Icecream update (k3nshi)

Yes, I had icecream yesterday. I can now give you the definitive ice-cream rankings:

Waitrose Organic Icecream > Hagen Daas > Ben & Jerry's.

ICECREAMFACTS in YOUR FACE.

Halo 2: Heroic (k3nshi)

I completed Halo 2 on Heroic last night. So much better than playing in normal mode. In fact, I'd go as far as to say that Halo 2 in Heroic is a much closer gameplay experience to Halo (on Normal). Halo 2 in Normal mode is just totally boring.

Of course, now I want to play another Halo game. I want Halo 3 >now<.

Sleep Science (k3nshi)

More research into sleep:

"This process would allow cortical circuits to eliminate noisy synapses and renormalize in order to be ready for the next day," Massimini told LiveScience. The reduced activity might also help explain why performance in various tasks improves after sleep, he said.

Read more

Old Skool Terrorists? (k3nshi)

Amazing

Tin foil to block da transmissions man! (k3nshi)

So I received my Oyster card today. A quick google of the term revealed this amazing blog entry. Don't leave home without your tin foil - they could be listening...

Back to the Rumble Pit (k3nshi)

I booted up Halo 2 for the first time in ages the other day. It had been so long since I had last played it I still had two map packs and a game update to download. A side-effect of me not playing in such a long time was the fact my Halo 2 LIVE score had been reset to level 1. Rather than being a bad thing, this simply means I get to play a load of games with people who I can actually manage to, on occasion, shoot in the face and kill. This is infinitely more fun than working really hard and still being pwned by some motley collection of acne ridden game hermits.

Missionaries (the_debaser)

I went around town at lunchtime on my own today. I've been feeling pretty down recently, just pissed off with certain things and not happy with the way other things are going at the moment.

I was thinking the other day about how much time, money and energy I've wasted on things which in the great scheme of things do not matter one jot and things which do nothing to improve me as a person. Drink, drugs, sluts, clothes, dvds, games and so on. If I see some poor cunt into the street I'd rather spit in his face than give him a few quid to get some food.

Anyway, during my walk around town I went into Boots to get some hairgel and some Mach 3's. On the way out I was stopped by two people, a lad and a girl. I don't know why but I didn't carry on walking like I normally would. They explained to me that they were missionaries and offered to give me a little magazine to read. I said sure, and I was suprised when they didn't ask for any cash. They wished me on my merry way and I went off, back to work.

So with nothing better to do I've read this magazine. Its one of those religious things that try to help you live your life a 'better' way. Lots of the stuff in the magazine struck a chord with what I was thinking about a few days ago. How certain things can please one or more of your five senses, but which won't do anything to ease your mind, nor your soul.

Now I'm a seriously lapsed Catholic, and I'm not about to start up and Bible bash or none of that nonsense, but I reckon if I try and improve spiritually by being less selfish and thinking more of others, maybe (in a selfish way oddly enough) I'll be happier.

I'm going to give it a go anyway.

Revolution (k3nshi)

So they revelaed the controller at last. It sounds like a good idea - no, it sounds like a great idea. The concept video looks amazing. But anyone can knock up an amazing concept video. The proof will be in the games and the actual play experience. Until then, speculation about the merits of the controller are as pointless as the endless speculation of the power of the PS3 and the Xbox 360.

All hands: stay at DefCon 5.

In Training... (k3nshi)

I did my first official training run for the Run London event. Rather than keep posting about this stuff here, I have set up the RunLondon blog to keep all the painful details. Check it out motherbitches!

Ten Thousand Hits To Come (k3nshi)

So I signed up for the Nike Run London 10k run today.

People keep telling me I should find it easy, but I am not so sure. I guess I am really doing it because I see it as a challenge and I hope it will help me refocus on my dieting and excercie regime (hasnt worked so far: tonight I went to see a film - The Island - and then had pizza for dinner... It's been a bad week on the health regime front).

When will it end? (Van123)

You've all been kept up to date with my inane ramblings over the past few months, nay years, about a certain girl. You know the score - she loves me. She's a crazy one, though - I've lost count of how many times I've had to point this out to her.

So I got my GCSE results last week, and because I'm so cool, I got invited to two parties. Being the hip, swinging youth I am, I went to both. I called the second party to let them know I was on my way, but Weird Girl tried to stop me. She tried to persuade them not to let me come, because she'd feel awkward. That's right, 20 odd people who want me to go, and one who doesn't. The only thing for me to do, would be to head home for the night, to respect her feelings. But that's boring.

About two months ago, she confessed her undying love for me. Yay. But a month ago it got really interesting. She deleted me from her MSN list. Oh noes. Could this be the end of our relationship? This happened because I was a bit of a cock. She sent me email after email telling me how much she loves me. Eventually, I grew tired of reading the same old drivel, and decided to spice up our somewhat dead relationship - Because that's the type of lover I am. I replied to one of her many emails, with a mini Flash 'game' I made. Unfortunately, she wasn't able to open it (ooer), and replied explaining how she isn't scared of being shot down now. It was then I changed my approach. I told her how much I loved her, about how I was a cock because I was covering up my feelings yadda yadda yadda. Then came her reply, along the lines of "that's what I've always wanted to hear. You made me cry." I also slipped in that if she wasn't going out with someone, then I'd be there for her.

We're getting to why she delete me now. She deleted me, because I sent another email, in the same format. "I was a cock, because I was hiding my feelings" becomes "I was a cock, because I don't like you." Five or six well structured paragraphs putting her down. Then I got a reply. A single word reply, in an email. "Thanks." It was then I opened up MSN and said "You're welcome." So, then she deleted me.

Now, a week ago I went to the parties. I didn't speak to her at the second. Not because I had nothing to say, but because I could tell how upset she was. Couple that with her being drunk and in love. My mate gets a text after Weird Girl leaves. I don't get the text, because she doesn't have my number. Get in. It read something like "tell chris stpns its all about the chase." If there's one way to win me over, it's to shorten my name to something rediculous like that. But that got me thinking. The Chase? The chase is better than the catch, apparently, so the next day, I spoke to her on MSN (I didn't delete her). Now, remember, this is after a month of her not speaking to me.

She explained that because I made it impossible for her to 'get' me, she wants me even more. I suppose that's fair enough - Love's a complecated thing. But here's where it starts getting more interesting. I had a haircut, init, so I set it to my display picture on MSN. When I come back, I've got a message from Weird Girl. "WT! did u get ur haircut?" Oh here it is. She deleted me? Probably. But, she started a conversation with me, *and* could see my display picture. You can only do that, and see someone elses picture if they're on you MSN. SO I said that. Turns out she re-added me. For shame. She made such a big deal about not speaking to me, only to re-add me on the only thing I use to communicate with her.

We're coming to the end now, but before I leave, we have another interesting point. She brought up a party I went to a while ago. I say a while, I mean almost a year. I don't know why she chose that party, but she did. She said she was really upset when she found out I met a girl there and had a rather good time with her. I'll leave you with something from my MSN Log.

"ye, i wish it was me, but i cnt change wt happens or wt u feel, or feel like doing

so, u can do wteva u wnt, but i would always be there for u, more or less"

Unarmed (k3nshi)

So I have a GameBoy Spastic and a Pretty Shiny Plastic thing. I used to keep one of these devices in my bag for entertainment during my commute to and from work, but eventually stopped packing them when I realised that my time was better spent either reading something worthwhile or sleeping. Of course over the last three days I have found myself wanting to play a game, and searching my bag for a portable gaming device and found myself without the necessary equipment. As of tomorrow, a games machine gets added back to the Essential Equipment List.

Icecream Showdown (k3nshi)

Ok, so I didnt have an elaborate taste test set up in an amazing ICECREAM LAB (just imagine it though...), but I can proudly present to you the latest research in the exciting field of icecream science:

Waitrose Organic Icecream > Green & Black's Icecream.

It really is a lot better. Try it.

Videogames and violence. (Anonymous)

The "violent videogames cause violence" debate is back in the news again. And, as usual, the moral majority and games industry blame or slippery shoulder respectively. I’m in two minds on this issue - on the one hand I think that censoring or banning violent games is ridiculous scare-mongering on the part of the “anti-gaming” groups. On the other I think that games companies and the majority of gamers are sticking their heads in the sand and need to take a bit more responsibility for their output. Take 2, despite public denial, do want kids to play the likes of GTA and Manhunt because it makes them money. And todays parents are too lazy and irresposible to actively ensure their kids are playing games that are suitable.

The majority of non-gamers I speak to think that these modern ultra-violent games are just retarded fantasies for the socially inept, and I think these games do a lot to damage our pastime in the eyes of those people. My father’s opinion of games is the “it’s just childish zapping little green men and robots… grow up and do something useful” - one I’m sure a lot of you encounter.

The outcome is that nobody wins. Publishers may make short-term profits from blockbusters but are probably limiting long-term market size, kids are exposed to images they really shouldn’t see, and parents continue to be bloody useless.

Health and stuff (the_debaser)

After a particularly heavy session this weekend, I felt like complete shit on Sunday. And Monday. Chest pains. Sick stomach. That sort of thing. I'm OK today though.

2 of my uncles have died with heart problems before reaching retirement age, so its probably something which runs in the family. Luckily I'm not a smoker, nor do I just sit on my arse every day. However, I do eat an awful lot of crap. And I do drink to excess.

So, I'm giving up the beer for a bit. No doubt I'll miss it. But it'll help me save money. It'll stop me from forgetting what I did the previous night. It'll stop me staying in the house on Saturday afternoons nursing a hangover. And it'll also make me appreciate beer more as more than just a crutch which gets me through another relentless week of 'work-eat-sleep'.

To paraphrase the great Homer J, 'Lemonade will be my beer and feeling good will be my hangover'.

Paper Game Boy Micro (Wickedkitten)

Paper Game Boy Micro:

We’re never ever gonna get tired of paper

models of gadgets—especially unreleased gadgets. Apparently the same goes for the Japanese, who’ve been all up in

that scene since day one. Their latest target: the Game Boy Micro. Get your (fake) game on before any of the other kids

on the block, and in whichever colors and designs you bother digitally appliqueing to the thing.

[Download PDF]


[Thanks, SoDesu]

Attract Mode: Critical Failure (k3nshi) (k3nshi)

Earlier today me and a friend were in the arcade at London's Trocadero tourist and school kid ghetto. If it is a fair representation of arcades today, then the scene is in a truly dismal state. So many old, or old looking games: Daytona is still there and going strong. Daytona 2 was not being played at all. Spazmania and their ilk were going strong. Everything just seemed uninspired and lacking any appeal.

We spotted a Star Wars Pod Racing arcade game. Two people were playing it, and my friend thought it looked pretty cool. I thought it was a perfect example of where arcades have gone wrong. In an arcade I expect to see games that I would not imagine to be able to play on home hardware. A Star Wars Pod Racing game should have graphics comparable to the films, not to other 3D racing games which can be reasonably reproduced on home consoles. Remember the days you walked into an arcade and could only DREAM of playing those games at home? Thats what is missing - at the Trocadero at least.

Ok the costs... THINK OF THE COSTS of all that mega-hardware and software. I understand. But why not produce arcade hardware around high end PCs and mega gfx cards? This would be a lot better than filling the arcades with aging Model 2 and Model 3 arcade hardware. You could also cut software costs by building on top of APIs like OpenGL and DirectX. Surely this is the only way forward for the arcade industry?

Mistakes (Wickedkitten)

As we all know, a certain forumite has had their porn past exposed on the forum at the moment, and regardless of whether it was right or wrong to make what was public knowledge by virtue of being on the internet, public knowledge by posting it on the forum, what mistakes have you made?


Personally for myself, the biggest one has been getting married at the age of 21, it was so horrid it's put me off the idea for life. What about you?

Yahoo acquires Konfabulator (Wickedkitten)

Konfabulator Now Free:
Plus: An illustrated history of how that came to be. (via Daring Fireball)

Bonsai Tree (k3nshi)

The latest addition to Kenshi HQ.