@nthony

Well fancy that. A response from a Robot - and there I was complaining about IRC functionality within the wonderfully feature and plug-in rich Pidgin messaging client. The @DearRobot seems to pick up on those open moments where you tweet stuff like "Dear Tuesday...". Anyway - curious behavior. Pointless really. I think my favourite there was: "Dear Winter, our relationship is seasonal. We both knew that from the beginning. Please stop stalking me and move on." - and I am so feeling that right now.

Oh yeah, and what I said about Pidgin - it stands (*waves fist* (in a completely non threatening manner)).

I have completed Fallout3* - many thanks Bethesda for assisting me in whiling away quieter moments... and all within a wonderfully 1950's feel to post apocalyptic America. Attention to detail is astounding, the story goes on and on, but not in a dull way, it just grows, it adds, it evolves... and I didnt get involved in too many side projects either. In comparison to my previous Bethesda/2K gave Oblivion The elder scrolls - this is far less picky - you can pretty much do as you please, just realise there WILL be implications.
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Today went on jolly to Hawarden to listen to people talk about, and then to answer questions on a little project they are trying to get off the ground up here (which poorly timed made news today also)

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I have completed another game. This is becoming quite the habit. Since the kind donation of Rainbow6 Vegas to my collection I have been getting to grips with saving the world - more over, in this case Vegas. Now its not the newest of games, but to be fair, I am not the newest of gamers, and I have been playing Rainbow 6 titles since they first came out on the PC, with their odd mix of pre planning and first person (now only found in the less tactical (although curiously more so given the planning) Rogue Spear titles).

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I have just realised I have not publicly purged my thoughts on M$ Vista. I had to set up a non Micro$oft VPN for a colleague on his shiny new Vista laptop. Dual core, 4Gb RAM. Why oh why oh why oh why is there no "create new" under the right click, and why SO LONG between clicking on browser and it appearing.
Now I know before people rush to its defence with "if I just turn x and y off"... well that's kinda missing the point isn't it? My eeePC with needlessly animated GUI (note to self: there is no point to it after the initial oooo-ahhh. Turn. It. Off) and restricted resources is quicker. This is not a hardware issue, its a use of resources issue - somewhat indicative of the world we live in... and in keeping with this weeks retro theme I BLAME YOU BILL BEER for your attitude towards recursive and efficient code practices for the sake of pride/completeness.
Dear M$ - there is a difference between simplifying things as Apple would aspire - and giving me special cutlery and a bib. Check out your six - see over there - no, further? Yes. That is where the point is. *FFS.
*Anthony draws a line under this before he starts on windows virii, and no I am not being smug, I am being incredulous. [ READ MORE ]

Games. Gaming. Gamer. It was a while since such things played more than a side roll in my day-to-day existence. With the addition of Fallout3 and Rainbow6 Vegas (I have always been an R6 fan) I have found myself getting more and more "if I can only just get past this bit"... even if that means struggling drooping eyes in the wee small hours.

It's becoming quite the emotional investment, like games of yester-year. X-Wing the game I went away to Uni. immersed in - you started hearing the noises of danger in a Pavlovian style in the real world...., well its started again... I do realise that its "just a game" and remember to eat sleep and be nice to people I can handle it ... its been a part of me missing for so long. Now to take back the riding again... that's going to be a tougher one.

Fallout 3 - Official Trailer [HD]
*Disclaimer: Random vimeo trailer - I do not know / endorce this person. [ READ MORE ]

People throwing around technical arguments with the understanding of a layman is getting on my pip at the moment:

Firstly - users who are assuming and when dropping the ball after making assumptions about how things work is my issue (apparently) - this is very much a given so will not dwell further on it;
Secondly - SORRY for unloading on MossMan's blog regarding his ongoing issue with home broadband in the UK being more about Hull and perceived costings;
Thirdly 'shame on you' for the BBC for not comparing apples with apples, or fruit in general for that matter. Compare and contrast the BBC article, and their come back from the multi headed beast that is Google. There is no real context, there is no best and worst in field its just abstract given the standard ISO unit of One Kettle (yeah right) as being a bad and big thing.

SEE ME AFTER CLASS - in my best teachers red-pen-scrawl. [ READ MORE ]

While (still) being dull about games: Wireless on the xbox360. The price of the Micro$oft 360 wireless NIC is steep. I got myself a Belkin Network Extender & repeater. So now I have stronger WLAN coverage in the homestead, AND get to plug straight into the console with the LAN cable. Win.

Now, while I do not have a wide screen monitor for the workstation at home (which is fine with me), what I do have is a SVGA D-connector for my monitor for the 360. HOLY CRAP! Now that is some serious improvement right there over standard SCART. Crisp (despite not even being DVI), clear, colourful, much higher res.. Result. [ READ MORE ]

Another one ticked another off the list, Gears Of War 2. Okay so it was on 'recreational' or whatever the status is that is politically worded version of "please don't hurt me" as Wolfenstein 3D used to say.

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Another one down. BioShock - the story of dystopia in a post war undersea city where art and science had escaped the restraints of the top side to pursue what they do in the boundaries of 'Rapture'. Needless to say unless everyone is reading from the same page, it all gets a bit four legs better than two, and spells its own downfall. The plot is very good, and the attention to detail in this lush Art Deco hell is superb.

With the exception of the odd bug here and there (little sister extracting ADAM from a body that was not there, and an onslaught not happening, just trickling - in both cases resulting in the story not permitting me to advance) it was superbly engineered. Well done 2k, well done me :)

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