.| UrbanNerd |.

This Somerville landmark closed for renovations on May 23, 2008 for approximately 2 years. Currently it is a series of conservatories similar to the NY Botanical Gardens. This was her original design to compete with Longview Gardens in Pa.  She found it perfect for spring flower viewings. When the gardens reopen in 2010 they will be quite different.

Philadephia Horticultural Society sponsored an estate tour of several varietes of gardens in the northern Philadephia Subburbs, examples included a moss garden, English garden, Train garden, etc.

Philadephia Horticultural Society is sponsoring an estate tour of several varietes of gardens in the northern Philadephia Subburbs, examples included a moss garden, English garden, Train garden, etc.

Thanks to Tom we have an update. This Somerville landmark will close for renovations May 23, 2008 for approximately 2 years. Currently it is a series of conservatories similar to the NY Botanical Gardens. This was her original design to compete with Longview Gardens in Pa.  She found it perfect for spring flower viewings. When the gardens reopen in 2010 they will be quite different. Somerville is less than 40 minutes from Bayonne So with limited space and a high demand due to the closure, reservations are a must . Call 908-722-3700 or visit their website

Dear Scooterati,

I can remember getting my Vespa ET4 about 4 years ago. I sold my 1989 Jeep Grand Wagoneer to buy it. People thought I was nuts. It was November. I was enrolled in one of the last Motorcycle Safety courses offered that year. I took the road test in frigid high wind conditions. It seemed appropriate in preparing me for riding in winter. I rode my ET4 home that weekend, and then proceeded to ride it all winter, daily, for my commute.

For 3 years I rode the ET4 through all weather. It took a beating, but it kept on going & I kept on going. It was liberating. People used to ask, wouldn’t trains be better in such cold? No, I said, nothing really compared to riding. Even in the cold….. especially in the cold!

I found that winter riding could actually be more enjoyable than summer riding. I found that wearing all my proper gear… and actually being warm and impervious to the weather around me while riding to my destination was a wonderful feeling. With the exception of the bitter cold… temps in the teens and below, I couldn’t think of better days to ride.

I think you have to be a person who is okay with wearing gear… proper gear, in order to enjoy winter riding. I always have been okay with gearing up, so winter just seemed like a challenge for the right gear for me. I chose the non electric route, handle bar muffs over heated grips, insulated ski pants pulled over my street clothes, and more recently the Aerostich Roadcrafter.

However, after 3 years of riding and having no other vehicle, I took a job that forced me to purchase a car for some longer trips required from my new job. This past week, it shames me to admit, was the first week in 4 winters when I chose not to brave the teen & single digit temps. I am pondering on that today, as the coldest weather finally lifts. I find myself discontent with that change, and missing the freedom that I once had. We often call cars cages, and truly my car felt increasingly like a cage this week. Did I lose a piece of my scootering identity by giving up that part of it?

I do know one thing for sure. If given the choice to give up one, I would make the same choice today that I made 4 years ago, and gladly trade my car for my scoot.

Scoot on.

Two months ago, I pre-ordered a Wii at the Nintendo World Store. This turned out to be a great idea. While others were camping in the cold weather out by Times Square, huddled and waiting desperately for the chance to buy a Wii at midnight, we spent the evening enjoying a nice dinner, and then heading home to sleep.

Once we woke up, we took the trip to Midtown, parked the bike about a block away from the Nintendo World Store, and joined the line of people waiting for their chance to purchase Wii. As time passed, us pre-orders were slowly plucked from the line, and brought into the store. There, we waited on the final line, as the walk-ins were also processed in a separate line. I’d honestly figure that most people on the line had an excellent shot at walking away with a system, accessories, and some games.

A quick survey of the available games led us to hit multiple genres. We purchased a Wii Remote, a Nunchuk Attachment, and the Classic Controller add on, along with 2000 Wii Points, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Excite Truck, and Red Steel. A quick walk for some hot cider, and we were ready to head home.

(Interesting fact: The Wii box is just narrow enough to fit in a Vespa GT/GTS top case.)

Hooking up the Wii proved to be quite simple. It ships with component cables, most likely to ensure that just about anyone can make it work with their TV, and the sensor bar is adequate for any setup which places your game console near your screen. Projector owners may not be so lucky, depending on your wiring.

Internet setup took no time at all, once I added the Wii’s MAC address to my access point’s whitelist. After poking around with settings, we started the fun of the prep process: Making Mii.

A Mii is basically an avatar for any game which supports it. They’re primitive, comicky, and can be transferred to your own Wii Remote’s internal memory. We made one for each of us, stored them on our Wii Remotes, and now we’re ready to play at anyone else’s home with our own Mii ready to go. Next up: Wii Sports.

Wii Sports is a little thin, being a package of five sports games. Wii Boxing is a bit of a workout, using the Wii Remote and the Nunchuk as boxing gloves. Cross, jab, or block, and your Mii will do the same. Needless to say, you should give yourself some room to move. Wii Tennis is harder, using just the Wii Remote as a tennis racket. While the controls feel solid, it certainly takes a little time to get used to it. Wii Baseball is an exercise in frustration, giving you a three-inning game with some odd approximations. (I hit a few grounders, and didn’t even have a chance to run for first base.) Wii Golf is, quite simply, hard. It feels like golf, being utterly unforgiving when you use too much power, too little, or swinging at the wrong angle. Finally, there’s Wii Bowling. It’s also hard, but it lets you set your position and angle, and spin control is very intuitive.

Once that was out of the way, we moved on to Excite Truck. Jenny didn’t like it much at all. You hold the controller like an NES control pad, and much like Excitebike, too much turbo will burn out your engine. Crashes are expected, and just result in you starting off back on the track, and the truck itself is controlled by tilting the (now sideways) Wii Remote. The drawback of the game is that you have to go through a tutorial before you can play anything, including Versus mode. Compared to Wii Sports, which simply explained your options as you played, this felt like a chore.

Saving the most addictive for last, we loaded up Red Steel. The controls aren’t bad, but you *must* point the Wii Remote at the screen at all times. It determines where you look on the screen, so this is pretty important, or else you’ll end up looking at the ceiling while people shoot you. All in all, it does have the best controls I’ve ever used on a console FPS, and the swordplay adds a nice touch. In a firefight, you spend a lot of time crouching, focusing mostly on finding a target, popping up, and hoping that you’re a good enough shot to get him before you have to crouch again. It’s a neat game for me, but it’s not for everyone.

Finally, Zelda. This is a far cry from Wind Waker, both graphically and plotwise. You’re no longer a kid, you’re not just trying to save a little girl, and the graphics are eerily beautiful. As usual, you’re not a hero when you start off. You take on the role of the legendary hero from the past, just like in Wind Waker, Minish Cap, etc., but you’re a whole new Link. The controls are smooth, the Nunchuk feels like it belongs in your hand the whole time, and the swordplay/slingshot controls just feel perfect. Z-targeting is still there, but it’s nowhere near as important now as it used to be.

All in all, this tiny console packs a decent punch, being effectively a Gamecube on steroids, with probably the best controllers I’ve ever used. The fit is perfect, the button placement is perfect, and everything about the system just feels natural. It’s definitely lacking in the graphics department compared to the PS3 and the XBox 360, but I just haven’t been able to let that bother me in the slightest.

Bungie and Microsoft announce multiplayer testing plans

To coincide with the fifth anniversary of Xbox and Halo, Microsoft Game Studios and Bungie have announced that beta testing for the third instalment in the series will begin next year.

The Halo 3 beta test, which is scheduled to start in the spring, will allow gamers to try out the game’s multiplayer mode via Xbox Live – a first for the franchise. Bungie will use the feedback from players to refine the full game, which is due out later in the year.

Microsoft also announced that new maps for Halo 2 will be available via Xbox Live Marketplace around the same time, and that a new 60 second teaser trailer for Halo 3 is on the way.

It will be broadcast on North America’s ESPN channel on December 4, and will simultaneously be shown on Xbox.com – allowing European gamers to watch too.

“Since its original release, Halo 2 has redefined online play, delivering superior multiplayer capabilities in addition to an incredible social experience, and nurturing a constantly growing community through Xbox Live,” said Shane Kim, corporate VP of Microsoft Game Studios.

“After five years of rabid fan interest in the Halo franchise and with more than 4 million users and counting on Xbox Live worldwide, this is the perfect time to invite fans to join the global Halo phenomenon.”

Source: Variety

Variety reports that NBC’s Heroes (was last night the best episode yet, or what?) is rockin’ in the ratings:

NBC’s “Heroes” is looking like the fall’s hottest new show after winning its time period Monday in key demos for a third straight week and matching its strong premiere score of two weeks ago, according to preliminary affiliate-based nationals from Nielsen.

After “Deal or No Deal” delivered stronger than usual numbers to open the night for NBC (4.4/12 in 18-49, 15.2 million viewers overall), “Heroes” (5.9/14 in 18-49, 13.3 million viewers overall) beat all of its broadcast rivals and notched the highest demo rating for any rookie series in the past two weeks. Net’s momentum on the night also transferred to 10 o’clock, where “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip” (3.8/9 in 18-49, 8.8 million viewers overall) was up 12% week to week.