It looks like Kappa, one of the largest icons of the 80’s is making a roaring comeback this year. Every where I look, I see the silhoutte of the naked girl and guy, back to back (reminds me of the Relax! 12″ single from Frankie Goes to Hollywood) on jerseys, hoodies and sports tops. I’m joining in on the craze, spending silly amounts of money on Kappa gear, but I think it’s ok, since I was old enough, but not rich enough to don Kappa shirts back in ‘84. On that note, enjoy the attached Kappa background images for your computer.

Kappa Backgrounds - Right click and save target as - don’t worry, there all 1024 wide.

More coming….

A little off topic for me, but with the price of oil still at crazy-ass levels, I thought it was time for a little research into which SUV gets the best MPG. Our Ford Expedition, with it’s V8 5.4 Litre Tritron engine currently consumes 1 gallon per 13 miles, not exactly eco-friendly, so I’m on a mission, no, a quest to get the best SUV wit the highest MPG… Here’s what I’ve found.

Small to Midsize SUV with best MPG - according to about.com:

1) 2005 Honda CR-V
The Honda CR-V’s fuel economy ratings are an easy to take 21-23 mpg in the city and 26-29 mpg on the highway. The CR-V isn’t an offroader, but it handles well where most of us need it to–on the pavement. It’s roomy, dependable, and the price isn’t bad, even though it went up for 2005: $19,995 to $25,050. The Honda CR-V uses regular gas.

2) 2005 Toyota RAV4
The RAV4 got a much-needed engine boost in 2004, and more features that used to be optional are now standard equipment. It’s a quality vehicle that just keeps getting better (although my own tastes shy away from the look of those huge body side moldings). This compact SUV’s city mileage ratings range from 22-24 mpg, with 27-30 mpg on the highway. MSRP is $19,600 to $21,000. The RAV4 uses regular gas. See the RAV4 Photo Gallery and RAV4 Highlights.

3) 2005 Ford Escape Hybrid
Ford Escape Hybrid owners can realistically expect to get 40 mpg in stop and go traffic and go 500 miles between fill ups. The hybrid costs about $3,500 more than the conventional XLT model, ranking in at $26,970 for front wheel drive models and $28,595 for four wheel drive.

4) 2005 Toyota Highlander
The mid-size Highlander can seat up to seven adults, and you’ll find it has plenty of safety features and a smooth, carlike ride. A V6 engine is available, but for better fuel-efficiency go with the four-cylinder. Test drive Highlander models long enough to decide which configuration is best for your needs. City mileage ranges from 18-22 mpg, highway from 24-27 mpg. MSRP is $24,080 to $31,380, and the Highlander SUV uses regular gas.

5) 2005 Lexus RX 330
Looking for more luxury? Try the Lexus RX 330 if you want a sedan-like ride from your sport utility vehicle. There are plenty of high tech gadgets to play with and you’ll ride in comfort. City mileage ratings are 18-20 mpg, highway stands at 24-26. MSRP ranges from $35,775 to $37,175. The RX 330 uses regular gas.

6) 2005 Mitsubishi Outlander
This mid-size SUV is rated at 21-26 mpg for city driving and 22-28 mpg on the highway. The seating area is roomy, but the Outlander is shorter on cargo space than some of its competitors. Overall, the Outlander provides a good ride, so take a look. The Outlander’s MSRP ranges from $18,719 to $24,149 and it uses regular gas.

7) 2005 Ford Escape
No, not the Escape Hybrid–that’s in a class of its own for an SUV (and more difficult to obtain). The traditional Ford Escape doesn’t do too bad with fuel economy, although it’s rated slightly less than other small SUVs. City mileage averages 18-22 mpg and highway mileage is at 22-25 mpg. It uses regular gas and has an MSRP that ranges from $19,265 to $28,005.

2005 Honda Element
Honda’s boxy Element isn’t for everyone, but we’re starting to see more and more of them on the road, so its popularity must be climbing. This compact SUV only seats four, so steer away from it if your seating requirements are often higher. City mileage ratings are 21-22 mpg, with 25-26 mpg on the highway. Prices start at $19,525. The Element uses regular gas

9) 2006 Toyota Highlander HybridIt’ll take awhile to see if the Highlander Hybrid SUV acquires the following that Toyota’s Prius has. The 4×2 version’s EPA fuel economy rating is 33 city / 28 highway and the 4×2 is rated at 31/27. The Highlander Hybrid’s price tag ranges from $33,030 to $39,290. Regular gas is okay, but Toyota recommends mid-grade for best performance.

The only problem with the aforemention SUVs is they are a little too small, I need a 3-row, carry the kids and their friends to soccer/baseball/football/basketball kinda SUV, so clearly more research is needed… Stay tuned.

An unreleased Chinese issue of the Official Xbox Magazine has featured photos of the final Xbox 360 cam due to be released soon. Xboxic featured the magazine scan. It shows 2 new accessoires, the official Xbox 360 Camera and a Quick Charge Kit…

• Xbox Live Camera (coming May 2006)
• Video Chat and messaging is now an integrated part of the Xbox Live experience.
• Quick Charge Kit (coming May 2006)

The Quick Charge Kit provides an all-in-one solution to keep your wireless controller fully charged. Includes the Quick Charger for two batteries, Play and Charge Cable, and the Rechargable Battery Pack.

Whilst this seems like a cool idea for the 360, I’m not so sure I wanna see a bunch of spotty 15 year olds show me how bad they wanna kick my ass in COD2 or Battlefield 2….

Gotta love the open source guys. If you think iTunes is to bulky, Windows Media Player to, well, Microsofty, then you should have a butchers at a nice new, (beta) piece of software called Songbird. Songbird can do everything you’d expect a media player to do. Play music from your computer, as well as from the Web in one integrated user experience. If you run a music service, you can leverage Songbird’s APIs to create deeply integrated stores and user features. Can your current player hook you up with MP3, AAC, WMA, FLAC and OGG?

Here’s a list of additional features:

Play Anything
MP3, AAC, OGG, FLAC, WMA, and more. Can you teach Songbird to sing?

Pick Feathers
Choose from the two included themes: Rubber Ducky or Cardinal Red. You can even make one yourself.

Control the Flow
Play, Pause, Previous, Next, Volume, Mute, Seek, Three Repeat Modes, and Shuffle.

Multi-Task
Quickly switch between tasks using the buttons to the right of the dashboard display.

Organize Your Library
Filter your collection by Genre, Artist, Album, and Song or Search-As-You-Type.

Scan Your Computer for Music
Songbird will find your music and add it to your collection for you.

Super Slim Mini-Mode
Use the mini-mode for basic controls while keeping Songbird out of the way.

Multi-Language Support
Songbird comes in dozens of languages.

Build Custom Mixes
Drag-and-drop songs from the Library or another playlist to your create your own custom mixes.

Make Smart Mixes
Criteria-based playlists that are always up-to-date with your current collection.

Dynamic Mixes
Get mixes from the Internet and stay up-to-date with the latest updates, downloads, and casts.

Play In Place
Songbird plays MP3s without leaving the page.

Play the Web
Play web pages as playlists and view any web page as a playlist.

Set Music Watch Folders
Tell Songbird to watch a folder for new music and it will automatically add new tracks to your collection

Integrated Web Search
Search the web from the context of your collection or tell Songbird to search on the currently playing track.

Songbird Extensions
Coming soon! Have an idea for an extension?

Cross-Platform
Coming soon on Mac OS X, Linux and more.

CD Import and Burn
Coming soon!

There’s plenty of information available on the InterWeb for Xbox fans, but no real concise place for the Xbox 360. Sure, IGN and Gamespot have tons of information, but it takes forever to read thru there crappy sites as they are littered with Ads, Pop-Ups and other things designed to make your reading experience as hard as possible. In addition, what you read is their oppinion. Well, check out the Xbox 360 Wiki. Similar to the infamous WikiPedia, the Xbox 360 Wiki allows visitors to add, change and modify the site - meaning an online community is responsible for the content, not some big dude publisher.

Sounds like a cool concept to me.