ShareThisBy MIKE BERMANTuesday, November 21, 2006I am bemused, befuddled and besmirched! The introduction of the somewhat overpriced Sony Playstation 3 ($599) has left a path of carnage in its wake and, to compound it all, the folks at Sony took a tip from Microsoft's bag of tricks and created a shortage of these wunderkind, high-end gaming consoles, giving just a few of us a taste of what's to come.People were being shot, maimed and mugged as they waited in line (some for days) to be the first to own one of these machines. In fact in Connecticut, where I live, a man was shot because he refused to share his Playstation cash with a couple of muggers.Some retailers played it smart by handing out coupons to those long-suffering individuals standing in line, telling those that didn't get any to go home and try again when the store would have more units to sell. But others stood idly by, delighting in the fact that their patrons were being crushed and bruised in an effort to leave their stores with the grand prize. All of this mayhem over a game console!Albeit, the PS3 has a lot going for it _ HDMI high definition at 1080p, the ability to play the new Blu-Ray high definition DVDs (which should lead to more intense gaming), and processing power that leaves its predecessor (the Playstation 2) in the dust. But is the experience worth being shot? I think not!Although I haven't been able to spend any quality time with a PS3, I have been able to play a few of the new generation of games designed to take advantage of its processing power and I was dutifully impressed. But the jury's out until I get to really compare it to my Xbox 360, which gives me high def at a "paltry" 740p. Now, obviously, unless you have one of the brand, spanking new high definition monitors or televisions that can handle 1080p resolution, you really won't notice the difference, so it may be a mute point.The jury's also still out as to whether the PS3 is worth $200 more than its rival Xbox 360, so stay tuned.X...X...XI'm seeking nominees for the Annual Bermie Awards (yep, it's that time of year again), so if any game, software or hardware made a big impression on you during the past year, email me at mberman(at)jocgeek.com and let me know about it. Mike Berman can be reached at jocgeek(at)earthlink.net or through his Web site at www.jocgeek.com.
Does Playstation 3 deserve all the fuss?
Paying taxes unites us. It also divides us. People can pay five and even six times more in state and local taxes than other folks in similar circumstances making similar incomes.
Who's got your number?
In one of the fastest-growing forms of identity theft, crooks are stealing tax refunds by swiping personal information and using it to trick the Internal Revenue Service.
