It is probably fair to say that in the past week or so, most of my time has been taken up playing two games. Dragon Age 2 and 3D Dot Game Heroes.
Dragon Age 2 is a very good game, there is no doubt in my mind about that. I am some 40 hours into it now so I suspect that there is not much left to go but what I have been disappointed about has been the story. Despite the fact that there is much to do, it feels a lot more smaller in scale than the original Dragon Age game which is a tad disappointing. I don't mean this just in terms of the size of the world map, but more in the scope of the story.
The first game tasked the player with effectively saving the world from the Blight. The second game seems more focused on trying to resolve a local issue based in the city that you spend most of the game in. Now, unless there is some sort of grand change or the game is something like 100 hours long and I have not even got half way it seems a real come down from the original which is sad considering that the game play mechanics and graphics are much improved.
That said, I have enjoyed playing it and that is the idea at the end of the day.
The next game is the one that had taken many hours of my life. 3D Dot Game Heroes on the PS3 is an awesome game. I owe being made aware of this little number by my girlfriend Chelle who has been playing this constantly as well.
Essentially this is Legend of Zelda on the PS3, so much so that I am amazed that Nintendo have not taken some sort of legal action against the developers and publishers! It is an incredible game though and has kept me addicted since it arrived last week. There is so much to do in the game and it is a fascinating world to explore. It is one of those games that deserves so much more attention than what it has received and I am sure that given some proper marketing and promotion it would do very well sales wise.
If you have a PS3 and like the Zelda series then getting this is a no brainer.
I have just started playing Motorstorm Apocalypse this morning which is a stunning game. Racing through a city that is literally falling apart around you is breath taking and has become my favorite Motorstorm game even after such a short playing time. You know it is also one of those games that the demo really didn't do it justice and I can imagine many people being put off by it which is a shame because it is really good.
So that's it for me for now. With Fear 3 and Portal 2 on the horizon I am sorted for games for the time being.
Right I am off for more 3D Dot Game Heroes!
Showing posts with label Misc. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Misc. Show all posts
Wednesday, 20 April 2011
Thursday, 31 March 2011
RISEN, VIDEO REVIEWS & MOOD
I was going to waste my time in this blog entry about someone who irritated me yesterday on the phone, but I don't want to dwell on the clueless and uneducated moron any longer. Needless to say their existence is entirely inconsequential to me so therefore I am not going to let it factor in my thoughts any longer.
There, that's better.
I have to say that I am really struggling at the moment. My mood is low again and I am just in that frame of mind where I think I must have done something wrong in a previous life. I am just in that rut where every decision I make seems to be wrong.
I had intended to do my next video review this week but I am still suffering from a bad chest and voice just won't stand up to speaking for longer than a couple of minutes without giving out. My videos are nothing special, but I do like to try and do the best I can when I make them.
What I will probably do tomorrow is cut together the footage I recorded and then just wait until next week to do the voice over then upload it to You Tube. I actually enjoy making the videos so I feel a bit deflated at the moment in not being able to do them. I wanted to try and make sure I did two a month but it just has not worked out to be possible.
On the gaming front I finished Two Worlds 2 and Killzone 3 this week. Both excellent games that are well worth checking out. I am currently playing Risen which is really proving to be an enigma of a game. Sometime I think that it is going great then it seems to fall on it's arse.
It is a tough RPG, there is no doubt about that. I had to drop the difficulty onto the easiest setting as I was getting killed by everything in sight and int he end it became too frustrating. The leveling up is handled differently as well. When you level up only your basic stats such as health increase. If you want to spend any of your leveling up points, you need to find a class trainer to build up your strength, wisdom and dexterity as well as becoming more proficient with the class weapons: Swords, magic and bows and so on. I am not against this, but it can become tiresome having to back track to find a class trainer just to complete your leveling up. It also costs you gold as well so it's a double whammy.
Graphically it is fairly awful. I don't know if this looks much better on the PC but it looks like a PS2 game at times on the 360. There are unfinished textures, memory leakage the lot. It doesn't detract away from the adventure as such, but it does look a little poor compared to it's contemporaries.
So that is pretty much it. Not really been up to much but there you go.
There, that's better.
I have to say that I am really struggling at the moment. My mood is low again and I am just in that frame of mind where I think I must have done something wrong in a previous life. I am just in that rut where every decision I make seems to be wrong.
I had intended to do my next video review this week but I am still suffering from a bad chest and voice just won't stand up to speaking for longer than a couple of minutes without giving out. My videos are nothing special, but I do like to try and do the best I can when I make them.
What I will probably do tomorrow is cut together the footage I recorded and then just wait until next week to do the voice over then upload it to You Tube. I actually enjoy making the videos so I feel a bit deflated at the moment in not being able to do them. I wanted to try and make sure I did two a month but it just has not worked out to be possible.
On the gaming front I finished Two Worlds 2 and Killzone 3 this week. Both excellent games that are well worth checking out. I am currently playing Risen which is really proving to be an enigma of a game. Sometime I think that it is going great then it seems to fall on it's arse.
It is a tough RPG, there is no doubt about that. I had to drop the difficulty onto the easiest setting as I was getting killed by everything in sight and int he end it became too frustrating. The leveling up is handled differently as well. When you level up only your basic stats such as health increase. If you want to spend any of your leveling up points, you need to find a class trainer to build up your strength, wisdom and dexterity as well as becoming more proficient with the class weapons: Swords, magic and bows and so on. I am not against this, but it can become tiresome having to back track to find a class trainer just to complete your leveling up. It also costs you gold as well so it's a double whammy.
Graphically it is fairly awful. I don't know if this looks much better on the PC but it looks like a PS2 game at times on the 360. There are unfinished textures, memory leakage the lot. It doesn't detract away from the adventure as such, but it does look a little poor compared to it's contemporaries.
So that is pretty much it. Not really been up to much but there you go.
Tuesday, 29 March 2011
I GOT WIRES
I thought I would change track a little for this blog entry as looking back through what I had posted so far; it seems rather serious and I don't intend this blog to be nothing more than chin stroking exercise.
So, when is someone going to invent wireless electricity? I am serious. I am so fed of wires all over the place. I mean come on! We have wireless internet now and cordless phones. Isn't it about time some clever sod over at NASA or CERN stopped farting about with space ships and trying to create a planet destroying singularity under the ground in Switzerland and came up with something that would benefit mankind properly.
I get so fed up with untangling wires, tucking them out of the way, rolling them up and generally losing my tempter with them. Mankind cannot truly call ourselves a civilized and advanced race until we do away with wires.
Now, there are two possibilities that I can think of as a strictly non-scientific person. First of all I don't see why all electrical appliances cannot have a small miniture nuclear reactor in them so power them. We all know that nuclear energy is clean and safe (ish) and not only that it can provide energy for longer than the average human lives due to the lengthy half life of the materials used. I think this is very useable and will do away with wires and the need for rechargeable batteries as well.
The other possibility is a bit more sci-fi but I don't see why the electro-static particles in the air cannot be harnessed in some way and used to power electronic devices. Think of it like this. You would not get anymore static shocks and that can only be a good thing. Also, think that every time you use an electronic device, the electronic energy it gives off it will be harnessed and reused. How green is that?
I think both ideas are perfect feasible and I am at a loss as to why this has not been introduced already. Imagine the savings on energy bills - because you wouldn't have any. As a matter of fact I intend to patent these ideas so that I can get filthy rich at some point in the future. I shall call it Aidy's Quantum Electro-Powered Self Charging Reactor Core.
There, I think I have sufficiently supplied a brilliant idea to the human race this evening, so now I shall return to watching some really shocking movie on the TV to recharge my batteries before my next thunder clap of an idea is unleashed!
So, when is someone going to invent wireless electricity? I am serious. I am so fed of wires all over the place. I mean come on! We have wireless internet now and cordless phones. Isn't it about time some clever sod over at NASA or CERN stopped farting about with space ships and trying to create a planet destroying singularity under the ground in Switzerland and came up with something that would benefit mankind properly.
I get so fed up with untangling wires, tucking them out of the way, rolling them up and generally losing my tempter with them. Mankind cannot truly call ourselves a civilized and advanced race until we do away with wires.
Now, there are two possibilities that I can think of as a strictly non-scientific person. First of all I don't see why all electrical appliances cannot have a small miniture nuclear reactor in them so power them. We all know that nuclear energy is clean and safe (ish) and not only that it can provide energy for longer than the average human lives due to the lengthy half life of the materials used. I think this is very useable and will do away with wires and the need for rechargeable batteries as well.
The other possibility is a bit more sci-fi but I don't see why the electro-static particles in the air cannot be harnessed in some way and used to power electronic devices. Think of it like this. You would not get anymore static shocks and that can only be a good thing. Also, think that every time you use an electronic device, the electronic energy it gives off it will be harnessed and reused. How green is that?
I think both ideas are perfect feasible and I am at a loss as to why this has not been introduced already. Imagine the savings on energy bills - because you wouldn't have any. As a matter of fact I intend to patent these ideas so that I can get filthy rich at some point in the future. I shall call it Aidy's Quantum Electro-Powered Self Charging Reactor Core.
There, I think I have sufficiently supplied a brilliant idea to the human race this evening, so now I shall return to watching some really shocking movie on the TV to recharge my batteries before my next thunder clap of an idea is unleashed!
Wednesday, 23 March 2011
THE LIVES OF OTHERS
No am I am not going to talk about the excellent film that came out a few years back, but rather the ease with which the unintentional actions of others can have such an effect on you.
This morning I was happily sat drinking a cup of coffee in the conservatory with the doors open. It was a cool morning but I am someone who likes fresh air and coolness. So I am sat there going through my emails and logging onto to Twitter enjoying the quiet time after people have drifted off to work and so on. Being out in suburbia and surrounded by trees I can sometimes get the impression that I am in the country with no one else around. It's a good feeling to have from time to time and can be relaxing.
So there I am in a good zen like mood when all of a sudden drifting on the airwaves like some sort of noxious lethal gas came the sound of the song Tragedy. Now it would have been bad enough if this had been the falsetto warble of the Bee Gees, but sadly and tragically (every pun intended) it was by the supremely talentless Steps. Whoever was playing this 'song' not only has a shit taste in music but also absolutely no shame at all. I would rather wire my gentleman's parts to a car battery and repeatedly switch the engine on and off than listen to such audio rapists as Steps. The thought of actually playing 'music' like that so loud so as to advertise the fact is beyond any sort of consideration!
Thankfully I only had to endure the one audio assault before whoever it was came to timely and sticky end at the hands of a more militant objector or they closed whatever escape hatch this evil was escaping from.
OK, in isolation this doesn't really matter, but it served as a reminder of what I really hate about summer the most. Other peoples noise.
For some strange reason, people seem to like sharing with everyone what they are listening to, talking about or doing in general whilst they are in their back gardens in summer. Frankly I could not give a toss what taste in music they have as I can be assured that it certainly won't be anything I like and I certainly don't want to know what is going on in their lives as for some reason, people who talk outdoors seem to insist on talking far louder than usual despite the fact that their intended target can be no more than two feet away. If this was confined to the day that would be OK, but for some reason it has to carry on at night. It is like there is no escape from having to listen to other peoples bullshit in one for or another.
The icing on the cake is usually the outdoor BBQ that turns into some sort of all night party. It appears that other people are not entitled to sleep because the party goers have to get drunk and shout/slur/sing/vomit their way through to the point where they pass out, which on average where I live tends to be around 4.00am. Hey guess what arseholes? I am not attending your party so I don't want to share in any of it, including your crappy music, your stupid brain dead conversations or actually your life in anyway shape or form. I really couldn't care less and I would really like it if you all were to vanish from the face of the Earth.
It's at times like this I really wish a had a supply of hand grenades or a sniper rifle or something to shut the irritating bastards up with!
You see, I don't believe that I should inflict my noise on other people if I can help it. OK there are always occasions when it is unavoidable but that is different than the air headed attitude that most people tend to have these days where they actually seem to go out of the way to annoy other people. It is symptomatic of today's society that no one really gives a shit about how their actions affect others. It is not about being boring it is about having the basic semblance of consideration for other people that you have to share the vicinity with. It should never be the case that someone else's noise should keep you up all night. Laws passed are a waste of time because the Police never bother turning up unless there is some sort of fight and let's face it, do we really need to have the Police to come and tell us to turn the music down or behave in a civilised fashion?
My philosophy in life is to do what you want and have a good time but never ever at the expense of others. I just wish these selfish muppets would consider that from time to time.
This morning I was happily sat drinking a cup of coffee in the conservatory with the doors open. It was a cool morning but I am someone who likes fresh air and coolness. So I am sat there going through my emails and logging onto to Twitter enjoying the quiet time after people have drifted off to work and so on. Being out in suburbia and surrounded by trees I can sometimes get the impression that I am in the country with no one else around. It's a good feeling to have from time to time and can be relaxing.
So there I am in a good zen like mood when all of a sudden drifting on the airwaves like some sort of noxious lethal gas came the sound of the song Tragedy. Now it would have been bad enough if this had been the falsetto warble of the Bee Gees, but sadly and tragically (every pun intended) it was by the supremely talentless Steps. Whoever was playing this 'song' not only has a shit taste in music but also absolutely no shame at all. I would rather wire my gentleman's parts to a car battery and repeatedly switch the engine on and off than listen to such audio rapists as Steps. The thought of actually playing 'music' like that so loud so as to advertise the fact is beyond any sort of consideration!
Thankfully I only had to endure the one audio assault before whoever it was came to timely and sticky end at the hands of a more militant objector or they closed whatever escape hatch this evil was escaping from.
OK, in isolation this doesn't really matter, but it served as a reminder of what I really hate about summer the most. Other peoples noise.
For some strange reason, people seem to like sharing with everyone what they are listening to, talking about or doing in general whilst they are in their back gardens in summer. Frankly I could not give a toss what taste in music they have as I can be assured that it certainly won't be anything I like and I certainly don't want to know what is going on in their lives as for some reason, people who talk outdoors seem to insist on talking far louder than usual despite the fact that their intended target can be no more than two feet away. If this was confined to the day that would be OK, but for some reason it has to carry on at night. It is like there is no escape from having to listen to other peoples bullshit in one for or another.
The icing on the cake is usually the outdoor BBQ that turns into some sort of all night party. It appears that other people are not entitled to sleep because the party goers have to get drunk and shout/slur/sing/vomit their way through to the point where they pass out, which on average where I live tends to be around 4.00am. Hey guess what arseholes? I am not attending your party so I don't want to share in any of it, including your crappy music, your stupid brain dead conversations or actually your life in anyway shape or form. I really couldn't care less and I would really like it if you all were to vanish from the face of the Earth.
It's at times like this I really wish a had a supply of hand grenades or a sniper rifle or something to shut the irritating bastards up with!
You see, I don't believe that I should inflict my noise on other people if I can help it. OK there are always occasions when it is unavoidable but that is different than the air headed attitude that most people tend to have these days where they actually seem to go out of the way to annoy other people. It is symptomatic of today's society that no one really gives a shit about how their actions affect others. It is not about being boring it is about having the basic semblance of consideration for other people that you have to share the vicinity with. It should never be the case that someone else's noise should keep you up all night. Laws passed are a waste of time because the Police never bother turning up unless there is some sort of fight and let's face it, do we really need to have the Police to come and tell us to turn the music down or behave in a civilised fashion?
My philosophy in life is to do what you want and have a good time but never ever at the expense of others. I just wish these selfish muppets would consider that from time to time.
Friday, 18 March 2011
IT'S GOOD TO UNPLUG
I have spent the biggest part of today unplugged from the internet and from playing games until this evening. I decided to break the cycle and and spend some time away from the keyboard. Now I know a day is hardly makes it worthy of being declared as abstinence but it felt good just the same. I spent some time in the back garden, not doing anything but taking in things around me.
It was quiet and still for the most part and the weather, although sunny, was still chilly in an early Spring type way. Just taking in the myriad of flora and fauna around me was quite the eye opener. I am not saying it was like being in the Amazonian Rain Forest, but we spend so much of our time going to and from places that I don't think we spend enough time taking in our surroundings.
I also noted that, even in winter, nature reclaims the land we take from it in next to no time. There was grass growing behind the shed at an already overgrown height and moss and grass is aleady sprouting between the flags on the path. It set me thinking how nature will one day reclaim all the resources that man has cultivated from the Earth. Whereas it is important that we respect and look after our environment, the over powering strength of nature will repair any damage we make long after humanity has gone from the face of the Earth.
Whoa, nearly got all strange and surreal there!
Back on being unplugged - I think it does everyone good to simply leave the modern day communication devices off for a while. So much of modern life is given over to the intrusion of stuff like the internet and other telecommunications. The advent of the mobile phone is almost like having some sort of tracking device on you at all times. Everywhere you go you can be contacted, you cannot be away from stuff for a moment. One thing I have started to do of late is leave my mobile phone either switched off or at home should I venture out. I am fed up of being beholden to this intrusive device.
I don't know. I have often wondered what life would be like living in a more simple and sober age. I have often wanted to live the life of a monk high in the mountains of Tibet, spending my days working a subsistence lifestyle and generally being a peace with myself. The problem is I am so familiar with the noise of the information age that the calmness and stillness and immediacy of each moment would probable drive me insane! I guess I have not reached the right spiritual enlightenment level yet.
I appreciate that this posting has been one big long incomprehensible ramble, but it sort of sums up the day I have had!
It was quiet and still for the most part and the weather, although sunny, was still chilly in an early Spring type way. Just taking in the myriad of flora and fauna around me was quite the eye opener. I am not saying it was like being in the Amazonian Rain Forest, but we spend so much of our time going to and from places that I don't think we spend enough time taking in our surroundings.
I also noted that, even in winter, nature reclaims the land we take from it in next to no time. There was grass growing behind the shed at an already overgrown height and moss and grass is aleady sprouting between the flags on the path. It set me thinking how nature will one day reclaim all the resources that man has cultivated from the Earth. Whereas it is important that we respect and look after our environment, the over powering strength of nature will repair any damage we make long after humanity has gone from the face of the Earth.
Whoa, nearly got all strange and surreal there!
Back on being unplugged - I think it does everyone good to simply leave the modern day communication devices off for a while. So much of modern life is given over to the intrusion of stuff like the internet and other telecommunications. The advent of the mobile phone is almost like having some sort of tracking device on you at all times. Everywhere you go you can be contacted, you cannot be away from stuff for a moment. One thing I have started to do of late is leave my mobile phone either switched off or at home should I venture out. I am fed up of being beholden to this intrusive device.
I don't know. I have often wondered what life would be like living in a more simple and sober age. I have often wanted to live the life of a monk high in the mountains of Tibet, spending my days working a subsistence lifestyle and generally being a peace with myself. The problem is I am so familiar with the noise of the information age that the calmness and stillness and immediacy of each moment would probable drive me insane! I guess I have not reached the right spiritual enlightenment level yet.
I appreciate that this posting has been one big long incomprehensible ramble, but it sort of sums up the day I have had!
Friday, 11 March 2011
THERE IS GOOD IN PEOPLE
Like many others I watched in sadness and hopelessness at the events which have unfolded in Japan this morning as the largest recorded earthquake in the countries history triggered off a tsunami that swamped much of the countries coastline.
One of the worst aspects was seeing this wall of water rapidly approaching people in cars who were frantically trying to drive out of the way of the wave only to become engulfed by it. It is certain that many of those people died trapped in their cars and it is gut wrenching to watch real people in the final moments of their lives dying right before your eyes. No Hollywood movie or video game can ever come close to emulating that feeling. This is real, those people dying are real and it can have a profound effect.
However, in the midst of this human tragedy, there is always that glimmering light of hope that shines through. So much of the news emphasizes the negative aspects of humanity. We all know of the greed and corruption that goes on at the highest levels of office. Yet the hope I have for the future of the human race is always highlighted when terrible events like this happens and that how quick other nations in this world will come to the aid of the one stricken.
Forgetting politics, it is reassuring that the spark of humanity is still very much alive. That our governments are always prepared to act to help people in times of natural disasters. That we have international aid agencies that mobilise within a few short hours of a disaster happening, ready and waiting to go across to the other side of the world to assist those in need.
Humanity has it's flaws. Governments have their agenda's. Yet when forces are unleashed that can be incomprehensible they will act and do what is right. Deep inside there is still compassion for our fellow men and women. It is a shame that it takes such terrible events as those which have happened and are happening in Japan for this to shine through.
There maybe examples of when governments have failed such as what happened in New Orleans but we are an imperfect species that will always make bad calls. The hope is that we learn from these errors in judgment.
There is still good in people and that should never be forgotten.
One of the worst aspects was seeing this wall of water rapidly approaching people in cars who were frantically trying to drive out of the way of the wave only to become engulfed by it. It is certain that many of those people died trapped in their cars and it is gut wrenching to watch real people in the final moments of their lives dying right before your eyes. No Hollywood movie or video game can ever come close to emulating that feeling. This is real, those people dying are real and it can have a profound effect.
However, in the midst of this human tragedy, there is always that glimmering light of hope that shines through. So much of the news emphasizes the negative aspects of humanity. We all know of the greed and corruption that goes on at the highest levels of office. Yet the hope I have for the future of the human race is always highlighted when terrible events like this happens and that how quick other nations in this world will come to the aid of the one stricken.
Forgetting politics, it is reassuring that the spark of humanity is still very much alive. That our governments are always prepared to act to help people in times of natural disasters. That we have international aid agencies that mobilise within a few short hours of a disaster happening, ready and waiting to go across to the other side of the world to assist those in need.
Humanity has it's flaws. Governments have their agenda's. Yet when forces are unleashed that can be incomprehensible they will act and do what is right. Deep inside there is still compassion for our fellow men and women. It is a shame that it takes such terrible events as those which have happened and are happening in Japan for this to shine through.
There maybe examples of when governments have failed such as what happened in New Orleans but we are an imperfect species that will always make bad calls. The hope is that we learn from these errors in judgment.
There is still good in people and that should never be forgotten.
Thursday, 3 March 2011
GENERAL STUFF
When I started this blog I actually didn't intend for it to become a daily thing as it almost has - in fact on some days I have posted two entries. That said, I think it is good if you can try and keep something going for as long as possible.
I used to try and do daily pictures and post them on the Blipfoto site, but I sort of lost interest as it meant trying to go out everyday and find something interesting to take a photo of. The problem is that there are only so many trees, fields and old buildings you can photograph before you become seriously bored of it as well. Added to the fact that I was lugging a Sony DSLR around with me meant that it wasn't exactly a point and shoot exercise. I admit that I should have been more motivated, but motivation has become a real problem for me in the past 12 months or so, but that is a different story altogether.
What I have decided to try was at least keep this blog up to date and try and do one or two video game reviews on You Tube each month. Sometimes when you are trying to sharpen your focus into something productive it helps to use things that you can easily get access to and get done, rather than setting yourself a mission as it were.
I did say some entries ago that I also did not intend to post here if I felt that I had nothing to say which is also true. Not all entries on here are going to be lengthy reads unless I need to unleash on something but this will not become an extension of Twitter.
As I have already mentioned, my MacBook Pro is in repair at the moment so getting stuff done, whilst possible, is a little more inconvenient. However I tend to record the raw footage of my game reviews in a batch to save having to keep messing around with the cables. I have another couple of reviews in the pipeline. My next one I intend to get up on You Tube next week and I will embed it here on this blog site as well. I have not decided which one to do yet (if truth be known I actually cannot remember which game footage I shot).
Anyway, just an update. Hopefully I will have some game related ramblings to post next time round.
I used to try and do daily pictures and post them on the Blipfoto site, but I sort of lost interest as it meant trying to go out everyday and find something interesting to take a photo of. The problem is that there are only so many trees, fields and old buildings you can photograph before you become seriously bored of it as well. Added to the fact that I was lugging a Sony DSLR around with me meant that it wasn't exactly a point and shoot exercise. I admit that I should have been more motivated, but motivation has become a real problem for me in the past 12 months or so, but that is a different story altogether.
What I have decided to try was at least keep this blog up to date and try and do one or two video game reviews on You Tube each month. Sometimes when you are trying to sharpen your focus into something productive it helps to use things that you can easily get access to and get done, rather than setting yourself a mission as it were.
I did say some entries ago that I also did not intend to post here if I felt that I had nothing to say which is also true. Not all entries on here are going to be lengthy reads unless I need to unleash on something but this will not become an extension of Twitter.
As I have already mentioned, my MacBook Pro is in repair at the moment so getting stuff done, whilst possible, is a little more inconvenient. However I tend to record the raw footage of my game reviews in a batch to save having to keep messing around with the cables. I have another couple of reviews in the pipeline. My next one I intend to get up on You Tube next week and I will embed it here on this blog site as well. I have not decided which one to do yet (if truth be known I actually cannot remember which game footage I shot).
Anyway, just an update. Hopefully I will have some game related ramblings to post next time round.
Wednesday, 2 March 2011
DOING THIS IPAD STYLE
I thought I would try and unleash the power of my iPad to do this blog entry...that is if you consider using an iPad to compose a blog unleashing it's power.
Thankfully my MacBook Pro can be repaired economically and without the need to resort to claiming on the house insurance. I have to say that I found the Genius Bar at the Apple Store to be the most helpful IT support that I have ever come across. The technician gave a thorough examination of the lap top and was very helpful in explaining each of the steps they were taking in making sure there were no other traceable issues aside from the screen repair.
I now just have to wait for the repair to be carried out which should take up to 14 days.
As a result of having to do a lot of running about yesterday I didn't get much gaming or work done so I need to try and do some today.
Thankfully my MacBook Pro can be repaired economically and without the need to resort to claiming on the house insurance. I have to say that I found the Genius Bar at the Apple Store to be the most helpful IT support that I have ever come across. The technician gave a thorough examination of the lap top and was very helpful in explaining each of the steps they were taking in making sure there were no other traceable issues aside from the screen repair.
I now just have to wait for the repair to be carried out which should take up to 14 days.
As a result of having to do a lot of running about yesterday I didn't get much gaming or work done so I need to try and do some today.
Monday, 28 February 2011
BAD KARMA OR RUBBISH LUCK?
As some of you may know who follow me on Twitter, I had a major disaster today. For those that don't know my screen on my MacBook Pro went up the wall. Upon closer inspection, it looks like the LCD panel behind the screen glass has a crack in it causing the liquid crystals to malfunction and the display to be all messed up.
I got the MacBook Pro just over 4 years ago and it has been my pride and joy and more importantly, my workhorse ever since. Even after all the time of owning it, I never encountered any serious errors, no slow down of the machine at all and it handled all my requirements with little or no fuss. It cost me close to £2,000.00 when I got which also included some software that I got with it. As you can imagine I am somewhat devastated at the moment.
I have an appointment at the Apple Center tomorrow where the last rites will no doubt be administered. From what I have read online, the replacement of the screens is very expensive and is not a million miles from an entry level MacBook Pro. However, it remains to be seen as to whether this applies to my model as it has an LCD display as opposed to the newer LED ones and the article I got the information from was not clear.
How did it happen? It was an accident that is all. It wasn't strictly my fault and I am not going into the whys and wherefores because it is not relevant nor is it fair to other party concerned. It was an accident. That is what makes it all the more galling. I keep replaying it over in my head and wished I had done something different, but that is life isn't it? Fortunately I still have my iMac which is just over a year old so I can still blog and access the web and so on. The main draw back is that until I get my MBP repaired or replaced there won't be anymore video game reviews being posted once I have done the next two that I have already recorded the raw footage for.
You see, I record the footage on my MBP and fire it across onto my iMac for editing and the recording of the review. This is simply because my games consoles are located in an entirely different room in the house and so using my iMac is out of the question and I am not going to start unplugging my consoles and dragging them to where my iMac is. I am hoping that this will prove to be a moot point and that I can get this sorted out one way or another.
Depending on what happens tomorrow I may have to see if I can make an insurance claim, however if they will pay for the repair I want it done by Apple and not some third party I am not familiar with. I don't want an inferior display being used and I certainly don't like the idea of some back street repair shop having my lap top for some untold amount of time. It is not snobby, I just want a proper job doing and I want to be able to get my hands on the store responsible for repairing it. I don't really want it to be written off either. I know it means I can get a brand new MacBook Pro which will be more powerful and do better things and so on, but sad as it seems I really like my MBP! I want it fixed. I prefer the older keyboard that it has over the new ones, I even prefer it's design with the all silver screen as opposed to the new ones which have a black border around. It is my pride and joy and I would like it to be fixed thank you very much!
So where does the bad karma or rubbish luck come in. Well, yesterday I was laughing with my niece about how my other niece and my sister are pretty rubbish when it comes to technology. The irony comes in when I stated that I had my MBP for over 4 years and never once had a problem. Less than 24 hours later I am ready to drown my sorrows whilst looking at my ruined MBP screen. I know people will say it is a coincidence but it is interesting to note how many times this sort of thing happens in your life. Whether it is getting your comeuppance like me or other more minor things, so many events like this happen that I refuse to believe that it is purely down to chance. Can it be bad luck? Well no not really because it does not always work against you, sometimes it works for you as well.
I cannot pretend to speak with any intelligence on the subject because I have done no research into it whatsoever but it is just a personal thought on the matter. Like ripples in the water, I believe that our actions can have a knock on effect in someway. Whether events like what happened to me today are put into place as a reminder that I am not the 'big I am' when it comes to maintaining and running computers and that I am equally as fallible when it comes to fates fickle hand or not I think there are too many occasions in ones life to simply disregard the possibility of some higher influence controlling certain aspects of each of our lives. And no, I am not referring to God. In truth I have no idea what I am referring to but I can only say that like when you do something in the physical world it has a knock on effect, so I think it applies in the psychological one as well. I am digging a hole here so I think I will quite whilst I am losing!
I got the MacBook Pro just over 4 years ago and it has been my pride and joy and more importantly, my workhorse ever since. Even after all the time of owning it, I never encountered any serious errors, no slow down of the machine at all and it handled all my requirements with little or no fuss. It cost me close to £2,000.00 when I got which also included some software that I got with it. As you can imagine I am somewhat devastated at the moment.
I have an appointment at the Apple Center tomorrow where the last rites will no doubt be administered. From what I have read online, the replacement of the screens is very expensive and is not a million miles from an entry level MacBook Pro. However, it remains to be seen as to whether this applies to my model as it has an LCD display as opposed to the newer LED ones and the article I got the information from was not clear.
How did it happen? It was an accident that is all. It wasn't strictly my fault and I am not going into the whys and wherefores because it is not relevant nor is it fair to other party concerned. It was an accident. That is what makes it all the more galling. I keep replaying it over in my head and wished I had done something different, but that is life isn't it? Fortunately I still have my iMac which is just over a year old so I can still blog and access the web and so on. The main draw back is that until I get my MBP repaired or replaced there won't be anymore video game reviews being posted once I have done the next two that I have already recorded the raw footage for.
You see, I record the footage on my MBP and fire it across onto my iMac for editing and the recording of the review. This is simply because my games consoles are located in an entirely different room in the house and so using my iMac is out of the question and I am not going to start unplugging my consoles and dragging them to where my iMac is. I am hoping that this will prove to be a moot point and that I can get this sorted out one way or another.
Depending on what happens tomorrow I may have to see if I can make an insurance claim, however if they will pay for the repair I want it done by Apple and not some third party I am not familiar with. I don't want an inferior display being used and I certainly don't like the idea of some back street repair shop having my lap top for some untold amount of time. It is not snobby, I just want a proper job doing and I want to be able to get my hands on the store responsible for repairing it. I don't really want it to be written off either. I know it means I can get a brand new MacBook Pro which will be more powerful and do better things and so on, but sad as it seems I really like my MBP! I want it fixed. I prefer the older keyboard that it has over the new ones, I even prefer it's design with the all silver screen as opposed to the new ones which have a black border around. It is my pride and joy and I would like it to be fixed thank you very much!
So where does the bad karma or rubbish luck come in. Well, yesterday I was laughing with my niece about how my other niece and my sister are pretty rubbish when it comes to technology. The irony comes in when I stated that I had my MBP for over 4 years and never once had a problem. Less than 24 hours later I am ready to drown my sorrows whilst looking at my ruined MBP screen. I know people will say it is a coincidence but it is interesting to note how many times this sort of thing happens in your life. Whether it is getting your comeuppance like me or other more minor things, so many events like this happen that I refuse to believe that it is purely down to chance. Can it be bad luck? Well no not really because it does not always work against you, sometimes it works for you as well.
I cannot pretend to speak with any intelligence on the subject because I have done no research into it whatsoever but it is just a personal thought on the matter. Like ripples in the water, I believe that our actions can have a knock on effect in someway. Whether events like what happened to me today are put into place as a reminder that I am not the 'big I am' when it comes to maintaining and running computers and that I am equally as fallible when it comes to fates fickle hand or not I think there are too many occasions in ones life to simply disregard the possibility of some higher influence controlling certain aspects of each of our lives. And no, I am not referring to God. In truth I have no idea what I am referring to but I can only say that like when you do something in the physical world it has a knock on effect, so I think it applies in the psychological one as well. I am digging a hole here so I think I will quite whilst I am losing!
Friday, 25 February 2011
A SURREAL MOMENT
I went to watch True Grit at the cinema last night. It's a fantastic film and well worth watching. On the way back I decided to go to the midnight launch of Killzone 3 for the PS3 at the Trafford Center - one of the largest shopping malls in the UK. I figured it would save me having to go out on Friday morning to get it and I also wanted to get Bulletstorm and pre-order the Nintendo 3DS whilst I was there.
I got there at about 11.30pm and decided to wait in the car a while. At about 11.45pm I decided to go in. I was tired and didn't want to be stood in a massive queue as what happened when I went to the Gran Turismo 5 launch a few months ago.
As I approach Game I noticed that there was no one stood outside. That was not to be unexpected as their usual policy is to allow people into the store to pick up the copy of the game they want and then queue until midnight when they can officially scan the game through the tills.
When I got there and looked inside the store, there was no one but the staff there. Literally I was the only consumer in the whole of the Trafford Centre. I say this because Game was the only store that was open and the other outlet downstairs had their shutter down and no one was stood outside.
Rather than keep me waiting, the good folks there dealt with my order and sorted out my 3DS pre-order as well. It was so surreal being the only consumer in such a huge shopping mall! I got a sense what it must feel like to be one of those celebrities that get to access shops outside of opening hours in order to do their shopping hassle free.
As much as I whine about how other people annoy me, there was something quite eerie and discomforting about being the sole focus of attention from three sales assistants in an empty shop. Walking out of the dimly lit shopping center alone you cannot help but start to feel a bit self conscious about it. I suppose it has to do with the fact that places like that are usually so busy and to be in there when there are no other people wandering about feels naturally wrong if that makes any sense.
As I got back to the car another person pulled up and asked me if Game was open. I held my bag up and said yes. I don't know how many people went to the midnight launch after me, but the experience of having an entire shopping mall to myself for those 15 or 20 minutes is one that will stay with me for a while.
I got there at about 11.30pm and decided to wait in the car a while. At about 11.45pm I decided to go in. I was tired and didn't want to be stood in a massive queue as what happened when I went to the Gran Turismo 5 launch a few months ago.
As I approach Game I noticed that there was no one stood outside. That was not to be unexpected as their usual policy is to allow people into the store to pick up the copy of the game they want and then queue until midnight when they can officially scan the game through the tills.
When I got there and looked inside the store, there was no one but the staff there. Literally I was the only consumer in the whole of the Trafford Centre. I say this because Game was the only store that was open and the other outlet downstairs had their shutter down and no one was stood outside.
Rather than keep me waiting, the good folks there dealt with my order and sorted out my 3DS pre-order as well. It was so surreal being the only consumer in such a huge shopping mall! I got a sense what it must feel like to be one of those celebrities that get to access shops outside of opening hours in order to do their shopping hassle free.
As much as I whine about how other people annoy me, there was something quite eerie and discomforting about being the sole focus of attention from three sales assistants in an empty shop. Walking out of the dimly lit shopping center alone you cannot help but start to feel a bit self conscious about it. I suppose it has to do with the fact that places like that are usually so busy and to be in there when there are no other people wandering about feels naturally wrong if that makes any sense.
As I got back to the car another person pulled up and asked me if Game was open. I held my bag up and said yes. I don't know how many people went to the midnight launch after me, but the experience of having an entire shopping mall to myself for those 15 or 20 minutes is one that will stay with me for a while.
Wednesday, 23 February 2011
BRIEF UPDATE
I don't really have much to talk about today so I will just provide a brief update on what I hope to be doing over the next few days.
Tomorrow I am going to see True Grit at the cinema. I do like Westerns and the original starring John Wayne was a cracking film so I am really looking forward to the remake.
Friday sees the release of a couple of games that I am really looking forward to playing. Bulletstorm and Killzone 3. I was also going to buy the RPG Two Worlds 2 but this has been put back one week and I understand that this is now an Amazon exclusive so I have ordered it from there. I know the original was not to everyone's taste but the more hard core RPG crowed seemed to like it. I thought it was a great alternative to Oblivion.
I really like RPG games. I love creating a character then starting out on an adventure learning skills and ranking up abilities and so and completing quests. RPG's offer much more detailed worlds that most other game genres and I love losing myself in alternate universes.
My copy of Blood Stone 007 arrived today. I had to own Bizarre Creations last game, although I am fully aware that in order to that I had to pay money that will ultimately end up in Activision's back pocket. There is not much I can do about that and I am not going to go down the path of boycotting all Activision products just because they closed down a beloved game studio. I never understand people who make these so called moral stances. At the end of the day, the likely hood is that you will end up buying a game released by Activision. You may as well say that you are going to boycott the gaming industry as a whole because by no means are Activision the only publisher shutting down development studios.
So that's it. Just a brief update for now.
Tomorrow I am going to see True Grit at the cinema. I do like Westerns and the original starring John Wayne was a cracking film so I am really looking forward to the remake.
Friday sees the release of a couple of games that I am really looking forward to playing. Bulletstorm and Killzone 3. I was also going to buy the RPG Two Worlds 2 but this has been put back one week and I understand that this is now an Amazon exclusive so I have ordered it from there. I know the original was not to everyone's taste but the more hard core RPG crowed seemed to like it. I thought it was a great alternative to Oblivion.
I really like RPG games. I love creating a character then starting out on an adventure learning skills and ranking up abilities and so and completing quests. RPG's offer much more detailed worlds that most other game genres and I love losing myself in alternate universes.
My copy of Blood Stone 007 arrived today. I had to own Bizarre Creations last game, although I am fully aware that in order to that I had to pay money that will ultimately end up in Activision's back pocket. There is not much I can do about that and I am not going to go down the path of boycotting all Activision products just because they closed down a beloved game studio. I never understand people who make these so called moral stances. At the end of the day, the likely hood is that you will end up buying a game released by Activision. You may as well say that you are going to boycott the gaming industry as a whole because by no means are Activision the only publisher shutting down development studios.
So that's it. Just a brief update for now.
Sunday, 20 February 2011
WASTEFUL
Do any of you buy the points cards for the Wii, X Box 360 and PS3? How about the World of Warcraft play time cards?
If so you will know exactly what I mean when I say that they are so wasteful. In each case (not sure about the WoW cards as it's been a while since I bought one but was the case about a year ago) you end up buying the card encased in a DVD sized case. Why? Is there some economic reason for this? Am I right in thinking that it's both environmentally and economically advantageous to produce these over a small card holder like most high street store gift cards come in?
At least with the PS3 ones you can use the case a spare PS3 games case should any of your game cases get cracked. Microsoft have gone to the length of specifically producing a case that only fits the card. In fairness they have recently revised this again to be a smaller slimmed down version, but it is still over the top.
Can we please just have points cards without the over the top wasteful packaging?
I don't expect cheaper points cards, but I would like to think that I was throwing out a lot less rubbish than I need to. Producing less rubbish starts with the suppliers of goods and I think it is high time this over the top packaging was kicked into touch for more practical options.
If so you will know exactly what I mean when I say that they are so wasteful. In each case (not sure about the WoW cards as it's been a while since I bought one but was the case about a year ago) you end up buying the card encased in a DVD sized case. Why? Is there some economic reason for this? Am I right in thinking that it's both environmentally and economically advantageous to produce these over a small card holder like most high street store gift cards come in?
At least with the PS3 ones you can use the case a spare PS3 games case should any of your game cases get cracked. Microsoft have gone to the length of specifically producing a case that only fits the card. In fairness they have recently revised this again to be a smaller slimmed down version, but it is still over the top.
Can we please just have points cards without the over the top wasteful packaging?
I don't expect cheaper points cards, but I would like to think that I was throwing out a lot less rubbish than I need to. Producing less rubbish starts with the suppliers of goods and I think it is high time this over the top packaging was kicked into touch for more practical options.
Sunday, 13 February 2011
A QUICK UPDATE
I was going to post another full blog today, but I have decided that I don't want to get chained to having to do a daily blog. I am great believer in only saying something when you have something worth saying and to be honest I have not had much in the way of inspiration to create a proper article today.
Instead I thought I would just do a quick update. I am planning on getting my next video review out next week. I have recorded the raw gaming footage for my next two videos so it is just a case of editing the one I have chosen to do next then recording the voice over. I am going to try and do something different with regards to the review.
When I first started the idea was to ad-lib a review and just talk about the game without a script or anything like that. All I did was get the notes together for the year the game was released and what formats it was released on - factual information if you will. However this soon grew into me actually typing up a whole review script and I ended up just reading into the microphone. I think that I lost something along the way and ended up doing something that I didn't set out to do, so I am going to go back to that original idea and see what happens.
I am great believer that you have to be happy with your own work and so I want to try this to see if it works. If it doesn't then I will have to rethink the method I use.
Before I wrap up this entry I am going to post a link to a website that I frequent. It belongs to David McMurdo who posts many thought provoking ideas on there. He also does some cracking games reviews as well as some interesting observations about every day life. It is well work checking out at: David McMurdo Website
Please take the time to check it out.
If any of you want to check out my You Tube channel for previous game reviews it can be found at: A1dy74 You Tube Channel
Instead I thought I would just do a quick update. I am planning on getting my next video review out next week. I have recorded the raw gaming footage for my next two videos so it is just a case of editing the one I have chosen to do next then recording the voice over. I am going to try and do something different with regards to the review.
When I first started the idea was to ad-lib a review and just talk about the game without a script or anything like that. All I did was get the notes together for the year the game was released and what formats it was released on - factual information if you will. However this soon grew into me actually typing up a whole review script and I ended up just reading into the microphone. I think that I lost something along the way and ended up doing something that I didn't set out to do, so I am going to go back to that original idea and see what happens.
I am great believer that you have to be happy with your own work and so I want to try this to see if it works. If it doesn't then I will have to rethink the method I use.
Before I wrap up this entry I am going to post a link to a website that I frequent. It belongs to David McMurdo who posts many thought provoking ideas on there. He also does some cracking games reviews as well as some interesting observations about every day life. It is well work checking out at: David McMurdo Website
Please take the time to check it out.
If any of you want to check out my You Tube channel for previous game reviews it can be found at: A1dy74 You Tube Channel
Saturday, 12 February 2011
TAKE A LOOK AROUND
I was originally going to write another blog as a sort of follow up to the one I did yesterday about the issues surrounding the release of Test Drive Unlimited 2. I was going to go further expressing my concern and disappointment with the gaming industry, but to be honest I don't want this blog to be purely a platform about attacking game publishers and developers. There are many other things worth writing about and besides, I am positive that there will be another game release in the near future that will give me ample opportunity to have another rant about the subject.
Instead I decided to write about how people are so easily blinded and distracted by the goings on in society. By distracted I mean the type of distraction put there by those in power to divert peoples attention away from the real issues that are having a profound effect on our every day lives.
I have always ended up getting embroiled in political debate despite my attempts to stay away from it. I will be the first to admit that I am far from being an expert in politics put I do have my eyes open as to what is going on.
At the moment our current government is implementing the systematic destruction of public services in order to save money. Conveniently they blame the previous government for the current mess the country is in and hide behind the excuse of the deficit being much higher than they expected, hence why the cuts have been so severe. I was under the impression the state of the countries finances was actually available freely to those who had an interest. Did the election campaign not include televised debates where all political parties went into detail about how the deficit would be tackled? I may be being naive here, but how can the opposing parties at the election possibly have a plan to cut a deficit if they are unaware of the size of the problem? Either way, these political parties lied to the electorate and once again, in this apathetic nation of ours, they have been allowed to get away with it.
It is somewhat ironic that this is the case, considering accountability was a watch word used by all the parties during the election campaign. Of course they knew that the average UK resident is too idle or too indifferent to do something about it so it is easy for them to pay lip service whilst carrying on as business as usual.
I don't know why people are so apathetic to the issues that are having a real impact on the lives of everyone in this country. It seems to me that so long as people's lives aren't too duly disrupted then they are happy to keep the bucket of sand at hand and their heads firmly planted in it. If anyone dares to enter their world and point out the glaring plans that are being put into place that will make sure the the average person remains a slave to the system they dismiss you as some sort of 'conspiracy theory nut case.' It is not as though they don't believe you. Even the most blinkered person can see that the mass reduction in public sector services will effect everyone in the country one way or another. It is just that they don't want the responsibility of having to face the truth and then the burden of doing nothing about it. So long as they have some semblance of denial in their own minds they can go on watching their mind rotting shows on the television without having to consider future.
Television has played a huge role in both educating and enslaving people. Like the internet the initial concept of the television was great - to beam programs into everyone's living room providing entertainment of one form or another. Quickly it is seized upon as a device for controlling the masses. After all, if you are at home watching the mindless drivel served up on 85-90% of the air time on the television, then you are not educating yourself to what is going on in the world and you are certainly not plotting any sort of revolution!
At the moment, the internet is a haven for free thinking people, but it is common knowledge that key governments want to control the content that goes on the web. It has started through corporations filing copyright infringement claims on channels like You Tube resulting in peoples accounts being closed with little or no explanation. I am not talking about the people that post whole movies on there but small snippets that easily comply to the fair usage policy that is supposed to protect them. We see that other countries are censoring the internet so that the civilians of that country can only access approved web content. Just because we associate that with far off oppressed countries does not mean that the wheels of such ideology are not turning here in the West. Again buckets of sand can be found at all good hardware stores for those who cannot conceive of such ideas. After all, the governments of the West keep telling us how democracy and freedom are the very tenants our society is founded on and the government never lies now does it?
If you think that I have been reading too much Orwell then fine but please think about this. We live in a society where we face the most intense surveillance on our streets in history. Our telephone calls and emails can be snooped on without our knowledge. Our personal information is passed onto to independent private companies without our permission. Does this sound like a free and democratic society to you?
In addition to this, there is the 'thought police' who make examples of any celebrity that has the misfortune to speak out of the politically correct terms. Like circling vultures they swoop down to tear at the carcass of those foolish enough to go against the grain. With ever so fake disgust and outrage they make examples of individuals as though they have been appointed guardians of the nations morality. Ironic since those who make the most noise are guilty of a lack of morals themselves. I look squarely at the news papers of this land of ours.
I could go on, but there is little point. Instead I will wrap up this blog with the following:
They say if you drop a frog in boiling water it will immediately leap out. If you place a frog in cool water and slowly heat it up it will happily sit there and allow itself to boil to death. These gradual changes around us is the water being heated up. The question is, do you want to allow yourself to be boiled to death, or do you want to leap out, take a look around and do something about it?
Instead I decided to write about how people are so easily blinded and distracted by the goings on in society. By distracted I mean the type of distraction put there by those in power to divert peoples attention away from the real issues that are having a profound effect on our every day lives.
I have always ended up getting embroiled in political debate despite my attempts to stay away from it. I will be the first to admit that I am far from being an expert in politics put I do have my eyes open as to what is going on.
At the moment our current government is implementing the systematic destruction of public services in order to save money. Conveniently they blame the previous government for the current mess the country is in and hide behind the excuse of the deficit being much higher than they expected, hence why the cuts have been so severe. I was under the impression the state of the countries finances was actually available freely to those who had an interest. Did the election campaign not include televised debates where all political parties went into detail about how the deficit would be tackled? I may be being naive here, but how can the opposing parties at the election possibly have a plan to cut a deficit if they are unaware of the size of the problem? Either way, these political parties lied to the electorate and once again, in this apathetic nation of ours, they have been allowed to get away with it.
It is somewhat ironic that this is the case, considering accountability was a watch word used by all the parties during the election campaign. Of course they knew that the average UK resident is too idle or too indifferent to do something about it so it is easy for them to pay lip service whilst carrying on as business as usual.
I don't know why people are so apathetic to the issues that are having a real impact on the lives of everyone in this country. It seems to me that so long as people's lives aren't too duly disrupted then they are happy to keep the bucket of sand at hand and their heads firmly planted in it. If anyone dares to enter their world and point out the glaring plans that are being put into place that will make sure the the average person remains a slave to the system they dismiss you as some sort of 'conspiracy theory nut case.' It is not as though they don't believe you. Even the most blinkered person can see that the mass reduction in public sector services will effect everyone in the country one way or another. It is just that they don't want the responsibility of having to face the truth and then the burden of doing nothing about it. So long as they have some semblance of denial in their own minds they can go on watching their mind rotting shows on the television without having to consider future.
Television has played a huge role in both educating and enslaving people. Like the internet the initial concept of the television was great - to beam programs into everyone's living room providing entertainment of one form or another. Quickly it is seized upon as a device for controlling the masses. After all, if you are at home watching the mindless drivel served up on 85-90% of the air time on the television, then you are not educating yourself to what is going on in the world and you are certainly not plotting any sort of revolution!
At the moment, the internet is a haven for free thinking people, but it is common knowledge that key governments want to control the content that goes on the web. It has started through corporations filing copyright infringement claims on channels like You Tube resulting in peoples accounts being closed with little or no explanation. I am not talking about the people that post whole movies on there but small snippets that easily comply to the fair usage policy that is supposed to protect them. We see that other countries are censoring the internet so that the civilians of that country can only access approved web content. Just because we associate that with far off oppressed countries does not mean that the wheels of such ideology are not turning here in the West. Again buckets of sand can be found at all good hardware stores for those who cannot conceive of such ideas. After all, the governments of the West keep telling us how democracy and freedom are the very tenants our society is founded on and the government never lies now does it?
If you think that I have been reading too much Orwell then fine but please think about this. We live in a society where we face the most intense surveillance on our streets in history. Our telephone calls and emails can be snooped on without our knowledge. Our personal information is passed onto to independent private companies without our permission. Does this sound like a free and democratic society to you?
In addition to this, there is the 'thought police' who make examples of any celebrity that has the misfortune to speak out of the politically correct terms. Like circling vultures they swoop down to tear at the carcass of those foolish enough to go against the grain. With ever so fake disgust and outrage they make examples of individuals as though they have been appointed guardians of the nations morality. Ironic since those who make the most noise are guilty of a lack of morals themselves. I look squarely at the news papers of this land of ours.
I could go on, but there is little point. Instead I will wrap up this blog with the following:
They say if you drop a frog in boiling water it will immediately leap out. If you place a frog in cool water and slowly heat it up it will happily sit there and allow itself to boil to death. These gradual changes around us is the water being heated up. The question is, do you want to allow yourself to be boiled to death, or do you want to leap out, take a look around and do something about it?
Tuesday, 8 February 2011
NEXT REVIEW ON HOLD. WHAT I AM READING ETC.
I had originally planned to spend today creating my next video review on You Tube. For those of you who have not seen this channel it is under the name A1dy74. Anyway, I was not able to do this thanks to the fact that I have still not recovered from a throat infection I came down with three weeks ago. The throat pain and swelling have gone, but I have been left with a heavy case of catarrh which I cannot seem to shift at the moment. Not only is it affecting my voice but it has also gone into my ear making hearing a bit difficult at the moment which is driving me mad.
There is really no point in doing a video review at the moment because no matter what I do the voice will not comply and I have no desire to waste my time doing something that I know will not sound right. Speaking of video reviews, I really enjoy doing them. I know there are many people who have issues with You Tube - I do as well, but what it is good is that You Tube and sites like it give the average person a platform to try and be creative and be able to put that creation out there for others to see. The same can be said for these blog sites. It is one of the good things that the Internet has afforded people and long may it continue.
I am currently reading two books at the moment. Under the Dome by Stephen King and Decision Points by George W Bush. Now before you say anything, am not a Bush supporter or anything like that, but I do like to read these type of books. Obviously you are not getting the unblemished truth, anyone thinking that would have to be mad, but I am interested in what Bush thinks and what he claims his motives were. You also get an insight into part of his personal life as well as what he was thinking with regards to the war of terror - again it is more what he wants people to believe as opposed to the whole truth. I seriously doubt that the whole story would be allowed to be printed anyway as I am sure there would some national security issue that would prevent it.
Under the Dome is a cracking read. I really do love Stephen King's writing style and story telling. At times it is almost as though he writes in the book in the dialect of the books setting which really helps the reader get into the mind of the characters. He also the master of building tension, not just through any supernatural events but more critically the way the characters interact with one another. It is easy to dismiss King as a horror writer but frankly this is well wide of the mark. He has written a whole range of books covering many different genres and that way of thinking does him a huge disservice. In Under the Dome King wastes no time in establishing the event of the Dome cutting off a small town in America from the outside world and this works brilliantly to start the tension building. You just know that the town will start to tear itself apart and already the main culprits have been identified. However you just know there will be some sort of curve ball thrown into the mix at some point.
Under the Dome is the first novel I have purchased as a digital download for my iPad. I am enjoying the contrast between reading a physical book with Decision Points and a digital book. I must say it is easier reading the digital book and it's great knowing you can store many books in a single place saving space but I am from the old world as well and actually owning the physical book just feel right somehow. It is probably just me but owning a book requires a degree of looking after if you want it to remain in good condition. I don't know, I guess some habits die hard.
Back on the gaming front I have just got stuck into Fable 3 today. I got it for Christmas but I wanted to try and finish up some other games that I had first before I started it. So far I really like it. I have always enjoyed the Fable world and game play and this builds well on what the series has established so far. I am looking forward to losing some more hours in the land of Albion.
I have also spent a good few hours on DC Universe Online on the PS3. I think it is safe to say that this game proves that MMO's are viable on consoles, though I would not be holding my breath if you are one of those who think that World of Warcraft will be coming anytime soon. Although DC Universe Online does have depth to it, it certainly isn't on the level of World of Warcraft and the all important control interface is also extremely important. There is no way I could envision playing a World of Warcraft with a joypad. Things get frantic enough using the keyboard and mouse.
Finally I have been re-watching the X Files on DVD. I have just started with season 1 and despite the passage of time I still love the show. I would go as far to say that it is the best television series that I have ever seen. I love the characters, the stories - everything!
Anyway I am off for more Mulder and Scully action. Catch you all later.
There is really no point in doing a video review at the moment because no matter what I do the voice will not comply and I have no desire to waste my time doing something that I know will not sound right. Speaking of video reviews, I really enjoy doing them. I know there are many people who have issues with You Tube - I do as well, but what it is good is that You Tube and sites like it give the average person a platform to try and be creative and be able to put that creation out there for others to see. The same can be said for these blog sites. It is one of the good things that the Internet has afforded people and long may it continue.
I am currently reading two books at the moment. Under the Dome by Stephen King and Decision Points by George W Bush. Now before you say anything, am not a Bush supporter or anything like that, but I do like to read these type of books. Obviously you are not getting the unblemished truth, anyone thinking that would have to be mad, but I am interested in what Bush thinks and what he claims his motives were. You also get an insight into part of his personal life as well as what he was thinking with regards to the war of terror - again it is more what he wants people to believe as opposed to the whole truth. I seriously doubt that the whole story would be allowed to be printed anyway as I am sure there would some national security issue that would prevent it.
Under the Dome is a cracking read. I really do love Stephen King's writing style and story telling. At times it is almost as though he writes in the book in the dialect of the books setting which really helps the reader get into the mind of the characters. He also the master of building tension, not just through any supernatural events but more critically the way the characters interact with one another. It is easy to dismiss King as a horror writer but frankly this is well wide of the mark. He has written a whole range of books covering many different genres and that way of thinking does him a huge disservice. In Under the Dome King wastes no time in establishing the event of the Dome cutting off a small town in America from the outside world and this works brilliantly to start the tension building. You just know that the town will start to tear itself apart and already the main culprits have been identified. However you just know there will be some sort of curve ball thrown into the mix at some point.
Under the Dome is the first novel I have purchased as a digital download for my iPad. I am enjoying the contrast between reading a physical book with Decision Points and a digital book. I must say it is easier reading the digital book and it's great knowing you can store many books in a single place saving space but I am from the old world as well and actually owning the physical book just feel right somehow. It is probably just me but owning a book requires a degree of looking after if you want it to remain in good condition. I don't know, I guess some habits die hard.
Back on the gaming front I have just got stuck into Fable 3 today. I got it for Christmas but I wanted to try and finish up some other games that I had first before I started it. So far I really like it. I have always enjoyed the Fable world and game play and this builds well on what the series has established so far. I am looking forward to losing some more hours in the land of Albion.
I have also spent a good few hours on DC Universe Online on the PS3. I think it is safe to say that this game proves that MMO's are viable on consoles, though I would not be holding my breath if you are one of those who think that World of Warcraft will be coming anytime soon. Although DC Universe Online does have depth to it, it certainly isn't on the level of World of Warcraft and the all important control interface is also extremely important. There is no way I could envision playing a World of Warcraft with a joypad. Things get frantic enough using the keyboard and mouse.
Finally I have been re-watching the X Files on DVD. I have just started with season 1 and despite the passage of time I still love the show. I would go as far to say that it is the best television series that I have ever seen. I love the characters, the stories - everything!
Anyway I am off for more Mulder and Scully action. Catch you all later.
Thursday, 3 February 2011
INTRODUCTION TO THE MADNESS!
For some time I have wanted to create a place on the internet where I can post my thoughts about things that I am interested in. This in conjunction with my You Tube channel will hopefully provide a little corner of this world wide web for me to post my vague incoherent ramblings about stuff like video games, football (soccer to any American viewers), films and pretty much anything that may drive me to want to post some sort of comment.
For the most part I will probably ramble on about video games. I did consider incorporating some video game description in the blog title, but having given it a bit of thought, I decided that I didn't want to tie myself down to creating a blog that was created with only one topic in mind. Nothing is worse than going to the trouble of creating something only to later think that you wish you had left the door open for more possibilities that may arise along the way.
I hope any of you visiting here will not be too bored to death by my comments and hope that you may glean some small morsel of enjoyment out of what I put here, though I cannot make any guarantees!
Aidy
For the most part I will probably ramble on about video games. I did consider incorporating some video game description in the blog title, but having given it a bit of thought, I decided that I didn't want to tie myself down to creating a blog that was created with only one topic in mind. Nothing is worse than going to the trouble of creating something only to later think that you wish you had left the door open for more possibilities that may arise along the way.
I hope any of you visiting here will not be too bored to death by my comments and hope that you may glean some small morsel of enjoyment out of what I put here, though I cannot make any guarantees!
Aidy
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