Reflections...Volume 18 No 18 April 2002.....Science & Technology.....Box Vs Cube

They played for what seemed like forever. I figured they’d had enough when they both chose the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and played against each other. Jim suggested “it would be really cool to invite some other guys over and have, like, a sleepover and play all night,” I threw them out. I had work to do. Nin-tendo’s GameCube had showed up, and it also needed reviewing.
Just in time. The GameCube and the X box will both be arriving in U.S retail stores. If you are of a certain age and inclination, you’re probably wondering: which one should I buy? And what about Sony’s playstation2, which came out last year?
Having tried all three, I suspect that only the most experienced gamers will be able to tell the difference in terms of performance – they’re all outstanding. So your decision should be based not on the machines but on the games they play.
That said, I’d recommend that any one with young kids lean toward the cute and lovable GameCube. Nintendo has mastered that market, and by mid-December should have 20 titles ranging from new twists on old characters- Luigi’s Mansion, a Mario spin – off-to a Pikmin, the latest from Shigeru Miymoto, the genius behind the Zelda franchise. The GameCube has abandoned its cartridge format; games now come on adorable mini-CDs.
Older (age 15 and up ), more hardcore gamers will want that Xbox. The machine is Microsoft’s heachhead in the console wars, and I predict it will be a big success, even though it costs 50 % more. It’s a gorgeous piece of equipment that includes an internal hard drive (so it can respond at blink-of the eye speeds to your every command). While Microsoft offers a few child-friendly titles, including Shrek, it’s the adult-oriented fare that will distinguish this machine. I was particularly enamored of a surfing simulator, Transworld surf.
Finally, longtime play station users will probably want to upgrade to the P2, since they can still use their old PlayStation games as well as new titles that take advantage of the P2’s increased horsepower.

Starved For Info?

Here’s my first problem: I can’t stop watching the news watch it openly in my office all day. I watch it surreptitiously at home, as if it were porn that my young children must not see. I take every newspaper and magazine I can carry, and I read them on the train. My theory is this: the more information I have, the more I will feel as if I’m in control. If I can assess the risk of anthrax attacks and suitcase nukes and the Russian 201st Motorized Rifle Division amassing in Tajikistan, maybe I won’t have to worry about where bin Laden is going to strike next.
And this brings me to my second problem: I can’t get enough information. With the new, Webby TV format the talking head in one corner, the foreign correspondent in the other and the zippered news headlines at the bottom in three minutes I’m all caught up. Where can I find more?
On the Web, of course. A Google search is fine for selected topics like the Taliban and hemorrhagic diseases. But for that mother lode of breaking news, deep background and raw gossip, Middle Eastern hands tell me, there is a short list of must-visit sites.
Start with the think strategic forecasting () based in Austin, Texas. It publishes a daily “situation report” that chronicles the previous day’s events in a no-nonsense way. I always manage to find things on that list that I have missed. Like most private-analysis sites, this one charge a fee to get at the juicy stuff.
After being provoked like that, I visit the Henry L.Stimson Center (, which has a free library of frequently updated reports that tell you more than most people want to know about biochemical terrorism and weapons of mass destruction. Some other recommended sites include parameters, the U.S. Army War College’s journal (Carlisle-www.army.mil/usawc/parameters), which is to the Army what the New England Journal of Medicine is to doctors; the Center for strategic and International studies (, which has great stuff on fighting Iraq; and the pentagon’s official news outlet ( ), be sure to check its special reports.
I know it’s not good for me, but for gossip and buzz I go to Jerusalem-based DEBKA files (. As a source of news, the site is a curious thing – utterly compelling while still managing to be amateurish, disorganized and not always believable. Where does it get its stuff? A network of sources “ in the military, in intelligence, ex-intelligence people, political people, ex-political people, business people, arms dealers,” says Giora Shamis, 62, the site’s editor. Named one of U.S.A Today’s Hot Sites recently, DEBKA draws 150,000visitors a day. I’m not the only one having troubled not watching.