I've mentioned before that I think the UK government seems to be going mad. The latest in this trend is the UK's Digital Economy Bill (which I found via Techdirt). Without going into too many specifics, the key thing which seems absolutely absurd is that the bill would allow the Business Secretary, Lord Mandelson, to change copyright law at will without parliamentary approval.
To be fair, I don't know anything about Lord Mandelson. He could be a sleazebag or he could be very honourable (probably less likely considering he is in politics - zing!). However, the point is that giving any one person or office that level of power just seems to beg for an abuse of power later down the line.
The bill itself has yet to be debated in Parliament and this could well get amended before the bill is passed. However, if this particular element isn't laughed out of town, I will be chalking this episode up as further evidence that the UK has gone stark bonking looneytunes.
Monday, November 23, 2009
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Game movies
Its a well known fact that any movie which is based on a video game is probably going to suck (there are a couple of exceptions - eg I kinda liked Tomb Raider although I'm willing to admit this may simply be due to the lead actress). Anyway, despite most movie conversions being poor, there are actually quite a lot of good video shorts based on games.
By far the most impressive that I have seen is the Assassin's Creed II - Lineage video. Granted, this is because this is a professional production by a studio within Ubisoft who were created (acquired?) for the sole purpose of producing these videos but still, it shows what you can do if you approach it properly.
By far the most impressive that I have seen is the Assassin's Creed II - Lineage video. Granted, this is because this is a professional production by a studio within Ubisoft who were created (acquired?) for the sole purpose of producing these videos but still, it shows what you can do if you approach it properly.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Hard sell doesn't work on me
Sales is a funny thing. Sales tactics which work on one person will completely backfire on another. In my particular case, the hard sell just doesn't work. I guess its just a part of my psychological makeup where I am perfectly willing to act in a contrary manner, which might not even be in my best interest, if I get annoyed (and nothing annoys me quicker than the hard sell!).
This reared its head recently as I joined a gym.
I'll give you a second to let that sink in.
Yes, I joined a gym. This is part of my plan to get a little exercise now that I'm not playing badminton anymore. Hopefully, I can go 2-3 times a week during weekday nights. Hopefully.
Anyway, the first day I join, the gym gives you a free health assessment. Obviously, the idea behind this is to try and sell you on a personal trainer. And that's fine - I knew what I was getting into and to be honest, I was also seriously considering it. Granted, it would have been very expensive but it would probably also have been very effective. If I'm being honest with myself, I probably won't be able to lose much weight on my own and the idea of throwing money at the problem in order to really properly target reducing my waistline and building my muscle tone was enticing.
At the end of the presentation though, the guy asked for my ID card and credit card. This was before he had even given me a quote (this is an obvious sales tactic based on psychology which I immediately recognised from browsing the web). Naturally, I didn't fall for it and asked him how much it would be.
"Oh, we need your ID card and credit card to get a quote" (seriously, this was his answer).
Yeah right. I mean, seriously, do I have "sucker" printed on my forehead or something? Is there a giant schlong on my head telling people that I'm an easy mark?
This reared its head recently as I joined a gym.
I'll give you a second to let that sink in.
Yes, I joined a gym. This is part of my plan to get a little exercise now that I'm not playing badminton anymore. Hopefully, I can go 2-3 times a week during weekday nights. Hopefully.
Anyway, the first day I join, the gym gives you a free health assessment. Obviously, the idea behind this is to try and sell you on a personal trainer. And that's fine - I knew what I was getting into and to be honest, I was also seriously considering it. Granted, it would have been very expensive but it would probably also have been very effective. If I'm being honest with myself, I probably won't be able to lose much weight on my own and the idea of throwing money at the problem in order to really properly target reducing my waistline and building my muscle tone was enticing.
At the end of the presentation though, the guy asked for my ID card and credit card. This was before he had even given me a quote (this is an obvious sales tactic based on psychology which I immediately recognised from browsing the web). Naturally, I didn't fall for it and asked him how much it would be.
"Oh, we need your ID card and credit card to get a quote" (seriously, this was his answer).
Yeah right. I mean, seriously, do I have "sucker" printed on my forehead or something? Is there a giant schlong on my head telling people that I'm an easy mark?
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
My Sony boycott
I've moaned about Sony on this blog on numerous occasions in the past. However, unless you visit my gaming blog, you probably wouldn't have known that I'm actually boycotting Sony as a result of my issues with how they run their business.
Having said that, it wasn't really much of a boycott as there weren't that many Sony products that I was interested in buying so it was relatively easy for me to pick alternatives (a boycott isn't a boycott if the company doesn't release anything you are interested in). However, my boycott was put to the test recently.
The missus and I were on the lookout for a new hi-fi system for the living room. While looking at our options, we settled on choosing between three potential models.
The first choice was an expensive system from Philips which could also double as a DVD player (with HDMI output too!). Actually, this wasn't much of a choice as the system was too expensive for our budget. However, the system itself looked really snazzy and, from prior experience Philips products, we knew that the sound would be pretty good as well.
The second option was a micro component system from Sony. It was within our budget and the system itself looked quite stylish (despite my complaints against Sony, I have to admit that they know how to design good looking products). The only problem was, as I said before, I'm boycotting Sony.
The third option was a slightly more expensive system from JVC. Although slightly more expensive, it had the same functions as the Sony system.
Naturally the missus, being the fashion victim that she is, wanted to go for the Sony system which would have been a good compromise between price and form. On the other hand, my boycott of Sony meant that I wanted to go with the JVC. After discussing the choice over lunch, the decision ultimately came down to an ultimatum.
I told her, "we can buy the Sony system if you want - but I'm not going to pay for it. You can pay for it yourself."
And with that, I am now the proud new owner of the JVC UX-LP5.
Having said that, it wasn't really much of a boycott as there weren't that many Sony products that I was interested in buying so it was relatively easy for me to pick alternatives (a boycott isn't a boycott if the company doesn't release anything you are interested in). However, my boycott was put to the test recently.
The missus and I were on the lookout for a new hi-fi system for the living room. While looking at our options, we settled on choosing between three potential models.
The first choice was an expensive system from Philips which could also double as a DVD player (with HDMI output too!). Actually, this wasn't much of a choice as the system was too expensive for our budget. However, the system itself looked really snazzy and, from prior experience Philips products, we knew that the sound would be pretty good as well.
The second option was a micro component system from Sony. It was within our budget and the system itself looked quite stylish (despite my complaints against Sony, I have to admit that they know how to design good looking products). The only problem was, as I said before, I'm boycotting Sony.
The third option was a slightly more expensive system from JVC. Although slightly more expensive, it had the same functions as the Sony system.
Naturally the missus, being the fashion victim that she is, wanted to go for the Sony system which would have been a good compromise between price and form. On the other hand, my boycott of Sony meant that I wanted to go with the JVC. After discussing the choice over lunch, the decision ultimately came down to an ultimatum.
I told her, "we can buy the Sony system if you want - but I'm not going to pay for it. You can pay for it yourself."
And with that, I am now the proud new owner of the JVC UX-LP5.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Liverpool - club in crisis
And with this draw, Liverpool are effectively out of the Champions Cup.
Carragher is trying to be defiant but at least Benitez is a bit more realistic. The reality is that Liverpool need a major miracle if they want to progress in the Champions Cup. And honestly, with the luck that Liverpool have had so far and with their poor performances to date, I just don't see it happening.
Which puts Benitez in a whole world of trouble. Liverpool's only real hope of staying in the Champions League next year is if they come 4th or better in the league. With the club being ditched out at the group stage, you know that the owners are going to be looking at the clubs balance sheet and counting the potential cost of not qualifying for the Champions League next year.
Factor in the issues which Benitez has had with Gillett and Hicks in the past and you really start to wonder for much longer Benitez will still have a job.
Carragher is trying to be defiant but at least Benitez is a bit more realistic. The reality is that Liverpool need a major miracle if they want to progress in the Champions Cup. And honestly, with the luck that Liverpool have had so far and with their poor performances to date, I just don't see it happening.
Which puts Benitez in a whole world of trouble. Liverpool's only real hope of staying in the Champions League next year is if they come 4th or better in the league. With the club being ditched out at the group stage, you know that the owners are going to be looking at the clubs balance sheet and counting the potential cost of not qualifying for the Champions League next year.
Factor in the issues which Benitez has had with Gillett and Hicks in the past and you really start to wonder for much longer Benitez will still have a job.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Favre gets booed by Packers fans
Wow - how fickle the loyalty of fans.
For those of you who don't follow American Football, Brett Favre was the quarterback of the Green Bay Packers for 16 years and was probably considered the best thing since sliced bread to many Packers fans. His professionalism and ability (particularly his ability to shine in big games) resulted in over a decade of success for the Packers and he was loved by the fans as a result of it.
However, for the last several seasons, Favre has been vacillating between retirement and playing one more season. Basically, he said he would retire at the end of the season and then, just before the new season starts, he would announce that he would play one more year. As you can imagine, this makes it extremely hard for management to do any long term planning and a couple of years ago, the Packers sold him off to the NY Jets. After a season with the Jets, Favre, after another 11th hour decision to play another year, signed with the Minnesota Vikings.
Which wouldn't have been so bad except that the Vikings are division rivals with the Packers. The upshot being that the Packers fans actually booed Favre as a traitor for signing with a rival team. This despite the 16 years of glory that Favre brought to Green Bay.
Which finally brings me to my point - I have never understood sporting rivalries to the extent that it becomes so personal.
This effect isn't just limited to American Football. Just as another example, there is a heated rivalry between Liverpool and Man Utd. Just by being a Liverpool supporter, everyone assumes that I hate Man Utd. And actually, I don't. I actually wish Man Utd and Fergie the best of luck in the premiership.
Actually, that's not strictly true. If I had a choice, Man Utd would only finish second in the premiership (Liverpool would be first naturally!) but this is a far cry from other Liverpool supporters who seem to wish that Manchester would be swallowed up by a gigantic fireball of fiery death (with raining fire to boot, natch!).
Why do people get so worked up over stuff like this? Is their life so devoid of meaning that this is all they have to look forward to?
PS flamebait ftw!
For those of you who don't follow American Football, Brett Favre was the quarterback of the Green Bay Packers for 16 years and was probably considered the best thing since sliced bread to many Packers fans. His professionalism and ability (particularly his ability to shine in big games) resulted in over a decade of success for the Packers and he was loved by the fans as a result of it.
However, for the last several seasons, Favre has been vacillating between retirement and playing one more season. Basically, he said he would retire at the end of the season and then, just before the new season starts, he would announce that he would play one more year. As you can imagine, this makes it extremely hard for management to do any long term planning and a couple of years ago, the Packers sold him off to the NY Jets. After a season with the Jets, Favre, after another 11th hour decision to play another year, signed with the Minnesota Vikings.
Which wouldn't have been so bad except that the Vikings are division rivals with the Packers. The upshot being that the Packers fans actually booed Favre as a traitor for signing with a rival team. This despite the 16 years of glory that Favre brought to Green Bay.
Which finally brings me to my point - I have never understood sporting rivalries to the extent that it becomes so personal.
This effect isn't just limited to American Football. Just as another example, there is a heated rivalry between Liverpool and Man Utd. Just by being a Liverpool supporter, everyone assumes that I hate Man Utd. And actually, I don't. I actually wish Man Utd and Fergie the best of luck in the premiership.
Actually, that's not strictly true. If I had a choice, Man Utd would only finish second in the premiership (Liverpool would be first naturally!) but this is a far cry from other Liverpool supporters who seem to wish that Manchester would be swallowed up by a gigantic fireball of fiery death (with raining fire to boot, natch!).
Why do people get so worked up over stuff like this? Is their life so devoid of meaning that this is all they have to look forward to?
PS flamebait ftw!
Bohemian Rhapsody by the Muppets
I know this will be the second Youtube video post in a week but, as a fan of both the Muppets and Bohemian Rhapsody, I just can't help myself.
I would say more, but really, the video speaks for itself. Anything I can say would just detract from the awesomeness that is the Muppets.
I would say more, but really, the video speaks for itself. Anything I can say would just detract from the awesomeness that is the Muppets.
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