Wednesday, August 24, 2005
Revolution revealed! - for real?
From what seems to be a legitimate article posted on Nintendo's Press Only news site, the video gaming pioneers have apparently leaked some infomation regarding their strategy for Revolution! - Think 3D Visors! However this news tidbit does NOT contain any information about the Groundbreaking controller Nintendo have developed for the machine - for that we have to wait until September!
Friday, August 19, 2005
Got my Simpsons Season 6 boxset today.
While undisputedly this is one of the best seasons of the show, the DVD box it comes in is actually worse than my expectations thought it would be, especially considering the hundreds of fans having a moan over the Internet about Fox Home Entertainment's decision to radically change the continuity of the packaging just 6 seasons in.
The thing is made of the cheapest, nastiest plastic ever, looks like it will last two minutes (if lucky) should Jaden get his mitts on it.
The thing doesn’t even fit on my DVD shelf properly, let along my 'Now Playing' marquee, and to make it worse, it doesn’t even blend in at all with the previous five boxsets.
Their poor excuse to compensate for the missing spine is just, pathetic.
However I did receive this leaflet inside the packaging:
which basically categorises me and my dissatisfaction as 'Anal Retentive'.
Oh well - shame I can’t obtain this alternative packaging as I’m based in the UK and imported a Region One DVD (they don't ship abroad).
If the new box style continues to irk me, I’ll simply get the alternative one shipped to my Aunt in Los Angeles, then passed on to me.
However checkout Simpsonsbox.com nonetheless - it’s pretty funny. Makes you wonder though how Fox could have been so short-sighted in the first place.
PSP UK release is nigh!
To those in the UK looking forward to the official European release of the PSP (Playstation Portable) on September 1st, I have one message for you...
WELCOME TO TEN MONTHS AGO!!
You are about to get what a select group of people, including myself, have already enjoyed for months, with the privilege of paying almost double the price for it!
That's right!
And don't fall for Sony's crap about supply problems/shortages and rush out like the lemmings you are to the nearest rip-off GAME or HMV store. Do what the smart people have done.... IMPORT!!
Here's a couple of links for ya:
Monday, August 15, 2005
Makosi deserved to LOSE
I'm not normally one who follows Big Brother, but I gots-to-talk about Big Brother….
I keep hearing people talking about runner-up Makosi being an OUTSTANDING HOUSEMATE, that she PLAYED the game WELL..... You know if what she did is being OUTSTANDING or PLAYING IT WELL, what does that really say about those who advocate for this woman?
I mean come on now...even the celebrities on that other trash TV reality programme (the Love Island one), had the decency to take their business behind closed doors and THEY were KNOWN for their lewd behaviour.. I'm struggling to comprehend when having sex live on national TV, in a swimming pool in full view of other people came under the banner of OUTSTANDING behaviour or is something that should be worthy of PRAISE?
When did it become OUTSTANDING to prostitute yourself in that manner for notoriety?
But forget that Makosi hysterically lied and manipulated her way through the show so what!!, Forget that she was obviously confused...again so what!!!..My beef with Makosi was that she had no self respect and was a damn right disgrace to the Black Community.
I don't care what any of the Makosi supporters want to say, they know that if that was their friend and they had witnessed that behaviour they would have very strong words for that friend..
So people can moan about her treatment on Friday night, they can shout till their voices run dry that she was a 'good' housemate until the cows come house..but the FACT is to the objective observer Makosi was a DOORMAT who lacked any self respect, she let herself down and her culture(which is where most of this anger comes from).
When she left the house, the crowd heckled her with Boos and racist Monkey noises.Even Davina didn't bother with her and conducted a blatantly 'cold' interview. But do I feel sorry for her?.....NOT AT ALL. The reception this 'princess' received should be a stark reminder that any efforts to assimilate oneself in the name of the fame-game or Multi-Cultural Britain are and will always be futile. This is why she will never ever get any sympathy from me!!! She is a disgrace and a SELLOUT!!!
She got everything she deserved, she is a compulsive liar, a self obsessed freak of nature and a fake. She had the opportunity to represent black woman in a positive light but instead made an outcast of herself, exposing her breasts in an attempt to seduce a White Racist (Maxwell) and publicly jerking off and fornicating with another White man who openly admitted to fancy trying a Black woman only because he had never done so before (That asshole Anthony).
The funny thing is that EVERY Black person I speak to feels the same as myself. That in the beginning we all wanted this (then)apparently strong, sexy and seemingly intelligent Black woman to win this competition. It was only after she threw herself at that Anthony bloke that she lost the respect and support of the Black community, and more significantly, that of her own people.
No doubt that this Thursday she'll grace the covers of Zoo or Nuts or whatever!!
I keep hearing people talking about runner-up Makosi being an OUTSTANDING HOUSEMATE, that she PLAYED the game WELL..... You know if what she did is being OUTSTANDING or PLAYING IT WELL, what does that really say about those who advocate for this woman?
I mean come on now...even the celebrities on that other trash TV reality programme (the Love Island one), had the decency to take their business behind closed doors and THEY were KNOWN for their lewd behaviour.. I'm struggling to comprehend when having sex live on national TV, in a swimming pool in full view of other people came under the banner of OUTSTANDING behaviour or is something that should be worthy of PRAISE?
When did it become OUTSTANDING to prostitute yourself in that manner for notoriety?
But forget that Makosi hysterically lied and manipulated her way through the show so what!!, Forget that she was obviously confused...again so what!!!..My beef with Makosi was that she had no self respect and was a damn right disgrace to the Black Community.
I don't care what any of the Makosi supporters want to say, they know that if that was their friend and they had witnessed that behaviour they would have very strong words for that friend..
So people can moan about her treatment on Friday night, they can shout till their voices run dry that she was a 'good' housemate until the cows come house..but the FACT is to the objective observer Makosi was a DOORMAT who lacked any self respect, she let herself down and her culture(which is where most of this anger comes from).
When she left the house, the crowd heckled her with Boos and racist Monkey noises.Even Davina didn't bother with her and conducted a blatantly 'cold' interview. But do I feel sorry for her?.....NOT AT ALL. The reception this 'princess' received should be a stark reminder that any efforts to assimilate oneself in the name of the fame-game or Multi-Cultural Britain are and will always be futile. This is why she will never ever get any sympathy from me!!! She is a disgrace and a SELLOUT!!!
She got everything she deserved, she is a compulsive liar, a self obsessed freak of nature and a fake. She had the opportunity to represent black woman in a positive light but instead made an outcast of herself, exposing her breasts in an attempt to seduce a White Racist (Maxwell) and publicly jerking off and fornicating with another White man who openly admitted to fancy trying a Black woman only because he had never done so before (That asshole Anthony).
The funny thing is that EVERY Black person I speak to feels the same as myself. That in the beginning we all wanted this (then)apparently strong, sexy and seemingly intelligent Black woman to win this competition. It was only after she threw herself at that Anthony bloke that she lost the respect and support of the Black community, and more significantly, that of her own people.
No doubt that this Thursday she'll grace the covers of Zoo or Nuts or whatever!!
Sunday, August 14, 2005
I was supposed to compete some finishing touches on the woodwork side of the Arcade today. A few areas need sanding and trimming before painting can begin.
However my Dad convinced me to wait until next week where we'll have the Bank Holiday weekend to finish things off completely , including the painting!
Almost there!...
So today, I guess I'll continue to tinker with that Jukebox software.
However my Dad convinced me to wait until next week where we'll have the Bank Holiday weekend to finish things off completely , including the painting!
Almost there!...
So today, I guess I'll continue to tinker with that Jukebox software.
Saturday, August 13, 2005
While testing the sound on my half-constructed arcade cabinet and marvelling at the impressive bass during a game of Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3, an idea occurred to me. Wouldn't it be neat if the cabinet could somehow act as a Jukebox as well as a games machine.
I researched immediately and found some fantastic Jukebox software that was highly customisable with the kind of flexibility that would be ideal in setting up for use on the X-Arcade control panel.
The excellent SK Jukebox is available for download free at http://www.salmonking.emuchrist.org/
The flexibility in its design allows for the following features:
Key remapping
Full screen or Windowed
Customize Fonts & Colors
Hide or Show mouse cursor
Animate Album Browsing
Display Album Art
Built-in Screen Saver
Random Mode
Require Credits or Free Mode
Minimize To System Tray
Genre Listing
Now this thing is simply awesome when up and running. You can imagine throwing parties and having your mates pick, select and queue songs by navigating through the pages of album art. When one flips through the pages of albums, the software replicates the sound and animation of a real digital jukebox providing a real feel of authenticity.
walmart.com is your friend, when it comes to acquiring album art and http://louhi.kempele.fi/~skyostil/projects/albumart/ is your best friend for making the burden of downloading even easier!
I have already put a few albums on for experimentation purposes, and I will be adding a more comprehensive selection in the coming week.
I can rip MP3s from my CDs and add to the jukebox HDD space on the Arcade PC wirelessly across the network from my Master PC. This will be great when adding to the vast collection of songs in the future, as the software refreshes its list of music and album art everytime it starts up. I can also share the folder of MP3s with my Liteon wireless netplayer that is currently hooked up to my TV.
Launching the software is easy, as I simply created another platform on my MAMEWAH frontend that points to the SK Jukebox executable, with the Arcade Player 1 or 2 button acting as the launch button as it already does with the games.
I researched immediately and found some fantastic Jukebox software that was highly customisable with the kind of flexibility that would be ideal in setting up for use on the X-Arcade control panel.
The excellent SK Jukebox is available for download free at http://www.salmonking.emuchrist.org/
The flexibility in its design allows for the following features:
Key remapping
Full screen or Windowed
Customize Fonts & Colors
Hide or Show mouse cursor
Animate Album Browsing
Display Album Art
Built-in Screen Saver
Random Mode
Require Credits or Free Mode
Minimize To System Tray
Genre Listing
Now this thing is simply awesome when up and running. You can imagine throwing parties and having your mates pick, select and queue songs by navigating through the pages of album art. When one flips through the pages of albums, the software replicates the sound and animation of a real digital jukebox providing a real feel of authenticity.
walmart.com is your friend, when it comes to acquiring album art and http://louhi.kempele.fi/~skyostil/projects/albumart/ is your best friend for making the burden of downloading even easier!
I have already put a few albums on for experimentation purposes, and I will be adding a more comprehensive selection in the coming week.
I can rip MP3s from my CDs and add to the jukebox HDD space on the Arcade PC wirelessly across the network from my Master PC. This will be great when adding to the vast collection of songs in the future, as the software refreshes its list of music and album art everytime it starts up. I can also share the folder of MP3s with my Liteon wireless netplayer that is currently hooked up to my TV.
Launching the software is easy, as I simply created another platform on my MAMEWAH frontend that points to the SK Jukebox executable, with the Arcade Player 1 or 2 button acting as the launch button as it already does with the games.
Friday, August 12, 2005
While rummaging deep within my Norton AntiSpam folder purely by chance, I came across an automatically discarded email from my ISP virgin.net.
It seems that virgin.net wish to offer me an upgrade to 2mb Broadband from my current 1mb connection. At present I pay £24.99 a month for uncapped access, and this free upgrade would not change the price or any of the terms and conditions of my current deal.
I followed the link to their website and put the acceptance/request in. I now have to wait a few days for a follow-up email alerting me that the upgrade has been completed which is when I’ll reset my router and enjoy!
It seems that virgin.net wish to offer me an upgrade to 2mb Broadband from my current 1mb connection. At present I pay £24.99 a month for uncapped access, and this free upgrade would not change the price or any of the terms and conditions of my current deal.
I followed the link to their website and put the acceptance/request in. I now have to wait a few days for a follow-up email alerting me that the upgrade has been completed which is when I’ll reset my router and enjoy!
Sunday, August 07, 2005
The main bulk of the Arcade Cabinet is screwed together and is fully playable while standing upright.
We can breathe a sigh of relief as most of the hard part is over. All that is left to do before painting (and will probably be tended to this weekend) is some minor sanding, the screwing on of the marquee support and speaker panel ledger boards as well as cutting the sides ever so slightly so that the X-Arcade control panel fits in snug, tightly and securely.
I also set up my master PC to control the Arcade PC remotely using Microsoft's Remote Desktop - a simplistic Godsend actually pre-built into Windows XP! Theoretically I don’t even need a separate keyboard, mouse and CD/DVD Rom drive for the Arcade PC as absolutely everything can now be controlled remotely!
Isn’t technology grand??!!
As you can see by the pictures below, young Jaden is a bit peeved that he wont be able to reach the Arcade. However rest assure that he will go to whatever lengths possible (and that includes climbing on the chairs and dining table) to try and reach his games!
We can breathe a sigh of relief as most of the hard part is over. All that is left to do before painting (and will probably be tended to this weekend) is some minor sanding, the screwing on of the marquee support and speaker panel ledger boards as well as cutting the sides ever so slightly so that the X-Arcade control panel fits in snug, tightly and securely.
I also set up my master PC to control the Arcade PC remotely using Microsoft's Remote Desktop - a simplistic Godsend actually pre-built into Windows XP! Theoretically I don’t even need a separate keyboard, mouse and CD/DVD Rom drive for the Arcade PC as absolutely everything can now be controlled remotely!
Isn’t technology grand??!!
As you can see by the pictures below, young Jaden is a bit peeved that he wont be able to reach the Arcade. However rest assure that he will go to whatever lengths possible (and that includes climbing on the chairs and dining table) to try and reach his games!
Saturday, August 06, 2005
Work on the Arcade resumed today with yet again my Dad offering a hand.
Today we constructed the base that will sit the PC and Subwoofer as well as the Monitor Shelf, that will support the, erm.. monitor!
Again, I Followed the ArcadaPC plans, however I discovered that they did not mention that MDF had insufficient strength to support the Base and Monitor, so a quick trip to B&Q and purchase of a couple of nice thick timber strips remedied that problem, as detailed in the pictures below.
Today we constructed the base that will sit the PC and Subwoofer as well as the Monitor Shelf, that will support the, erm.. monitor!
Again, I Followed the ArcadaPC plans, however I discovered that they did not mention that MDF had insufficient strength to support the Base and Monitor, so a quick trip to B&Q and purchase of a couple of nice thick timber strips remedied that problem, as detailed in the pictures below.
Tuesday, August 02, 2005
Well here it is in all its splendor.. the COIN DOOR!
A decent freebie as its in perfect condition, AND it came with a key for the lock which means I dont have to waste time or money replacing it!
It didnt come with a working coin mechanism, however that isnt the point. The door will open to allow access to the PC that drives the Arcade Cabinet, allowing me to switch it on or off.
A decent freebie as its in perfect condition, AND it came with a key for the lock which means I dont have to waste time or money replacing it!
It didnt come with a working coin mechanism, however that isnt the point. The door will open to allow access to the PC that drives the Arcade Cabinet, allowing me to switch it on or off.
Managed to source an old Arcade Cabinet coin door from a local Amusement Machines supplier in Ilford. To them, the dysfunctional door is a hunk of junk, meaning I could have it for free. However for me, it could be a cosmetic gem - exactly what I need to complement my project and further the impression of authenticity.
My Brother has gone to pick the door up - I'll update later on with pictures.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)