What better way to spend one of my days off than troubleshooting network issues?! For some weird reason, I’ve started having difficulties with streaming video, namely YouTube and now Netflix is acting up too. I’d start downloading/streaming a video, it would load about halfway, then just stop playing. I’d have to pause then restart the video, or scrub all the way to the end before going back to the middle of the movie to hopefully have it play through. This happened once before, then the issue magically resolved itself, and it’s now back again.

I’m curious, is anyone else experiencing issues like this? Doesn’t seem to have any bearing whether I’m connected via Ethernet or Wireless, I run both an 802.11b/g and 802.11n networks (separate, actually two different devices entirely), iPhones, iPads, all Macs in the house (hehe I’ve been waiting a long time to say that), but still I’m getting wonky behavior on the network.

I’m in the middle of a fresh backup of 600+ GB of data from my MacBook to my Time Capsule, but once that finishes I might try taking my Airport Extreme out of the equation to see if that resolves the issue.

It seems that tech support, I’m afraid, is always open…

Check this out:

That video is taken from a game called “GT Racing”, which is a driving simulator for the iPad/iPhone/etc. I have not been able to put my iPad down for the last hour and a half, this game is fantastic!. (Just to reiterate, that video was me driving, about half an hour ago!)

The controls feel pretty life-like, despite the fact that it uses the iPad’s accelerometer to turn, so it does take some getting used to. The graphics are very impressive, there’s tons of tracks, activities, things to do etc. I was floored when I saw I could actually get a 2009 Subaru Impreza, in my body color!. Granted, it’s an STi, so it’s the suped-up über-faster version of the car I drive, but still, having the same car on my iPad that’s parked in my garage right now, that’s just ridiculously cool in my book.

Incredibly well worth the $9.99 price tag.

I also love the fact that it’s got built-in support for YouTube right within the app. Once you watch your last race on Instant Reply, there’s a “YouTube” button on the bottom right corner. Click that, and you’re presented with a simple editing interface, to put all of, or part of your last race up on YouTube (hence the video above these words.)

Totally totally awesome. A+, 5-stars, Kudos, nice job to Gameloft!!!!

Apparently, this is from a kids show… but…wow. I just don’t know what to say…