Talk about an over-reaction, over a freaking WRIST STRAP! (of which both of mine remain completely intact by the way).
Cant believe this got the front page/main headline!
Isnt there a war on or something?..!
Friday, December 15, 2006
Anyone think SONY might of had a hand in this?
Talk about an over-reaction, over a freaking WRIST STRAP! (of which both of mine remain completely intact by the way).
Cant believe this got the front page/main headline!
Isnt there a war on or something?..!
Friday, December 08, 2006
Wii are ready to play! / Wii-Get!
I attended the offical Nintendo European Launch party for the Wii midnight last night at HMV Oxford Street London.
All in all, coupled with some online orders, I managed to nab myself..
1x Wii Console
1 x Wii Play game with Extra Wii Remote
1 x extra Wii Nunchuck
1 x Wii Classic Controller
1 x Wii Component Cables for EDTV/HDTV
1 x Zelda Twilight Princess (not arrived yet - be here tomorrow!)
All in all, coupled with some online orders, I managed to nab myself..
1x Wii Console
1 x Wii Play game with Extra Wii Remote
1 x extra Wii Nunchuck
1 x Wii Classic Controller
1 x Wii Component Cables for EDTV/HDTV
1 x Zelda Twilight Princess (not arrived yet - be here tomorrow!)
Thursday, November 16, 2006
World Music Awards - My VERDICT
I just got back from Earls Court.
What a @#$#% disappointment.
Michael bottled it - simple as that.
There was a long, long noticeable delay before a performance of 'Thriller' commenced, some fans had their WAP on their mobile phones and heard that MJ didn’t want to perform (as planned) and that the organisers of the show were franticly trying to persuade him otherwise - well, that would explain the delay.
Eventually Thriller started with young R&B Artist Chris Brown in Mikes role in Mikes famous red jacket complete with the dancing undead. The whole choreography looked as if it was building towards something, the Zombies dragged Chris off towards the back of the stage area, smoked filled the back - we all expected MJ to come out, but nah, nothing. Performance over.
Then the stage was cleared, MJ fans booed and called for Michael, An announcer introduced Rihanna and she entered the stage and began to sing, the boos continued - poor girl. Even the VIP area wanted Mike, they called for him with the fans. However, its important that I clarify that the fans were not booing AT Michael, they were booing FOR Michael – if you know what I mean.
All we did see is Michael collect his 'Diamond' award, for over 100 million records sold. Beyonce presented him with the trophy and Michael thanked God and the Fans for his achievements.
At the very end of the show a choir of KIDS/ pre-teens entered the stage (talk about giving the tabloids ammunition - DUMB PR move) and sang the chorus of 'We Are The World' about 4 times. An announcer said "singing for the first time in years, its MICHAEL JACKSON" the whole crowd went nuts, Michael strolled onto stage very reluctantly, sang "we are the world, we are the children" that was it. he lowered the mic from his mouth and the kids carried the rest. It was as if he could not be bothered or simply bottled it.
Now MJ MUST have known the world’s media was deeming this a comeback, heck it was his ideal opportunity to return to the public eye in a favourable light. He threw that golden opportunity away Everyone wanted to see Michael remind the world just why he is the King of Pop, yet this half assed effort not only disappointed fans, it has given the Red-top press an opportunity to have a field day to brand him as a ‘washed up has been’.
During the 'We are the World' number, Michael threw his designer jacket into the audience pit below. As you can imagine there was a riot. Even after the show had ended, you could see a bundle of fans - grown-ass-men I might add, tugging and pulling at the black fabric. Men were jumping in, throwing punches, pushing and shoving. The crowd separated into two, all of a sudden there were TWO fights going on - that’s right, the jacket had ripped in half.
A poor guy was unconscious on the floor, another suffering convulsions. I publicly expressed my disgust at one particular 'fan', who after a bit of research I am going to name and shame as DANNY OLIVER, who literally jumped on a mans head just to try and get closer to the jacket. Now what annoyed me particularly about this, was that when Michael was on stage, this 'fan' was standing in my vicinity the whole time - and Michael threw that jacket no where near us at all. Just what gave this person the right to act like an animal and savagely attack someone whose only crime was to simply be at the right place at the right time with a lucky catch?
The whole evening presenters such as Rachael Hunter and Peter Andre teased the crowd about wanting to see Mike - the whole show felt like it was building towards something spectacular, only nothing happened.
Do I believe Mike has lost it? No I don’t. When you have a God given talent (which MJ has proven) you have a God given talent, it never goes away.
Do I believe Mike no longer cares - maybe so…
What a @#$#% disappointment.
Michael bottled it - simple as that.
There was a long, long noticeable delay before a performance of 'Thriller' commenced, some fans had their WAP on their mobile phones and heard that MJ didn’t want to perform (as planned) and that the organisers of the show were franticly trying to persuade him otherwise - well, that would explain the delay.
Eventually Thriller started with young R&B Artist Chris Brown in Mikes role in Mikes famous red jacket complete with the dancing undead. The whole choreography looked as if it was building towards something, the Zombies dragged Chris off towards the back of the stage area, smoked filled the back - we all expected MJ to come out, but nah, nothing. Performance over.
Then the stage was cleared, MJ fans booed and called for Michael, An announcer introduced Rihanna and she entered the stage and began to sing, the boos continued - poor girl. Even the VIP area wanted Mike, they called for him with the fans. However, its important that I clarify that the fans were not booing AT Michael, they were booing FOR Michael – if you know what I mean.
All we did see is Michael collect his 'Diamond' award, for over 100 million records sold. Beyonce presented him with the trophy and Michael thanked God and the Fans for his achievements.
At the very end of the show a choir of KIDS/ pre-teens entered the stage (talk about giving the tabloids ammunition - DUMB PR move) and sang the chorus of 'We Are The World' about 4 times. An announcer said "singing for the first time in years, its MICHAEL JACKSON" the whole crowd went nuts, Michael strolled onto stage very reluctantly, sang "we are the world, we are the children" that was it. he lowered the mic from his mouth and the kids carried the rest. It was as if he could not be bothered or simply bottled it.
Now MJ MUST have known the world’s media was deeming this a comeback, heck it was his ideal opportunity to return to the public eye in a favourable light. He threw that golden opportunity away Everyone wanted to see Michael remind the world just why he is the King of Pop, yet this half assed effort not only disappointed fans, it has given the Red-top press an opportunity to have a field day to brand him as a ‘washed up has been’.
During the 'We are the World' number, Michael threw his designer jacket into the audience pit below. As you can imagine there was a riot. Even after the show had ended, you could see a bundle of fans - grown-ass-men I might add, tugging and pulling at the black fabric. Men were jumping in, throwing punches, pushing and shoving. The crowd separated into two, all of a sudden there were TWO fights going on - that’s right, the jacket had ripped in half.
A poor guy was unconscious on the floor, another suffering convulsions. I publicly expressed my disgust at one particular 'fan', who after a bit of research I am going to name and shame as DANNY OLIVER, who literally jumped on a mans head just to try and get closer to the jacket. Now what annoyed me particularly about this, was that when Michael was on stage, this 'fan' was standing in my vicinity the whole time - and Michael threw that jacket no where near us at all. Just what gave this person the right to act like an animal and savagely attack someone whose only crime was to simply be at the right place at the right time with a lucky catch?
The whole evening presenters such as Rachael Hunter and Peter Andre teased the crowd about wanting to see Mike - the whole show felt like it was building towards something spectacular, only nothing happened.
Do I believe Mike has lost it? No I don’t. When you have a God given talent (which MJ has proven) you have a God given talent, it never goes away.
Do I believe Mike no longer cares - maybe so…
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Michael Jackson!!
Yeah yeah, not the best picture in the world. But you try stabilising a Camera Phone when you are being crushed by hundreds of screaming fans!
World Music Awards 2006 - Earls Court
This evening, Earls Court hosts the 2006 World Music Awards - a prestrgious annual ceremony that celebrates the record sales of music industry recording artists the world over.
This event will feature a incredible line-up of recording artists, plus celebrities from the world of film, fashion, TV and sports. The likes of Beyonce, Mary J Blige, Nelly Futardo, Enya and Faithless will be performing tonight, as will a little superstar by the name of MICHAEL JACKSON.
Yes! Tonight Michael Jackson will pick up the much-coveted Diamond Award, which was created to honour artists who have sold over 100 million albums, it has since also been confirmed that Michael will PERFORM! This will be MJ's first public appearance since all of the bullshit he went through a year ago, so naturally I gotta go down there and support the King of Pop. You betcha! I managed to snag a ticket (which I currently have safely in my wallet) and will be heading down to Earls Court for the 7pm start. Im currently at work at the moment, but Earls Court is only 10 mins away. I passed by the venue this lunchtime out of curiousity, and as you can see from the picture above, around 200 enthusiastic fans have already begun queuing for their places. I'll probably leave work for the venue around 3.30pm today.
Keep checking the Blog for more!
Friday, September 15, 2006
Saturday, September 02, 2006
Intergrated Mobile Blogging from my K800i!
Cool! The built-in Mobile Blogging function of my new K800i works!, as...er, confirmed by this rather random and mundane pic :-D
Friday, September 01, 2006
A new baby...... TECHnically speaking :-D
Look what landed on my doorstep today....
3 Megapixels with a built in flash!
Isnt she beautiful?!! - Isnt 3g a blast??!! (yeah yeah, I was a little late to THAT party - thanks to T-Mobile)
Specs here
Glad I left those buggers at T-Mobile for the fantastic Online 500 tariff on O2.
My old number should be ported to my new phone SIM in about 5 days.
In my opinion, the K800i is THE BEST phone on the market today - however its only flaw is that Sony used it to introduce yet ANOTHER memory stick format.This time is the M2 - Memory Stick Micro.
I picked up a 1GB stick (or rather, chip)for 40 notes, which was quite a feat as Sony havent produced anywhere near enough to satisify demand, which makes them a bit like golddust at the moment. It really is a tiny thing, no larger than my fingernail.
Isnt technology amazing??!
3 Megapixels with a built in flash!
Isnt she beautiful?!! - Isnt 3g a blast??!! (yeah yeah, I was a little late to THAT party - thanks to T-Mobile)
Specs here
Glad I left those buggers at T-Mobile for the fantastic Online 500 tariff on O2.
My old number should be ported to my new phone SIM in about 5 days.
In my opinion, the K800i is THE BEST phone on the market today - however its only flaw is that Sony used it to introduce yet ANOTHER memory stick format.This time is the M2 - Memory Stick Micro.
I picked up a 1GB stick (or rather, chip)for 40 notes, which was quite a feat as Sony havent produced anywhere near enough to satisify demand, which makes them a bit like golddust at the moment. It really is a tiny thing, no larger than my fingernail.
Isnt technology amazing??!
Saturday, July 08, 2006
Friday, July 07, 2006
Ive completed Super Princess Peach!!
Ive completed Super Princess Peach!!
Originally uploaded by darthbane2k.
You have a new picture message!
Tuesday, July 04, 2006
Racist or Harmless?
Just some advertising from Sony for their white coloured PSP handheld in Amsterdam.
Offensive?- You decide..
Saturday, July 01, 2006
Wednesday, June 28, 2006
Sunday, June 25, 2006
After a thrilling day of football, I finally got around to completing New Super Mario Bros for my Nintendo DS. The photos below serve as proof, the three stars mark the fact that not only was Bowser defeated, but all secret levels/exits accessed and all Star Coins collected and spent.
Some of the rewards the game provided (For completion) was the ability to change backdrop wallpaper, and the ability to play as Luigi!
The game was an absolute pleasure to play from beginning to end, one of the most perfect platformers in the past 10-15 years.
Now onto my Father's Day pressie... Super Princess Peach!
Some of the rewards the game provided (For completion) was the ability to change backdrop wallpaper, and the ability to play as Luigi!
The game was an absolute pleasure to play from beginning to end, one of the most perfect platformers in the past 10-15 years.
Now onto my Father's Day pressie... Super Princess Peach!
Thursday, June 22, 2006
Both Mum and Baby are home from hospital, healthy and safe & sound.
Jaden is dealing with the presence of his new sibling well, no signs of jealousy yet. He seems to be very excited about Baby and very protective too, as a big brother should be.
We are all re-adjusting nicely to having a newborn within the house - sleepless nights aside, all is going well.
Jaden is dealing with the presence of his new sibling well, no signs of jealousy yet. He seems to be very excited about Baby and very protective too, as a big brother should be.
We are all re-adjusting nicely to having a newborn within the house - sleepless nights aside, all is going well.
Wednesday, June 21, 2006
Its a Boy!
At 3.57am on Wednesday 21st June 2006, Musole gave birth to our second child Jerome Jonathan Wildman, a healthy baby boy weighing at 8 pounds, 3.
Sunday, June 18, 2006
Another Brain Age RECORD!...its my age!
Another Brain Age RECORD!...its my age!
Originally uploaded by darthbane2k.
You have a new picture message!
Friday, June 16, 2006
England 2, Trinidad & Tobago 0
I warned everyone that writing off Trinidad and Tobago would be at their peril, yet yesterday served to remind me what exactly I hate most about the England team….its supporters.
From Joey-Twopence being interviewed on the street by London Tonight, to the smug and arrogant Terry Venables (in ITV Pundit mode) to the complete ignoramus Wanker Gareth Southgate, who could not be any more incompetent as an ITV Commentator.
These are the same England supporters who fail to recognise that Paraguay and Trinidad & Tobago even exist in England's group, the same supporters who think there are only two teams In this tournament, England and Brazil. The same supporters who think that just because England fancy their chances this World Cup, that they will win it by default The same supporters who have an unhealthy obsession with World War Two and 1966 (That’s 40 years ago folks) who rushed out in their droves to purchase the most jingoistic and xenophobic diatribe (song) that not only stereotypes, mocks and ridicules all Germans (have England even played Germany yet?!) but goes that one step further and likens Jurgen Klinsmann to Adolf Hitler - simply because (you've guessed it!) he's GERMAN and because the World Cup is hosted in GERMANY.
ITVs coverage of the football yesterday was a complete joke. It was as if they had no interest in covering any of the games except for the England one. Now I know that the England team Is of obvious national interest, but when you have a Ecuador v Costa Rica match at 2pm (pre England) and a Sweden v Paraguay game at 8pm (post England) you at least expect commentary that is relevant to the respective match and half/full time analysis that at least covers said match. Not even a goal was replayed or discussed, instead we got a Sven Goran Erickson interview for the umpteenth time. Hey ITV! If you DON’T want to show any non-England matches, then hand the rights over to the BBC! They always do a much more professional and thorough job than that joke of a broadcaster with their pathetic PC female host.
Anyway rant over, as sickened as I was with the result yesterday, I am pleased with the way Trinidad and Tobago played. They had more fighting spirit than England and held themselves with great dignity. What pissed me off was how (and still) the media write off this team, constantly mocking them and ridiculing them as the worst side of the tournament. From what I saw yesterday and with the Sweden game a week before, Trinidad and Tobago are far from one of the worst teams of the competition. No excuses about the weather, Rooney's fitness, playing ten men behind a ball etc, Trinidad and Tobago made England work their asses off - and they still weren't good enough to ensure a Jamaica style thrashing like they so arrogantly assumed was theirs by rights, even before stepping foot onto the pitch.
Generally, the English supporters are far too ignorant to realise just how much of an achievement it is for Trinidad and Tobago - a small nation comprised of two small Islands, (less than 1 million population) to qualify for this tournament and play among the best to the standard of the best. They deserve far more credit and recognition for what they have done than what they are receiving.
After frustrating and holding England, T&T only slipped up with less than ten minutes to go after a blatant Peter Crouch foul on a defender (Is the pulling of the hair not considered a foul these days?) allowed him to score a goal. If that goal had rightfully been disqualified, then im damn well sure that Gerard's opportunity would never have arisen.
To be honest, I never expected Trinidad and Tobago to beat England, I expected a gallant tie at best. One can debate all day whether T&T actually deserved a draw, however I would have thought at the very least, and especially now, that they at least deserved some RESPECT.
From Joey-Twopence being interviewed on the street by London Tonight, to the smug and arrogant Terry Venables (in ITV Pundit mode) to the complete ignoramus Wanker Gareth Southgate, who could not be any more incompetent as an ITV Commentator.
These are the same England supporters who fail to recognise that Paraguay and Trinidad & Tobago even exist in England's group, the same supporters who think there are only two teams In this tournament, England and Brazil. The same supporters who think that just because England fancy their chances this World Cup, that they will win it by default The same supporters who have an unhealthy obsession with World War Two and 1966 (That’s 40 years ago folks) who rushed out in their droves to purchase the most jingoistic and xenophobic diatribe (song) that not only stereotypes, mocks and ridicules all Germans (have England even played Germany yet?!) but goes that one step further and likens Jurgen Klinsmann to Adolf Hitler - simply because (you've guessed it!) he's GERMAN and because the World Cup is hosted in GERMANY.
ITVs coverage of the football yesterday was a complete joke. It was as if they had no interest in covering any of the games except for the England one. Now I know that the England team Is of obvious national interest, but when you have a Ecuador v Costa Rica match at 2pm (pre England) and a Sweden v Paraguay game at 8pm (post England) you at least expect commentary that is relevant to the respective match and half/full time analysis that at least covers said match. Not even a goal was replayed or discussed, instead we got a Sven Goran Erickson interview for the umpteenth time. Hey ITV! If you DON’T want to show any non-England matches, then hand the rights over to the BBC! They always do a much more professional and thorough job than that joke of a broadcaster with their pathetic PC female host.
Anyway rant over, as sickened as I was with the result yesterday, I am pleased with the way Trinidad and Tobago played. They had more fighting spirit than England and held themselves with great dignity. What pissed me off was how (and still) the media write off this team, constantly mocking them and ridiculing them as the worst side of the tournament. From what I saw yesterday and with the Sweden game a week before, Trinidad and Tobago are far from one of the worst teams of the competition. No excuses about the weather, Rooney's fitness, playing ten men behind a ball etc, Trinidad and Tobago made England work their asses off - and they still weren't good enough to ensure a Jamaica style thrashing like they so arrogantly assumed was theirs by rights, even before stepping foot onto the pitch.
Generally, the English supporters are far too ignorant to realise just how much of an achievement it is for Trinidad and Tobago - a small nation comprised of two small Islands, (less than 1 million population) to qualify for this tournament and play among the best to the standard of the best. They deserve far more credit and recognition for what they have done than what they are receiving.
After frustrating and holding England, T&T only slipped up with less than ten minutes to go after a blatant Peter Crouch foul on a defender (Is the pulling of the hair not considered a foul these days?) allowed him to score a goal. If that goal had rightfully been disqualified, then im damn well sure that Gerard's opportunity would never have arisen.
To be honest, I never expected Trinidad and Tobago to beat England, I expected a gallant tie at best. One can debate all day whether T&T actually deserved a draw, however I would have thought at the very least, and especially now, that they at least deserved some RESPECT.
Thursday, June 15, 2006
Its been a long time!
Alright, I'll hold my hands up - this is the first entry on my blog for a very very long time. Truth be told, I've simply been far to busy to keep it up to date. However im going to try to get things going once more, and not let it fall so far behind again.
Hmmm… so what has happened since my last entry? - Well rather than attempt to recollect and explain everything in detail, here's a anecdotal summary of some of the latest developments, before we get 'back to business':
Arcade Light Gun:
That’s right folks, I finally succumbed against my better judgement and made yet ANOTHER modification to my MAME Arcade cabinet.
I purchased an LCD Topgun from EMS in Hong Kong for a bargain £30 delivered. Installed the two LED tracking stands to either side of my cabinet (these are black, so they aren't too much of an eye sore) and after a rigorous and sometimes frustrating attempt at collaboration, I can now play many lightgun game arcade classics!
Some of my favourite titles include, House of the Dead, House of the Dead 2, Virtua Cops 1 & 2, Point Blank, Chiller (a curious game where your aim is to torture and maim people!!) and the American Laser Game cheese-fests that are Mad Dog McCree 1& 2, Crime Patrol and Who Shot Johnny Rock!
The gun attachment has added over 100 additional arcade games.
PICTURES TO FOLLOW
2006 FA Cup Final:
I said it was Liverpool for the win all along, and it sure was. Thrilling match, even more gratifying for myself as I happen to hate west ham and its supporters - so after the 120 min roller-coaster ride and nail biting penalty shootout, there was a lot of gloating done by yours truly, who had to endure the match in the presence of an ever-so-grateful Gooner (see Tottenham).
Digital Camera:
I sold my unreliable aging Sony Digital Camera on eBay for a tidy profit and imported a beautiful Nikon P1 in its place. This baby takes cheaper SD cards (I have 2Gb at its disposal), can take pictures at 8, yes 8 mega pixels, and has built in WiFi functionality! Yes!, I can shoot pictures and have them directly transfer to my PC, I can send a batch of pictures wirelessly to my PC when I want to free up some memory, and I can even send pictures wirelessly to my photo printer!
Full review here.
E3 2006:
E3 baby!.. E3!!!! This years E3 in May was the big one that everyone was waiting for. Nintendo were to unleash full details of their revolution, now officially called Wii, and Sony their Playstation 3.
Sony kicked things off with their press conference, which managed to drag on for over 2 hours. They promised everything and delivered NOTHING - hype without substance and same old bland and boring games. Rather than go into detail here, you can simply read a transcript of the event or watch a hilarious video summary courtesy of You Tube. However some of the specific low points for me were as follows:
Now Nintendo's conference was much better, clear, concise and focused. It is unanimously agreed that they 'won' E3 and officially won the 'Hardware of the Show' award for the Wii.
You can read a transcript of Nintendo's conference, or watch the full video here, part 1 and part 2
Nintendo's show started out strong, with an almost immediate display of footage for multiple Nintendo titles, including Super Mario Galaxy, Pilotwings, Metroid Prime 3: Corruption and Red Steel. It was basically the strength of knowing these games exist, coupled with live demonstrations of Red Steel and Zelda using the Wii remote that carried the show.
There was no real surprise about the Wii, just confirmed rumours: The controller will have a built-in speaker (the example they used for it was you could hear the bow in Zelda pulling taut) and rumble, and the nunchuck attachment will have its own motion sensor. A lot more was eventually revealed about the games the next few days, as there was 27 Wii titles on the show floor for people to play. Iwata also mentioned a web browser loaded on the Wii's flash memory. There will be two versions of Zelda: Twilight Princess released at the same time: the Gamecube version and the Wii version. Both will go on sale the day the Wii launches.
The big news on the DS front was the unveiling of StarFox DS and Yoshi's Island 2, which drew applause from the crowd. Phantom Hourglass was said to "pick up where Wind Waker left off." Osu! Tatakae! Ouedan! was confirmed as coming to the US as Elite Beat Agents.
They also briefly mentioned "Wii Connect 24", some sort of feature where the system can stay connected to the Internet all the time, even when you're not using it. This would allow people to visit your home in Animal Crossing, even when you're asleep or automatically download new game demos to your DS. The Wii in this standby mode is said to use as much power as a small light bulb.
No pricing or launch details beyond "fourth quarter 2006," no major slams on Sony for trying to steal the control scheme. But just on the strength of their franchises alone, Nintendo generated more excitement in their first five minutes than Sony did their entire conference. The one thing that surprised me was that they didn't end with one final surprise announcement, as they usually do. They did eventually pull out Super Smash Brothers Brawl a few days later, featuring a guest appearance by none other than Solid Snake!
So what has happened since E3? How about the Wii-60 alliance, even endorsed by Microsoft's Peter Moore who strangely enough, has nothing but praise for Nintendo's new-gen console. The general consensus is that the price of a Xbox 360 + the price of a Nintendo Wii = the price of ONE PS3! So 360 and Wii are the way to go! If sales of the underestimated DS are to go by (which is trouncing the psp globally) I predict that Wii will take the global market and Microsoft take Europe. Sony's ridiculous pricing and focus on Blu-Ray has simply alienated one too many gamers, and yes - I have pre-ordered my Wii already!
Check out this video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6sASwCPQZY&search=E3%20WII%20QUEUE)from E3 - the public simply do not care about PS3 - they all rush past Sony's stand to play Wii! Welcome back, Nintendo!
PSP gone Bye-Bye! - DS Lite says hello!!:
After the disappointing E3 showing, I finally decided to sell the most expensive paper weight I have ever bought, my PSP. Why? - Because for a handheld games machine, it had NO decent games - even downloading and playing ISOs on my 1.5 firmware bored me.. Sony are more concerned about treating the PSP as an all-in-one multimedia device. I have no desire to listen to MP3s or re-buy the same movies I already own for portable device with preprioty format. The PSP had been gathering dust for months, I sold it and three games and bought be a sexy Nintendo DS Lite. The DS Lite has been joyous to own and play! I have a blast with online Tetris (8-bit era themed for Nintendo fanboys!) and Mario Kart, and enjoy the fascinating Brain Training and New Super Mario Brothers. Simply put, New Super Mario Bros is the greatest platform to grace us since Super Mario 64 10 years ago. THIS is what gaming should be about - having fun!!
The DS Lite is lighter and more compact than the original. Its screens are more vibrant, sharp and colourful than even the PSP!
I imported mine from Australia TWO WEEKS before the UK release and saved £40! - and even after buying a case and all of the aforementioned games, I STILL have £110 left over from the PSP sale!!
MORE PICTURES TO FOLLOW
World Cup 2006!
Need I say more? I have been going into work at an un-Godly hour just to be able to come home early enough to catch the majority of matches. It's has been a GREAT tournament so far.
Of course im rooting for England, but as always, I've a fondness for Brazil and a hope for Trinidad and Tobago - who admittedly, I would love to beat England today!
Jas, Sham and I enjoyed the first England match very much under the traditional influence of alcohol. Two Asians, one Black guy, sitting by Gus from Eastenders, supporting England in a South African bar (Barracuda) - go figure! , only in England indeed!
The pattering of tiny feet, the sleepless nights, the dirty nappies!
And last, but certainly not least comes the news that I am to be a Father again. Very very soon infact, as my second child is due for delivery in less than a week. We have been frantically trying to redecorate the flat in time for its arrival (which Musole describes as nesting) and are all very excited; Jaden, too - as he is well aware that a little brother or sister is on the way!
Hmmm… so what has happened since my last entry? - Well rather than attempt to recollect and explain everything in detail, here's a anecdotal summary of some of the latest developments, before we get 'back to business':
Arcade Light Gun:
That’s right folks, I finally succumbed against my better judgement and made yet ANOTHER modification to my MAME Arcade cabinet.
I purchased an LCD Topgun from EMS in Hong Kong for a bargain £30 delivered. Installed the two LED tracking stands to either side of my cabinet (these are black, so they aren't too much of an eye sore) and after a rigorous and sometimes frustrating attempt at collaboration, I can now play many lightgun game arcade classics!
Some of my favourite titles include, House of the Dead, House of the Dead 2, Virtua Cops 1 & 2, Point Blank, Chiller (a curious game where your aim is to torture and maim people!!) and the American Laser Game cheese-fests that are Mad Dog McCree 1& 2, Crime Patrol and Who Shot Johnny Rock!
The gun attachment has added over 100 additional arcade games.
PICTURES TO FOLLOW
2006 FA Cup Final:
I said it was Liverpool for the win all along, and it sure was. Thrilling match, even more gratifying for myself as I happen to hate west ham and its supporters - so after the 120 min roller-coaster ride and nail biting penalty shootout, there was a lot of gloating done by yours truly, who had to endure the match in the presence of an ever-so-grateful Gooner (see Tottenham).
Digital Camera:
I sold my unreliable aging Sony Digital Camera on eBay for a tidy profit and imported a beautiful Nikon P1 in its place. This baby takes cheaper SD cards (I have 2Gb at its disposal), can take pictures at 8, yes 8 mega pixels, and has built in WiFi functionality! Yes!, I can shoot pictures and have them directly transfer to my PC, I can send a batch of pictures wirelessly to my PC when I want to free up some memory, and I can even send pictures wirelessly to my photo printer!
Full review here.
E3 2006:
E3 baby!.. E3!!!! This years E3 in May was the big one that everyone was waiting for. Nintendo were to unleash full details of their revolution, now officially called Wii, and Sony their Playstation 3.
Sony kicked things off with their press conference, which managed to drag on for over 2 hours. They promised everything and delivered NOTHING - hype without substance and same old bland and boring games. Rather than go into detail here, you can simply read a transcript of the event or watch a hilarious video summary courtesy of You Tube. However some of the specific low points for me were as follows:
A $599 / £425 price tag for the PS3 console!
HYPE! - lauding a game for its innovative ' real time weapon change'!
A $599 / £425 price tag for the PS3 console!
The PSP STILL doesn’t have any decent games
A $599 / £425 price tag for the PS3 console!
The PSP is now a rear-view mirror for PS3 racing games…… still has no games.
A $599 / £425 price tag for the PS3 console!
Rumble removed from Dual Shock 3 controller - Sony say rumble is last gen, an Immersion lawsuit says otherwise
A $599 / £425 price tag for the PS3 console!
The over-rated Grand Theft Auto is NO LONGER a Playstation exclusive series! Xbox360 says hello!
And finally, the shameless attempt to 'rip off' Nintendo's motion controller. Sony add a tilt function to the Dual Shock, the PS3 can detect whether the controller has been lifted, lowered or moved left or right. A half-assed demo of a crappy title called 'Warhawk' showed a developer in spasms, franticly tilting his arms left and right (like your grandmother does when trying a video game) in order to land a craft on screen. What Sony wont tell you is that UNLIKE the Wii controller, the Dual Shock 3 CANNOT detect 3D Space - i.e how far away you are from the screen or whether you make a punching or sword slash motion.
Now Nintendo's conference was much better, clear, concise and focused. It is unanimously agreed that they 'won' E3 and officially won the 'Hardware of the Show' award for the Wii.
You can read a transcript of Nintendo's conference, or watch the full video here, part 1 and part 2
Nintendo's show started out strong, with an almost immediate display of footage for multiple Nintendo titles, including Super Mario Galaxy, Pilotwings, Metroid Prime 3: Corruption and Red Steel. It was basically the strength of knowing these games exist, coupled with live demonstrations of Red Steel and Zelda using the Wii remote that carried the show.
There was no real surprise about the Wii, just confirmed rumours: The controller will have a built-in speaker (the example they used for it was you could hear the bow in Zelda pulling taut) and rumble, and the nunchuck attachment will have its own motion sensor. A lot more was eventually revealed about the games the next few days, as there was 27 Wii titles on the show floor for people to play. Iwata also mentioned a web browser loaded on the Wii's flash memory. There will be two versions of Zelda: Twilight Princess released at the same time: the Gamecube version and the Wii version. Both will go on sale the day the Wii launches.
The big news on the DS front was the unveiling of StarFox DS and Yoshi's Island 2, which drew applause from the crowd. Phantom Hourglass was said to "pick up where Wind Waker left off." Osu! Tatakae! Ouedan! was confirmed as coming to the US as Elite Beat Agents.
They also briefly mentioned "Wii Connect 24", some sort of feature where the system can stay connected to the Internet all the time, even when you're not using it. This would allow people to visit your home in Animal Crossing, even when you're asleep or automatically download new game demos to your DS. The Wii in this standby mode is said to use as much power as a small light bulb.
No pricing or launch details beyond "fourth quarter 2006," no major slams on Sony for trying to steal the control scheme. But just on the strength of their franchises alone, Nintendo generated more excitement in their first five minutes than Sony did their entire conference. The one thing that surprised me was that they didn't end with one final surprise announcement, as they usually do. They did eventually pull out Super Smash Brothers Brawl a few days later, featuring a guest appearance by none other than Solid Snake!
So what has happened since E3? How about the Wii-60 alliance, even endorsed by Microsoft's Peter Moore who strangely enough, has nothing but praise for Nintendo's new-gen console. The general consensus is that the price of a Xbox 360 + the price of a Nintendo Wii = the price of ONE PS3! So 360 and Wii are the way to go! If sales of the underestimated DS are to go by (which is trouncing the psp globally) I predict that Wii will take the global market and Microsoft take Europe. Sony's ridiculous pricing and focus on Blu-Ray has simply alienated one too many gamers, and yes - I have pre-ordered my Wii already!
Check out this video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6sASwCPQZY&search=E3%20WII%20QUEUE)from E3 - the public simply do not care about PS3 - they all rush past Sony's stand to play Wii! Welcome back, Nintendo!
PSP gone Bye-Bye! - DS Lite says hello!!:
After the disappointing E3 showing, I finally decided to sell the most expensive paper weight I have ever bought, my PSP. Why? - Because for a handheld games machine, it had NO decent games - even downloading and playing ISOs on my 1.5 firmware bored me.. Sony are more concerned about treating the PSP as an all-in-one multimedia device. I have no desire to listen to MP3s or re-buy the same movies I already own for portable device with preprioty format. The PSP had been gathering dust for months, I sold it and three games and bought be a sexy Nintendo DS Lite. The DS Lite has been joyous to own and play! I have a blast with online Tetris (8-bit era themed for Nintendo fanboys!) and Mario Kart, and enjoy the fascinating Brain Training and New Super Mario Brothers. Simply put, New Super Mario Bros is the greatest platform to grace us since Super Mario 64 10 years ago. THIS is what gaming should be about - having fun!!
The DS Lite is lighter and more compact than the original. Its screens are more vibrant, sharp and colourful than even the PSP!
I imported mine from Australia TWO WEEKS before the UK release and saved £40! - and even after buying a case and all of the aforementioned games, I STILL have £110 left over from the PSP sale!!
MORE PICTURES TO FOLLOW
World Cup 2006!
Need I say more? I have been going into work at an un-Godly hour just to be able to come home early enough to catch the majority of matches. It's has been a GREAT tournament so far.
Of course im rooting for England, but as always, I've a fondness for Brazil and a hope for Trinidad and Tobago - who admittedly, I would love to beat England today!
Jas, Sham and I enjoyed the first England match very much under the traditional influence of alcohol. Two Asians, one Black guy, sitting by Gus from Eastenders, supporting England in a South African bar (Barracuda) - go figure! , only in England indeed!
The pattering of tiny feet, the sleepless nights, the dirty nappies!
And last, but certainly not least comes the news that I am to be a Father again. Very very soon infact, as my second child is due for delivery in less than a week. We have been frantically trying to redecorate the flat in time for its arrival (which Musole describes as nesting) and are all very excited; Jaden, too - as he is well aware that a little brother or sister is on the way!
Friday, January 06, 2006
IS IT BECAUSE HE'S BLACK?: What They DONT Want You to Know About Michael Jackson
By Christopher Hamilton
Source:eurweb.com
What do you think of when you hear the name, Michael Jackson? Michael? Criminal? Great Entertainer? Businessman? Whatever you think of MJ, throw all your thoughts out of the window and let's examine some facts.
For years the media has labeled him "Michael Jackson." What happened to MJ? Wasn't he the biggest thing in music at one point? When did he go crazy?
All anyone has to do is look when Michael started being portrayed as "Crazy." It wasn't during the "Thriller" years. It's cool being a song and dance man. That's what they want. DON'T DARE BECOME A THINKING BUSINESSMAN. DON'T DARE BUY THE BEATLES CATALOG. DON'T DARE MARRY ELVIS' DAUGHTER. DON'T DARE BEAT THE RECORD INDUSTRY AT THEIR OWN GAME. Michael started being labeled crazy when he began making business moves that no one had been successful at doing.
Michael took two cultural icons and shattered them to pieces. All our lives, we've been bombarded with 2 facts. The Beatles were the greatest group of all time and Elvis was the King of Rock and Roll. Michael bought the Beatles and married the King's daughter. (if that ain't literally sticking it to the man) If I wasn't a cynic, I'd say Michael did the Lisa Marie thing just to stick it to the people who consider Elvis the King.
The Beatles were great, but they weren't great enough to maintain publishing rights over their own songs.
Elvis was great, but he didn't write his songs. His manager, Col Tom Parker, was the mastermind behind Elvis ... keeping him drugged with fresh subscription pills and doing all the paperwork.
Michael could do no wrong as an entertainer. "Off the Wall," first solo artist with 4 top ten singles. "Thriller," the biggest selling album of all time, with a then record 7 top ten singles. "Bad," the first album to spawn 5 number one songs (even Thriller only had 2 number one songs). All this is cool. But that is all you better do. SING AND DANCE. Michael wanted to be greater. He bought the legendary Sly and the Family Stone catalog and no one really cared. When he bought the Beatles, people noticed. The Sony merger took the cake. Sony, in their eagerness to have a part of the Beatles catalog, agreed to a 50/50 merger with Jackson, thus forming Sony/ATV music publishing. Now, Michael co-owns half of the entire publishing of all of Sony artists. Check out the complete lists of songs at sonyatv.com. A sampling of the songs he owns the publishing rights to are over 900 country songs by artists such as Tammy Wynette, Kenny Rogers, Alabama. All Babyface written songs. Latin songs by Selena and Enrique Iglesias. Roberta Flack songs, Mariah Carey songs, Destiny's Child's songs. 2pac, Biggie and Fleetwood Mac songs. In essence over 100,000 songs. "What is this man doing?" None of the greats did this. Not Bono, Springsteen, Sinatra. "Who does he think he is? Get whatever you can on him."
To "get" someone, you have to attack what they love the most. I'll say no more on that.
The only man who even approaches MJ in taking on the industry is Prince and to a lesser extent, George Michael. They went after poor George Michael, publicly outing the man as a homosexual. Prince fought hard and made his point, but nevertheless still had to resort to using a major company to distribute his materials. There is nothing wrong with that. Prince would get the lion's share, but the result were years of being labeled crazy and difficult.
The greatest moment for them was the Sneddon press conference. "We got him." Never was such glee so evident. Who cares if we have evidence?
Michael was acquitted, did not celebrate, went home and left the USA. Best move ever. Now what is there left for the haters to do? He's gone. "Gone, what do you mean he moved to Bahrain? Well, how the hell can we get him if he's not here? Quick, get that columnist to write a series of articles on how MJ's teetering on the brink of destruction. Oh we did that? Well, what can we do?"
On the outer surface, it appears Michael is not doing anything to make money. Don't even count the weekly sales of his CDs. 15,000 CDs a week is nothing for Michael. The Sony/ATV catalog is money for Michael Jackson every time he breathes. Serious money. The fact that no one reports on the actual amount is proof of that. They would rather you believe he is broke than tell you the truth. Neverland is still owned by MJ. The family home in Encino is still owned by MJ. Michael still owns the Beatles songs through the merger with Sony as well as full ownership of his own songs. But, hey, that's our little secret.
Michael Jackson is literally walking in the shoes that no Black person has ever walked in before. If he ever writes an autobiography, it will be one of the most interesting ever. A Black man with no real formal education becomes the most powerful man in the industry, DESPITE hatred, racism, enemies in his own camps and a media willing to be bought to the highest bidder.
If Sony had any sense, right now they should offer to continue the partnership. That's the only way they will make future money off of Michael's catalogue. Tommy Mattola did not lose his job with Sony because he was a bad label head. It was a casualty of war. MJ exposed him and Sony had to cut their losses. Companies do it all the time. Notice no one at Sony nor did Matolla himself ever sue MJ for slander. Michael always was loyal to his bosses at Epic/Sony. Back at the 1984 Grammys, he even brought then label head Walter Yetnikoff on stage with him at one point. He's always thanked Dave Glew, Mattola and others at Sony in his acceptance speeches.
Sony can still do right by Michael, but it may be too late. However, they still should make a goodwill gesture, but how many times do businesses do that? If I were them, I'd still want MJ as an ally, not as an enemy. It is/was a mutally profitable merger.
I'd be scared as hell if I was an enemy of MJ while he is with the multi-billionaires overseas. Believe me, they aren't just over there discussing designer clothing. A conglomerate is in the making.
One last note, these facts that I write here should not be the only times you hear this, but the sad fact is it probably is. I was worried that Michael would go down because of the uncertainty of the jury. That's playing unfair. If I'm presenting these facts here at EURweb, YOU CAN BELIEVE THE MEDIA KNOWS IT ALREADY AS WELL. They aren't salivating over everything MJ related just because he made "Thriller." They know what's up. Think about it. That's why I laugh when I see shows like BET's "The Ultimate Hustler." We all know who that is. (How can Damon Dash know who the ultimate hustler is anyway? He lost Roc-a-fella to Jay-Z)
In the end, Michael won't be known for being an alleged child molester. He won't be known for "Thriller." He will be known as the man that fought the record industry and won and lived to tell the tale. That is a book worth buying.
Source:eurweb.com
What do you think of when you hear the name, Michael Jackson? Michael? Criminal? Great Entertainer? Businessman? Whatever you think of MJ, throw all your thoughts out of the window and let's examine some facts.
For years the media has labeled him "Michael Jackson." What happened to MJ? Wasn't he the biggest thing in music at one point? When did he go crazy?
All anyone has to do is look when Michael started being portrayed as "Crazy." It wasn't during the "Thriller" years. It's cool being a song and dance man. That's what they want. DON'T DARE BECOME A THINKING BUSINESSMAN. DON'T DARE BUY THE BEATLES CATALOG. DON'T DARE MARRY ELVIS' DAUGHTER. DON'T DARE BEAT THE RECORD INDUSTRY AT THEIR OWN GAME. Michael started being labeled crazy when he began making business moves that no one had been successful at doing.
Michael took two cultural icons and shattered them to pieces. All our lives, we've been bombarded with 2 facts. The Beatles were the greatest group of all time and Elvis was the King of Rock and Roll. Michael bought the Beatles and married the King's daughter. (if that ain't literally sticking it to the man) If I wasn't a cynic, I'd say Michael did the Lisa Marie thing just to stick it to the people who consider Elvis the King.
The Beatles were great, but they weren't great enough to maintain publishing rights over their own songs.
Elvis was great, but he didn't write his songs. His manager, Col Tom Parker, was the mastermind behind Elvis ... keeping him drugged with fresh subscription pills and doing all the paperwork.
Michael could do no wrong as an entertainer. "Off the Wall," first solo artist with 4 top ten singles. "Thriller," the biggest selling album of all time, with a then record 7 top ten singles. "Bad," the first album to spawn 5 number one songs (even Thriller only had 2 number one songs). All this is cool. But that is all you better do. SING AND DANCE. Michael wanted to be greater. He bought the legendary Sly and the Family Stone catalog and no one really cared. When he bought the Beatles, people noticed. The Sony merger took the cake. Sony, in their eagerness to have a part of the Beatles catalog, agreed to a 50/50 merger with Jackson, thus forming Sony/ATV music publishing. Now, Michael co-owns half of the entire publishing of all of Sony artists. Check out the complete lists of songs at sonyatv.com. A sampling of the songs he owns the publishing rights to are over 900 country songs by artists such as Tammy Wynette, Kenny Rogers, Alabama. All Babyface written songs. Latin songs by Selena and Enrique Iglesias. Roberta Flack songs, Mariah Carey songs, Destiny's Child's songs. 2pac, Biggie and Fleetwood Mac songs. In essence over 100,000 songs. "What is this man doing?" None of the greats did this. Not Bono, Springsteen, Sinatra. "Who does he think he is? Get whatever you can on him."
To "get" someone, you have to attack what they love the most. I'll say no more on that.
The only man who even approaches MJ in taking on the industry is Prince and to a lesser extent, George Michael. They went after poor George Michael, publicly outing the man as a homosexual. Prince fought hard and made his point, but nevertheless still had to resort to using a major company to distribute his materials. There is nothing wrong with that. Prince would get the lion's share, but the result were years of being labeled crazy and difficult.
The greatest moment for them was the Sneddon press conference. "We got him." Never was such glee so evident. Who cares if we have evidence?
Michael was acquitted, did not celebrate, went home and left the USA. Best move ever. Now what is there left for the haters to do? He's gone. "Gone, what do you mean he moved to Bahrain? Well, how the hell can we get him if he's not here? Quick, get that columnist to write a series of articles on how MJ's teetering on the brink of destruction. Oh we did that? Well, what can we do?"
On the outer surface, it appears Michael is not doing anything to make money. Don't even count the weekly sales of his CDs. 15,000 CDs a week is nothing for Michael. The Sony/ATV catalog is money for Michael Jackson every time he breathes. Serious money. The fact that no one reports on the actual amount is proof of that. They would rather you believe he is broke than tell you the truth. Neverland is still owned by MJ. The family home in Encino is still owned by MJ. Michael still owns the Beatles songs through the merger with Sony as well as full ownership of his own songs. But, hey, that's our little secret.
Michael Jackson is literally walking in the shoes that no Black person has ever walked in before. If he ever writes an autobiography, it will be one of the most interesting ever. A Black man with no real formal education becomes the most powerful man in the industry, DESPITE hatred, racism, enemies in his own camps and a media willing to be bought to the highest bidder.
If Sony had any sense, right now they should offer to continue the partnership. That's the only way they will make future money off of Michael's catalogue. Tommy Mattola did not lose his job with Sony because he was a bad label head. It was a casualty of war. MJ exposed him and Sony had to cut their losses. Companies do it all the time. Notice no one at Sony nor did Matolla himself ever sue MJ for slander. Michael always was loyal to his bosses at Epic/Sony. Back at the 1984 Grammys, he even brought then label head Walter Yetnikoff on stage with him at one point. He's always thanked Dave Glew, Mattola and others at Sony in his acceptance speeches.
Sony can still do right by Michael, but it may be too late. However, they still should make a goodwill gesture, but how many times do businesses do that? If I were them, I'd still want MJ as an ally, not as an enemy. It is/was a mutally profitable merger.
I'd be scared as hell if I was an enemy of MJ while he is with the multi-billionaires overseas. Believe me, they aren't just over there discussing designer clothing. A conglomerate is in the making.
One last note, these facts that I write here should not be the only times you hear this, but the sad fact is it probably is. I was worried that Michael would go down because of the uncertainty of the jury. That's playing unfair. If I'm presenting these facts here at EURweb, YOU CAN BELIEVE THE MEDIA KNOWS IT ALREADY AS WELL. They aren't salivating over everything MJ related just because he made "Thriller." They know what's up. Think about it. That's why I laugh when I see shows like BET's "The Ultimate Hustler." We all know who that is. (How can Damon Dash know who the ultimate hustler is anyway? He lost Roc-a-fella to Jay-Z)
In the end, Michael won't be known for being an alleged child molester. He won't be known for "Thriller." He will be known as the man that fought the record industry and won and lived to tell the tale. That is a book worth buying.
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