G4TV

ORIGINALLY AIRED: 9/23/2004

Bai Ling, XM Radio Tips, LAN Party

Episode #2504

Top O’ the Show
Alex started the show from the LAN Party room, introducing our special frag guest of the day, Raymond Herrera of Fear Factory. Seemingly not annoyed by the fact that Alex called him “Dan,” Raymond proved to be one of our most deadly guests – perhaps because he’s also the fastest drummer in the world. (“That’s just hype – I could be faster,” admits Raymond.) For more info on the cyber-metal band, visit their website or check out their fall tour dates.

Alex then tried to beat his personal record for getting back to the studio from the LAN room (45 seconds via Segway), and was on his way to victory before suddenly colliding with a group of Mac protesters in the hallway. Wielding signs proclaiming “XP Sucks!” and “Apple Pride,” they tried to waylay Alex – but he managed to evade their clutches, scrambling to freedom. Just as he made it to the studio door, however, his passage to safety was blocked by none other than Apple CEO Steve Jobs – who proceeded to give Alex a righteous thrashing for his destruction of a Power Mac G4 on yesterday’s show.

“Steve Jobs looks so much bigger in person,” huffed a frazzled Alex as he joined Kevin on the set.

In tech topics, the guys rejoiced in the recent decision by Sony to finally allow MP3s to play on their new digital music players. “We are single-handedly responsible for making Sony change its mind!” crowed a triumphant Alex. (The guys reviewed new iPod challengers last week and noted the biggest drawback of Sony’s Network Walkman: it would only play the proprietary ATRAC-3 codec.) Thus, another day was saved by... The Screen Savers!

TSS Live Calls
Call #1: Lynne in Raleigh, NC would like to find a reliable source for OEM software. She’s building a LAN for a state conference and needs affordable OS software. Where can she go?

Kevin and Alex explained that OEM means “original equipment manufacturer” – in this case, software bundled "free" with PC systems. Software makers get an exclusive hold on your desktop while PC manufacturers get cut-rate deals on applications that they can bundle without all that expensive packaging. Thus, it’s usually cheaper. The guys suggested going to local computer shops or computer fairs rather than big chain stores. Online, she might also try newegg.com.

Call #2: Bob from Landing, NJ has a new PC and he wanted to know if it would be possible to hook up one of those fancy new widescreen LCDs from Apple.

The guys said that it would have been more difficult with previous Apple models with proprietary connectors, but their new line of LCD monitors now have standard DVI connectors. However, PC owners can currently only go with the 20” and 23” inch models – the super-mongo 30” monitor requires a special NVIDIA GeForce 6800 Ultra DDL graphics card with two DVI ports. The Screen Savers will be trying to hack that particular monitor in a future episode.

“Mystery Woman” Revealed
Possibly the most physically attractive guest to ever appear on The Screen Savers, actress Bai Ling arrived to discuss her role as “Mystery Woman” in the all-CGI movie Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow. Obviously still upset from his assault by the Macolytes earlier in the show, Alex appeared somewhat nervous talking to Bai. Seeing this, she tried to comfort him.

“Are you guys together?” Bai asked Alex and Kevin.

“Noooo!” the now even more flustered couple replied.

“So how long have you been together?” she insisted.

Once Alex’s face stopped radiating a red glow, he was able to get in a few questions about the challenge of acting on a CGI set. Had she ever acted in a blue-screen scene before?

“No, never in my life. I didn’t even know what a blue screen was before this film,” Bai said. “You just use your imagination, and that gives you the power to do the role.”

The bigger difficulty for Bai Ling was actually her costume.

“As soon as I put on the goggles and the hat, I couldn’t see or hear,” she said. “I felt like I was in a microwave, or I was a caged animal. But they kept saying, ‘You look cool.’ When they first made the costume, they just wanted it to look cool – but I couldn’t even bend over.”

This made it especially difficult to kick lead actor Jude Law’s butt with accuracy  in the film.

“In rehearsal, they kept saying, ‘Hit Jude.’ But he looked so handsome and vulnerable, I thought, ‘I really don’t want to hurt him.’ I asked him if I should really do it, and he said yes. So I hit him right in the head.”

For more info on Bai Ling, check out her dossier at imdb.com, or read this interview with her at Asiancemagazine.com.

Surround Your Xbox

Kevin and Alex tried out a new Dolby Digital/DTS 5.1 surround-sound system being marketed for the Xbox, the Spherex. It conveniently puts the 300-watt amplifier right inside the subwoofer, so you don’t need a separate receiver. It also includes digital and analog audio inputs for multiple consoles or systems – which means you can also use it for your PS2 or GameCube for Dolby ProLogic II surround sound. Furthermore, the speakers are omnipolar so you don’t have to set them up facing a particular direction.

“They also say it’s ‘sittable,’” noted Kevin.

“That doesn’t look very comfortable,” observed Alex. “I’d rather sittable on my sofable.”

Kevin then proceeded to jump on top of the sub-woofer to prove its sittable properties. “I so wanted to kick that out from under you,” noted Alex.

Kevin and Alex agreed that the Spherex sounded very good, though Kevin will reserve judgment until the Lab conducts in-depth testing of a variety of 5.1 systems made for consoles. Look for that report on TSS in the next few weeks.

Dark Deals: Converting XM Satellite Radio to MP3 Files

Alex threw in a disclaimer on this tip: XM Radio has pulled all of its XM-PCR radios of the market, “so we know they’re not too thrilled about this.” But for now, this technique has not been declared illegal yet by the RIAA.

To get scads of free MP3s off of XM, you’ll need to find one of their XM-PCR units (try www.myradiostore.com), which plug into your computer to send song data to your monitor – but  you can also plug in traditional two-channel audio cords for sound. Then, by using an application called TimeTrax, you can convert this audio and data into MP3s on your hard drive at up to a 192 bit rate. Handy options include a “Kill List” that automatically filters out the artists or songs you don’t want.

For FAQs and forums on XM Radio, visit www.xm411.com

Cool Travel Info Sites
Cat Schwartz delivered some mighty fine sites for making your online reservations for airfares super easy. Read her article here.

On a Personal Note…
Many viewers have been asking about Sarah’s absence from the show these past few days. Her father, William B. Lane, Jr., passed away earlier this week after a battle with cancer, so she will be attending to her family’s needs.

We’re asking our viewers to join us in making donations to the American Cancer Society in Mr. Lane’s name. You can do so by clicking this link to the donation page at the Society's website.

Donation cards can be mailed to:

G4 Media / The Screen Savers
12312 West Olympic Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90064

Formed in 1946, The American Cancer Society leads the fight against cancer on a variety of fronts: research, public education, advocacy of cancer legislation, and helping families cope with the cancer experience. More than two million volunteers at 3,400 local units help carry out the Society’s mission of eradicating cancer and improving the quality of life for those dealing with the disease. The Society has spent $2.5 billion on cancer research, funding 32 Nobel Prize winners early in their careers.

To learn more about the disease, call the Society’s National Cancer Information Center (1-800-ACS-2345) or visit its website, cancer.org. If you would like to donate your time as well, you can learn how to volunteer for the Society here.