Last week I completed Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks on the Nintendo DS, which is the 4th DS game I’ve completed recently, after both Professor Layton games and Jewel Quest: Expeditions. It got me to thinking about how games seem to be easier to complete these days than in the past.
I remember some excellent games on the old ZX Spectrum such as Exolon and Army Moves, where I rarely got further than a dozen screens in. My all time favourite game on the platform was Back to Skool, which was so incredibly hard I defy anyone to complete it. Despite this I never felt they were poor value for money, just a great challenge. Nowadays however I can stick Uncharted on Easy difficulty and sit back and enjoy the interactive cinematic experience right to the end. It’s not necessarily worse, just a different way to play, and reinforces gaming’s position as a peer in the entertainment industry to TV, music and movies.
Partially I think the change has come through improved technology. Previously it was only possible to save most games at the end of a level (if at all) due to memory restrictions, whereas now it is not a problem to be able to save whenever you need to. Also I think the modern gamer does not make the same allowances for games that previous generations did in terms of game length and difficulty. Previously a game could be relatively short but very difficult, whereas now less than 10 hours of game time is considered poor value for money. A game you can complete in one sitting of a couple of hours (like the Dizzy games) would be considered ridiculous now.
With the amount of development resource required now, it is important that the player gets to see more of the game. I can imagine the pitch if mainstream games still held to the old difficulty levels: “Ok, the game is going to cost $10m to develop, and around 5% of players will see the final 2 levels, of which 1% will actually see the end sequence.” It’s doubtful that such a game would be made now.
Part of the reason I complete so few games is that many of those that I play don’t have an ending. Games like The Sims, Fifa, Burnout, SARBC etc just carry on. The PS3 Trophy system (and the Achievement system on Xbox) somewhat mitigates this by providing tangible rewards for achieving specific goals in these games, but this is down to the drive within the player to get them, rather than a natural progression or requirement within the game itself. Recently I’ve been playing more completeable games as I don’t have the time to play open ended games (part of the reason why I’ve held off getting Dragon Age and probably wont get Final Fantasy 13), as the completeable ones lend themselves better to shorter bursts of gameplay.
Of course there is also the vast number of Football Management games I’ve played over the years. To my knowledge only the original Championship Manager had an end as your character aged through the game, but I can’t imagine anyone completing 40-odd seasons at the speed it ran on my Amiga. No, in each game you would continue until you got fired, at which point like a digital Graeme Souness you would be offered another job despite your glaring ineptitude.
Being both a geek and a nerd I have naturally compiled a list of all the games I have ever completed across all formats. It shows that despite playing hundreds of Spectrum games, I completed relatively few. The completion percentage is almost certainly highest on the DS, with PS3 coming next, though without knowing exactly how many games I’ve played I can’t be sure.
I’m currently playing GTA4 and The Bourne Conspiracy on the PS3, Secret Files: Tunguska on the DS and have just started Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass also on the DS. We’ll see how I get on with them!
I did read about a game which sounds like the hardest, most unforgiving game of all time. You got 1 life, any contact with enemies or bullets resulted in instant death, and the reward for clearing an entire screen of enemies: 1 point. Now that’s hardcore! Can't find the article though so the name escapes me.
Friday, April 16, 2010
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
A good weekend
Last weekend was unusually productive for me, as I managed to get the brake discs on my car replaced, got a long overdue haircut and replaced the hard drive on my PS3 all by mid afternoon Saturday! It was nice to wander around Alloa town centre on a sunny morning before most people were up.
I have been very impressed with Sony’s customer service, as I had tried to replace the hard drive in my PS3 the previous weekend, but the screws attaching the drive to its caddy were so tight I sheared the threads trying to remove them. I called Sony and they sent out a replacement caddy and screws free of charge by recorded delivery. The replacement then went without a hitch, but if you are doing it and backing up your existing data make sure that you format your backup drive as FAT32 (not FAT, NTFS or the new exFAT format from Windows 7) or the PS3 will not recognise it. That took me ages to figure out. I now have loads of space as the old 60GB drive has been replaced by a 640GB one.
After that I relaxed into some gaming, though the Bourne Conspiracy made me very motion sick so that’s going to be a struggle. My nephew came round and we played Worms for ages followed by Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket Powered Battle Cars, where I finally won a game against him (6-5)! He then hammered me 7-2 so I think he was taking it easy on me :)
Sunday was mostly spent gaming again, playing the beautiful but frustrating Mirror’s Edge. In a fit of game-rage I threw the manual at the screen at one point, then laughed at the ridiculously camp outburst. I managed to complete level 2 in the end, then switched it off in triumph. Set up my own Rock Band 2 band Nostromo (for practicing without affecting our main band – Dynamite Areolas!) and got some practice in.
Also watched Wolverine on Friday night, which was a great film and much better than I expected. I like wolverines, they are badass.
I have been very impressed with Sony’s customer service, as I had tried to replace the hard drive in my PS3 the previous weekend, but the screws attaching the drive to its caddy were so tight I sheared the threads trying to remove them. I called Sony and they sent out a replacement caddy and screws free of charge by recorded delivery. The replacement then went without a hitch, but if you are doing it and backing up your existing data make sure that you format your backup drive as FAT32 (not FAT, NTFS or the new exFAT format from Windows 7) or the PS3 will not recognise it. That took me ages to figure out. I now have loads of space as the old 60GB drive has been replaced by a 640GB one.
After that I relaxed into some gaming, though the Bourne Conspiracy made me very motion sick so that’s going to be a struggle. My nephew came round and we played Worms for ages followed by Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket Powered Battle Cars, where I finally won a game against him (6-5)! He then hammered me 7-2 so I think he was taking it easy on me :)
Sunday was mostly spent gaming again, playing the beautiful but frustrating Mirror’s Edge. In a fit of game-rage I threw the manual at the screen at one point, then laughed at the ridiculously camp outburst. I managed to complete level 2 in the end, then switched it off in triumph. Set up my own Rock Band 2 band Nostromo (for practicing without affecting our main band – Dynamite Areolas!) and got some practice in.
Also watched Wolverine on Friday night, which was a great film and much better than I expected. I like wolverines, they are badass.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Bad maths
I found an annoying example of bad maths in this BBC story about future Hard Drive issues for Windows XP users, where they stated:
“Each 512 byte sector has a marker showing where it begins and an area dedicated to storing error correction codes. In addition a tiny gap has to be left between each sector. In large drives this wasted space where data cannot be stored can take up a significant proportion of the drive.”
Now, as the sectors are a set size, and the gap is a set size, then the proportion of the drive wasted is the same regardless of whether the drive is 1GB or 500GB. I think what he meant was it could take up a significant amount of data storage space.
Pedantic? Maybe, but I am correct.
/rant
“Each 512 byte sector has a marker showing where it begins and an area dedicated to storing error correction codes. In addition a tiny gap has to be left between each sector. In large drives this wasted space where data cannot be stored can take up a significant proportion of the drive.”
Now, as the sectors are a set size, and the gap is a set size, then the proportion of the drive wasted is the same regardless of whether the drive is 1GB or 500GB. I think what he meant was it could take up a significant amount of data storage space.
Pedantic? Maybe, but I am correct.
/rant
Thursday, February 18, 2010
2009: a retrospective
It is time to come out of my winter hibernation and put something up on this here blog again. As some of you will know, a very bad thing happened to our family in January, which has overshadowed everything recently. In fact January sucked so much I am starting my year in February this year. I’m going to start this new year by put down a memory aid to help me remember what I did last year.
I’ve shamelessly stolen this from my dear friend Rosie, safe in the knowledge that she stole it from one of her friends. Therefore by the bit-torrent rule, that makes it ok. Here we go:
1. What did you do in 2009 that you’d never done before?
Sold a house! It was a stressful time for the first 5 months of the year as there were plenty of viewings but no-one was biting. Then in May we got 2 offers in one day, and the sale was all agreed in about 2 hours! We had 7 weeks to get organised before the new owner’s daughter moved in which meant it could be done in a relaxed manner.
2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next this year?
I don’t do resolutions, however for the coming year I want to get more exercise as I’ve been very lazy over the last year.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
No.
4. Did anyone close to you die?
Sadly our cat Pyewacket died this year, just short of his 13th birthday. He had inoperable cancer in his gums and jaw which was very aggressive. From finding out on March, we had about 8 weeks before he had to be put down. It was very sad as he was physically as strong as ever (and he was a very strong cat, he used to try to get into the bathroom when I was in there by putting his paw under the door and pulling - the door creaked as it bent!) but the cancer meant he was starting to feel pain when he ate, and it was only going to get worse so we had no choice.
5. What countries did you visit?
New Zealand and France.
6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?
I’m going to play it safe here and go for a new house and a more active lifestyle. And a platinum trophy on one of my PS3 games (I’m looking at you Buzz TV!).
7. What dates from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
May 8 as the day we had to get Pyewacket put down. That was the hardest thing I have ever had to do, and it still upsets me to think about it.
June 25 as the day we sold our flat. After 11 years I thought it would be harder to leave, but it was kind of a relief in the end. When you own a house there are all sorts of stresses and worries, and that all went away in an instant and the feeling of freedom was exhilarating. It is still strange to think that flat where we personalised practically everything is now owned by someone else.
November 27 as the day I lost my job. In a ridiculous situation where my job was essentially given to someone with no experience, I was made redundant. However a decent redundancy package for my 5 years service (though they boasted about it being above the statutory minimum – I ended up £11 better off) softened the blow, as did getting a job that started 6 weeks later on the same pay with better conditions. My new employer is so much better that I think this was one of the best things to happen to me in years.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
I’m not sure if it really counts as an achievement, but selling our house was a major task completed. I was very pleased that despite the stresses of the year I had no problems with depression, in contrast to 2008. I am learning to spot the signs and take action in advance, which has helped a lot.
9. What was your biggest failure?
Procrastination. Too much time spent avoiding doing things. The fact that this blog entry has taken weeks to produce shows that this hasn’t changed for 2010. Yet.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Nothing of note, though I had a weird reaction on holiday in NZ when my forehead and the bridge of my nose swelled up a bit, making me look a bit like a caveman. Didn’t hurt and went away after a couple of days, but it was quite strange.
11. What was the best thing you bought?
My replacement PS3 (after our original one was stolen in June 2008). Since moving out of Edinburgh it has become our entertainment hub. Watching Blu-Ray movies, DVDs and shows streamed from our NAS box, along with PlayTV for our recordable TV needs. It is also our replacement stereo now that our entire music collection is on the NAS (admittedly with a very limited functionality) and of course the games! Uncharted was the best gaming experience I have had in a long time (up there with the Monkey Island games).
12. Where did most of your money go?
In one go, probably solicitors fees and vet bills. Over the course of the year, petrol costs have become our biggest expense now we are commuting the 40 miles to Edinburgh on a daily basis. Our poor car has gone from 12,000 miles to 30,000 miles in 9 months!
13. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Blogging – I’ve never had a diary before, and this is just a more interactive way of keeping a journal. After an initial flurry I slowed down, but am ready to start up again.
Blackout Rugby – a great online rugby management game I started playing in June 2008. Last year I got promoted to the top division which was great fun and consumed a lot of my time. Got relegated in the new year though, so its back to the drawing board. It’s free to join and play, but takes a bit of work and time to get into it properly.
Twitter – Didn’t really get it at first, but soon became a convert. Nice way to keep in touch and share things with friends. It is also useful for keeping up to date with game offers (@frugalgaming) and blogs. And anyone who says it is pointless/stupid and then updates their facebook status is an idiothole as it’s effectively the same thing.
14. What song will always remind you of 2009?
Poker Face by Lady GaGa. First heard it in a shop in NZ and thought “what the hell is that crap?” Spent most of the year by turns being irritated, confused and entertained by her and her songs.
15. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder?
About the same. There have been a lot of ups and downs in the year, but overall it all has balanced out.
b) thinner or fatter?
A bit fatter, which looks ridiculous as it has all been added as a pot belly.
c) richer or poorer?
Richer I guess, but the money is all earmarked for our next move. We are certainly in a more stable position now though.
16. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Relaxing in the sun. I wanted to spend the summer getting a tan on the patio, but the Scottish weather decided it would rain for 3 months instead. Our trip to NZ in Jan/Feb was nice and hot, but by the end of the year that was a long time ago.
17. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Worrying. I spent a lot of the year worrying about stuff. From the flat (will it sell? Is the skylight leaking again [yes it was]? Will the buyers pull out?) to the car (is it going to break down? What’s that noise? Why haven’t I booked a service yet?) to our cat (that one was justified I think). Hopefully this year will have fewer causes for concern, but I’m also going to try to relax more.
18. How will you spend Christmas?
Well it’s been and gone, so I can confirm I had a busy morning with all the family round – about 20 people in the house at one point. Some cracking gifts (pipe wrench fight t-shirt!) and fun chat. Then a fantastic dinner with maw and paw–in-law, 2 of DW’s aunties and her cousin. Then we retired to our lounge to watch TV. A great day and a memorable Christmas. And there was tons of snow outside, with Christmas coming during about 4 weeks of weather where the temperature got down as low as -16C and never got above 0C!
19. Did you fall in love in 2009?
Yes, with Paris – possibly the most beautiful city I have ever visited (Stockholm was impressive, but Paris is on a different scale). It more than lived up to expectations!
20. What was your favourite TV program?
Psych. Love the dialogue between Shaun and Gus, and I think I get about half the 80’s cultural references. Also discovered Greys Anatomy, which is pretty good, and Big Bang Theory which is great for getting your geek on.
21. What was the best book you read?
The Player of Games by Iain M Banks. Didn’t read many books last year, but this one was a cracker. Banks creates a vivid and believable universe in his sci-fi books that really pulls you in.
22. What was your favourite film of this year?
Tricky one as I’ve seen a lot of films this year. The special effects and 3D in Avatar was amazing (really, really amazing) but the story, while entertaining, was not the greatest. Still a 9/10 but not the best I’ve seen in 2009. Watchmen was pretty good, I Love You Man was surprisingly hilarious, Star Trek was excellent but I think my favourite was (500) Days of Summer.
23. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
Turned 33 this year, and spent most of my birthday cleaning out our flat and taking things to the recycling centre. Drove to visit our friends Rick and Fiona in their new house in Dalkeith with the roof down on the car enjoying the sun, then a meal at the Great Wall on Lothian Road (sadly now closed down). A good day all told.
24. What kept you sane?
My dear wife. She is always on hand to pep me up when I’m feeling down or worried about things, saving me from bouts of depression or panic. She is without question the most important person in my life and I only hope I can give her even half the support she gives me. Love you honey. ;) x
25. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
I don’t think I fancy anyone famous. I don’t really get a lot of the fixations in the media (Cheryl Cole etc) and find the desperation of a lot of the attention seeking celebrities (and wannabes) pretty distasteful. Having said that if pushed I would probably say Jennifer Love Hewitt because I watched Ghost Whisperer a couple of nights ago. She wears a lot of nighties in that show.
26. Who did you miss?
My cat Pyewacket. We understood one another so well that I could get him to do what I wanted with just a look or a quick hand gesture. I’ve never had that kind of connection with a family pet before. He had such a big personality that no-one outside our house ever knew, as he didn’t like socialising with strangers. I had thought I was over it but writing this blog has brought it all back. I miss him a lot.
27. Who was the best new person you met?
Back in May I met my nephew’s girlfriend Rachael for the first time. She was a lovely person and I got to know her a lot better of the following months of the year, especially when we moved to Sauchie. She was genuinely one of the nicest people I have ever met, never had a bad word to say about anyone and would defend you to the last. Tragically Rachael was killed in a car crash in January this year which has been devastating for the family. She was so loved and will be missed by everyone.
------
Looking back at the answers above, it seems like 2009 was a pretty bad year, but it wasn’t really. There were a lot of good things that happened, just a couple of big bad things that stole focus I think.
I am going to change the appearance of my blog as although I love the look of it, it is functionally poor and attempting alterations results in an HTML nightmare I sometimes think I’ll never wake up from. I’ll try to add more functionality to it as well to make it a bit more interesting. If you read this on Facebook you might not be aware that it is fed from my blog page, statanomaly.blospot.com. Now you are.
As mentioned above I don’t do New Year resolutions, but I will pledge to try to update this blog much more regularly. I also pledge to answer my phone at least once a month by saying “Talk to me”.
I’ve shamelessly stolen this from my dear friend Rosie, safe in the knowledge that she stole it from one of her friends. Therefore by the bit-torrent rule, that makes it ok. Here we go:
1. What did you do in 2009 that you’d never done before?
Sold a house! It was a stressful time for the first 5 months of the year as there were plenty of viewings but no-one was biting. Then in May we got 2 offers in one day, and the sale was all agreed in about 2 hours! We had 7 weeks to get organised before the new owner’s daughter moved in which meant it could be done in a relaxed manner.
2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next this year?
I don’t do resolutions, however for the coming year I want to get more exercise as I’ve been very lazy over the last year.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
No.
4. Did anyone close to you die?
Sadly our cat Pyewacket died this year, just short of his 13th birthday. He had inoperable cancer in his gums and jaw which was very aggressive. From finding out on March, we had about 8 weeks before he had to be put down. It was very sad as he was physically as strong as ever (and he was a very strong cat, he used to try to get into the bathroom when I was in there by putting his paw under the door and pulling - the door creaked as it bent!) but the cancer meant he was starting to feel pain when he ate, and it was only going to get worse so we had no choice.
5. What countries did you visit?
New Zealand and France.
6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?
I’m going to play it safe here and go for a new house and a more active lifestyle. And a platinum trophy on one of my PS3 games (I’m looking at you Buzz TV!).
7. What dates from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
May 8 as the day we had to get Pyewacket put down. That was the hardest thing I have ever had to do, and it still upsets me to think about it.
June 25 as the day we sold our flat. After 11 years I thought it would be harder to leave, but it was kind of a relief in the end. When you own a house there are all sorts of stresses and worries, and that all went away in an instant and the feeling of freedom was exhilarating. It is still strange to think that flat where we personalised practically everything is now owned by someone else.
November 27 as the day I lost my job. In a ridiculous situation where my job was essentially given to someone with no experience, I was made redundant. However a decent redundancy package for my 5 years service (though they boasted about it being above the statutory minimum – I ended up £11 better off) softened the blow, as did getting a job that started 6 weeks later on the same pay with better conditions. My new employer is so much better that I think this was one of the best things to happen to me in years.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
I’m not sure if it really counts as an achievement, but selling our house was a major task completed. I was very pleased that despite the stresses of the year I had no problems with depression, in contrast to 2008. I am learning to spot the signs and take action in advance, which has helped a lot.
9. What was your biggest failure?
Procrastination. Too much time spent avoiding doing things. The fact that this blog entry has taken weeks to produce shows that this hasn’t changed for 2010. Yet.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Nothing of note, though I had a weird reaction on holiday in NZ when my forehead and the bridge of my nose swelled up a bit, making me look a bit like a caveman. Didn’t hurt and went away after a couple of days, but it was quite strange.
11. What was the best thing you bought?
My replacement PS3 (after our original one was stolen in June 2008). Since moving out of Edinburgh it has become our entertainment hub. Watching Blu-Ray movies, DVDs and shows streamed from our NAS box, along with PlayTV for our recordable TV needs. It is also our replacement stereo now that our entire music collection is on the NAS (admittedly with a very limited functionality) and of course the games! Uncharted was the best gaming experience I have had in a long time (up there with the Monkey Island games).
12. Where did most of your money go?
In one go, probably solicitors fees and vet bills. Over the course of the year, petrol costs have become our biggest expense now we are commuting the 40 miles to Edinburgh on a daily basis. Our poor car has gone from 12,000 miles to 30,000 miles in 9 months!
13. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Blogging – I’ve never had a diary before, and this is just a more interactive way of keeping a journal. After an initial flurry I slowed down, but am ready to start up again.
Blackout Rugby – a great online rugby management game I started playing in June 2008. Last year I got promoted to the top division which was great fun and consumed a lot of my time. Got relegated in the new year though, so its back to the drawing board. It’s free to join and play, but takes a bit of work and time to get into it properly.
Twitter – Didn’t really get it at first, but soon became a convert. Nice way to keep in touch and share things with friends. It is also useful for keeping up to date with game offers (@frugalgaming) and blogs. And anyone who says it is pointless/stupid and then updates their facebook status is an idiothole as it’s effectively the same thing.
14. What song will always remind you of 2009?
Poker Face by Lady GaGa. First heard it in a shop in NZ and thought “what the hell is that crap?” Spent most of the year by turns being irritated, confused and entertained by her and her songs.
15. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder?
About the same. There have been a lot of ups and downs in the year, but overall it all has balanced out.
b) thinner or fatter?
A bit fatter, which looks ridiculous as it has all been added as a pot belly.
c) richer or poorer?
Richer I guess, but the money is all earmarked for our next move. We are certainly in a more stable position now though.
16. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Relaxing in the sun. I wanted to spend the summer getting a tan on the patio, but the Scottish weather decided it would rain for 3 months instead. Our trip to NZ in Jan/Feb was nice and hot, but by the end of the year that was a long time ago.
17. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Worrying. I spent a lot of the year worrying about stuff. From the flat (will it sell? Is the skylight leaking again [yes it was]? Will the buyers pull out?) to the car (is it going to break down? What’s that noise? Why haven’t I booked a service yet?) to our cat (that one was justified I think). Hopefully this year will have fewer causes for concern, but I’m also going to try to relax more.
18. How will you spend Christmas?
Well it’s been and gone, so I can confirm I had a busy morning with all the family round – about 20 people in the house at one point. Some cracking gifts (pipe wrench fight t-shirt!) and fun chat. Then a fantastic dinner with maw and paw–in-law, 2 of DW’s aunties and her cousin. Then we retired to our lounge to watch TV. A great day and a memorable Christmas. And there was tons of snow outside, with Christmas coming during about 4 weeks of weather where the temperature got down as low as -16C and never got above 0C!
19. Did you fall in love in 2009?
Yes, with Paris – possibly the most beautiful city I have ever visited (Stockholm was impressive, but Paris is on a different scale). It more than lived up to expectations!
20. What was your favourite TV program?
Psych. Love the dialogue between Shaun and Gus, and I think I get about half the 80’s cultural references. Also discovered Greys Anatomy, which is pretty good, and Big Bang Theory which is great for getting your geek on.
21. What was the best book you read?
The Player of Games by Iain M Banks. Didn’t read many books last year, but this one was a cracker. Banks creates a vivid and believable universe in his sci-fi books that really pulls you in.
22. What was your favourite film of this year?
Tricky one as I’ve seen a lot of films this year. The special effects and 3D in Avatar was amazing (really, really amazing) but the story, while entertaining, was not the greatest. Still a 9/10 but not the best I’ve seen in 2009. Watchmen was pretty good, I Love You Man was surprisingly hilarious, Star Trek was excellent but I think my favourite was (500) Days of Summer.
23. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
Turned 33 this year, and spent most of my birthday cleaning out our flat and taking things to the recycling centre. Drove to visit our friends Rick and Fiona in their new house in Dalkeith with the roof down on the car enjoying the sun, then a meal at the Great Wall on Lothian Road (sadly now closed down). A good day all told.
24. What kept you sane?
My dear wife. She is always on hand to pep me up when I’m feeling down or worried about things, saving me from bouts of depression or panic. She is without question the most important person in my life and I only hope I can give her even half the support she gives me. Love you honey. ;) x
25. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
I don’t think I fancy anyone famous. I don’t really get a lot of the fixations in the media (Cheryl Cole etc) and find the desperation of a lot of the attention seeking celebrities (and wannabes) pretty distasteful. Having said that if pushed I would probably say Jennifer Love Hewitt because I watched Ghost Whisperer a couple of nights ago. She wears a lot of nighties in that show.
26. Who did you miss?
My cat Pyewacket. We understood one another so well that I could get him to do what I wanted with just a look or a quick hand gesture. I’ve never had that kind of connection with a family pet before. He had such a big personality that no-one outside our house ever knew, as he didn’t like socialising with strangers. I had thought I was over it but writing this blog has brought it all back. I miss him a lot.
27. Who was the best new person you met?
Back in May I met my nephew’s girlfriend Rachael for the first time. She was a lovely person and I got to know her a lot better of the following months of the year, especially when we moved to Sauchie. She was genuinely one of the nicest people I have ever met, never had a bad word to say about anyone and would defend you to the last. Tragically Rachael was killed in a car crash in January this year which has been devastating for the family. She was so loved and will be missed by everyone.
------
Looking back at the answers above, it seems like 2009 was a pretty bad year, but it wasn’t really. There were a lot of good things that happened, just a couple of big bad things that stole focus I think.
I am going to change the appearance of my blog as although I love the look of it, it is functionally poor and attempting alterations results in an HTML nightmare I sometimes think I’ll never wake up from. I’ll try to add more functionality to it as well to make it a bit more interesting. If you read this on Facebook you might not be aware that it is fed from my blog page, statanomaly.blospot.com. Now you are.
As mentioned above I don’t do New Year resolutions, but I will pledge to try to update this blog much more regularly. I also pledge to answer my phone at least once a month by saying “Talk to me”.
Monday, December 21, 2009
Have yourselves a Raging little Christmas
I've been suffering from a major case of writers block recently. Topics float into and out of my head, but nothing seems interesting enough to stick. Which is odd considering the last few weeks have been quite eventful. Maybe I'll get to that later.
However the Christmas number 1 song has interested me for the first time in ages. It was amazing to see a campaign started on Facebook a few weeks ago beat a 6 month marketing campaign watched on national TV by millions.
It was a bit of fun, anarchy in a safe environment. Not an anti-corporation protest, but just a demonstration that people don't like to be treated like idiots. I can only assume that The Climb was picked as it was already on Sony's books and cost little to nothing to procure. It certainly wasn't good enough to top the charts. It seemed like Simon Cowell thought he could put out any old tat and it would get to number 1. If the song had been half decent it would have been much harder, and if they had picked Don't Stop Believing the campaign would not have had a chance. (even Joe McElderry's version which is an out of tune crime against music)
Rage Against The Machine conducted themselves pretty well throughout this. They didn't ask to be used as the focal point, but proved to be eloquent and polite when questioned and were not afraid to speak their minds, which is becoming a rare occurrence in these days of ass-covering. Perhaps they were a little cheeky on radio 5 by swearing when they said they wouldn't, but it clearly did them no harm. The bands decision to donate all their profits to Shelter, on top of the donations made through the campaign, seems a perfect message to be sending out at this time of year.
Some people think it's a shame that young Joe is not getting "his" Christmas number 1. He won a singing competition, the prize of which was a recording contract. I don't think it said anything about getting a Christmas number 1. He has done nothing to earn a number 1.
Despite all this I'd almost guarantee that Joe will be at number 1 next week after all the final pre-christmas purchases roll in, and now there is no real competition. Hopefully this will be ok for Joe. Besides if he is that good, then his next few singles will all go straight in at number 1.
And on that I'm going to sign off.
Merry Christmas y'all!
However the Christmas number 1 song has interested me for the first time in ages. It was amazing to see a campaign started on Facebook a few weeks ago beat a 6 month marketing campaign watched on national TV by millions.
It was a bit of fun, anarchy in a safe environment. Not an anti-corporation protest, but just a demonstration that people don't like to be treated like idiots. I can only assume that The Climb was picked as it was already on Sony's books and cost little to nothing to procure. It certainly wasn't good enough to top the charts. It seemed like Simon Cowell thought he could put out any old tat and it would get to number 1. If the song had been half decent it would have been much harder, and if they had picked Don't Stop Believing the campaign would not have had a chance. (even Joe McElderry's version which is an out of tune crime against music)
Rage Against The Machine conducted themselves pretty well throughout this. They didn't ask to be used as the focal point, but proved to be eloquent and polite when questioned and were not afraid to speak their minds, which is becoming a rare occurrence in these days of ass-covering. Perhaps they were a little cheeky on radio 5 by swearing when they said they wouldn't, but it clearly did them no harm. The bands decision to donate all their profits to Shelter, on top of the donations made through the campaign, seems a perfect message to be sending out at this time of year.
Some people think it's a shame that young Joe is not getting "his" Christmas number 1. He won a singing competition, the prize of which was a recording contract. I don't think it said anything about getting a Christmas number 1. He has done nothing to earn a number 1.
Despite all this I'd almost guarantee that Joe will be at number 1 next week after all the final pre-christmas purchases roll in, and now there is no real competition. Hopefully this will be ok for Joe. Besides if he is that good, then his next few singles will all go straight in at number 1.
And on that I'm going to sign off.
Merry Christmas y'all!
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Paris
A few weeks ago we went to Paris for a long weekend to celebrate my dear wife’s birthday. Although some time has passed since we got back, I felt I couldn’t let it pass without comment.
Paris is a truly beautiful city. From the moment we came out of the Metro at St Georges into a little green square with narrow streets running off it, it was a pleasure to behold. Over the next couple of days we visited all the major attractions we could, only missing the Louvre due to it being closed on a Tuesday, not a Monday as we thought.
First thing in the morning (11am!) we went to the Eiffel Tower, but the queues were quite long so we decided to return the next day even earlier. We then took a Batobus down the Seine to Notre Dame cathedral. One of the highlights for me was going into the cathedral. The sheer size of it inside was breathtaking, and the massive stained glass windows in the north and south wings were very impressive.
Sacre Coeur was a highly recommended attraction, and I enjoyed it mostly for the view over Paris it affords from the steps at the front. Though it was very (very) nice inside and out it could not compete with Notre Dame in my mind. The view however was perfect on the day we were there as the sky was clear blue and you could see all the way to the horizon. From our position we couldn’t see the Eiffel tower, but could see Notre Dame in the distance and even further away the Montparnasse tower, looking like a black monolith from 2001: A Space Odyssey, looming over its surrounding buildings.
That evening we went for a walk, finding by chance the Moulin Rouge, before taking the Metro into the centre of Paris for a meal within sight of the Eiffel Tower and watching a cabaret show at Crazy Horse (my wife rocks!) before getting the last train home (they locked the gates after we left St Georges station, very lucky!).
Unfortunately it rained for most of the next day, but despite this we went up the Eiffel tower which gave great views again. I was very impressed by the Victorian engineering, but DW was less keen (certainly of the lifts) and would have preferred something a bit newer I think!
After that we travelled to L’Arc de Triomphe which again impressed me with it’s sheer size, walked a little down the Champs Elysses, and visited the Musee D’Orsay and looked at some painitings by artists such as Monet, Manet and Renoir. To be honest, art galleries are not really my bag, and we didn’t even bother going to see the Van Gogh paintings in the end. After that it was time to go back to the hotel for our bags and to head for the airport.
The food all weekend was amazing, even for us poor vegans! It helped that we found a vegetarian restaurant across the water from Notre Dame where I had the biggest vegan mezze platter in the world. Smoked tofu, seitan, grilled peppers and courgette, vegan coleslaw, a tofuburger and loads else, it was so good!
While Paris was excellent and the people very helpful and friendly, my French was appalling. Despite 4 years studying (admittedly finishing 17 years ago) I was unable to string 2 words together on the first day, mostly out of fear of embarrassment. I was getting more into it by the time we left, but still very slow and quiet.
The woman who asked me (in French) “Is this the stop for Charles de Gaulle” as we arrived at the domestic terminal stop caught me completely off guard. What I should have said is:
“Oui, c’est Charles de Gaulle. Mais il y a un autre gare en 5 minutes. Ici pour domestique, l’autre gare pour international.” (I think this is right, I haven’t looked it up)
However, as my brain was too slow at translating what she said, what I actually said was:
“Pardon, je ne comprends pas.”
Still, it’s the thought that counts and at least I answered in French.
Paris is a truly beautiful city. From the moment we came out of the Metro at St Georges into a little green square with narrow streets running off it, it was a pleasure to behold. Over the next couple of days we visited all the major attractions we could, only missing the Louvre due to it being closed on a Tuesday, not a Monday as we thought.
First thing in the morning (11am!) we went to the Eiffel Tower, but the queues were quite long so we decided to return the next day even earlier. We then took a Batobus down the Seine to Notre Dame cathedral. One of the highlights for me was going into the cathedral. The sheer size of it inside was breathtaking, and the massive stained glass windows in the north and south wings were very impressive.
Sacre Coeur was a highly recommended attraction, and I enjoyed it mostly for the view over Paris it affords from the steps at the front. Though it was very (very) nice inside and out it could not compete with Notre Dame in my mind. The view however was perfect on the day we were there as the sky was clear blue and you could see all the way to the horizon. From our position we couldn’t see the Eiffel tower, but could see Notre Dame in the distance and even further away the Montparnasse tower, looking like a black monolith from 2001: A Space Odyssey, looming over its surrounding buildings.
That evening we went for a walk, finding by chance the Moulin Rouge, before taking the Metro into the centre of Paris for a meal within sight of the Eiffel Tower and watching a cabaret show at Crazy Horse (my wife rocks!) before getting the last train home (they locked the gates after we left St Georges station, very lucky!).
Unfortunately it rained for most of the next day, but despite this we went up the Eiffel tower which gave great views again. I was very impressed by the Victorian engineering, but DW was less keen (certainly of the lifts) and would have preferred something a bit newer I think!
After that we travelled to L’Arc de Triomphe which again impressed me with it’s sheer size, walked a little down the Champs Elysses, and visited the Musee D’Orsay and looked at some painitings by artists such as Monet, Manet and Renoir. To be honest, art galleries are not really my bag, and we didn’t even bother going to see the Van Gogh paintings in the end. After that it was time to go back to the hotel for our bags and to head for the airport.
The food all weekend was amazing, even for us poor vegans! It helped that we found a vegetarian restaurant across the water from Notre Dame where I had the biggest vegan mezze platter in the world. Smoked tofu, seitan, grilled peppers and courgette, vegan coleslaw, a tofuburger and loads else, it was so good!
While Paris was excellent and the people very helpful and friendly, my French was appalling. Despite 4 years studying (admittedly finishing 17 years ago) I was unable to string 2 words together on the first day, mostly out of fear of embarrassment. I was getting more into it by the time we left, but still very slow and quiet.
The woman who asked me (in French) “Is this the stop for Charles de Gaulle” as we arrived at the domestic terminal stop caught me completely off guard. What I should have said is:
“Oui, c’est Charles de Gaulle. Mais il y a un autre gare en 5 minutes. Ici pour domestique, l’autre gare pour international.” (I think this is right, I haven’t looked it up)
However, as my brain was too slow at translating what she said, what I actually said was:
“Pardon, je ne comprends pas.”
Still, it’s the thought that counts and at least I answered in French.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
The Phantom Menace
I had planned to blog last week about the above 10 year old film, but stopped as I thought "Nah, no-one would want to read that". Since then Andrew Collins has blogged about it, Richard Herring has tweeted about it, and it has been on national television at primetime. I did not watch it. After all that I decided to dust down the draft and post it anyway. You are free not to read it should you see fit.
It is 10 years since the release of Star Wars : The Phantom Menace. I wanted to write about this because, even after 10 years, it still irritates me for numerous reasons.
The original Star Wars films (the good trilogy) were part of my childhood, as I’m sure they were for many people. Because of this when the new films were announced in ‘95/’96 I was very excited.
Then Episode 1 was released. As soon as the opening titles appeared it was clear that something was wrong. Trade agreements and blockades didn’t sound very exciting, but maybe it would be ok.
No. It would not be ok.
What we got was essentially the plot from an episode of the A-Team (Helpless ordinary folks being bullied by an aggressor, the team come in and help fight them off, everyone lives happily ever after), with a tacked on story about how they found Anakin Skywalker. Or a story about how they found Anakin with an A-team episode tacked on, I can’t decide which plot arc is worse.
But there were worse things than the overall plot. In no particular order:
1. Jar Jar Binks. The much maligned possible racial stereotype CGI idiot. Clearly only there for comedy effect (but without any comedy) and to show off Industrial Light & Magics CGI skills, there was nothing redeeming about him. He did get his own usenet group though, alt.fan.starwars.jar-jar-binks.die.die.die.
2. The pod race. Added nothing to the story, and appeared to be there so they could again show off their CGI skills, have a chase scene (In the absence of proper space battles) and show how smart Anakin was.
3. The spaceships. The ships in the original trilogy were chunky, functional looking machines. A style that has been immitated many times since then (Battlestar Galactica, Stargate SG-1, Wing Commander, etc) as they look like they fit a purpose. However now, some 50 years or so earlier, we have ships like the sleek vessels of the Naboo and Gungans, which looked completely different. Why years later would the ships look so low tech in comparison?
4. C3PO & R2D2. Why are they even there? There are so many things wrong with this it makes my head want to explode. Anakin’s mother needs help around the house, so he builds her a protocol droid who can speak several billion languages and can’t walk properly or straighten his arms? I’d be grateful and all, but would ask if maybe he could make a cleaner droid or a child minder droid first. And R2D2 belongs to Obi-Wan? Ok that maybe explains why he knows where to go on Tatooine in Episode 4, but it’s still a bit of an awkward way to get a favourite character into the film. It gives the impression Lucas wasn’t confident enough in the new characters he had created (with good reason it turns out). The inclusion of these droids is nothing short of insulting to the intelligence of the viewer.
5. The Imperial Senate. Just how long is spent watching bureaucrats debating trade agreements and sanctions? It saps the life out of the movie and the viewer.
6. Immaculate conception. Turns out that Anakin was an immaculate conception. Seriously? Yes, seriously.
I could go on, but I’d really rather not for fear of injuring myself in a fit of rage. One plus from The Phantom Menace was that it was so bad I quite enjoyed Attack of the Clones by comparison (yes I continued to watch the movies) even though it is completely mediocre. I cannot recall anything about Revenge of the Sith except the hastily revealed Darth Vader at the end, whose low tech costume again stood out like a sore thumb against the sleek look of the rest of the film.
However I will say Ewan McGregor was excellent as Obi-Wan, and possibly played Alec Guinness better than Alec Guinness could have done.
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