reshuffled, frozen, sunk or burnt.
Us nerds take technology for granted. We believe there is no debate about the benefits of advancing technologies. Everything new and amazing, that makes life less dull, more convenient, less tedious and more fun, must be good and therefore there is a moral imperative to possess that hi-tech object in order to immediately experience the benefits of a better, more productive, and happier life.
Ok, back to solar power. There must be something more interesting going on than cockroaches? Well here’s what I think is a really great idea. It’s summer. The sun is shining HOT. You’re hot. Your apartment is hot. What to do? Of course, turn on the air conditioner. Too expensive to run you say? Not if it’s powered by the hot sun which is making all the trouble in the first place. That’s right, someone has finally begun to really take this solar powered stuff to the place we need it most, to stay comfie cool in the summer. Cleverly named Coolerado, this device is even smarter than its name.
Last week was Earth Day, a day when over 500 million people all over the world celebrate the natural world which modern folk take for granted 364 days a year. Techie types are tackling this problem everyday, and are constantly coming up with ways to save us energy and the planet.
There are lots of nerds out there today. Being a nerd seems to be the thing to do. By nerds, we mean people who need to feel like they are constantly at the forefront of new technologies. In other words, whatever gadget has just come on the market, they simply have to have it. Those are what one might term the super-nerds. No matter what they personally think of the new gadget, they must have it. Personal preference or desire features minimally in the equation for these super-nerds.
Today, everyone loves social media and is connected in some way – whether through Facebook, Linked In, or another source. This is socially accepted – and even expected. What you might not believe, however, is how much people are willing to interrupt their lives for this social media craze. Check this out: