New writers, VR, and Pearl Jam: While We’re Waiting

Welcome to this Friday WFNY readers. This isn’t just any Friday. This is THIS Friday. I don’t know what that means. It could be a good thing. It could be a bad thing. I’m feeling philosophical. Must be the morning after a Browns preseason game. Let’s talk about some things while we’re waiting…

Did you hear me talk to newest WFNY’er Jeff Nomina?

WFNY is in a period of transition. We’ve had discussions on and off the record about where we’re going from here. One thing’s for sure. We’re going to continue to add voices to the site and it began this week with Jeff Nomina, who is known for his fashion — combining t-shirts with more formal sport coats in Cavs promotional videos. He’s also going to be known around here for his Indians and Cavs posts soon enough. Until then, please enjoy his contributions to the WFNY Podcast.

I’ve had my first VR experience and it’s a big deal…

I wasn’t all that excited about Oculus, or VR in general, mostly because I think I wanted to avoid having to buy any new technology. I’ve been trying to scale back the amount of “things” I have in my life, and that includes even cool things. I’ve been working hard on defining the word “need” in my life, and I’m trying to limit the number of platforms. We live in an app culture and between my iPhone and my Mac, and my work PC, it’s less about adding wholly new platforms and more about adding new apps to existing platforms. Or at least it was until I saw VR. VR makes me want to expand, but maybe I’ll wait a bit longer.

VR isn’t completely ready for prime-time. I used a Samsung phone lodged in a goggle setup, and while the graphics are great, they’re still pixelated. I’m sure it’s better in an actual Oculus setup, but it could cost $1000 or more just to find a computer powerful enough to fuel an Oculus headset. It’s expensive to be too early to a tech like this and I don’t think I can justify it… yet.

But holy cow is it cool. I went on a guided tour of National Parks with Barack Obama in my ear. I played a fishing game and I flew through a level of MineCraft which was just astonishing. I also stood in the middle of the sky in a city skyline with a skyscraper hanging out below my feet. It made my stomach drop as my mind tried to negotiate what was assaulting my eyes. So cool.

This is going to be a game changer, but not completely until it becomes affordable to the masses. I’m amped by my first exposure to VR, but we’ll just have to wait a little bit longer for affordability to be achieved along with the technical aspects. I can’t wait to watch my first NFL game with a 360-degree camera allowing me to watch from nearly inside the action.

Your weekly moment of soccer zen…

The goalkeeper just crumples to the ground because he receives the ball in such perfect position. No chance.

I’m on another Sirens kick…

When Sirens came out from Pearl Jam I listened to it on repeat. I don’t know why, but in the past two weeks that song is back in heavy rotation on my Spotify. So we’re listening to it today.