iPad Bluetooth Keyboard at a bargain

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Are you looking and looking for a wireless bluetooth keyboard for your iPad, read this article to help you decide if this one is right for you.

Recently I was in need of a keyboard for my iPad 2, I as checking online and found several but easily over $50 dollars. Until I found an iPad Generic Bluetooth keyboard that looks like the keyboard Apple sells for $60 dollars for half the price at $29 and here it is pictured below.


This keyboard is great for the price it has the following pros and cons:

Pros:
- made of durable plastic for normal use.
- keys click is soft
- letters and numbers easy to read
- keys function with great response time. No lag noticed.
- Cost
- Easy to access battery slot on the back that uses 2 "AAA" batteries
- Has an on/off sliding button on the back, easy to access and protected
- Keyboard is tilted around 15 to 20 degrees
- Comfortable
- Easy sinks to iPad/iPad 2, only one time needed
- Easy access key controls above keyboard

Cons:
- Sink button can only be pressed in with small object not included.
You can use a pen/pencil or paperclip
- It goes to sleep to fast, if you don't keep it active it shuts off after 38 - 40 seconds. It can be a pro cause since it saves battery. Comes back to life in a matter of seconds.
- Not Apple material, lets face it, if you want something better you have to spend more, but this keyboard does the job for those beginner bloggers and people that want to save money.

Function keys above keyboard do the following:

Square key = home key to return to home screen on iPad
F1 = Search
F2 = Decreases brightness
F3 = Increases brightness
F4 = Photo viewer
F5 = hide or show keyboard
F6 = unknown,(empty space)
F7 = reverse skip
F8 = play/pause
F9 = forward skip
F10 = mute button
F11 = volume down
F12 = volume up
Lock Key = locks your iPad

I purchased this keyboard from Amazon, just type in the following:

iPad Generic Wireless keyboard

Scroll down until you find it, price $29 dollars plus shipping.
Overall this is very nice purchase and works really well for ipad applications.

Feel free to ask any questions below and I will gladly answer them to help you make a decision on it.

Navastech.blogspot.com

PlayStation Network: Next week came and went out the window

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Sony has not rolled out update to let players back online and many are getting very inpatient. They have to understand that Sony will not place the service back online until they are confident that the system is ready to go to avoid future attacks.

This can take some time, someone on twitter had a point on comments section to PlayStation's blog that made sense.

Their comment stated that as soon as Sony brings the system back online that it will be hacked again. Yes, it is definitely a possibility, after all hackers strive to break code to accommodate and remove restrictions placed on the full potential of equipment.

We can only wait and see how well Sony implements their new security update. One thing is that if it goes live soon and soon after it goes down again, then PSN multiplayer gamers will start to look someplace else. That is a key feature that many purchase game consoles or games. Single player is not as popular anymore. There is nothing more entertaining than seeing someone loose on the opposite team and know that they are sitting in front of TV/Computer just like you. As a gamer you can imagine what they are thinking. Yes, at the end it's just a game but great competition is always fun.


Navastech

Battlefield 3 Beta coming soon

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Battlefield 3 Beta to roll out in October 2011 per EA blog, for the people that purchased Medal of Honor Limited Edition.

Be warned as EA blog states the following: "If you’re on Twitter — and you probably are — you might have noticed some folks out there claiming they just signed up for a Battlefield 3 beta, and offer you a link to click. Do not click these links. They’re gateways to scams, hijacks, spyware and a lot of stuff you don’t want on your computer. If you come across these links, simply click “Block and report”, and hope that Twitter will remove these accounts. "

So don't be fooled to believe those lies. Game is due at the end of the year if all goes well, and beta will be kind of late but it is coming. All we can do for now is wait patiently kicking online butt with BFBC2 and MOH.


Navastech

Microsoft gaining more momentum as PSN still down

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Microsoft just posted some victory numbers on how well XBOX 360 is doing in sales up 60% year over year. They easily beat PS3 sales due to one very important thing which is Online Gaming still not back up.

Kinet is what Microsoft says is the driving force, but even GameStop has received lots of trades after second week of system being down. It's kind of clear that this is damaging Sony in reputation and sales.



PlayStation Network still under heavy maintenance getting security implemented for this time around. Many are still holding on to their PS3's for single player and mainly for the blu-ray experience.

I would not be surprised if sales men at any retail store are letting buyers know that PS3 system was hacked and they can't access online features until it is fixed. If buyers ask when will it be back, they will simply say, " We don't know." That is because Sony doesn't know either. Come on Sony, this does not look good for you.

Are you ready to trade or holding on until this bad PSN weather clears?


navastech.blogspot.com

PlayStation Returning services sections at a time

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So PlayStation blog has been constantly been updating the page with what parts are being re-stored. E-mail password verification got to overwhelming for the servers that they had to stop the service for 30 minutes to clear the queue.
Now many would be able to reset their password from their PS3 directly unless you had a different one than the original you registered. I guess many don’t have their same PS3 anymore. I actually found that confusing since I originally had a 20 gig PS3 and then bought 60 gig, I guess it is the last one used before it got hacked.

Sony gives us, Kazuo Hirai, giving all of us details on restoration and a clear apology, which all PS3 gamers are sure to received with appreciation.

PS3 should have all it’s network up this week if all goes well. Thanks Sony for the updates. They are going to even through in a few perks for being patient and for the troubles of waiting.
Changing the password is simple through PS3, but I found problems at the beginning downloading it directly and that could be because of the server overload. So I downloaded the firmware via PSN page update, then used USB to install on PS3 which worked like a charm. Just make sure you make a folder named “PS3”, then another within that says “Update.”
After update, I tried to load a PSN game and it froze, so I had to re-start my PS3 and all worked well afterwards.
Well, hope all goes well for the rest of you PS3 gamers. GAME ON!

Early Play - What's the Big Deal?

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It appears that a few retailers have jumped the gun and began selling Modern Warfare 3 just a *tad* early.  Those that have been able to take advantage of this, of course, started playing.  Yesterday, Xbox Live Director of Policy and Enforcement Stephen Toulouse tweeted the following:

Stepto: clarification: dblchk'd with Activision. Mw3 pre-release play not authorized. So pls be patient. Playing early may impact your account! (link to tweet)

Two things are at question here.  First, it has been Microsoft's policy in the past that if you've legitimately obtained a game prior to its official release, go nuts.  This even came from Toulouse himself earlier in the day tweeting:

Stepto: For those asking about MW3 pre-release play: If your copy is legit and obtained legitly, have fun. It's a great game. (link to tweet)

So why the reversal?  Is Activision now dictating to Microsoft what its policy should be?  Moreover, if they're really that concerned about people playing it before release, here's a novel thought.  Turn off the multiplayer servers until release.  That'll teach those bastards to pay you money before they're supposed to!

And that brings me to point number two.  Why does it really matter?  These people are not pirates.  They're paying customers.  I could totally understand if these were leaked copies of the game being spread far and wide across the Internet.  This is not the case.  Here, you're punishing your most rabid fans for legitimately obtaining the game early.  You want to take it out on someone?  Find the retailer that sold it early and tell them they don't get the game next time.  Or if it was really that severe in your eyes, blacklist them from getting other games published from your company.  Don't punish the consumer, they're innocent in this scenario.  Who of us *wouldn't* take that opportunity?

The conspiracy theorist in me isn't entirely sure this hasn't been orchestrated since Battlefield 3 is enjoying some pretty ridiculous sales numbers with no opposition and Activision can't have it.  This could be the *wink wink, nudge nudge* "Now you're not supposed to be doing this yet guys!" in order to get some free publicity and to undercut the competition.

It's moderate level d-baggery at its worst, and crappy publicity stunt at its best.  Either way, the consumer that did no wrong ends up standing to lose the most.

Update - Toulouse later went on to say that nobody would see retribution for early play but to "wait til Tuesday to play with everybody", whatever that meant.

Veteran Gamer's Top 5 Games of the Year

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Back again!  Sorry for the delay on this article, but hey, I'm only one man.  And just as with last, year, the following disclaimer returns:

There's no way I can play all of the great games that were released this year.  So this is purely my "Top 5 Games I played this year" list, with the system I played it on in parenthesis.  The biggest caveat to this list that should be noted off the top.  I only own the 360 and PS3.  The Wii hasn't held my interest since launch, and I don't have a PC that is beefy enough to run anything worth playing.

Continuing last year's start, I present to you the game I just didn't get last year:

WTF Was This Game So Popular Game of the Year:  Nobody!


Three cheers for the gaming industry and press!  As I looked back at last year, there were NO critically acclaimed games released that I sat wondering why I was playing.  Everything I played was worth playing, and I think that speaks to just how AWESOME a year 2011 was for gaming.

Most Disappointing Game of the Year: Battlefield 3

As awesome as Battlefield Bad Company 2 was last year, Battlefield 3 completely disappointed.  Glitches galore ruin this iteration of 2010's best shooter.  My crew and I still have issues with mics working properly and actually staying in our squads after joining games.  EA shot high with its marketing and unfortunately DICE fell flat in delivery.

#5:  Mortal Kombat (Xbox 360)


Surprise, surprise, surprise.  For the first time in forever, a Mortal Kombat game was worth playing for me.  Chucking the 3D gameplay that strayed so far from what made the series great at it's inception, NetherRealm went all nostalgia on us and FREAKING NAILED IT.  But it's not just nostalgia running the show here.  The game includes a real story mode that is the most entertaining in any one on one fighting game I've ever played.  I've sunk 11 hours in this game and still haven't finished the story.  If you've ever been a fan of the series, you'll find the newest iteration well worth your money.

#4:  Uncharted 3 (PS3)


Uncharted 3 was equal parts frustrating, equal parts mesmerizing in my experience.  Game controls were frustrating in many parts, from inadvertently jumping to my death many times, to everyone's favorite thing, instant fail sequences.  But the parts where it fell short were minimal compared to the fantastic visuals and engaging story, which is why despite my frustration, Uncharted 3 reaches my top 5.

#3:  The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (Xbox 360)


It just couldn't live completely up to the hype for me.  Add in a month period where the game was unplayable due to an elemental bug introduced after a patch, and Skyrim fell out of the GOTY perch for me.  However, this is still an outstanding game.  I've barely scratched the surface in my 16 hours of play, and love this fact.  This is of course a detriment to several high quality games sitting on my shelf, some of which I've not even touched, but they'll get their due.  Eventually.

#2:  Gears of War 3 (Xbox 360)


The Gears trilogy finishes strong.  Another great single player experience, and a lot more splattering grubs and glowies.  Though I don't get the competitive multiplayer at all in this series, Horde 2.0 and the new Beast modes shine.  The tower defense style in Horde 2.0 improves on an already addicting formula.  And of course, the ability to play as the Locust in Beast mode is a neat new addition.  In another year, this could have been the GOTY... but it's most certainly the shooter of the year!

Before I get to #1, here are some honorable mentions...

Honorable Mention:  Forza Motorsport 4 (Xbox 360)


Everyone's favorite version of car porn probably would have made my list had I just had some more time to play it.  Sadly, with only 3 hours played, I couldn't in good conscience put it into my top 5.  That said, I've had a blast with what I've played of what is easily the most beautiful racing game on a console.

Honorable Mention:  Shadows of the Damned (Xbox 360)


God of War like in it's gameplay, but a 3rd person shooter in reality.  Throw in copious amounts of gore and bullet time sequences and you've got... well... what this game is.  This is a really hard game to describe, and yet in the short time I played it (less than an hour) I was having a lot of fun.  If you like shooters and want something different, you won't be disappointed.

Honorable Mention:  Once Upon a Monster (Xbox 360)


Holy crap, a Kinect game made this list!  But it's because it's an unbelievable experience if you also happen to have young children.  I've played eight hours of this game with my son, and he's just loved it to death.  I can't thank Double Fine enough for giving me my first gaming experience with my son and making it great.

And now, Veteran Gamer's Game of the Year is...

Game of the Year:  Portal 2 (PS3)


I could wax poetic about this game.  I devoured the single player in this game, leapt into the multiplayer via couch co-op with a friend, and was disappointed to finally reach the end.  The puzzles were brilliant, the humor was some of the best ever in a video game, and the gameplay was near perfection.  I'm not sure how Valve will deliver us a Portal 3 after the ending, but here's hoping they find a way, because a world without GladOS is a world I don't want to live in.

Thus closes my year in gaming for 2011.  Can 2012 possibly top 2011 and even 2010 before it?  Like last year, the games I didn't get to which certainly could have been contenders for my top five were numerous.  A few that would certainly have been in the running were Batman Arkham City, Saint's Row the Third, Dark Souls, LA Noire, and certainly more.  As with last year, thanks to everyone who's sticking with my tiny little blog.  I hope to improve more for this year!

LISTEN: Episode #9 of RetroFlickFillet - It's a little (people) world afterall!

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Yep, the episode where we finally cross the line and GO THERE! What better episode than this one to feature Jeff Martin from BETTERGEEKTHANNEVER website & blog to join in on the fun with!

Get the scoop on our thoughts on Child's Play, Leprechaun, & Willow from the twisted minds of Doug, Mike & Special guest co-host Jeff!!!

This episode is SUPER-SIZED, coming in at just about 2 hours, plus a bonus 30 minutes after the show's outro!

CAN YOU HANDLE IT?
















LISTEN HERE:http://tiny.cc/x2kv9

Wibiya's New Toolbar Design

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   As you may have noticed, Wibiya redesigned their toolbar. As you can see it looks completely different, not just for you but for every visitor. Depending on where you arrive to my site from the toolbar will be different. For example, if you come to my site from Facebook then the toolbar will show your friends and the Facebook like button. The same if someone were to visit from Google+ then you'd see the G+ button instead. The only real way to fully explain how the new toolbar works is to try it for yourselves. If you enter my site from different locations you will see what I am trying to explain.

    In my opinion, the new design looks pretty good. The first time I updated it I was confused thou. I didn't know how to edit it nor how it worked but now I understand it better. So if you have a blog/website then I recommend you upgrade and be patient with the options.

Life's Apptastic!

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Are you getting an iPhone for Christmas? Or maybe sometime later? Do you want some "pay for apps"? Well then, check out this website we recently came across!

Now we all know apps become free once in a while as promotions. What the website basically does, is tells you when an app becomes free. This website also tells/shows you, original price, pictures of content, and links. Best of all, this premium service is free! Now while this isn't a game, we believe it still deserves a rating, so here it is!

The Three States rating; 8/10

This may just become your #1 online website! Either that, or the website we mentioned above...

Life's Apptastic!

To contact us Click HERE
Are you getting an iPhone for Christmas? Or maybe sometime later? Do you want some "pay for apps"? Well then, check out this website we recently came across!

Now we all know apps become free once in a while as promotions. What the website basically does, is tells you when an app becomes free. This website also tells/shows you, original price, pictures of content, and links. Best of all, this premium service is free! Now while this isn't a game, we believe it still deserves a rating, so here it is!

The Three States rating; 8/10

This may just become your #1 online website! Either that, or the website we mentioned above...

LISTEN: Episode #9 of RetroFlickFillet - It's a little (people) world afterall!

To contact us Click HERE
Yep, the episode where we finally cross the line and GO THERE! What better episode than this one to feature Jeff Martin from BETTERGEEKTHANNEVER website & blog to join in on the fun with!

Get the scoop on our thoughts on Child's Play, Leprechaun, & Willow from the twisted minds of Doug, Mike & Special guest co-host Jeff!!!

This episode is SUPER-SIZED, coming in at just about 2 hours, plus a bonus 30 minutes after the show's outro!

CAN YOU HANDLE IT?
















LISTEN HERE:http://tiny.cc/x2kv9

Wibiya's New Toolbar Design

To contact us Click HERE
   As you may have noticed, Wibiya redesigned their toolbar. As you can see it looks completely different, not just for you but for every visitor. Depending on where you arrive to my site from the toolbar will be different. For example, if you come to my site from Facebook then the toolbar will show your friends and the Facebook like button. The same if someone were to visit from Google+ then you'd see the G+ button instead. The only real way to fully explain how the new toolbar works is to try it for yourselves. If you enter my site from different locations you will see what I am trying to explain.

    In my opinion, the new design looks pretty good. The first time I updated it I was confused thou. I didn't know how to edit it nor how it worked but now I understand it better. So if you have a blog/website then I recommend you upgrade and be patient with the options.

Wyre Forest Politics in full view

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With the new Single Site (officially named Wyre Forest House though Tenko Towers, Campion Towers, or various less flattering names have been offered) comes a bonus - council web casting. The first full council meeting was cast on the 21st and all 2 hours is available to view here. Amazingly the option to view the webcast can be found on the council's front page though it is tucked away near the bottom on a tab.

I've been slowly plodding through it with the quick links on the side making life so much more helpful; as I've yet to finish at this time I'll constrain myself to technical commentary.

I'll start in a highly technical manner by pointing out that this uses Adobe Flash rather than the newer HTML5 video element; I suspect this is done for comparability reasons. In theory there's no reason not to have both but that would generally require encoding the video in two different ways.

Secondly the fullscreen icon does not display the video fullscreen, rather it displays a clickable item on the video which them needs to be selected.

Rather nicely the timeline to the left updates as the video is played with the person currently speaking being displayed both to the left and above the video. The left hand timeline also acts as a shortcut jump.

Likewise choosing any of the tabs above to access additional information moves the video off to the right and continues playing. As an aside it would therefore be nice if the PDF'ed Agenda could be displayed in frame rather than as a separate tab or programme. Feedback seems to be offline; whether that only works during a live broadcast I don't know. Live Chat on the other hand seems to be a Twitter feed. Sadly the polling for that doesn't seem to work correctly as it will constantly repeat the same one and only tweet tagged #wfdclive

Minor tweaks - volume is set far too loudly on my system; it's a system thing, so difficult to get right, but with system volume set to 100 I have to drop the volume down to the single dot for it not to be too loud. It would also be nice if alongside the speaker timeline/heading their affiliation was displayed, possibly even their represented ward. I know that in theory it shouldn't matter, but given the general disinterest in politics the option to be able to jump to when 'your' representative is speaking may aid the casual viewer.

On the whole a promising start. Given the time frame in which most meetings seem to operate this is a welcome opportunity for anyone to at least see what their council is doing and no excuses not to get the tiniest bit involved.

The Mad Twitterer

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I've taken the plunge and got a Twitter account, this news won't be a surprise to at least two readers who somehow managed to follow me before I'd even made an announcement or my first tweet I suspect magic on their part, either or its just that my name and footprint appear on it and it showed up in a search :-)

Of course my first picks had already gone so I have the_mad_ranter which has underscores that may not be apparent. I'm still not sure what (if anything) I'm going to do with it, but then again I wasn't sure exactly what I'd be doing here and yet here I still am 6 years on (yeesh) with 2,701 posts and 218,808 page views and 37 (listed) followers.

Oh well I'll come back to it in six years time and see.

Wibiya's New Toolbar Design

To contact us Click HERE
   As you may have noticed, Wibiya redesigned their toolbar. As you can see it looks completely different, not just for you but for every visitor. Depending on where you arrive to my site from the toolbar will be different. For example, if you come to my site from Facebook then the toolbar will show your friends and the Facebook like button. The same if someone were to visit from Google+ then you'd see the G+ button instead. The only real way to fully explain how the new toolbar works is to try it for yourselves. If you enter my site from different locations you will see what I am trying to explain.

    In my opinion, the new design looks pretty good. The first time I updated it I was confused thou. I didn't know how to edit it nor how it worked but now I understand it better. So if you have a blog/website then I recommend you upgrade and be patient with the options.

Wing Stop

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     Wing Stop is a great place for wings.  They have many delicious flavors to choose from. So far I've tried five of their flavors. I've tasted the traditional hot which isn't very spicy, but it was delicious. I also tried the the teriyaki and the sweet and tangy hawaiian which were also delicious. My favorite however are the garlic parmesan, I can't get enough of them. I'd avoid the lemon pepper wings thou. They tasted more like lemon than actual wings. They're not too bad thou.
   
     The fries are also a great choice for a side. Once I started eating them I couldn't stop myself. They also have great dipping sauces. So far I've tried the ranch and honey mustard. I recommend the honey mustard. The service was just as great as their wings.

     If you ever get the chance then I suggest you get a 20 pc. (believe me, 10 wont be enough) and don't forget that you can choose up to two flavors on each order. They also have beer which is great with wings. I highly recommend Wing Stop!

Doom 3 BFG review PS3

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Doom 3 was released some time ago for the XBox and PC, but this is the first time for the PS3 and is part of a wider re-mastered anniversary collection that adds in the the new game along with the two expansions and, nicely enough, the original Doom and Doom II campaigns. Is it any good though?
Considering that I had more fun with the 8-bit Doom and Doom II than the new version - no. For those too young to remember Doom was the game that truly brought first person shooting to the world. Really a 2D affair with no requirement to aim up or down it was a blast just to run through an area with your unnamed Marine blasting anything before you and circle-strafing around the larger enemies whittling down their health.  Doom 3 was an attempt to bring that ethos to a modern audience and although laudable in its efforts it failed in its implementation. So how did it fail - oh let me count the ways.

It tries to kick it old-school with no mini-map or health regeneration, but then locks doors behind the player channelling them into the way to go and propping up health dispensers in every level. In the older games letting the monsters turn on each other while picking off others was the only way to survive some pitched battles, but while monsters can still do that given a maximum of three monsters at a time there's little point. That goes for circle-strafing too; no point and given the cramped conditions far too easy to get snagged on some architecture or walk off the edge of a platform thanks to the newly zoomed in viewpoint cutting off the periphery. At least the weaponry is good; well all right not so much good as bad. Doom shotgun - bam; Doom 3 shotgun - bampf. Sounds at times like throwing firecrackers at the enemy.

That's just the problem with the game; mechanically it's even worse. Weapons are cycled through with the shoulder keys which takes far too long, but at least there's the quick select options on the d-pad [sigh] which are preset and unchangeable and don't feature either the shotgun or machine gun that are probably going to be the most used weapons in the game. There's no cover mechanic which would be a good thing if some of the enemy didn't possess it either, though it's possible to duck behind crates too provided the player doesn't want to try and aim at the same time (try moving the right-stick while pressing it down at the same time). Then there's the lack of feedback - the PS3 has a vibration mode which isn't used; and it's impossible to tell where you're getting hit from. Add in that the weapons reticule won't state if the weapon is aimed correctly (it turns red if an enemy is hit) and combine with the new 3D mechanic and I found myself shooting over the heads of monsters on stairs (with a shotgun!) or to the side with them having no problem in targeting me.

But hey who cares if it plays badly if it looks good; shame it doesn't. For all the vaunted remastering textures are still blurry and this stands out with the crystal-clear computer screens placed next to blurry locker decals. Monsters... okay they do look good, but by default no-one's going to be spending much time looking at them as a) they need to be killed and b) most dissolve after death.

At least it plays smoothly. Well smoothly until three monsters try to teleport in one after another and the game gives a massive shudder and comes to a halt. Though that's still better than the saving and loading. Remember when I said doors lock behind you preventing return? In theory this should cut down on load and save times as the game can discard any data regarding those previous areas. So can someone please tell me why, for the most part, saving and loading takes the same amount of time as a game such as Skyrim? Worse yet manual saving uses the same mechanic as autosaving - bam everything stops so it can save and then throws you back into the game without warning. Okay some games still do this, but I've not encountered one that autosaves as badly as Doom 3. Consider the following examples:

I approach a door and perform a manual save, tapping my fingers as it stores god-knows what data; it finishes and I step through the door and bam autosave.
I go through a door and an automated recording starts and gets two words in before bam autosave.
I go down an open elevator and as I reach the bottom a chaingun toting marine starts to tear me up; I swing my weapon around to get a bearing and bam autosave.

Seriously? Did no-one play this game on a PS3?

Oh and one minor point telling me how wonderful the Grabber is during a loading screen tip is completely pointless given that I cannot obtain the Grabber in this particular campaign.

Systematic fail; but hey the 8-bit originals are a blast.

Consequences of the Living Wage

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I posted a entry about how the people who determined the current minimum wage really didn't know what they were doing, however at the last district council meeting an agenda item was raised regarding the "living wage" currently set to £7.44 an hour. Disregarding at the moment the full breakdown of exactly how this is determined what the definitions of "reasonable" are etc. I'll approach this as I did before.


Recall that raising the minimum wage from £6.08 to £6.19 meant a weekly increase to the employer of £5.69 and a weekly increase of monies to the government in the form of taxes of £2.29.

With the living wage in place instead of the minimum wage:

£280 Gross pay (rounded up from £279.38)
£16.08 NI
£24.83 PAYE

With the employer's NI at £18.77. The government gets £59.68. That's an increase to the employer of £53.48 a week and an increase of monies paid to the government of £21.53 a week.

The jump in minimum wage meant an employer having to find an extra £296 a year; a jump to the living wage would mean an employer would have to find an extra £2,781 a year. With the jump in minimum wage the government gets an extra £119 a year; with the living wage they'd get an £1,120.

In full (with roundings) under the current minimum wage per year:

£10,771 net wage
£12,755 gross cost to employer
£1,984 to the government

With the living wage:

£12,433 net wage
£15,536 gross cost to employer
£3,103 to the government

Okay a living wage is important, but those dictating the terms need to recall that the money has to come from somewhere. Again that's an extra £2,781 per year, per employee that they expect a company to find. Where do they find the money? Hmmm how about raising prices; which leads to inflation; which means that in real times no-one's had a pay rise; which means recalculating the "living wage"; and around the circle we go.

Yahoo CEO is fired amid 'dull' growth

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“I am very sadto tell you that I’ve just been fired over the phone by Yahoo’s Chairman of theBoard”. These were the last words from Carol Bartz, the 62-year-old former CEOof Yahoo. The email, sent on Tuesday, saw her sacked after a “lack of aturnaround for the business”.
1 Billion US dollars. Enough tobuy infinite Yahoo memberships, as free as they are. It seems that is all Yahoois renowned for now; many email accounts and abnormal bulletins on thehomepage. Yahoo had a revenue of $1 Billion last year, and was still describedas being “largely flat in recent years” by The Wall Street Journal. Carol Bartzwas therefore sacked on Tuesday (6/09/11) after two and a half years as CEO ofthe once market-leading company of the dot-com generation. So, why?
Stock increaseBartz had one year left on hercontract so the decision to dismiss her now seems to suggest change was neededimmediately. In fact, the day after her departure saw Yahoo’s stock close withan increase of 5.4% the next day. Optimism is on the rise again it seems,almost rather embarrassingly, as soon as Bartz was deemed unfit for her duties.Does it come has a surprise? If you look on Yahoo, or have followed itsexistence, you’d know that it hasn’t changed too much. From being the no.1search engine at the beginning of the last decade it has, in recent years, lostground to Google and been slightly damaged by the surge of Facebook. In fact,the number of visits onto the site from U.S viewers has dropped by 33% sinceCarol Bartz arrived.
However, Ms. Bartz must have somecredit. She overhauled the organisational structure to make it moredecentralised and challenged the efficiency of the business. Unfortunately, herresponse to a reporter back in 2010 seems rather ironic nowadays.

Reporter: Why isn’t Yahoo as hotas Facebook?

Bartz: Remind me, what’s theirrevenue?

Where now? Yahoo is to now focus on organicgrowth. Organic growth is growth which is achieved ‘naturally’, usually fromsales, and not from external sources such as mergers or acquisitions. It needsto think of innovative ways to regain its market position, with the stand-ininterim CEO Tim Morse given the go-ahead to steer the turn-around. Expect inthe very near future features from Yahoo to engage the late teens/young adultdemographic which Facebook has done so well to draw in. Hotmail might be anexample of such developments with its unlimited storage capacity andconnections with MSN messenger. Or maybe this really is the beginning of theend of Yahoo, with competition becoming increasingly competitive. It’s safe tosay, Yahoo’s dominance is now over and the expulsion of their CEO seems toindicate they feel the same way. This is a new beginning for Yahoo and newpossibilities for the market. Watch this space.
Glen GostlowContributor
More stuff coming soon. Anysuggestions please leave a comment below or email me.

Early Play - What's the Big Deal?

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It appears that a few retailers have jumped the gun and began selling Modern Warfare 3 just a *tad* early.  Those that have been able to take advantage of this, of course, started playing.  Yesterday, Xbox Live Director of Policy and Enforcement Stephen Toulouse tweeted the following:

Stepto: clarification: dblchk'd with Activision. Mw3 pre-release play not authorized. So pls be patient. Playing early may impact your account! (link to tweet)

Two things are at question here.  First, it has been Microsoft's policy in the past that if you've legitimately obtained a game prior to its official release, go nuts.  This even came from Toulouse himself earlier in the day tweeting:

Stepto: For those asking about MW3 pre-release play: If your copy is legit and obtained legitly, have fun. It's a great game. (link to tweet)

So why the reversal?  Is Activision now dictating to Microsoft what its policy should be?  Moreover, if they're really that concerned about people playing it before release, here's a novel thought.  Turn off the multiplayer servers until release.  That'll teach those bastards to pay you money before they're supposed to!

And that brings me to point number two.  Why does it really matter?  These people are not pirates.  They're paying customers.  I could totally understand if these were leaked copies of the game being spread far and wide across the Internet.  This is not the case.  Here, you're punishing your most rabid fans for legitimately obtaining the game early.  You want to take it out on someone?  Find the retailer that sold it early and tell them they don't get the game next time.  Or if it was really that severe in your eyes, blacklist them from getting other games published from your company.  Don't punish the consumer, they're innocent in this scenario.  Who of us *wouldn't* take that opportunity?

The conspiracy theorist in me isn't entirely sure this hasn't been orchestrated since Battlefield 3 is enjoying some pretty ridiculous sales numbers with no opposition and Activision can't have it.  This could be the *wink wink, nudge nudge* "Now you're not supposed to be doing this yet guys!" in order to get some free publicity and to undercut the competition.

It's moderate level d-baggery at its worst, and crappy publicity stunt at its best.  Either way, the consumer that did no wrong ends up standing to lose the most.

Update - Toulouse later went on to say that nobody would see retribution for early play but to "wait til Tuesday to play with everybody", whatever that meant.

Veteran Gamer's Top 5 Games of the Year

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Back again!  Sorry for the delay on this article, but hey, I'm only one man.  And just as with last, year, the following disclaimer returns:

There's no way I can play all of the great games that were released this year.  So this is purely my "Top 5 Games I played this year" list, with the system I played it on in parenthesis.  The biggest caveat to this list that should be noted off the top.  I only own the 360 and PS3.  The Wii hasn't held my interest since launch, and I don't have a PC that is beefy enough to run anything worth playing.

Continuing last year's start, I present to you the game I just didn't get last year:

WTF Was This Game So Popular Game of the Year:  Nobody!


Three cheers for the gaming industry and press!  As I looked back at last year, there were NO critically acclaimed games released that I sat wondering why I was playing.  Everything I played was worth playing, and I think that speaks to just how AWESOME a year 2011 was for gaming.

Most Disappointing Game of the Year: Battlefield 3

As awesome as Battlefield Bad Company 2 was last year, Battlefield 3 completely disappointed.  Glitches galore ruin this iteration of 2010's best shooter.  My crew and I still have issues with mics working properly and actually staying in our squads after joining games.  EA shot high with its marketing and unfortunately DICE fell flat in delivery.

#5:  Mortal Kombat (Xbox 360)


Surprise, surprise, surprise.  For the first time in forever, a Mortal Kombat game was worth playing for me.  Chucking the 3D gameplay that strayed so far from what made the series great at it's inception, NetherRealm went all nostalgia on us and FREAKING NAILED IT.  But it's not just nostalgia running the show here.  The game includes a real story mode that is the most entertaining in any one on one fighting game I've ever played.  I've sunk 11 hours in this game and still haven't finished the story.  If you've ever been a fan of the series, you'll find the newest iteration well worth your money.

#4:  Uncharted 3 (PS3)


Uncharted 3 was equal parts frustrating, equal parts mesmerizing in my experience.  Game controls were frustrating in many parts, from inadvertently jumping to my death many times, to everyone's favorite thing, instant fail sequences.  But the parts where it fell short were minimal compared to the fantastic visuals and engaging story, which is why despite my frustration, Uncharted 3 reaches my top 5.

#3:  The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (Xbox 360)


It just couldn't live completely up to the hype for me.  Add in a month period where the game was unplayable due to an elemental bug introduced after a patch, and Skyrim fell out of the GOTY perch for me.  However, this is still an outstanding game.  I've barely scratched the surface in my 16 hours of play, and love this fact.  This is of course a detriment to several high quality games sitting on my shelf, some of which I've not even touched, but they'll get their due.  Eventually.

#2:  Gears of War 3 (Xbox 360)


The Gears trilogy finishes strong.  Another great single player experience, and a lot more splattering grubs and glowies.  Though I don't get the competitive multiplayer at all in this series, Horde 2.0 and the new Beast modes shine.  The tower defense style in Horde 2.0 improves on an already addicting formula.  And of course, the ability to play as the Locust in Beast mode is a neat new addition.  In another year, this could have been the GOTY... but it's most certainly the shooter of the year!

Before I get to #1, here are some honorable mentions...

Honorable Mention:  Forza Motorsport 4 (Xbox 360)


Everyone's favorite version of car porn probably would have made my list had I just had some more time to play it.  Sadly, with only 3 hours played, I couldn't in good conscience put it into my top 5.  That said, I've had a blast with what I've played of what is easily the most beautiful racing game on a console.

Honorable Mention:  Shadows of the Damned (Xbox 360)


God of War like in it's gameplay, but a 3rd person shooter in reality.  Throw in copious amounts of gore and bullet time sequences and you've got... well... what this game is.  This is a really hard game to describe, and yet in the short time I played it (less than an hour) I was having a lot of fun.  If you like shooters and want something different, you won't be disappointed.

Honorable Mention:  Once Upon a Monster (Xbox 360)


Holy crap, a Kinect game made this list!  But it's because it's an unbelievable experience if you also happen to have young children.  I've played eight hours of this game with my son, and he's just loved it to death.  I can't thank Double Fine enough for giving me my first gaming experience with my son and making it great.

And now, Veteran Gamer's Game of the Year is...

Game of the Year:  Portal 2 (PS3)


I could wax poetic about this game.  I devoured the single player in this game, leapt into the multiplayer via couch co-op with a friend, and was disappointed to finally reach the end.  The puzzles were brilliant, the humor was some of the best ever in a video game, and the gameplay was near perfection.  I'm not sure how Valve will deliver us a Portal 3 after the ending, but here's hoping they find a way, because a world without GladOS is a world I don't want to live in.

Thus closes my year in gaming for 2011.  Can 2012 possibly top 2011 and even 2010 before it?  Like last year, the games I didn't get to which certainly could have been contenders for my top five were numerous.  A few that would certainly have been in the running were Batman Arkham City, Saint's Row the Third, Dark Souls, LA Noire, and certainly more.  As with last year, thanks to everyone who's sticking with my tiny little blog.  I hope to improve more for this year!

Life's Apptastic!

To contact us Click HERE
Are you getting an iPhone for Christmas? Or maybe sometime later? Do you want some "pay for apps"? Well then, check out this website we recently came across!

Now we all know apps become free once in a while as promotions. What the website basically does, is tells you when an app becomes free. This website also tells/shows you, original price, pictures of content, and links. Best of all, this premium service is free! Now while this isn't a game, we believe it still deserves a rating, so here it is!

The Three States rating; 8/10

This may just become your #1 online website! Either that, or the website we mentioned above...

LISTEN: Episode #9 of RetroFlickFillet - It's a little (people) world afterall!

To contact us Click HERE
Yep, the episode where we finally cross the line and GO THERE! What better episode than this one to feature Jeff Martin from BETTERGEEKTHANNEVER website & blog to join in on the fun with!

Get the scoop on our thoughts on Child's Play, Leprechaun, & Willow from the twisted minds of Doug, Mike & Special guest co-host Jeff!!!

This episode is SUPER-SIZED, coming in at just about 2 hours, plus a bonus 30 minutes after the show's outro!

CAN YOU HANDLE IT?
















LISTEN HERE:http://tiny.cc/x2kv9

Wibiya's New Toolbar Design

To contact us Click HERE
   As you may have noticed, Wibiya redesigned their toolbar. As you can see it looks completely different, not just for you but for every visitor. Depending on where you arrive to my site from the toolbar will be different. For example, if you come to my site from Facebook then the toolbar will show your friends and the Facebook like button. The same if someone were to visit from Google+ then you'd see the G+ button instead. The only real way to fully explain how the new toolbar works is to try it for yourselves. If you enter my site from different locations you will see what I am trying to explain.

    In my opinion, the new design looks pretty good. The first time I updated it I was confused thou. I didn't know how to edit it nor how it worked but now I understand it better. So if you have a blog/website then I recommend you upgrade and be patient with the options.

Veteran Gamer's Top 5 Games of the Year

To contact us Click HERE

Back again!  Sorry for the delay on this article, but hey, I'm only one man.  And just as with last, year, the following disclaimer returns:

There's no way I can play all of the great games that were released this year.  So this is purely my "Top 5 Games I played this year" list, with the system I played it on in parenthesis.  The biggest caveat to this list that should be noted off the top.  I only own the 360 and PS3.  The Wii hasn't held my interest since launch, and I don't have a PC that is beefy enough to run anything worth playing.

Continuing last year's start, I present to you the game I just didn't get last year:

WTF Was This Game So Popular Game of the Year:  Nobody!


Three cheers for the gaming industry and press!  As I looked back at last year, there were NO critically acclaimed games released that I sat wondering why I was playing.  Everything I played was worth playing, and I think that speaks to just how AWESOME a year 2011 was for gaming.

Most Disappointing Game of the Year: Battlefield 3

As awesome as Battlefield Bad Company 2 was last year, Battlefield 3 completely disappointed.  Glitches galore ruin this iteration of 2010's best shooter.  My crew and I still have issues with mics working properly and actually staying in our squads after joining games.  EA shot high with its marketing and unfortunately DICE fell flat in delivery.

#5:  Mortal Kombat (Xbox 360)


Surprise, surprise, surprise.  For the first time in forever, a Mortal Kombat game was worth playing for me.  Chucking the 3D gameplay that strayed so far from what made the series great at it's inception, NetherRealm went all nostalgia on us and FREAKING NAILED IT.  But it's not just nostalgia running the show here.  The game includes a real story mode that is the most entertaining in any one on one fighting game I've ever played.  I've sunk 11 hours in this game and still haven't finished the story.  If you've ever been a fan of the series, you'll find the newest iteration well worth your money.

#4:  Uncharted 3 (PS3)


Uncharted 3 was equal parts frustrating, equal parts mesmerizing in my experience.  Game controls were frustrating in many parts, from inadvertently jumping to my death many times, to everyone's favorite thing, instant fail sequences.  But the parts where it fell short were minimal compared to the fantastic visuals and engaging story, which is why despite my frustration, Uncharted 3 reaches my top 5.

#3:  The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (Xbox 360)


It just couldn't live completely up to the hype for me.  Add in a month period where the game was unplayable due to an elemental bug introduced after a patch, and Skyrim fell out of the GOTY perch for me.  However, this is still an outstanding game.  I've barely scratched the surface in my 16 hours of play, and love this fact.  This is of course a detriment to several high quality games sitting on my shelf, some of which I've not even touched, but they'll get their due.  Eventually.

#2:  Gears of War 3 (Xbox 360)


The Gears trilogy finishes strong.  Another great single player experience, and a lot more splattering grubs and glowies.  Though I don't get the competitive multiplayer at all in this series, Horde 2.0 and the new Beast modes shine.  The tower defense style in Horde 2.0 improves on an already addicting formula.  And of course, the ability to play as the Locust in Beast mode is a neat new addition.  In another year, this could have been the GOTY... but it's most certainly the shooter of the year!

Before I get to #1, here are some honorable mentions...

Honorable Mention:  Forza Motorsport 4 (Xbox 360)


Everyone's favorite version of car porn probably would have made my list had I just had some more time to play it.  Sadly, with only 3 hours played, I couldn't in good conscience put it into my top 5.  That said, I've had a blast with what I've played of what is easily the most beautiful racing game on a console.

Honorable Mention:  Shadows of the Damned (Xbox 360)


God of War like in it's gameplay, but a 3rd person shooter in reality.  Throw in copious amounts of gore and bullet time sequences and you've got... well... what this game is.  This is a really hard game to describe, and yet in the short time I played it (less than an hour) I was having a lot of fun.  If you like shooters and want something different, you won't be disappointed.

Honorable Mention:  Once Upon a Monster (Xbox 360)


Holy crap, a Kinect game made this list!  But it's because it's an unbelievable experience if you also happen to have young children.  I've played eight hours of this game with my son, and he's just loved it to death.  I can't thank Double Fine enough for giving me my first gaming experience with my son and making it great.

And now, Veteran Gamer's Game of the Year is...

Game of the Year:  Portal 2 (PS3)


I could wax poetic about this game.  I devoured the single player in this game, leapt into the multiplayer via couch co-op with a friend, and was disappointed to finally reach the end.  The puzzles were brilliant, the humor was some of the best ever in a video game, and the gameplay was near perfection.  I'm not sure how Valve will deliver us a Portal 3 after the ending, but here's hoping they find a way, because a world without GladOS is a world I don't want to live in.

Thus closes my year in gaming for 2011.  Can 2012 possibly top 2011 and even 2010 before it?  Like last year, the games I didn't get to which certainly could have been contenders for my top five were numerous.  A few that would certainly have been in the running were Batman Arkham City, Saint's Row the Third, Dark Souls, LA Noire, and certainly more.  As with last year, thanks to everyone who's sticking with my tiny little blog.  I hope to improve more for this year!

LISTEN: Episode #9 of RetroFlickFillet - It's a little (people) world afterall!

To contact us Click HERE
Yep, the episode where we finally cross the line and GO THERE! What better episode than this one to feature Jeff Martin from BETTERGEEKTHANNEVER website & blog to join in on the fun with!

Get the scoop on our thoughts on Child's Play, Leprechaun, & Willow from the twisted minds of Doug, Mike & Special guest co-host Jeff!!!

This episode is SUPER-SIZED, coming in at just about 2 hours, plus a bonus 30 minutes after the show's outro!

CAN YOU HANDLE IT?
















LISTEN HERE:http://tiny.cc/x2kv9

Wibiya's New Toolbar Design

To contact us Click HERE
   As you may have noticed, Wibiya redesigned their toolbar. As you can see it looks completely different, not just for you but for every visitor. Depending on where you arrive to my site from the toolbar will be different. For example, if you come to my site from Facebook then the toolbar will show your friends and the Facebook like button. The same if someone were to visit from Google+ then you'd see the G+ button instead. The only real way to fully explain how the new toolbar works is to try it for yourselves. If you enter my site from different locations you will see what I am trying to explain.

    In my opinion, the new design looks pretty good. The first time I updated it I was confused thou. I didn't know how to edit it nor how it worked but now I understand it better. So if you have a blog/website then I recommend you upgrade and be patient with the options.

Dragon City

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    Dragon City is a chinese restaurant in Silver Spring. There general tso's was delicious. Their best dish however are the chicken wings. Out of all the chinese chicken wings I've had these were the best. Me and some friends had an order of 20 wings for Thanksgiving and we couldn't stop chomping down on them. Needless to say they didn't last to see the next day.

    If you ever find yourself there then I recommend you should definitely try their food, especially the chicken wings. I only wish that they were closer to my house so that they'd deliver. 

Rosario Vampire

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     Rosario Vampire is about a boy named Tsukune who accidentally enrolls in a high school exclusively for monsters. All the monsters must maintain their human forms while on school grounds and if any of them ever find out that Tsukune is human then he's as good as dead. They'll kill him on the spot if he's ever exposed. The first person he meets is a girl named Moka who is actually a vampire with two personalities. The rosary on her chest seals her true form and Tsukune is the only one able to remove it and unlock the real moka. This usually happens whenever one of the other monsters try to kill Tsukune for little to no reason at all.

     This anime has some action, is funny, and is full of comedy. I've only seen a few episodes but so far I'm enjoying it. I found it on netflix and currently watching it as I'm typing this review. At the end of every episode Moka bites Tsukune for his blood since she can't resist. If you're wondering what anime to watch then this is a decent choice.
     

Twitter, Libel, and how to think of new media as old media

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Various legal quakes are hitting Twitter as of late; there has of been the use of section 127 for malicious communications, but the mainstay seems to be forming around libel. To take a hypothetical case imagine a rumour spreading about the actions or character of a person given the current Saville situation let's say that they're a paedophile. Some publication alludes to "a person in power" as being one and Twitter becomes abuzz with people asking who they could mean.

Twitter A: Does anyone know who [publication] is talking about?
Twitter B: Yeah it's [person]!

Then everyone starts retweeting and spreading [person]'s name about with little thought to consequence. But what if this wasn't Twitter. Consider that Twitter B was a person wearing a Sandwich Board stating "[Person] is the paedophile that [publication] was talking about!" pretty easy to see that would be libel. The retweets - more people making their own sandwich boards. Still libel. People grabbing their friends and pointing out the sandwich boards to them - distribution of libel.


Where things go wrong is that so many people don't think of Facebook or Twitter as publications, but they are and that includes blogs too hence my purely hypothetical example. Unlike section 127 etc. however intent plays little to no part in libel; the question asked is - can the publisher stating this prove this information to be true and if not does it malign the person about whom it is made?

As it stands this makes sense, people shouldn't be able to harm the reputation of others simply because of the way they do it, but the way it is laid out means that strictly speaking any publication can't even mention what is going on because doing so could in and of itself be considered libel. That is even stating that "Twitter is abuzz about [publications] remarks" may be deemed to be drawing people's attention to Twitter and thus be considered a distribution of libel.

It is this latter point that needs to be addressed by a change in law; repeating libel via retweet should remain potential libel, but pointing out what another publication is stating using a neutral tone has to be accepted as being "news" and thus protected.

In other words a difference has to be held between "[Person] is a paedophile" and [Publication] is claiming the identity of the paedophile" in that the latter isn't maligning [person] directly it's up to the person reading that remark to dig out the information for themselves something they might well stumble upon by themselves anyway.
 
It's a tricky balance, but at the moment within new media it's far too heavily weighted against the publishers.

This post is classified.

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I pointed out how I don't like the current use of the word "Tragedy" and Dan kindly pointed out that the OED has had the (IMO) wrong definition since the beginning; so I suppose I  can't blame people for using it to simply describe an unpleasant event even though I still hate it. I also mentioned "alternate" being used for "alternative", but hopefully the error in doing that is obvious to readers. This all got me thinking along these lines and I have another peeve - classified.


It's a staple of any form of spy/thriller film or novel someone has stolen classified information or the agent asks for some information and is informed "That's classified!"; so what? Well by itself that doesn't mean anything.

Consider a 'class' as a group. to classify something is to place it in a class; it then has a classification and has been classified. It doesn't matter what class it has been placed in; it may well be "Top Secret" but it could just as well be "General Public" To say "That's classified!" is shorthand for "That's classified above your clearance" and such shorthand is fine as it makes sense within the context of the discussion, but that's provided you know that it is just shorthand. If you don't it's easy to treat "classified" as being a synonym for "secret" and this may throw up some problems.

Within scientific papers things are often "classified as ..." if you consider classified to mean secret that sentence makes no sense. Ask someone to classify some papers i.e. sort them into classes and if they treat classify as secret they'll stamp them all as "Top Secret" as that's what they think you've asked them to do.

Just a word to be careful around.

New planned Marina Quays in Stourport

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Ah good the plans for the new marina complex down on Sandy Lane has gone public. This is something I've known about in general for over two months now but I was asked not to comment until things firmed up. Nicely the information I have is a match for the information made public for the initial public consultation so I don't have to scan in my sheets.


In blunt this is a similar concept to the Water's Edge development that was built down on Mart Lane, but writ large and incorporating a commercial infrastructure. Okay it's still down on Sandy Lane Industrial Estate, but it is set at the edge rather than in the middle (unlike so many of the council-approved caravan pitches) and it may induce some work on the road network itself rather than the current wilful neglect currently being shown to it.

Most importantly this will link in to the current riverside pathway and the forthcoming gateway at the old Lloyds Garage site. Sure it's a nice walk as is, but it's just a walk - there's no true destination; you get so far and then just turn around (unless you want a really long walk). With a picnic area and businesses at either end it becomes a nice destination. Park in town and rather than just plonk yourself down on the Riverside Meadow take a nice walk through the basins and rest at the Marina Quays; hell if they add a small playground area they've catered for the kids too.

So that's all the good things; any nagging flaws I can see in the plans? A few, but rather pleasantly nothing truly major.

As I've just said adding a small playground area to the picnic site would be a bonus; particularly given that these are supposed to be holiday apartments anything that draws kids towards the river and down the path to town is better than letting them wander the estate

There's no current interior design so it's difficult to tell if the apartments will fill both sides; having a view over the river is nice. A view over the estate not so nice unless they add some tall trees to act as a visual shield; in which case that may cast a section of the estate into shadow given the sun path. Despite the angles and structure means that the riverside windows should get sun morning, noon and night would be nice to see the sun paths though.

Car-parking looks to be ample which is a surprise given the underestimates so many seem to provide, but the plans miss out on lighting. Also given the current thick tree screen between itself and Lincomb Lock Caravan Park an environmental check is likely to be carried out. A good opportunity for lights that don't leak as much light out and upwards which would also maintain a visible night sky for residents.

I would also switch the locations of the the storage shed (8) and cycle storage (7); putting the cycles between the storage and the dry boat storage seems sub-optimal to me

The location of the club house is well placed, but one hopes that the gym, restaurant and bar will be open to non-residents; in the same spirit examination of the route to the club house from the main pathway might need re-examination. As it stands I can easily see people cutting across directly to Nelson Road which isn't exactly amenable to pedestrian traffic.

Finely I come to the bridge which will span the entrance to the berths... hmmm. From the 3D this seems a little afterthought-ish. The visuals show masted boats that quite clearly won't fit under the displayed bridge unless the masts are collapsible (which they may well be, not my field). If it is the case that such vessels will be using the quay the bridge is likely to have to be much taller than any of the others at the basin. So it's either going to be steep or extend over a large distance. Not a problem, but as it will act as the riverside gateway aesthetics are important.

All-in-all I'm surprised at how well this has been laid out how nice it looks in visuals and how pleasant it is to have someone presenting such large plans as an actual "proposal" to be commented on rather than the done deals we've been fobbed off with time after time.

Well worth residents taking the time to look over.

A Tesco in Stouport?

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Far too many conflicting whispers flitting about that Tesco are pulling out/have pulled out of building on the Carpets of Worth site; that building is all set to start in the middle of next year; the latest sliver to reach my ears is that a supermarket will be built, but it'll be a Morrisons instead.

My bet is that Tenbury will have their (far better positioned) Tesco before construction even starts in Stourport.

Votes for prisoners

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I have to say I'm confused about all the fuss regarding prisoner's "human rights" when it comes to voting as it seems a rather simple solution exists.

As it stands prisoners don't get to vote. The logic being that as they've decided not to adhere to the tenets of society they should have no say in how that society forms; I can see that and I can agree with it. The converse is that they are still people and as voting is a right of people they should be able to vote; expect people also have a right to free trade and movement and no-one's giving them that.


The options on the table seem to be:

1. Give all prisoners the vote;
2. Give all prisoners with a sentence of less than 4 years the vote; or
3. Deny all prisoners the vote.

Ignoring where that figure of 4 years comes from (our Parliaments last 5 years) these proposals are poor options as they simple discuss voting in and of itself and ignore the purpose of voting. People vote for a government to set the course of the society they are living in; prisoners don't live in the same 'society' so should have no vote; except....

Consider a prisoner given a 10-year sentence that started in 2002 they would finish their sentence this year of 2012, but they would then be living as part of a society governed by a Party they had no part in electing as they missed the election back in 2010. An argument can be "Tough, shouldn't have been a criminal then", but that's a response to anything including mistreatment. A better solution would have been to let them vote because they're to be released.

No arbitrary limits required - if a prisoner is expected to finish their sentence within a Parliamentary term they should get to vote in the election that covers that period. Same goes for the EU elections. My example prisoner above should have been able to vote in both the 2009 European election and the 2010 UK General election, but not the 2004 or 2005 elections respectively.

Okay some may get released early, but that's an unknown - they only get the vote if they are expected to be release during that period.

Why can't I see this option being discussed? It just seems the most obvious compromise.

Veteran Gamer's Top 5 Games of the Year

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Back again!  Sorry for the delay on this article, but hey, I'm only one man.  And just as with last, year, the following disclaimer returns:

There's no way I can play all of the great games that were released this year.  So this is purely my "Top 5 Games I played this year" list, with the system I played it on in parenthesis.  The biggest caveat to this list that should be noted off the top.  I only own the 360 and PS3.  The Wii hasn't held my interest since launch, and I don't have a PC that is beefy enough to run anything worth playing.

Continuing last year's start, I present to you the game I just didn't get last year:

WTF Was This Game So Popular Game of the Year:  Nobody!


Three cheers for the gaming industry and press!  As I looked back at last year, there were NO critically acclaimed games released that I sat wondering why I was playing.  Everything I played was worth playing, and I think that speaks to just how AWESOME a year 2011 was for gaming.

Most Disappointing Game of the Year: Battlefield 3

As awesome as Battlefield Bad Company 2 was last year, Battlefield 3 completely disappointed.  Glitches galore ruin this iteration of 2010's best shooter.  My crew and I still have issues with mics working properly and actually staying in our squads after joining games.  EA shot high with its marketing and unfortunately DICE fell flat in delivery.

#5:  Mortal Kombat (Xbox 360)


Surprise, surprise, surprise.  For the first time in forever, a Mortal Kombat game was worth playing for me.  Chucking the 3D gameplay that strayed so far from what made the series great at it's inception, NetherRealm went all nostalgia on us and FREAKING NAILED IT.  But it's not just nostalgia running the show here.  The game includes a real story mode that is the most entertaining in any one on one fighting game I've ever played.  I've sunk 11 hours in this game and still haven't finished the story.  If you've ever been a fan of the series, you'll find the newest iteration well worth your money.

#4:  Uncharted 3 (PS3)


Uncharted 3 was equal parts frustrating, equal parts mesmerizing in my experience.  Game controls were frustrating in many parts, from inadvertently jumping to my death many times, to everyone's favorite thing, instant fail sequences.  But the parts where it fell short were minimal compared to the fantastic visuals and engaging story, which is why despite my frustration, Uncharted 3 reaches my top 5.

#3:  The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (Xbox 360)


It just couldn't live completely up to the hype for me.  Add in a month period where the game was unplayable due to an elemental bug introduced after a patch, and Skyrim fell out of the GOTY perch for me.  However, this is still an outstanding game.  I've barely scratched the surface in my 16 hours of play, and love this fact.  This is of course a detriment to several high quality games sitting on my shelf, some of which I've not even touched, but they'll get their due.  Eventually.

#2:  Gears of War 3 (Xbox 360)


The Gears trilogy finishes strong.  Another great single player experience, and a lot more splattering grubs and glowies.  Though I don't get the competitive multiplayer at all in this series, Horde 2.0 and the new Beast modes shine.  The tower defense style in Horde 2.0 improves on an already addicting formula.  And of course, the ability to play as the Locust in Beast mode is a neat new addition.  In another year, this could have been the GOTY... but it's most certainly the shooter of the year!

Before I get to #1, here are some honorable mentions...

Honorable Mention:  Forza Motorsport 4 (Xbox 360)


Everyone's favorite version of car porn probably would have made my list had I just had some more time to play it.  Sadly, with only 3 hours played, I couldn't in good conscience put it into my top 5.  That said, I've had a blast with what I've played of what is easily the most beautiful racing game on a console.

Honorable Mention:  Shadows of the Damned (Xbox 360)


God of War like in it's gameplay, but a 3rd person shooter in reality.  Throw in copious amounts of gore and bullet time sequences and you've got... well... what this game is.  This is a really hard game to describe, and yet in the short time I played it (less than an hour) I was having a lot of fun.  If you like shooters and want something different, you won't be disappointed.

Honorable Mention:  Once Upon a Monster (Xbox 360)


Holy crap, a Kinect game made this list!  But it's because it's an unbelievable experience if you also happen to have young children.  I've played eight hours of this game with my son, and he's just loved it to death.  I can't thank Double Fine enough for giving me my first gaming experience with my son and making it great.

And now, Veteran Gamer's Game of the Year is...

Game of the Year:  Portal 2 (PS3)


I could wax poetic about this game.  I devoured the single player in this game, leapt into the multiplayer via couch co-op with a friend, and was disappointed to finally reach the end.  The puzzles were brilliant, the humor was some of the best ever in a video game, and the gameplay was near perfection.  I'm not sure how Valve will deliver us a Portal 3 after the ending, but here's hoping they find a way, because a world without GladOS is a world I don't want to live in.

Thus closes my year in gaming for 2011.  Can 2012 possibly top 2011 and even 2010 before it?  Like last year, the games I didn't get to which certainly could have been contenders for my top five were numerous.  A few that would certainly have been in the running were Batman Arkham City, Saint's Row the Third, Dark Souls, LA Noire, and certainly more.  As with last year, thanks to everyone who's sticking with my tiny little blog.  I hope to improve more for this year!