This week’s Georgia Straight includes my look at how users of Apple’s Mac computers can run Microsoft’s Windows operating system and programs designed to run on Windows.

It’s not exactly a simple thing to do, but it’s also more stable than you’d think, and I run down the various methods the latest “Techno Logic” column.

Run Windows on an Apple computer? Not only is it possible, it’s getting easier all the time. As soon as Apple announced, in 2005, that it was going to use Intel chips in its Macintosh personal computers, the once clear line dividing the PC and the Mac became blurry.

My latest article for the Globe & Mail’s Technology section published on Monday.’

The column, which asks whether video games need to grow up, includes great and insightful commentary from N’Gai Croal, Matt Levitan, and Victor Lucas.

“We don’t care if you don’t get it any more,” Lucas says from the set of his show, now a daily magazine that airs on Citytv and G4TechTV. “It’s not a niche market, it’s a universal, global market and there’s a lot of fun that people are missing out on if they’re not playing games.”

Yesterday, NHL 09 was released to the public and Electronic Arts saw this as an opportunity to gather the media. Six NHL players were on display. Dion Phaneuf (D, Calgary Flames), as the cover athlete on NHL 09, was the star of the show.

Also in attendance were Drew Doughty (D, Los Angeles Kings), Josh Harding (G, Minnesota Wild), Patrick O’Sullivan (C, Los Angeles Kings), Corey Perry (RW, Anaheim Ducks), and Jeremy Roenick (C, San Jose Sharks).

The press events for EA Sports titles are always interesting because the blend of gaming and sports journalists is a bit like mixing oil and water. I wonder what the players think, being asked one moment what they think about their chances in the upcoming season, and whether they prefer Mario or Sonic the next.

With some assistance from clever comrade Rob Klovance, I came up with a list of questions that I asked each of the six players. Their answers were sometimes brusque (I was told explicitly “Next question” more than once, which must be loudmouth Michael Landsberg fault) and sometimes thoughtful and considered.

So I’m going to post those Q&As here. For the record, as it were.

Here are the questions that were asked:

• Do you play video games? What are your favourites?
• Which NHL team made out best with acquisitions during the off-season?
• Is there a player in the league worht $10 million a year? Is Mats Sundin one of them?
• Should we still have national antems played before games?
• Which song would you like to hear before a game?
• Which superhero would make the best hockey player?
• What’s the one part of your game you wish you were better at?

Answers will follow in discreet posts in the next day or so. Stay tuned.

Published today in The Globe & Mail’s Technology section is my article on the state of game development for PC.

Rahul Sood at HP/VoodooPC stated the answer most succinctly: “It’s nowhere near the death of PC gaming, it’s growing at an alarming rate. There’s a lot of changes, but no signs of death.”

There was a time when personal computers were the tools of choice for hard-core gamers. But four years ago, on the brink of the release of the PlayStation 3, Wii and Xbox 360, analysts were proclaiming the death of PC gaming.

Will Wright is the big brain behind The Sims and the upcoming Spore, a video game which signifies a paradigm shift in how games are conceived, built, presented, and considered.

My feature interview with Wright is in the latest edition of the Georgia Straight.

Will Wright isn’t your average video-game designer, and his newest title, Spore, isn’t your everyday game. Set for release on Sunday (September 7), the game gives players power over nature and asks them to make use of the tools of evolution. It’s expected to turn the video-game industry upside down with its unique blend of simulation, gaming, and social networking.

Also in the Straight as part of my “Trigger Happy” column is a preview of Spore.

Since EA released the Creature Creator, over three million creatures have been created and uploaded to the Sporepedia, an on-line repository that is a focal point of the growing Spore community. If the full version is half as compelling as the Creature Creator, it will be one of the most successful video games ever released.