Because I could.

A man was once asked why he climbed the highest mountain in the world, Everest. His answer has proven to be one of the simplest and yet profound I know; because it's there.

Why do we do the things we do? It is our nature to do things that defy all conscious decision and logical reasoning. No one has yet been able to completely explain the why, but certainly many theories exist.

Emotion is perhaps one of the strongest motivators of human behavior. A simple example being the extreme lengths people will go to save a child from danger, even those that are not related to them. Love can make people do strange things and act irrationally. I know, Ive done some weird things myself for someone I truly care about.

Life is too short to spend the time pondering the reasons why we do the things we do. It is better to spent the time enjoying life, rather than analyse ever last detail. I leave such thinking to persons more intelligent and academic than myself.

Live life to the full and without regrets.

Alex.

The Best laid Plans of Mice and Men.

For those of you who answered "what have men got to do with it?", you have earned my True Geek award for quoting 'The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy'. The reason for this title is going to be more relevant to those who know what I had been planning.

On the 31^st of December, it will be my parent's 25^th wedding anniversary; Silver anniversary. It was my intentions to either send them off on a short break somewhere or to organise a get-together of all their friends.

The latter proved too difficult to achieve and I was thus left with the former; a short break. Fortunately, London is not too far away and will hopefully prove an enjoyable experience. I have organised tickets to see 'The Lion King' at the Lyceum Theater followed by a night at the Radisson Edwardian Marlborough. Rail travel was provided at cost by the travel company.

The rail tickets do not specify when, only which days, so a full two days in London is not impossible. They know that something is happening on the 6^th and 7^th but as of today they don't know exactly what. If they ask why I will simply give them a similar answer as to why a man would climb Everest; because I can.

Merry Christmas, everyone

Alex.

There and back again.

It is said to divided the world into two parts; those that have read it and those that are going to read it. If you still haven't gathered what I'm talking about, then you have my contempt. Made up of four novels, to me it is one of the most original stories ever told; The Lord of the Rings.

Films have been made, as have many games. It has provided inspiration for literally millions of people across many barriers, lingual and cultural. The books have been translated into many languages and enjoyed by both young and old.

The journey it describes across middle-earth is truly wondrous, and made by the most unlikely of heroes. To travel the farthest reaches of the world and encounter help from the most unusual friends has to be a great experience. Possibly, to sound cliché, life-changing. Scholars and academics could probably point out that it is merely an analogy of our journey through life.

I would say it merely shows you what you can do with your friends by your side.

Alex.

Hubble, Bubble, Boil and Trouble

Nothing like a little magic to brighten my day. Poor Igor, he goes from one lunatic master to another and his situation never improves. Van Helsing is a wanted murderer in Paris and a man with a tortured past. Interesting taste in clothes though; comfortable and functional. Pity they're not strong to stop werewolf bites.

Such is life I suppose. What looks fairly decent at first glance soon loses its luster.

Games are eating my life again, though I refrained from buying one of the new Xbox360s. Nice enough if you've also got the funds to buy a huge HD TV to go with it. The same goes for the new PlayStation3. I'm quite fond of Nintendo's stance to the next generation consoles; wii don't care about HD we're going to make a games console.

The result? A console that is outselling the PS3. I'll admit playing Zelda games is far too much fun to pass up, that and playing as your favourite Nintendo characters and beating the crap out of each other. I'm the proud owner of an original NES with light gun and arcade stick. I also have The Legend of Zelda in a shiny gold cartridge. Collectable, if I kept the box.

Ah well. The Collector's Edition on the GameCube makes up for it. Must finish at least one Final Fantasy before I go traveling or buy any more games.

till next time,

Alex.

They're called Standards for a reason.

I'm not talking about Standards of living or quality of food. No, I'm talking about Internet Standards, specifically those used in the definition of web pages.

If anyone has ever written a website will tell you, conforming to the Standards set by the W3C should ensure that your site looks and functions the same way in every web browser. I could use some colourful expletives at this point, but you get the idea.

Each and every browser does things in a slightly different way. To combat this, the W3C invented The Acid Test and Acid Test2. These tests are designed to show how well a browser conforms to the Standards set by the W3C. The web browser that is used the most, Internet Explorer (IE), does the worst. Firefox performs reasonably well, whilst Opera passes Acid Test2 with flying colours.

Why am I so concerned about this? I'm writing a web site. It is getting increasingly frustrating that the site functions perfectly in all browsers except, yes you guessed it, IE.

After repeatedly bashing my head against the wall, I have decided to use JavaScript to detect which browser is being used and make subtle changes to ensure that it does work in every browser.

Apparently, many of the bugs in IE have been fixed with the release of version 7. Sorry Microsoft, but you're a little late. The Alpha release of Firefox 3 passes Acid Test2 and it's going to be some time before Microsoft update IE as it is still tied into the Windows OS. Ah well, they'll learn eventually.

till next time,

Alex.

Live life without regret

We have all done things in our past that we might not be especially proud of, myself included. Whilst I haven't taken to drugs or heavy-drinking I'm not about to condemn those that have or still do. There is little point, what's done is done and I don't want to try and explain the problems caused by trying to go back in time (causality loop anyone?).

I have talked previously about the dangers of forgetting the past, such as the World Wars. Life moves forward at an ever-increasing pace and it is just as important to know where we have come from as to where we are going.

Dwelling on past mistakes is not helpful; learning from such mistakes means that they hopefully never be repeated. I am not so egotistical to think that I have never made a mistake, I make at least one every day, but I would like to think that I realise that I have and try to correct it.

To err is to be human. In the end, isn't it more important to live than to regret?

Alex.

Not all who yield are Weak

If you cannot understand that sentiment, don't worry. It is a complicated topic and one sure to raise more than a few eyebrows.

I'm not talking about giving in the fight for a cause you believe in, more the submission to someone you love more than anything else. You think it strange for a 23 year old guy to talk about, god-forbid, his feelings? More fool you.

Whilst it's true I don't actually have anyone in my life at the moment, I wonder how I would be if I did. Sentimental, soppy, love-sick puppy? Please, in the name of the Nine Circles of Hell, please not that. Understanding and romantic? Possibly, but no long lingering looks that just scream 'aaaahhhhh'.

Do anything and everything I can to make sure she is safe, even at the cost of my own life? If I save the life of another, lover or not, friend or not, then it is not a waste. I can be anywhere in the world in 24-36 hours if I must and I would travel to the ends of the Earth if it meant being able to see the one who loves me.

Just how far would you go, for the one you love?

Alex.

So long and thanks for all the Fish.

Ah, the utter insanity that is The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. A trilogy in five parts and longer than The Lord of the Rings. Pity the Americans mangled it producing a mediocre film.

The BBC produced a television and radio series several years ago, both of which are vastly superior to the recent film. The special effects might not have been the greatest and the acting just a little bit strained, but it was far more enjoyable.

It might just be me, but Hollywood does not have the most sterling reputation when it comes to remakes or films inspired by books. Take Hannibal by Thomas Harris for example. Various plot lines from the book fail to appear, the ending is completely different and much of the imagery created by Harris is dropped.

Fortunately, Hollywood does sometimes get things right. The production of Red Dragon, again by Thomas Harris, is a superb rendition of the book. It follows the story almost exactly, right down to the method Dolarhyde (played by Ralph Fiennes) uses to torture and kill Freddy Lounds (Philip Seymour Hoffman).

Films produced from games tend to be a mixed bag when it comes to success. Tomb Raider did quite well, though it's sequel wasn't so well-received. Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within was another mediocre hit, although Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children has proven to be a big hit.

This last film, was created with the fans of the game firmly in mind. The fight sequence between Tifa and Loz in the church displays some of Tifa's well known limit break moves from the game (Back flip and Meteor Drive are particularly well done). It ends with Tifa knocking Loz into the ground and a few seconds later the music from a successful fight can be heard.

As anyone who has played a Final Fantasy game will tell you, this music is almost instantly recognisable. Later on in the film, the music from fighting a boss can be heard as Barrett and the rest of Avalanche fight Bahamut-Sin.

With any luck, Hollywood will listen to the audience and especially the fans when it comes to producing or reproducing certain films. Well, I can hope, can't I?

till next time,

Alex.

So much for that Idea

It was a good plan and I suppose it serves me right for not doing something about it sooner. I'm talking about my attempt at trying to obtain the new Nintendo Wii. If I had pre-ordered it a month or so ago, I might have stood a slim chance.

As it happens, there is not one shop within driving distance that has one; unless you pre-ordered at least two months ago. There have been reports of shops offering pre-orders only to not receive enough to fill those orders.

Contacted PCWorld in the hopes of finding a lone console. Most helpful information from the poor guy on the phone, even though you could tell he'd already been asked this very same question numerous times. Same story as previously; no pre-order, no chance. One extra piece of information emerged though. It appears that Nintendo only shipped about 20% of the expected orders and more units wouldn't be available till mid-January.

It seems there's going to be quite a few disappointed kids this Christmas. That's assuming the parents don't cave to the incessant whining and buy an XBox360. It's going to be a long wait, but it'll be worth it to play Zelda: Twilight Princess by swinging your arms about.

till next time,

Alex.

The coldest blood runs through my veins

Sometimes you gain something by waiting. Good things come to those who wait. Unfortunately I waited too long; the pre-order list at Play.com for the new Nintendo Wii filled up before I realised that I would try and get one.

Whilst you folks in the US have already released the Wii, us poor schmucks in Europe have to wait till tomorrow. Hopefully not every store in town has committed their stock of Wii's to pre-order. It's going to be a long day.

If all else fails, I'll try and score a copy of Zelda: Twilight Princess for the GameCube. Not the most ideal plan as I wanted to finally be able to swing my arms around like a loon and direct the fighting.

My work on the website for the White Cliffs Motorboat and Yacht Club is progressing. It's should be easier to use than the current site; all the text can be resized and links change colour when the mouse hovers over them (green for internal, black for external and blue for emails). Also the tables used in certain sections of the site change colour to highlight which row is currently containing the mouse.

This wonderful new colour scheme works fine in Firefox, Konqueror and probably Opera. It doesn't work in Internet Explorer 6 or less. Insert rolling eyes here. Thanks to the lack of standards support, I will have to write some clever scripts to take into account the failings of IE.

So much for the simple life. Till next time,

Alex.

It's been a long road, but now we're finally here

After the best part of a year, the last volume of Ghost in the Shell S.A.C: 2nd GIG has arrived. Like the last volume of the first series, you get a tin box containing the volume, a t-shirt and in this case a toy tachikoma. This time, they have appeared to listen to their fan base as you can fit all 7 volumes (double-disc editions) into the tin. Last time, you could get all but one volume in.

Sadly this marks the end of the Ghost in the Shell series, unless they have decided to create a third. It would have to be set after the manga and both films as the last episode of 2nd GIG shows the events immediately prior to the start of the manga.

If you've never heard, seen or read of Ghost in the Shell by Shirow Masamune, I strongly suggest you get hold of a copy. The manga is probably more interesting than the film as it explains some of the relevant technologies in greater detail.

The second film, Innocence, is perhaps one of the best animated feature films I've seen; mixing both 2D and 3D animation. There are two notable exceptions to this, Appleseed (2004 remake) and Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children (2005). Perhaps not to everyone's taste but if you're fond of films such as BladeRunner (1982) then I'll think you'll enjoy Ghost in the Shell.

Much of Shirow Masamune's work has been published by Dark horse comics, so you stand a chance of seeing some of it in your local book store. Other notable works that didn't unfortunately make the grade include Ghost in the Shell 1.5, a collection of stories between Ghost in the Shell (Book 1) and Ghost in the Shell: Man-Machine Interface (Book 2). Book 1.5 is not in English, but in Japanese.

Between building a website, Christmas shopping and organising presents, I might not have much time for frequent posts so please don't get annoyed with me.

till next time,

Alex.

Of pot-shots and small furry animals

Firm grasp of the pistol-grip, sight along the barrel and squeeze the trigger. Easy to learn but much harder to master.

On yet another trip to Calais (France), I took the opportunity to practice target shooting with an air rifle. I upheld my honour and dignity, taking 10 shots to hit 12 balloons. Admittedly I missed 2 shots but made up for it by hitting two balloons using one round twice. My prize? A small teddy bear dressed like Biggles.

An amusing diversion before stopping off for dinner in a local restaurant. More than a few strange looks were given to me, until I explained how I came to holding a cute teddy bear. My dad hit 3 out of 4 targets, the fourth being just a little too low.

I think it annoyed him somewhat; we have also been 12-bore shotgun shooting and with the last two shells we had, I hit two targets. I put it down to having faster reactions from playing computer games. He didn't put much faith in that, but it has been scientifically proven.

A friend of mine in New Zealand played computer games more than me, I dread to think how quick his reactions would be.

till next time,

Alex.

You know you're in trouble when...

Some basic rules of survival for being the bad guy in a film;

1. Don't ever touch / maim / kill the hero, heroine, members of their family or friends. Ever. It will almost certainly lead to painful torture and / or death.

2. Always make sure you're henchmen have an I.Q. over 100 and a capacity to think for themselves. This should include investigating that strange noise from the shadows in teams.

3. When escaping after your diabolic scheme to rule the world has gone pear-shaped, ensure that your preferred means of escape is fueled and ready to depart.

4. If your scheme involves time-travel and / or parallel worlds, always factor in that the machine could develop an unpleasant fault such as cloning the hero or removing your existence from the time line.

5. Should any of your limbs be replaced with prosthetics, try to make them impervious to damage or at least easy to remove in an emergency.

6. Wearing some form of body-armour or other suitable clothing should ensure that you remain whole and without any bullet holes. That tropical suit might look classy, but without many pockets can leave you defenceless.

Remembering these basic rules can lead to a long and happy life without being in prison, preferably with your original limbs. On a side note, if you do happen to hurt the hero's family make sure that you have someone to take the fall for it or preferably ensure that the hero never finds out.

Try to remember that a calm and rational hero will not personally hunt you to the ends of the Earth for killing his girlfriend. Should all else fail, devise a simple means of suicide; it will be far less painful than whatever the hero can imagine for your fate.

till next time,

Alex.

By the light of a dying Star

This is one of the many times in my life where I'm thankful for my education. The ability to spell correctly and without resorting to using 'mobile' or 'txt' speak is one I'm particularly grateful for.

I might not have been thankful at the time, but studying at the local Grammar School evidently served me better than I realised. This is especially true of my A-Level qualifications; without them I wouldn't have been able to read a university degree. I gained an understanding of why things happen, such as why an airtight plastic bottle will collapse on itself when put in the fridge. Perhaps not the best example to show for studying two years of A-Level Physics but easier than working out the latent heat of fusion.

It is unlikely that I will ever stop learning or being a student. There is still much in this world that I don't know and probably will never know. As with so much in life, there will always be someone who knows more about a subject than you could possibly imagine. If anyone is unsure about that, just think about a martial arts discipline. Just because someone is younger than you, it doesn't mean they don't deserve your respect.

Nothing worth doing in life is ever easy.

Alex.

You know my name

Nothing quite like a good Bond film to while away an evening. Many critics have shot Daniel Craig down for trying to be the suave and sophisticated 007. Does he have what it takes to be Mr Kiss-Kiss-Bang-Bang?

In a word, yes. Now before everyone starts jumping down my throat for that, let me say this. I really don't care what others think, it only matters to me what I like or dislike.

As it stands, just about everyone knew what was going to happen almost before it happened. Bond stops the evil criminal and saves the world or, in this case, wins the game and causes the bad guy to be shot by his own side.

No gadgets this time, no flashy Aston Martins with lethal accessories. It is back to Bond before the gadgets from Q and then waiting for the rest of the film for him to use them. Not that I mind, but a few did push the limits of what is achievable (e.g. invisible Vanquish from 'Die Another Day').

Judi Dench as M is worth seeing, if for no other reason to try and put the newly promoted double-oh in his place.

M: I knew it was too early to promote you.
James Bond: Well, I understand double-ohs have a very short life expectancy. So your mistake will be short-lived.

If you've not yet had the opportunity to go and see 'Casino Royale', it's worth seeing if for nothing more than the action sequences and one liners. There are plenty of cutting one liners scattered throughout the film, more than a few having a subtle dig at previous films.

[Bond orders a Dry Martini]
Bartender: Shaken or stirred?
James Bond: Do I look like I give a damn?

Perhaps somewhat amusing is La Chiffre's reaction to the other poker players ordering the same drink Bond has just 'invented'.

Le Chiffre: [annoyed] That's it? Hm? Anyone want to play poker now?
Felix Leiter: Someone's in a hurry.

The closing sequence ends the film in suitable style. The bad guy is bleeding from a leg wound after being shot, looks up at Bond and asks who he is.

James Bond: The name's Bond... James Bond.

till next time,

Alex.

This is the Only, give me the Only thing

Cannon to the left of them, cannon to the right of them,
cannon in front of them!

Watching my beloved Tau units assault the teeth of a Necron stronghold, the XV-88 "Broadside" units opened fire. These units are essentially a pair of rail guns on legs and are quite capable of demolishing just about anything. What I hadn't counted on was the appearance of several units of Necron warriors making scrap metal out of most of my assault units.

The most basic squad of Necron's is perfectly capable of wiping the floor with most other basic units from other races. Admittedly I'm talking about the most basic troop units and not some of the more capable assault units (e.g. Eldar Warp Spiders) and without any form of fire-support (e.g. vehicles or artillery). Thankfully, the Necron's only have one major vehicle available: the Awakened Monolith. Unfortunately it can decimate anything foolish enough to go remotely near it.

So far, the easiest way to wreck a Necron army? Tanks, lots and lots of tanks and artillery. Playing Eldar this means as many Fire Prisms as I can get with my Vehicle Cap. For other armies, building numerous smaller tanks is more advisable than a single large one (e.g. BaneBlade super heavy). Whilst they have more health than a smaller tank, they tend to attract more attention due to their physical size and psychological impact.

This is especially true of the units that require a captured relic to build. It is a truly inspiring sight to see the mighty Avatar of Khaine walking through an enemy stronghold and laying waste to anything that moves. The same can be said of the Khorne Bloodthirster and the Squiggoth. I found that the Baneblade needs close support or infantry and get close and wreck it in short order.

Oh well, en masse Fire Prisms it is then.

For the Craftworld!

Alex.

Not so innocent anymore.

The world has turned once more and a new day has begun. Dreams fade to grey, nightmares collapse back into oblivion. Few have the courage to stand up for their beliefs, fewer still can acknowledge their true natures.

We all wear masks and hide our less than desirable characteristics. On how many occasions have you hidden that which could be considered dark or twisted? It still amuses me to see the look on people's faces when I inform them of my taste in music; innocent-looking young guy rocking out to the sounds of Limp Bizkitt and Marylin Manson.

Dreams can be a double-edged sword; something that you truly desire, but cannot yet have. Remember my earlier comment about being less than innocent? Thankfully no one has yet invented a method of reading dreams from the human brain and my desires are hidden from the world. They're not particularly sick or twisted, although the legality of some of the GTA-inspired dreams might be questionable.

Appearances can be deceiving and not everything is as it seems.

till next time,

Alex.

And now for something completely different...

Of all the places in the world, why, oh why, did it have to be in Sainsbury's? Fear not, this isn't the end of the world. For the first time in my life, I have actually seen a girl that is nearly my height.

What do you mean 'so what'? In case you are one of the few who don't know me all that well, I'm 6' 4" (193 cm) without shoes. I found myself thinking that I might stand a chance of actually meeting a girl friend vaguely near my height. If not, I can dream, can't I?

It's not like I'm lonely in the classic definition of the word; I have friends, just no one to really love. Don't look at me like that! I'm not going soft, I was soft to start with, appearances to the contrary.

This reminds me of an earlier post and the best ways of meeting that certain someone. Go to a pub and watch everyone get drunk? Nope, inebriation is not particularly attractive thank you. A night club? Similar to the pub only any chance at actually talking to someone is shot to pieces by the 'music'.

Ah well, looks like I'm going to be single a little while longer yet.

till next time,

Alex.

But in the end, it doesn't even matter

"Welcome to the World of Work. Please leave all braincells at home and the management accept no responsibility for loss of life, limb or soul."

It's a shame that no one had thought to create such a sign for use in schools. Mind you, this would merely increase the chances that all those lacking in brains or at least common sense apply. Not for the first time I'm thankful that I'm at least moderately intelligent, though working part-time as a shop assistant was soul-draining at times. On a side note, if you haven't read "Valentine's Day", my little fiction in progress, I suggest you do.

For those of you not in the know, I'm attempting to find a job. Note that I have said attempting; you would think being young with little or no experience and willing to work for peanuts would make me employable.

Hah. With knobs on.

I do take some comfort in my abilities, I can still code a fairly basic website and the odd VB.Net program. The multitude of adverts offering IT training are somewhat annoying; they can train you, but they can't actually guarantee you'll get a job at the end of it.

If anyone is in need to tech support who might have a clue as to how to fix a computer without resorting to a can of compressed air or a format of the hard drive, feel free to drop me an email at the usual suspects.

till next time,

Alex.

I'm disinclined to acquiesce to your request... Means "no."

Yes, alright I've been watching Pirates of the Caribbean again. What? Don't look at me like that, it's an amusing film and I needed to do something to take my mind off going to see Casino Royale in a few days. The reviewers all like it despite the lack of Q and Miss Moneypenny.

Hopefully my copy of Dead Man's Chest will be arriving soon, I think I'm starting to wear out my DVD of Curse of the Black Pearl. The PS3 has finally been released in the U.S., whilst us Europeans have to wait till next March. What possible reason can they have for it? It will merely drive import sales that Sony are trying to stop. You would think they would have learned from the release of the PSP, but no.

Ah well, by March they should have also cleaned any remaining faults and ironed out the bugs. Sometimes there are distinct advantages in waiting.

till next time,

Alex.

The 11th Hour of the 11th Day

I was once asked why I remembered Armistice Day (11th November) and why it affected me so. My answer was simple. It signified the end of the First World War and the deaths of so many young men, not unlike myself. It could be called living in the past. Anyone using that argument is met with the following;

George Santayana: Those who forget history are condemned to repeat it.

War is an ugly thing, it cares little for honour or humanity. Over sixty years ago Hitler decided to 'purify' the human race and killed millions because they did not meet his standards. Men from all walks of life, every colour and creed, stepped forward and fought back. Many men died fighting to protect what they believed in. Today it is not so different; men and women take up arms for their country.

Plato said "Only the dead have seen the end of war." That might be an unfortunate truth, but as long as our way of life is threatened, we will still fight. On the 11th, stop and take the time to reflect on times past. I was born 23 years ago on the 11th day of the 11th month, a happy event on one of our darkest days from history.

for the few, those courageous few,

Alex.

What can men do against such reckless hate?

I'm not a vengeful man or even a hateful one. Although according to one guy I'm a complete c**k. How nice, just the sort of thing to convince me that mankind isn't going to collapse into anarchy one day.

The reason for this? I merely pointed at him whilst he was driving past me and using his mobile. For those of you who don't know, this isn't merely a bad idea but it is also illegal in the UK. So I get called names for noticing he was breaking the law, marvelous. As I said at the beginning I'm not vengeful but I really hoped he has a nasty accident.

Two days left till my birthday and it doesn't look like I'm going to be doing all that much. If anyone has any (sensible) ideas, let me know.

till next time,

Alex.

The only question remains: will you yeild, in time?

The above quote was taken from the trailer of the new James Bond film Casino Royale. If the villain of the film asks Bond that, you know that he is not going to simply roll over and die.

James Bond started out as a fictional character but has come to represent the stereotypical Englishman. Impeccable taste and world-class charm have become his trademark. I will admit to having emulated him once; playing BlackJack wearing a bow-tie and tux whilst drinking Vodka-Martinis.

Ok, so the story lines are perhaps not the most believable in the world, but as I have said before, that's not important. Escaping from the reality of life for an hour or two or imaging for a few moments that you too could be Bond, James Bond. We might not all be able to afford an Aston Martin or spend big at the Casinos, but that doesn't mean you can't dream.

Set to be one of the biggest and most-hyped film releases of the year, let's hope that it lives up to it's promises.

till next time,

Alex.

So tell me, what's become of my ship?

The release of the second Pirates of the Caribbean film on DVD is now less than a month away. At least it will tide me over until the release of At Worlds' End sometime next year. More than one reviewer of the film said that they could have trimmed it down and released only one film. This would have meant trying to compress the storyline somewhat.

I would say the film is fine just the way it is, even with a year long wait to find out what happens next. Less Jack Sparrow? Are they insane? Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow makes the film enjoyable, even if it is a Disney film and I am (nearly) 23 years old.

Geoffrey Rush will be making a welcome return as Captain Barbossa. If his performance in the original Pirates of the Caribbean is anything to go by, it should be a cracking finale to the trilogy.

I leave with Captain Jack's last scene;

Jack Sparrow: [after being covered in mucus after the Kraken roars at him] Not so bad...
[wipes the slime from his face]
Jack Sparrow: [he looks down and sees his old hat] Oh!
[reaches for his hat and puts it on]
Jack Sparrow: 'Ello, beastie.
[smiles and draws his sword]

regards,

Alex.

Sunshine on a Rainy day

No, I'm not talking about the weather. Shopping at my local used game store, I picked up a copy of Super Mario Sunshine for the GameCube, along with The Legend of Zelda: Collectors Edition. I also managed to E-Bay a copy of Banjo-Tooie for the Nintendo64.

Why did I wait till now to get the sequel? Simple, it was a choice between Banjo-Tooie or Conker's Bad Fur Day.

Before you all start moaning about old, kids games, let me say this; I don't care what you think, they're still fun games. Games on the PlayStation2 tend to be more serious games and just not quite as fun as a game made for the Nintendo.

The games might be nearly 4 years old (older in the case of the Original Legend of Zelda), but they are still excellent games. Okay, so they might not be the latest eye-watering visuals or have the ability to play online. To me, so what? Online play is not my priority and the visuals are still impressive.

Cuteness might the order of the day for Nintendo games, but that's not important. They're fun to play and yes a little frustrating at times. The quest to get all of the Jiggys and Musical Notes in Banjo-Kazooie has to be one of the most annoying with the possible exception of getting all the masks in Zelda: Majora's Mask.

So far, no one has yet managed to create a platform First-Person-Shooter that beats either GoldenEye or Perfect Dark. With the immanent arrival of the new Nintendo Wii (Revolution sounded better) and the PS3 in March, we'll see exactly how important next-gen graphics are. Nintendo have already stated they're not going to try and compete on that front. I have seen the screenshots of the new Zelda: Twilight Princess and they look superb. Hopefully they'll do the same with Super Mario Galaxy and Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

till next time,

Alex.

The Last Samurai

They would charge against the guns and they knew they would not succeed. They still rode on, a handful of men on horseback. The last stand of Katsumoto against the army sent against him.

A captured soldier, a captain of the American Army sent to train Katsumoto's enemies, learns something about himself and what it means to be Samurai.

One of Katsumoto's men asks him;
Higen: Will you fight the white men, too?
Algren: If they come here, yes.
Higen: Why?
Algren: Because they come to destroy what I have come to love.

Few words, simply spoken. I also have come to love a culture not my own. One day I hope to travel to Japan and find a home within. Find a place for yourself in the world, fight for it and never give it up.

fare thee well,

Alex.

To be, or not to be.

A very good friend has maid me an Admin on her forum (yes, I mean you Shinelle ;) ). Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely. Well not yet at least, I am still the same Alex as I was yesterday.

Whilst the forum is still in it's infancy, now is the time to make sure it is setup correctly. This includes making sure access rights for members have been set. The public guest should have read access to most forums, whilst members can actually post to them. Other forums such as the information > Rules forum is set read-only for everyone except Admins.

N.B. Shinelle, I have already changed the Rules forum to reflect this ;)

As an Admin I can modify just everything I would want to, right down to the CSS file that governs the display of the forum. It will take some time to get to grips with, but eventually it will be completely customised.

Take a peek at Trinity Limit, the forum in question.

till next time,

Alex.

Snakes. Why'd it have to be snakes?

There I am running around a never-ending desert trying to find a way forward or an exit. Random battle, fair enough this is a Final Fantasy game after all (VII). Giant sand-worm rears up. Oh s**t comes to mind. It looks a similar size to the serpents near Chocobo Ranch, the huge ones that can bite you in half.

Limit-break, limit-break, summon Shiva, Bolt2 ... and it's dead??

For those in the dark, I'm fighting in the desert in Gold Saucer Prison. Not exactly the nicest place; thieves steal your items and leave battle with annoying regularity. I was expecting something a bit tougher. Nothing too vicious otherwise you'd get killed too easily wandering around the desert. Meander around a little more ... random battle!

Aww it's a itty-bitty cactuar. Let's be nice and kill it. Attack! ... miss. er... Attack! ... miss. Raise eyebrow in trademark James Bond (TM) fashion. Limit-break ... 0. I hit it for no damage? Open up GameFaqs FFVII faqs, find cactuar. Almost completely impossible to hit unless [Stop]ped or [Manip.]ulated. Watch in fury as cactuar very slowly legs it off screen.

As Jack Sparrow would say; "Bugger."

After much wandering and random battles, a cart being pulled by a Chocobo pulls up. Do I want a ride? Yes.

On the plus side I am leveling my characters quite nicely, although it is getting somewhat annoying being unable to navigate through a desert and progress the game. I'm not quite so scared of the big snakes any more, they just look real nasty. Ah well, I'll just have to amuse myself by seeing how many Choco/Mog summons turn out to be Fat Chocobo instead.

till next time,

Alex.

A 1337 h4X0r plan... in theory

That's an elite hacker plan for those of you who don't speak '1337'. My trusty Sony Vaio 505FX laptop is starting to look a bit dated after it's long life. Considering it was second-hand when I bought it from EBay, the only problems it has are the CMOS battery being a bit flat and the main battery not holding it's charge for very long.

As it happens I do have the resources to buy a brand new laptop from a retailer if I want to. However, I thought it would be much better to simply refurbish my existing laptop with some case modifications. This would include respraying the casing with some decent gloss paint with some sort of custom-design.

Thus armed with a vague plan I searched EBay for laptops being sold for spares. If I can obtain another 505FX I can use it to practice modifications on. However I have seen a water-damaged laptop going (for the moment) quite cheaply. It doesn't power on, has motherboard problems and the hard drive has been removed. If I can get it for a reasonable price, I might be able to do several things with it;

1. Repair it to full working order
2. Replace the guts with those from another laptop

Option 1. is unlikely but possible. Option 2. is more likely though it will be quite complex. In the interval between now and the end date for the auction I will keep looking on EBay for similar laptops in case I get outbid. I leave you now with the words of Albert Einstein;

Albert Einstein: "A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new."

till next time,

Alex.

The Power of Thought

Reading Slashdot often gives me hope for the future. I'm not talking about the latest, greatest software widget but rather by the fact someone really has done something insane with old technology.

Today? A team of scientists in Washington University in St. Louis have successfully interfaced an Atari 2600 with a 14 year old boy. Whilst it still may be some time before the level of technology approaches 'Ghost in the Shell' standards, it does show what could be possible. The article linked on Slashdot has more detailed information and is well worth your time, for nothing more than inspiration if nothing else.

Currently, the technology relies on invasive means of getting the signals from the brain and into the software; directly attaching a grid to the surface of the brain. Once connected, the teenager promptly completed the first level of 'Space Invaders' by moving his limbs. He then went on to complete two levels with just thought power alone.

This is a fantastic achievement and could pave the way for the control of prosthetics using signals from the brain. If the potential problems involving the invasive means of interfacing with the brain can be overcome, such as infection, then this could help many people in a tangible way. Hopefully the scientists will be encouraged with these results and pursue the work further.

Einstein said it best;
If we knew what it was we were doing, it would not be called research, would it?


till next time,

Alex.

On the importance of Voices

With practice an actor can mimic a particular accent or pattern of speech. Tonight's episode of 'Martial Law' featured Guy Siner, better known as Lt. Gruber from 'Allo Allo'. Nothing particularly remarkable about that, if it weren't for the American accent Siner was attempting to use.

Siner's character was a doctor at a university. Though he was wearing glasses, it was still possible for me to identify him, much to my parent's amazement.

Even the best actor cannot completely mask their idiosyncrasy's, as was the case tonight. The inflection and tones associated with a particular voice cannot be masked without the use of external devices.

There is one actor who has a broad range of 'voices'; Johnny Depp. From Willy Wonker in 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' to Captain Jack Sparrow in 'Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest', he continually displays a talent for adjusting his voice to fit the character. I am often hard-pressed to identify him by voice alone and I require visual clues to help.

As ever, this wouldn't be a post about films without a decent quote;

From 'Sleepy Hollow'
[ the burning windmill crashes down on the headless horseman]

Young Masbath: Is he dead?
Ichabod Crane: That's the problem. He was dead to begin with.

till next time,

Alex.

I am Khaela Mensha Khaine!

Well, actually I personally am not. However, I usually play as Eldar in WH40k : Dawn of War. For those of you who don't have a clue what I'm talking about, one of the toughest units available is the Avatar of Khaine.

Daemon with 6k hit points and strong against everything, it takes some time to aquire. In the Winter Assault expansion pack it takes even longer aquire due to some modifications to the eldar tech tree. The addition of Fire Dragons is not enough for me to play Winter Assault as eldar.

However, it does add a new 'race'; The Imperial Guard. Often the backbone of the Imperium they have access to something even more monstrous than an Avatar of Khaine; the BaneBlade super-heavy tank. Physically bigger than the Avatar it packs a bigger punch but is not so hot in close-combat.

So, for now I'm sticking with the Eldar. Who knows, the introduction of Necrons and the Tau Empire might make things more interesting.

Till next time,

Khaela Mensha Khain (Alex).

All i want to do, is be more like me and less like you

Linkin Park - 'Numb'. One of the few pieces of music that stir the blood and are inspirational. Both 'Numb' and 'In the End' have that effect on me, along with several others that I won't list here. Music can have effects far beyond those intended by the artist, especially theme tunes for films.

To me, at least, music can be very powerful and affect our moods quite easily. Felt like cheering watching 'Back to the Future - Part III' during the final train sequence? I'll admit I did even if it was for just a moment.

Could honestly claim that no piece of music has ever affected you emotionally?

Listening to Papa Roach - 'Scars' often leaves me feeling more than a little melancholy. It's usually swiftly followed by some more uplifting like Backstreet Boys - 'Everybody'. Alright, no laughing at the back. My friends would be shocked for several reasons; I listen to rock / metal (nu metal in the case of Linkin Park) and that I listen to more 'normal' tracks such as Backstreet Boys.

Music, films and games. Three of the most powerful stimulants I know, more so than any chemical and just as addictive. To me, this is especially true of films in case you missed the subtle clues in my previous posts. In need of a little cheering? Watch 'Madagascar Penguins in a Christmas Caper'. If that fails to raise a smile, I recommend watching Jack Sparrow in any of the 'Pirates of the Caribbean' films. Sorry; Captain Jack Sparrow.

Elizabeth Swann: There will come a time when you have a chance to do the right thing.
Jack Sparrow: I love those moments. I like to wave at them as they pass by.

till next time,

Alex.

Fighting in the Garden

Students clash left and right. Shots buzz past my head as I fight. My friends fight with me to defend what we hold dear. Monsters from legend are bound to us to help.

No, dear reader, this is not reality. This is fantasy; Final Fantasy VIII.

Second disc, the fight in Galbadia Garden to be precise. I've probably missed some rare character cards in getting this far, although I know that there are two summons to be obtained here.

Fighting to save worlds not our own, to protect strangers that we have come to count as friends. Not altogether a bad idea. Games can affect us just as much as films if not more so. Whilst I haven't got quite that far in Final Fantasy VII, I do know that one of your characters is killed at the end of the first disc. Quite a few of the people that I know who have played the game confess to feeling more than a little sad at this. It was more than a little satisfying to see the killer utterly defeated.

In playing games we do place some emotional investment in them. Characters are brought to life, imagined worlds become closer to reality. At the start of FFVII : Advent Children there is message;

Opening Credits: To those who loved this world... and knew friendly company therein: This reunion is for you.

Games are a form of escapism, that is true but they also remind us that there are things worth fighting for. I would gladly fight, die and live to fight again for the ones that are most precious to me. So, pick up your weapons, let a song fill your heart and fight for what you believe in.

till next time,

Alex.

Come on! Stop trying to hit me and hit me!

It's like getting reacquainted an old friend. Whilst it might not feature that highly on the list of Greatest Films Ever...! (TM), it is iconic to me personally. The Matrix has been responsible for several notable lines including the one above as well as this:

Morpheus: ... there's a difference between knowing the path and walking the path.

Just a film? Maybe. To me, it shows the power of belief and what you can really do if you put your mind to it. Life is what I make it and no one is going to decide it for me. A form of escapism? A means of leaving the ordinary and mundane 'real' world? Most likely.

Never give up on your dreams. Don't ever try to do something, do it.

Yoda: No. Try not. Do... or do not. There is no try.

Always remeber; your friends will stand by your side no matter what you do or what you become. They do not deserve the title of friend if they consider you any less.

for shinelle; for being a friend when I needed it most,
Alex.

The requisite fuzzy self-portrait photo

Yes folks, it's that time in this bloggers life to start adding some dodgy photos. Of course beginning with one's self. Not exactly the best, but perhaps the most recent photo. Being taken by myself it is of course slightly fuzzy. Ah well.

Till next time,

Alex.

Who will stand?

When the dust has settled, after eveything is said and done
Who will stand up for what is right and just?
Who will fight the creeping darkness and evil powers in this world?

I will,
alone if that is what fate decides.
God help anyone who stands in my way.

You want to do what? With a what? Don't ask me!

As I have been asked if I would take over the running of a local club website, I thought it best to see what the current situation is. Initial signs looked promising. Neatly laid out with nothing too fancy such as Macromedia Flash buttons or a Java-based menu system.

Oh dear. Some code is showing at the top of the screen. Ah well that won't take too long to fix, must just be a simple coding error.

*Click* You want me to open a .aspx file? What the bloody hell is one of those?

I would love to explain more about the site, I really would. Only my system doesn't know how to handle .aspx files. _I_ know what they are; an extension on .asp (Active Server Pages). It's just Firefox doesn't.

The designer probably had some very good reasons for creating the web site in this fashion. Utilising newer technology is wonderful but you don't need to use a cannon to squash a fly. Kudos to any reader who knows where that quote came from. With the increasing growth in web browsers other than Internet Explorer and even, god-forbid, other operating systems, it is high time that web site creators ensure that their master piece functions as it should.

(They are called 'Standards' for a reason!)

regards,

Alex.

"Bond, James Bond" or The Importance of Films

No, not I. Only with a miracle and change of hair colour could that be me. To many, the character of James Bond is an idol to be worshipped. Men want to be him and woman simply want him.

With the up-coming release of 'Casino Royale' in November the media circus has begun to grind. It should not be a debate as to whether Daniel Craig is going to be a good or bad actor at playing Bond but more of an opportunity to see what the character of Bond does best; stop the bad guys and save the girl.

Suave, smooth and with impeccable style. Pithy one-liners, stunning action sequences and amazing gadgets from Q-branch. These are the essential ingredients to a Bond film. The actual plot may not make the best sense and the one-liners can be more than a little cheesy, but that is not why we go to watch Bond. We watch to escape from the real world, even if it's only for a little while.

Films have given us some truly unforgettable moments. We have seen stories unfold in galaxies far, far away. We have been there and back again in the company of elves and men. We have stood in the line-up of usual suspects, watched a hacker dodge bullets and seen the underdog battle against insurmountable odds to win through. How many of you have seen the last ride of Theodin and not bitten back a cheer in your throat as the Rohirrim crash into the orc lines?

Whilst these lines are do not appear (at least I don't remember them appearing) in the book, I leave you with the words of Gimli at the battle before the Black Gate in Return of the King. Friends are the most important posession you can have, do not turn them away for any thing.

Gimli: Never thought I'd die fighting side by side with an Elf.
Legolas: What about side by side with a friend?
Gimli: Aye. I could do that.

fare thee well,
Alex.

How many people are you, today?

Do we assume different identities or modes of thought when talking to others? Such as changing the pattern of speech to enable others to understand an unfamiliar concept. Almost every conversation I have when talking to others about computers I tend to use a less technical terms. This can also be carried over into behaviour sets as well.

For example, I have many different names that my friends and relatives know me by. There's Simon the ordinary typical part-time worker and student, best known to family members; mild-mannered and unassuming for the most part. Then you have dok. Computer programmer and white-hat hacker with a particular skill in fixing computers. Likes rock music and watching anime. Finally you have Alex, the writer and dreamer.

Depending on the given situation, you may encounter all three or more likely the public persona (Simon). It can be quite surprising when friends meet the character of dok when they are more accustomed to Simon. The last persona, that of Alex (i.e. me, right now), serves as an outlet for creative thought and explorer of more ephemeral concepts.

Reading "A Scanner, Darkly" by Phillip K Dick has proved a useful insight into the concept of separate identities in a person. The lead character of Bob Arctor is an undercover narcotics agent who has to investigate himself as part of the operation. He begins to question his actions as Arctor and those by Fred, his agent persona. I recommend it as worth reading along with "Do androids dream of electric sheep" by the same author. Given the ever-increasing stress of real life, is it any wonder that people develop more than one complete personality to cope? Just how much of a jump is it from having multiple persona's to multiple personality disorder? Only time will tell.

So, how many people are you today?

until next time,
Alex.

The not-so-ancient ritual of the mating dance

Once more I braved that most odious of potential nights out - the night club. I have no personal vendetta against them; they're just not the best place to find your potential partner.

In the unlikely event that you do meet someone and make it back to your / their house, the morning after scenario could either be extremely awkward ("...... uh.... who are you?") or vaguely tolerable ("....i had a really good time last night...."). Not exactly the best way of starting a relationship is it? Of course, this is assuming that the potential clubber is looking for something more than a one night stand.

To me, there has to be a better way of meeting someone. Workplace romances can lead to vast amounts of trouble should the relationship turn sour. The old staple of the local pub appeals, although the amount of alcohol consumed should be considered.

With all of the above, it should also be considered that the person your attempting to talk to (assuming you've worked up the courage to do so) may well be in a relationship with someone else or not interested in your particular gender.

At this point I should mention the number of successful relationships I've had is currently zero and is likely to remain that way for the foreseeable future. This is not for the want of trying, though my social skills concerning the opposite sex are not the best in the world. It would be much easier if I could talk to girls. Even better if they happen to share at least one of my interests (Anime, music, films...etc).

As it was once said; hope springs eternal.

regards,
Alex.

Another day, another war

No, I'm not talking about the fighting going in the Middle East. Today ATi has announced another round of graphics cards to tempt gamers.

To me, this is fairly important; I'm a self-confessed game addict and I have i love / hate relationship with graphics producers. As I play games fairly regularly, being able to run the latest games tends to be more important than having all the eye-candy active. Although, having said that, it is nice to play games at a good resolution with all the graphics options turned on.

It often comes down to a single question: NVidia or ATi?

Depending on whether you want multiple GPU support will determine which of the above you select. I'm an NVidia man myself and the concept of SLi appears to be a good idea. However, if the game you are attempting to run does not have an SLi profile, it tends to perform worse than using a comparable Crossfire setup.

Who will win? Various pundits have already spent months agonising over this and vented their spleens in various publications about it. With any luck the better technology will win, though the Beta Max / VHS story is worth remembering at this point.

regards,
Alex.

To downgrade or why Sony should stop playing with the firmware.

Yes, I own a Sony PSP. Yes I wanted to play game 'back-ups' and other really cool stuff. However, did I also want to potentially own a fantastically expensive piece of useless plastic?

To cut it short, I attempted and more importantly succeeded. Thanks to MPH for his efforts in creating the downgrader. I can run homebrew (user-created) software once again! Apart from the heart-stopping moment of it failing at 99% and upon rebooting a message that the settings are corrupt. Take a deep breath and relax. That is normal behaviour and once you re-enter your settings such as location, time and date, etc. everything is happy in 1.50 land. From 2.00 back down to 1.5 in a few minutes. The loss? The web browser. I'm so upset over this..... or not. Still really want a web browser? There is a homebrew created one by 2ch that works just as well. A few less music file formats? Oh no! I'll never be able to play my collection of mp3s again. Oh wait...

Unfortunately, game producers are requiring the latest firmware updates from Sony. It is not exactly hard to understand why; Sony says jump and they ask "how high?" Understandable, if they don't follow what Sony say they can be sued or restricted from creating PSP products.

As it stands Sony are still updating the firmware with little to show for increases in functionality. They are merely making it more difficult to run homebrewprograms. I don't care if it stops piracy, but stifling the creation of content is a really bad idea. How many game programmers started out in their own bedrooms with little more than a PC?

Way to go Sony, you clearly encourage new talent in the games industry.

PSPUpdates (link)

regards
Alex.

One of few, one of the Many

One of the few; a modern gentleman who cares more for having a good time than about the cost. One of the many; a student, a diabetic and now a blogger.

Welcome to my blog, a small snippet of my life delivered to your screen for free. Moving through this world is not the easiest thing to accomplish. Every day I see things that question my faith in humanity. Every day I see things that renew my faith in humanity. Call me sentimental if you wish; that's your choice.

A gentleman. Wikipedia has one of the better definitions of what a gentleman has come to symbolise in modern times. If I can make life just a little more pleasent for one person, even if it's only for a short while, then that day could be called a good day.

My life is what I make it, not what others choose it to be for me.

Alex.