Meet Kinect for XBox 360 (This isn't your granny's Wii)

(I'm always trying to tell you how to work better, but today's post is all about learning how to PLAY better.)

Let's face it—Microsoft has not historically been not known for its cool factor; people make a sport of poking fun of us, and perhaps thinking of us as stodgy or indifferent or just plain boring. Never mind that Office is the #1 productivity software in the world and that many millions of people rely on it. But okay, yeah, that doesn't make us cool or hip or trendy—just...useful. And that's a reputation we've been pretty happy owning but it doesn't tell the whole story. Case in point: Microsoft Kinect. I'm guessing you've heard about it but if you haven't, here's the tag line: Controller-free gaming. No gadgets, no gizmos, just you. I love the idea of that.

First, some personal Crabby history: I don't have an XBox; I do have a Wii. It's the very first gaming system I've ever owned and yeah, the commercials and playing it at other people's houses reeled me in. See, I've never been a real "gamer" and I'm guessing it's a generational thing. I'm not as old as you may think I am (but then again...maybe I am). When I was a kid, in the dark ages of the early 80s, the new, hot games were Asteroids, Donkey Kong, and Pac-Man and there wasn't a whole lot else available back then (hot or not). But hey, I was a dot-eating machine and Blinky, Pinky, Inky and Clyde were no match for me and my quest for power pellets. In other words, I ROCKED the Pac-Man.

But alas, that was the end of my gaming domination. Once all the different gaming systems started coming out with all of their complicated controllers and rules, I was like a sherpa in the desert: lost. But then my eight-year-old begged for a Wii, and well, that kept me entertained for a couple of years but I've grown weary of zapped batteries and dents in the walls from flung controllers. But now everything has changed again: We're waiting for our XBox 360 Kinect to arrive (and kissing those battery-sucking controllers adieu).

So how does it work without controllers? Rather than me blathering on about sensors, high tech recognition hardware, and avatars, take a look at the future...because it's HERE:

Anyone interested in a slightly used Wii??? I'll throw in some batteries... 

Crabby's Find of the Day: Virtual chickens and the omnivore's dilemma

— Crabby