The Three Rs is a primarily British viral entertainment site, with standings in many niche interests and involved in a variety of different groups. Topics range from gaming to adulthood to the latest fashion.
One night in 2005, Ball State freshman Brian Collins filled in for an absent anchor on the local student news network. This ill-fated choice landed him at the peak of the embarrassing viral video hall of fame. According to an interview with ESPN, Brian was forced to deal with an inexperienced teleprompter operator and a paper transcript with its pages out of order. The result? Live on-air, Brian used his time to endure painfully uncomfortable 10+ second pauses, stuttering, and the infamous exclamation, "Boom goes the dynamite!" Brian explains that this line was something that he and his friends would say to make each other laugh while playing "Mario Cards." By now, his catchphrase has even found its way into the sports world. Occasionally it is used by ESPN sport announcers during recap shows such as SportsCenter. In the recent film, "Wanted," the line is spoken by Chris Pratt's character Barry. In an interview with CBS news, Brian says he would like to possibly pursue a career in Journalism, and has recently--albeit miraculously--scored a job as a local news anchor for KVVX-TV in Waco, Texas.
September proved to be a month of great advances for us and our associates. The Three Rs being treated to a bloated visitor count and improvements across the board. Out Google Rank went from around 17th page when searching "The Three Rs" (Which is a very crowed search topic) to the 4th option! Saying that all ups have downs and our down was a call from PC Gamer! You decide what was said.
Changes
This months only major change are:
-Res3 Forums has been given a huge overhaul by our friends at Cascade-Gaming.com. What you think?
-The Three Rs introduced new writers: Nicolaaaxo and Faith ._. Love. Please welcome them warmly.
-Angsty M3 has a new and improved layout. Enjoy.
Poll Results
On the 1st of September we asked you "Future Music Rhythm Games... Rock Band 2 or Guitar Hero World Tour?" You have been voting over at the Res3 Forums and you decided that you... Can't Decide!.
Comments include: "I think DDR is due a return. It deserves it! I say return, it's still vastly popular, it's just the media don't take notice of it!" by [RG] Daniel.
Post of the Month
I, Dee4leeds, have decided that the best post over at the Res3 Forums this month is...
"Hey! I see we have a new logo... Reminds me of the PEZ logo. :D" by Dee4leeds.
Do you think you could do better? Register at the Res3 Forums and give it a shot.
As always the next Poll of the Month will be posted tomorrow, you'll be able to vote until the end of the month. It's our birthday month! We're are going to be two years old on the 6th! Most likely more writers will join... and maybe... just maybe... we'll officially announce Not3book!
Written by: Melaisis
I reckoned we could reach out to our techie crowd by posting a few helpful tips related to computers every now and again.
One morning when restoring my pc from hibernate I got this error:
svchost.exe - application error the instruction at "0x745f2780" reference memory at "0x00000000". The memory could not be 'read'.
Once this error is closed you can't start anything and XP crashes when trying to shut down.
Fortunately, if you don't close any of the error messages down, Windows still works.
Using Google I found this solution by Scott Swigart (see the 2nd solution) - Thanks a million Scott!!!
1. Go to the start menu.
2. Right click "my computer".
3. Click "properties" then the "automatic updates" tab.
4. Choose "turn off automatic updates".
5. Reboot your computer.
6. Go back to start menu and in all programs go to "Windows Update" you have to be connected to the Internet.
7. Manually update Windows.
8. Turn your automatic updates back on.
I have also had a number of people comment that the problem reappears after some time. The recommended fix, if the problem reappears, is to turn off automatic updates, and just manually go to Windows Update periodically and update your machine.
Today's Murderer of the moment is a famous one with many books and a film made about him. The interesting fact about this killer is that his identity has never been discovered, from his first murder in December 1968, to his last known killing in October 1969.
Here's today's Murderer of the Moment.
The Zodiac Killer.
Date of birth: Unknown. Age when in operation: Unknown. Age of Death: Unknown, the killer could be dead now. Cause of Death: Unknown. Number of known victims: 7, 2 survived. Number of possible victims: 37. Modus Operandi: The Zodiac Killer targeted couples, in isolated areas. He would pretend to be asking directions, shine a torch or car headlights in their faces and then order them to get out of their cars if they had one. Then he would shoot them.
The interesting fact about the Zodiac was that he sent police and newspapers cryptic notes describing his attacks. Zodiac claimed that in the codes was his name, but when the code was cracked in 1969, no name appeared. Possible motives behind killings: Random attacks as far as police are aware. Conviction: Only one person has ever been suspected to be the Zodiac Killer and that was Arthur Leigh Allen, although he was never charged. Once he had died in 2001, police took DNA samples and compared them with saliva on the Zodiac Killers envelopes. It didn’t match. Trial: None.
Kanye West has done many a stupid and regrettable thing in the past, but I feel that his latest venture with Rhymefest into the realm of comedic puppetry may top the chart. This pilot preview for the forthcoming Comedy Central show Alligator Boots perfectly demonstrates just how unfunny the premise of a hip-hop version of The Muppets can actually be.
This clip is a perfect example of social commentary done wrong.
What is the need for a Function Key? Labelled "fn" it sits there, waiting, right where the Control key should be. You want to end the boldness on your writer name and wham! you hit the function key and end up calling yourself Thorb. Which looks like some innuendo-gone-wrong.
It is infuriating and just plain bad designing. It will take about four years to get used the awkward layout, which is unfortunate, because by that time you'll have gouged out your eyes using a rusty fork. There's no good reason for it to be there, except some sadistic, malevolent torture of the idiots who designed the laptop. I mean, "RM"? Who?
It's not just me. Even Nicola, who is wrong about just about everything, agrees with me. It's just so annoying that if everyone realised this, we'd all agree and it would actually end war. Forget silly singing contests with political voting; give everyone a shoddily designed keyboard and machine guns will be laid down as we all hunt down and savagely murder these idiots.
They might have some use, these function keys, but there must be ways around it, surely. So grab something sharp, rip away the function key and burn it with exploding propane tanks while listening to Propane Nightmares by Pendulum for irony. Those italics there didn't work properly first time round. Why? Oh yes, the sodding function key. WHAT ELSE?
After the mix matched production that was St. Anger, Metallica return with Death Magnetic. They claim to have a new found love of making music... but will it have any effect?
In the distance is a guitar. The riff? New... but reminiscent of Enter Sandman. The drums kick in whilst the guitars take a change of tone creating opening track That Was Just Your Life. The strong opening is continued by a clean middle but is unfortunately followed with an ending which seems to just peater out, which makes me question the rest of this album. Early yes, but the signs are there. However as a fan of metal and Metallica's sound I reserve creating an opinion from this song.
The track The End of the Line reinstates the faith in the album. Maybe Metallica should of chosen this song to open the album. Oh well, I guess they tried something different. The guitar has a full, rough riff which this reviewer likes. Thankfully the pace and skill is retained in Broken, Beat and Scarred. The song reminding me heavily of tracks from album such as Load and ReLoad.
If the opening three tracks have left you confused as to whether this album will be the next "Kill Em All" or if it's doomed to obscurity. Then be prepared to be confused further. The Day That Never Comes, with it's 8 minute runtime, varies wildly. The opening 4 minutes will bore many Metallica fans with slow pace, before exploding into a true Metallica song. The comparisons to One are very much needed. From the back end of The Day That Never Comes arrives All Nightmare Long. Matching The Day That Never Comes for length it's the sheer speed of All Nightmare Long which separates it from the rest of the album. Then it's time for Cyanide; bouncy was never something Metallica did well but here they prove themselves wrong.
The most anticipated track of Death Magnetic comes in the form of the Unforgiven III. The track has the heights of The Unforgiven II to overcome and whilst it does not exceed the Unforgiven II, it fully meets the scale set before hand. Next is The Judas Kiss a song so typical of Metallica it could appear on any album and fit in perfectly.
Suicide & Redemption as the penultimate track is not up to standard. This is the problem with Metallica, the scale is so high that had this song been produced by another metal band people would be hailing them as the next Metallica... Which leads to easily the final and best song on the album: My Apocalypse. Great riff, guitar solos, perfect drumming. Every part of Metallica is tuned up to tee in this, quite a way to leave the album. Destroy their brains at the end so the view of the entire album is skewed.
So, does this album return to the Metallica everyone knows and loves? Yes and no. The varying nature of these songs begs the question of need for full albums. Maybe the future of Metallica is mini-albums which can cut out on songs like Suicide & Redemption. This reviewers opinion is mixed.
Metallica - Death Magnetic: 3/5 - Too strong in places to mark it low, too weak in places to mark it high.
I got a new phone today. It made me think, it made me think a lot actually. Thinking about the iPhone, and how it does so much; from telling you where you are and where to go, to playing games/music/videos. And how could I forget, it's also a phone. It made me think that our society is becoming even more able to send and receive information instantaneously.
If you remember way 50's people were making sci-fi movies trying to predict what life would be like in 2000, 2010, 2020. And as we get further and further to those dates we are starting to see some of their predictions come to fruition. With me being a pretty young person, this makes me very excited to see what will happen later on in my lifetime.
But back on topic, the future of handheld devices. With newer smart phones including pretty much everything you could ever want to take with you on a long trip its almost as if you're taking your life with you. Think about it, you can communicate with anyone you want from it, you can relieve boredom/stress with a couple of games, you can listen to your favourite tunes, watch your favourite movie and catch up on your favourite TV series, all while flipping through photos of last years family vacation.
The only question we have for these phone companies is, what's next? I think I know. It may not have to do with mobile devices in particular but the one thing that seems to be rising in popularity lately, wireless things. Wireless is in my opinion, is the way of the future. I can imagine in my lifetime a fully wireless home entertainment system, that's actually practical. And that my friends, will be the day I weep tears of joy.
The title is a bit smarty-farty then I wanted it to be but I don;t care it's the best way to described it. Oh and you can really feel the enthusiasm from this sentence, eh? I'm starting to get fed up with doing this now. I shouldn't of promised to do so so long ago. Oh well, too late now.
Website
Each channel should have it's own separate website. Each TV show should have it's own extensive section dedicated to it and a forum to allow viewers to give their opinions. Five did use to have a forum but it was a complete failure as everyone (About 10 people who saw it on FiveUS ads) was ignored. Each show should be clearly linked to the "DEMAND FIVE" section.
On Demand
Sign a deal to appear on both Virgin Media's and BT's catch up service. Also add shows to the TV Choice section of Virgin Media allowing people to access your brand on multiple levels. People like Channel4 on Virgin because of it's extended commitment to the On Demand section. Five needs this also.
Advertising
Heavily advertise Dexter and Family Guy. That's billboards, magazines, newspapers, websites like MySpace and Facebook, The Three Rs(?) and everything else people can think of. Blanket coverage is what Five is lacking the most. Currently they have many shows dying because people don't know they are there, which is easy fixed. Maybe RTL needs to cash inject the channel.
Now, Let me do some rants before I start the official post.
I'm tired, all my brain juice are used up, due to the fact that my End of Year Exams are coming and I've studied at my friend's house for 5 hours straight. EOYs suck, oh well.
So I was basically trying to roam around on internet to relieve my stress, and came past this weird and lame article:
School Gifts
It was at the end of the school year, and a kindergarten teacher was receiving gifts from her pupils.
The florist's son handed her a gift. She shook it, held it overhead, and said, "I bet I know what it is. Some flowers." "That's right" the boy said, "but how did you know?" "Oh, just a wild guess," she said.
The next pupil was the candy shop owner's daughter. The teacher held her gift overhead, shook it, and said, "I bet I can guess what it is. A box of sweets." "That's right, but how did you know?" asked the girl. "Oh, just a wild guess," said the teacher.
The next gift was from the son of the liquor store owner. The teacher held the package overhead, but it was leaking. She touched a drop of the leakage with her finger and touched it to her tongue. "Is it wine?" she asked. "No," the boy replied, with some excitement.
The teacher repeated the process, taking a larger drop of the leakage to her tongue. "Is it champagne?" she asked. "No," the boy replied, with more excitement. The teacher took one more taste before declaring, "I give up, what is it?" With great glee, the boy replied, "It's a puppy!"
Ew, she's drinking the puppy's saliva. But oh well, this definitely reminds me of my poor cousin's dog.
Jeffery - a Golden Retriever, was given to my cousin when she was 8, and now she's 14.
He's awfully cute, friendly and is a close companion to my cousin.
He's quite old at the start of this year, and he suddenly fell sick one day.
He was diagnosed with heart problems, and my cousin was given the cruel choice to allow him to die at home or end his life at the Vet.
My cousin brought him back, because she would like him to spend his last few moments at the home he grown up in.
He left, a few months ago.
He died in his sleep, next to my cousin..
What a sad story, sorry for dampening you guys mood, being so random about this.
Perhaps I can spread this message: Pets are just like a human being, always being there for you. They keep your secrets, and listen to your rants without making any noise. So cherish the memories you have with them, and cherish them (:
If you like science-fiction and comedy, but haven't read The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy, please go and either: a)read it, or; b)shoot yourself with a high-power rifle. Now, let's carry on, shall we...
Douglas Adams is, frankly, dead. But he was one of the greatest talents of recent times. He wrote Hitchhiker's (radio play, book, TV series, book sequels), supervised a series or two and wrote episodes of classic, Tom Baker-era Doctor Who, promoted the idea of the Internet, some work on Monty Python's Flying Circus and to top it all off, he introduced Richard Dawkins to Dawkins' now-wife, Lalla Ward (Who fans know she was the second Romana, who also married Tom Baker).
In short, he died young at 49, but did so much that it's hard not to be wholly envious of it all. But he did die, and left a legacy behind him. One that many respect and love to this day.
So why tamper with it? To get more money? It seems to be the only explanation for the latest Hitchhiker's idea - another sequel!
To be written by Eoin Colfer (he who wrote the rather wonderful Artemis Fowl books), and released in October 2009 (look out for a review of it then, right here on the Three Rs. But really, don't hold your breath...), the sixth book of the trilogy will be called And Another Thing... and will continue the adventures of the Hitchhiker's gang.
But there's several problems, there. The fifth book of the trilogy, Mostly Harmless, ended with the characters being killed off, and all possible versions of them killed off. But this isn't necessarily a problem - Adams complained he disliked the grim ending, and may have written a sixth book changing this. I'm just criticising because it's a different author...which is rather unfair, isn't it?
Geeks of the net will know all the book titles are memorable quotes from the first book (of which there are so many) - but nowhere in the original is the phrase "and another thing" said. Not once. Ouch! Way to go, there! I don't know if I can blame Colfer for this, so I won't.
Essentially, while they may be finishing it off how Adams would want it finishing, it just isn't Adams! It may be a hugely funny, entertaining adventure...but it certainly isn't Hitchhiker's, it just can't be. However, I will of course still buy it!
If you were hoping that, in a temporary lapse of judgement, I had decided to write an article this week on a pornographic webcam site featuring women exclusively called "Becky", you are wrong. And the process you must go through to have come out at that conclusion probably proves you aren't mentally or socially stable enough to be allowed to use the internet unsupervised - but since you're here, you might as well continue to read (if not just so it provides enough of a distraction to occupy you whilst authorities break through your windows and strap you into a Hannibal-esque straight jacket and mask).
The subject of this post, the first I've written in a while due to severe writer's block (I assure you that the creative freedom enjoyed by writers here is as much a curse as a blessing), is a rather different form of "BeckyCam". For those of you well acquianted with BBC Radio One, in particular the Scott Mills show, you'll probably have heard of this, or seen this, already. As patronising as it may be, I ask you bare with me whilst I explain the concept to those not in the know.
"BeckyCam" is essentially a webcam mounted deep inside the offices of Radio One's studio, situated on a certain desk - which belongs to, for those yet to catch on, Becky - one of several personas you will hear on a daily basis on the aforementionned show. As dull as it may sound, I promise that I would not write an article on something as dull as watching someone stare lifelessly at a screen all day (as I presume most of our readers are doing right about now). In fact, it's quite an addictive thing - slightly more addictive than watching that old chap over the road who can't reach down far enough to pick up his dropped keys, but not quite as addictive as watching the similarly aged man who dropped his keys in the middle of the zebra crossing causing traffic to back up a half mile.
In fact, I'd go as far as to say it's quite a remarkable idea. Since it's inception just two days ago, it's attracted legions of fans. Some of them are genuinely enthralled by being able to watch someone sat at a desk all day, whilst others possibly have more worrying reasons to be staring at a woman through a webcam from early morning to late evening. I think the latter catagory comprises of the same calibre of individual who were disappointed by the opening line of this publication.
Thousands of people are foregoing work and education each day to stare at a someone with a slightly more interesting job than themselves. That is in under 2 days. I dread to think how popular this could be in a week's time if it keeps growing at the same rate. But, as strange as my choice of subject this week may be, it's quite an addictive and hypnotic pastime. If you haven't seen BeckyCam just yet, I suggest you throw yourselves into the waiting arms of Google immediately, find your way to Scott Mills' Radio One page, and sit in amazement for the remainder of your working day.
Oh, and occasionally they respond to emails and put your name on cam for a brief moment of time. At least, they do to everyone except myself - not that I blame them for blocking my email address, I would have done the same thing had the roles been reversed.
And to cap this "return" post off, I think I ought to mention the passing of Richard Wright from Pink Floyd (R.I.P), and the anniversary of Lou Dog's Death 7 Years ago today (R.I.P). He went to the moon.
Recently, I have been reading up on notorious murders in history and I decided to write a periodical posts on famous murderers. Other writers of this blog were all for this idea, so I decided to go ahead with it.
So, here's today's murderer of the moment.
Jeffrey Dahmer
Date of birth: May 21st 1960. Age when in operation: 30+. Age of Death: 34. Cause of Death: Battered to death with an iron bar by fellow inmate in prison. Number of known victims: 17. Number of possible victims: 17. Modus Operandi: Dahmer lured men, particularly those of African or Asian descent into his apartment, intoxicated them with drugs and alcohol and stabbed them, often keeping souvenirs of his crimes, such as skulls and heads. Dahmer also used necrophilia and cannibalism after murder.
Possible motives behind killings: His Father was an alcoholic as Dahmer was growing up and soon began drinking himself. Also, Dahmer dissected dead animals as a child for fun. Conviction: As Dahmer was just about to kill again, his victim escaped, alerting Police. They were led to Dahmer’s apartment and after they had subdued him, searched the apartment for evidence. They found human heads in fridges and corpses in acid filled vats. They also found photographs of murdered victims and human remains, including 3 severed heads. Trial: Dahmer was indicted on 17 murder charges, but this was later dropped to 15. His trial began in January 1992. With evidence overwhelmingly against him, Dahmer pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. The court found Dahmer sane and guilty on 15 counts of murder and sentenced him to 15 life terms, totaling 957 years in prison. At his sentencing hearing, Dahmer expressed remorse for his actions, also saying that he wished for his own death.
As many of you may know, me, Dee and Sam (Jesus2nd) have all opted out of attending university under the advice of our instincts as well as some very competent individuals (such as the editor of Total PC Gaming, in the case of myself). The following post also hopes to prove that attending doesn't necessarily mean that you're a genius, or even capable of writing properly.
STUDENTS SHAMED WITH LIST OF OF EXAM BLUNDERS
University students have been shamed with a list of exam blunders including references to "escape goats" and claims that the railways were invented to relieve pressure on motorways.
Among the gems from this year's undergraduate exams are an economics student at City University in London student who attributed Northern Rock's downfall to the "laxative enforcement policies".
In literature, a student from Bath Spa University wrote of Margaret Atwood's book: "The Handmaid's Tale shows how patriarchy treats women as escape goats."
A University of Southampton student concerned by global warming wrote that: "Tackling climate change will require an unpresidented response."
And a fellow undergraduate concerned by the threat of diseases, wrote: "Control of infectious diseases is very important in case an academic breaks out."
They have all been entered in the 'Truer than Intended' section of the Times Higher Education's revived "exam howlers" competition.
Phil Baty, deputy editor of the THE, said: "This is simply meant to be a fun snapshot of what students come out with when under pressure, although many of our readers would agree that academic standards of literacy have got a lot worse and there is research suggesting it as well."
Other examples come from students at St Helens College of Art and Design near Liverpool, who were asked to "outline the importance of the four Noble Truths to the Buddhist faith".
One offered the baffling response: "Nirvana cannot be described because there are no words in existence for doing so. Not non-existence either, it is beyond the very ideas of existing and not existing."
Students at the same university were asked to outline the importance of the railway in 19th-century Britain. One wrote: "The railways were invented to bring the Irish from Dublin to Liverpool where they were promptly arrested for being vagrants", while another responded: "The railways were invented to take the weight off the motorways."
A student at the University of the West of England in Bristol astonished his tutor by spelling the subject of one of his favourite topics wrong: "alchol" instead of "alcohol".
Another wrote "whom" instead of "womb" in an anatomy paper, and one replaced the word "abdominal" with "abominous".
This week I'm pretty much braindead on what to write about. So I decided to post a couple of videos as tribute to the hardest song in Guitar Hero, "DragonForce- Through The Fire And Flames".
What makes this song such an icon is that it is so hard that it had people lining up to post themselves beating in on Youtube. There are many fakers, so much actually that about every video you find will have the author defending himself against the relentless commenters. But for those who have truly beaten TTFAF on expert in GH3, give yourselves a pat on the back.
And now, without further delay, some of the most AWESOME TTFAF videos on Youtube.
"This one is from the Ellen Show, so its clearly not fake, or is it?!"
"This one has the guy playing with a partner on co-op, pretty interesting actually."
"In this one the guy plays it with a custom made drum. THIS IS REALLY COOL"
Dee4leeds Introduction: Read this post over at Digital Spy, informed by it and thought maybe you people over here will enjoy it. So... here it is.
It's a well-known fact that the big three console manufacturers - Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft - all want your money. Once you fork out a few hundred notes for a console, they have you in their mighty grip, and bleed you dry with their capitalist agendas. In some cases, this can be as much as £300 over the next five years, not including essentials they don't include with the console. It's similar to hidden bank charges, except Watchdog's Nicky Campbell won't be fighting your corner - he'll be kicking your arse at Halo instead.
Before we begin tearing apart consoles for their economic crimes, the SKUs (Stock-keeping Unit) tested are the standard ones - the basic Wii bundle (with Wii Sports), the 60GB Premium Xbox 360 package, and the latest 80GB PlayStation 3 with DualShock. Prices are the RRP, but you can knock off a few quid here and there if you shop around.
Electricity Costs
Like any appliance, consoles will use up different amounts of power, and the difference between them is staggering. The Wii, the simpleton of the bunch, will use up to ten times less power than its high-definition competitors, with the PS3 requiring the most electricity. They weren't messing around when they said this is the most powerful generation yet. Nuclear power station peripherals are yet to be confirmed.
* Wii - 12.41 kWh - £1.98 a year
* Xbox 360 - 120.45 kWh - £19.21 a year
* PS3 - 204.40 kWh - £32.60 a year
The Wii is hands down the cheapest, but the PS3 will make those energy price rises your worst nightmare. Figures are based on playing a game from a disc (standby and movie playback differ) for two hours per day for a year. (Figures obtained from sust-it.net.)
Controllers
You'll be screwed without them, and charitably each console comes boxed with one. If you want to play with your mates then your wallet will have to take a gut punch, and in the case of recharging them, selling its kidney on the wallet black market.
* PS3 - Technically there are no added extras, however early adopters missed out on the now-standard rumbling DualShock 3. This will set you back £40.
* Wii - Comes with a Wii remote and Nunchuk, however an additional remote costs £30, and Nunchuk £15. That's £45 for one additional control set.
* Xbox 360 - There is no rechargeable option out of the box - a Play & Charge kit retails for £15, and additional wireless controllers are £30 a pop. That's £60 for two charge kits and an extra wireless pad. However you can save by getting a Wired controller for £25.
The PS3 is hands down the cheapest, however the others differ according to what you buy. Getting the full set for both - Nunchuks (Wii) and wireless with recharge packs (Xbox) - makes the 360 £15 more expensive. On the other hand you don’t need a Nunchuk for most Wii games, and you can just use cheap rechargeable batteries or wired controllers for your 360.
Television Cables
Confusion sets in at this point, where many gamers are left stranded behind their television, adopting the foetal position and shaking in bewilderment. All consoles come with connection cables, but the quality varies immensely, even between standard definition (SD) and high definition (HD). From plain awful to crystal clear the cables rank composite (SD), RGB (SD), component (SD / HD), and HDMI (HD). Considering there are more HD sets than before, cables are as vital as anything else on this list.
* Xbox 360 - Comes with component for HD out of the box, also doubling up as composite cables for those with normal tellies. While there are better SD and HD options, these options will do you just fine.
* Wii - Comes with a composite cable. While it looks bad, on a standard definition set it is passable, but you should get either an RGB or component cable. You need component for the best resolution on HDTV sets. They each cost £20.
* PS3 - Just a composite cable; no HD option in the box. Your gorgeous new HD console will look like it's being played back through an '80s VCR. You need a component or HDMI cable, stat. That's £20, thank you very much.
While all three consoles could have better cables, the 360 offers you a near-perfect solution out of the box that gives you decent HD and SD connections. The Wii could do with an upgrade, while the PS3 needs one. What's cheaper, a HDMI cable or cataract surgery? You be the judge.
Connecting to the internet
If there is one big leap this generation, it's that each console feeds on byte-sized information from the World Wide Web. If you want to get the most from your new pride and joy, you need to connect to the internet.
* PS3 - Comes with both Wi-Fi receiver and LAN port for both wireless and wired connections. Perfect.
* Wii - Wi-Fi receiver only. If you want to connect via LAN port, you can buy one for £20.
* Xbox 360 - Ethernet port only. If you want to get a plug in Wi-Fi receiver, it'll set you back £60.
While they all have a base covered, the PS3 hits a home run by being as flexible as an Olympian gymnast. Considering many households own a wireless router, paying £60 to have the privilege to do so takes the metaphorical biscuit. Bridge your internet connection to your 360 and spend that £60 on a pick-and-mix.
Other Additions
These are the little added extras that most people would purchase in their console's lifetime. Not surprisingly, Microsoft pushes these little additions.
* Xbox Live subscription - While the Wii and PS3 online services are free, full Gold membership costs £40 a year on the 360. Without it, you cannot play online with others or access certain content.
* Keyboard - The Wii and PS3 have full USB keyboard support for text input, whereas the 360 keypad costs £25. Alternatively, you can spend an entire hour entering a message via the d-pad.
* Downloadable Content - This is subjective, as many games offer additional content that perhaps should be in the full product, but are not on the disc. But when games such as Beautiful Katamari (360) ask you to pay to unlock things already on the disc, it reinforces the point that you have to be a millionaire playboy to get the most out of everything.
Quantitative Total
So when it boils down to it, which console is the most expensive? Brushing aside the base package, games and optional extras, the initial investment is about the same for all three systems. However the on-going running costs of electricity and subscriptions might find your Xbox 360 finding a new home on eBay. If you plan to keep it for the next five years, it could cost as much as £295, compared to Wii's paltry upkeep of £10. The PlayStation 3 isn't economically friendly either, coming in at £163. Eep.
Initial investment -
* Wii - £65 (television cable upgrade, extra Wii remote and Nunchuk)
* Xbox 360 - £60 (extra wireless controller, two Play & Charge kits)
* PS3 - £60 (television cable upgrade, additional DualShock 3 controller)
On-going investment (per year) -
* Wii - £1.98 (electricity)
* PS3 - £32.60 (electricity)
* Xbox 360 - £59.21 (electricity, Live subscription)
Summary
It should be noted that these are all optional costs - you don't need to buy another controller, to purchase a Live subscription or run your console every day for the next few years. But many people do, and if you are thinking of getting a new system for yourself or someone else these little costs add up to something fierce. The Xbox 360 is the worst for those hidden costs, although the others aren't exactly innocent either. When you consider this doesn't include what you actually bought it for - the games - it shows that this hobby is a costly thing indeed.
Hello! Yeah I'm back with another edition of my boring on going saga about Five and it's sister channels. Yes, I know it's boring but it saves me from disasters such as last Sunday.
This week I shall be FIVE's line up.
Monday
19:00 - FIVE NEWS
19:30 - Friends
20:00 - The Gadget Show
21:00 - Family Guy
21:30 - The Big Bang Theory
22:00 - Monday Movie.
Tuesday
19:00 - FIVE NEWS
19:30 - Friends
20:00 - CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
21:00 - CSI: NY
22:00 - CSI Miami
23:00 - NCIS
Wednesday
19:00 - FIVE NEWS
19:30 - Friends
20:00 - Scrubs
20:30 - Greys Anatomy
21:30 - Private Practice
22:30 - House (Repeat)
Thursday
19:00 - FIVE NEWS
19:30 - UEFA CUP Football
22:00 - House
23:00 - Scrubs
23:30 - Everybody Hates Chris
Friday
19:00 - FIVE NEWS
19:30 - Friends
20:00 - Summer Heights High
20:30 - American Dad!
21:00 - Family Guy
21:30 - The Cleveland Show
22:00 - The Big Bang Theory
22:30 - Everybody Hates Chris
23:00 - Comedy Film
Saturday
19:00 - FIVE NEWS
19:30 - Friends
20:00 - Deadliest Catch
21:00 - Film
Sunday
17:00 - FIVE NEWS
17:30 - Family Film
19:00 - Greys Anatomy
20:00 - Private Practice
21:00 - House
22:00 - Dexter
Toronto-based electro buzz-wave riders Crystal Castles bring us yet another disco-angst tune with an equally tormented video.
In this music video for "Knights," a bike-riding hipster is forced to beat his steel-faced doppelgänger into a nu-rave-disco-submission so he can finally feel the hot rush electro running through his veins while creepy little blonde twins look on; or something like that. Regardless, of whether this video is attempting to make some grand statement about musical genre classification or not, it is somewhat better than the Canadian duo's last video effort for "Crimewave (Crystal Castles vs. HEALTH)."
"Knights" is featured on Crystal Castles' self-titled debut LP which is out now on Lies Records/Last Gang Records.
GAH.
As usual I don't have anything interesting to post unless I pass by something in the internet.
And I'm still having aches in my shoulder and stomach after doing too much PT yesterday.
Oh well, since I passed by this interesting but lame article I'll post it up.
So here goes:
I'm sure quite many of you are working adults.
Or maybe you're students like me.
Working especially in offices are quite boring at times.
It's a good place to sleep too.
You have the air-condition, the nice and comfortable seat, the silence, who wouldn't feel the urge to sleep?
But... what if you got caught by your boss?
Ah...
So perhaps this is just what you need:
• "They told me at the blood bank this might happen."
• "This is just a 15 minute power-nap as described in that time management course you sent me." - Everyone needs a "power nap" , don't they?
• "Whew! Guess I left the top off the White-Out You probably got here just in time!"
• "I wasn't sleeping! I was meditating on the mission statement and envisioning a new paradigm."
• "I was testing my keyboard for drool resistance." - Perhaps they can invent a new keyboard that resists drool?
• "I was doing Yoga exercises to relieve work-related stress." - You're way too stressed out! Relieve stress, everyone should do it.
• "Damn! Why did you interrupt me? I had almost figured out a solution to our biggest problem." - Don't blame me next time if I can't get a solution to our problem.
• "The coffee machine is broken..." - Coffee is essential for life in the office.
I normally have a little rant about here before I start on the actual subject; (you should've been expecting this by now) so here goes. What made me write this time? Kind of against my will. See I was talking to Scott yesterday whilst i was, in a literal sense, out of my mind. And i told him carelessly, "if he doesn't get back to me by tonight i'm going to write a post with the title: DON'T FALL IN LOVE WITH YOUR BEST FRIEND." And he replied, (instead of with sympathy) "ooh that's a good one. It's a win:win situation isn't it!" And that, ladies and gentlemen, is the true nature of Scott Constantine aka Melaisis...*
*although he is nice. often. sometimes. seldomly... :)
TO THE SUBJECT: As I said before, just don't. Really. If the Caps lock overload didn't get to you I don't know what will.
As ever, i make these mistakes so you don't have to. Cos i'm generous like that. See, you might think it's a good idea - after all the Hollywood movies seem to follow that basic storyline and everyone lives happily merrily after. But that's just bollocks. I don't know what they were thinking, but it's obvious they just weren't. Hollywood movies are a fairytale if no one's noticed (and i think even the actors have - with all their many divorces and adulturous partners). In reality , the boy's in love with another girl and you're just a friend. A good friend perhaps, but a friend no less.
friend • noun 1) a person with whom one has a bond of mutual affection, typically one exclusive of sexual or family relations. 2) a familiar or helpful thing.
"Exclusive of sexual relations". Well, that's never going to get anywhere! And even if did, it'd have to end sometime. We're only hormone-driven teenagers! And when that happens;
a) if he broke it off, you'd be beyond devastated. you've lost your boyfriend andd your bestest friend. now apart from your mum, (who you don't see yourself crying over a teenage boy to) who are you going to turn to?
b) if you broke it off, you'd be annoyed at yourself for not staying just friends, and think back to how good you used to be in the old days.
c) if it's mutual hatred.... That just explains itself really.
d) the acceptable "growing apart" syndrome. which has a 1/10 chance of happening, seeing as how close you were, and just from general experience of how teenage and bestfriendsbefore relationships end. Hint: not very prettily. It's normally something huge that will drive a wedge between the two young'uns and they'll hate each other for a very long time - think, C.
And all the above, is what you want to happen. Like in the movies. For him to forget her, and fall in love with you. Then you'll have two beautiful god-like children and... You get my gist. Anyways, the above will be the possible consequences if you so should fall in love with your best friend. Ouch.
So basically, don't fall in love with your best friend - because no matter how hard you try, it's pretty hard to get OUT of it. Him being your main confidence blah blah blah...
And if you fail that, forgodssakes: DON'T TELL HIM YOU LOVE HIM.
[This post is scheduled to appear today, but was written on Sunday. If you're reading it, that must mean that the Large Hadron Collider didn't destroy the Earth - or we've just got longer to wait for it...]
AQA are one of the biggest exam boards used. They offer qualifications in all sorts, and it can't be easy work - the media are constantly harassing them for "dumbing down" exams. They have a mammoth job to do: sorting out exactly how to figure out who is clever and who isn't. But this time, I'm not going to defend AQA because they're actually useless!
First, though, have a read of Carol Ann Duffy's poem Education For Leisure, which is part of the GCSE English course from AQA:
Today I am going to kill something. Anything.
I have had enough of being ignored and today
I am going to play God. It is an ordinary day,
a sort of grey with boredom stirring in the streets.
I squash a fly against the window with my thumb.
We did that at school. Shakespeare. It was in
another language and now the fly is in another language.
I breathe out talent on the glass to write my name.
I am a genius. I could be anything at all, with half
the chance. But today I am going to change the world.
Something’s world. The cat avoids me. The cat
knows I am a genius, and has hidden itself.
I pour the goldfish down the bog. I pull the chain.
I see that it is good. The budgie is panicking.
Once a fortnight, I walk the two miles into town
for signing on. They don’t appreciate my autograph.
There is nothing left to kill. I dial the radio
and tell the man he’s talking to a superstar.
He cuts me off. I get our bread-knife and go out.
The pavements glitter suddenly. I touch your arm.
It's one of the better poems from the AQA Anthology. Like quite a few of the poems featured, it's about killing people. It's not as violent as Hitcher nor as gleefully pyschotic as The Laboratory, but it does feature a twisted soul who's about to stab you. And that, AQA have decided, is not good.
Because so many kids are stabbing each other these days, AQA are banning Education For Leisure from their curriculum. No, really. It's just such a barmy move I can't begin to express hatred for it. In fact, I might just go out and stab someone with a bread knife.
They say it glorifies knife crime. Not really...in classrooms you're given front row seats to look into the disturbed mind of an egotistical, mad killer. The killer isn't at all glorifying anything, and no one will read this and then stab someone. It's just not going to happen at all, ever.
Carol Ann Duffy has written a poetic response to this, but you'd have thought stabbing high-up AQA staff would have been more appropriate. But those who still want their fix of violence can read Simon Armitage's Hitcher or Robert Browning's (excellent) The Laboratory (just Google them or if you're at school, get your AQA Anthology out). So is AQA saying that other forms of violence are OK because they don't happen as often as stabbings now? Because if so, that is complete nonsense.
People should stop blaming everyone else - it's becoming tiresome. To be quite honest, I've listened to Radio 1 DJs, read Stephen King's Rage, watched The Matrix, listened to KMFDM and read Education For Leisure. By some people's reckoning, that means I should be drinking a lot, shooting people at my school (several times over) and stabbing people.
I guess what I'm saying is this: my English teacher had better not give me a lecture on alcohol, or you can suck my glock.
Round-up of updates I've done to the Three Rs recently.
-The N3twork section of the ScrollMenu has been rewritten. Better wording and clearer links to information. You like?
-Comments section is working again. Sorry that was my fault.
-Look in the bottom right corner... You see that? It's a link to the top of the page which doesn't drag as the page goes down or stand out like a sore thumb. Yeah, I rule.
-Not exactly an update yet. But it's coming soon... Just keep your eye's peeled on the Contributors list in the ScrollMenu. It's good what's going to happen.
-I've added an Awards section to the ScrollMenu... VOTE FOR US!
-And finally the Translation box has finally been finished. That took almost a year!
Firstly, I'd like to profoundly apologise for the following. Instead of justifying my (quite radical and unorthodox) views with firm facts and figures from Ambiguous University #136, I'm instead going to cite purely anecdotal stories of why we simply shouldn't encourage violence through videogames; after all, I'm sure we're all sick to death of politicians and senior lawyers acting like they know something about our culture simply because they saw some big percentage from an acclaimed 'expert' stating that videogame violence is a bad thing. Plus, I do enjoy playing Devil's advocate:
(Although my love for Keanu Reeves is dwindling at the moment)
This came about when I was touring Facebook, and I saw a (rather popular) group called 'When Someone In Front Of Me Walks Slowly, I Feel Like I Want To Punch Them In The Back Of The Head' (or something to that extent). Now, at the time I felt like this was a rather... random thing to do. Why can't you simply walk around the said slower person? Hell, if you have the urge to punch them, then logic should also suggest that you can easily avoid them. What spurs that sort of need for violence? Is it TV? Videogames? Frustration? Yeah, probably. Supposedly, we're an advanced species, so why should we feel the need to carry out spontaneous acts of violence on those who bore and annoy us, instead of finding an alternate solution to the problem?
The step-up from this, I guess, is a recent thread over at The Escapist entitled 'Fighting'. The poster questions, 'Have you ever wish that you could involve yourself in a fight that you could see play [out] in front of you? Have you ever simply been sitting down at your computer, listening to a song you love and imagining yourself fighting for your life against a group of people with a sense of glee?'
Er... no.
'Mel, this doesn't prove anything!' I hear you cry. 'Just because some idiot things random acts of violence are his form of entertainment, then you can't argue that that's a reason for videogames to quit including violence!' Well STFU, Little Timmy! Did you hear what the replies in the thread said?
'Yeah, it´s probably one of the reasons violence is so popular in every medium, because people want to have their urge to fight satisfied without suffering the consequences.' writes the first bloody post. Personally (although I may sound like a dirty liberal) I have other ways of releasing stress instead of beating up some poor strange bloke; like listening to Bruce Springsteen's new album. Plus, this doesn't prove anything. In many videogames, people carry out acts of violence to initiate the consequences. Check out GTA: What's more fun, simply beating people up or running away from the cops because you beat someone up? Next!
'I've never actually been in a fight myself, but I know what you mean, and agree with you.
I imagine it's something to do with human empathy, or the likes. But seeing a fight gives you a shot of adrenaline, probably because of basic instincts of 'oh crap, I may have to fight in a min..' so that's probably why you feel that way. But yeah, I get it too.'
This is where the sense begins to trickle in. Sure, we fight because of the adrenaline, but really, causing hurt to other people is the opposite of empathy, beloved fellow poster!
This Otaku delivers the final blow, saying: 'Most times when I watch anime I can imagine myself as a ninja. or something there abouts.'
Thanks.
See, people play videogames for that element of escapism, right? I completely agree, because I do it too. But when threads like these spring up (even from an apparently respectable forum) then you must begin to wonder where we draw the line. Certainly, these urges have existed for thousands of years in humans and our friends in the animal kingdom, but are games beginning to rollback society? It seems some people (and to a greater extent than what I originally suggested in 'Defence of the Gamers') believe that just because they can have the reflexes of a grasshopper on cocaine in a game means that they can act and fight like that in real life. Moreover, they believe such a state of mind is acceptable and are gaining justification for it from their equally deranged peers.
'So what, Mel?' Oh, so you're back Little Timmy. 'Yeah. I mean, if these people feel this way, then they're just going to get beaten up anyway if they take action on such thoughts.'
Bingo.
Beloved reader base, how many of you have seen a real fight? With a boxing match, watching them practice fight alone is something to behold; half the time is really animalistic, but really you realise that they're in a controlled situation and, after all, they have training in what they do. The competitors step out of the ring and, usually, they're the greatest of friends. Kinda like what happens when playing a game; there is usually no real long-term repercussions.
In a real fight, there is no element of control there. Instead, you've got wild participants who (usually down to drunkenness or something which has sent them into a sober rage; something I find even more terrifying) have no restraints except for their mates trying to hold them back. I've never been in a one-on-one fight before, but I've certainly observed a few and been involved in enough to really appreciate the amount of pure emotion that goes into the flailing fists. Its scary.
Fighting sporadically is not an 'art'. If anything, its undignified and can really, really show an ugly side of the nicest of people. That sort of pure emotion is both tragic and unnerving to behold, especially first-hand.
(Its outside a football match, not a strange LARP event)
Imagine this, then: You've never seen a fight in your life. In fact, all you've done is stay at home and kick the **** out of people on your PS3 for the past three years. It is easy, therefore, for people to build up this exceedingly inaccurate image of what real combat is. If you are constantly bombarded with images of how acceptable it is to go out and start random acts of violence from what you play and your peers (which is what happens at said football matches anyway) without any 'anti' imagery, then it is obvious people are going to be drawn into carrying out these incredibly indecent, animalistic things.
'Mel, why are you arguing that videogames are the worst form of media for this, then?'
TV violence is shown all the time. Then you have it being written about in everything from fantasy tales to history books. What makes videogames different? What causes gamers to tick any more than their couch-loving parallels?
For two reasons, really. The first is the typical FOX News excuse: That gamers have control. That they experience, first-hand, the simulated thrill you get from beating a young gentleman up on the street. Furthermore, there are little consequences, other than dying and respawning (heck, it would be a crap game if you just got knocked out and had to play six months in hospital). Plus, some games ('Iya Manhunt!) graphically portray murder and violence in such a way that, if you were committed, you could easily learn from them and attempt to apply it to real life.
The second reason, is because gamers who play these gamers are losers (that may hit a little too close to home for some of you, but hold fire for a second!). Your average TV-watching denizen will watch an episode of Gossip Girl or LOST and then hit the town with their friends. Heck, they may stay in all day and watch the said series, but (usually) due to the huge demographic which pick TV over videogames, they'll have an active social life aside from watching TV. Can the same be said of the gamer base? Of course it can. Still, we do get these exceptions where people stay home and prefer to play a CS: S match over going clubbing. Nine times out of ten, however, you'll find that most gamers have a healthy balance of their hobby, social life and work or school.
TV watchers can, of course, stay at home and watch TV, but there's always a mix there; always some dodgy cooking programme during the day followed by some cheesy drama or action movie at night. Due to the absence of the first factor (control) on top of this, combined with the innocence of the watershed and daytime TV, makes me believe that TV has a lot less influence even over the greatest of addicts.
What am I getting at, then?
Well, look at the combination of factors: Gaming gives more control over the ability to carry out violence, glorifies it and shows little consequences. Plus, there are whole communities around these violent games. More often than not, these communities are full of underaged kids who still think violence is 'cool' and, due to the fact they probably won't be involved in - or see - a fight for another five years or so, they are slowly brainwashed into thinking that violence is easy, and isn't something we need to be concerned with.
Fortunately, us older and wizened folks tend to be more smarter. We see the problems arising here; that random violence is usually a terrible thing to behold, and there are far superior alternatives to solving conflict. Seeing people thinking 'oh lol hittin ppl is cool coz they r thick lol!' makes us feel slightly sick and causes us to lose faith in the Human Race.
If games insist on being violent to keep up the availability of 'escapism', then we either do two things: Regulate them (as the media keeps crying out that we do) or simply show a better representation of actual violence. I'm not saying that you have to go and get drunk before starting a fight with someone in the game, but more horrendous outcomes would be preferred. Sure, this will just turn the sadists on even more, but at least we'll come that little bit closer to helping a new generation understand the pointlessness in idiotic acts.
So, that's my argument. I'd like to hear your opinions. Do you agree that violent videogames are having a noticeable impact on today's youth? Is it bad? Should we show videos of people fighting 'fo real'? Are videogames directly causing more violence on the street because kids are doing it 'for kicks'?
It has been a while since a new internet browser was born. So you can only imagine how geeks everywhere were literally pissing their pants when Google released its first browser, Chrome. I myself was one of those geeks, which is why today I will give you a short review.
After a short install I booted up Chrome and entered its homepage, which had my imported bookmarks from Firefox 3. Later on though it takes the sites you visit most and aligns them in little thumbnails on your homepage. Don't want a particular site to end up in your history? Turn on incognito mode which allows you to go anywhere you want without Chrome saving any of your search history, cookies, or page view history.
But probably the best thing about Google Chrome is that every time you open a new tab it opens a new process on your computer. So that means if one of your tabs is acting up and causing your computer to go haywire, just close that tab and everything will be all right. If this were to happen in say, Firefox or IE, it would crash before you could do anything.
That's pretty much all I can say about Google Chrome because the rest of it they basically copied and pasted from the best browsers (which isn't a bad thing). That is of course, until Google releases its code for developers to start making Add-ons and Plugins. Overall Google Chrome gets a rock solid 4/5.
PS: For those of you who have downloaded Chrome, type in the browser; about:internets for an easter egg. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Also don't forget to vote for us in The Blogger's Choice Awards!
Sorry guys. This week my mind has melted. I just can't think of anything to write about. But all good writers get it. I'm not inferring that I am a good writer, that's up to you, I saying that if I was pro I would be like all the other pros. I understand what I mean...
So what can I write about for my post this week? Originally my Justin Timberlake post was destined to be posted today but due to lack of posts from other writers I jumped in and saved the day! So I need some thinking time. Luckily due to this being text, the concept of time is thrown out of the window, so in the next sentence it would seem I have decided upon a topic rather quickly when in fact it was at least 7.3 minutes. I have decided what this post shall be, the clue is in the title. The newer, bigger title that totally kicks arse y'all!
Want to be updated about the latest posts on the Three Rs? Here's how...
-RSS Feed. The best and quickest way of knowing when we have updated which is often! Add it to your Firefox, Chrome and IE bookmarks! (That's all the bases covered: Nerds, Fanboys and Muggles respectively... Oh, and Safari? Meh.)
-Twitter. We only started it the other day but you should all follow it closely, that way we can rule the world keep you in the know.
-Follow this Blog. Yeah that's right. The Following feature does work on the Three Rs despite not conforming to Blogger. Take that Blogger!
-Google Reader. Basically the above but in a Google skin.
-My.Live.com. Basically the above but in a Windows Live skin. I'd be surprised if anyone used this feature. It's Windows Live after all, they're worse than us for plugging.
Ciao! (And don't forget to vote for us at the Blogger Choice Awards, it even has it's own section in the slidey thing on the left.)
TheThreeRs.co.uk has been entered into the "Blogger Choice Awards" and that means we need you votes so much.
We are nominated in the sections: Best Entertainment Blog and Best Blog About Stuff. Use the links below to vote and if you have to sign up please do it!
Hello everyone! I'm the new writer, call me Faith (: Mm, Let me start off with a little introduction about myself.
Nevertheless, I'll start posting for the site, and hope you'll enjoy my articles <3 Now History Lesson - A Coincidence
Now, I'm not sure if many of you are familiar with this, but this seem very interesting to me. Here's a History lesson for you all!
Abraham Lincoln was elected to Congress in Year 1846. Well, John F. Kennedy was elected to Congress in Year 1946.
Abraham Lincoln was elected President in Year 1860. Similarly, John F. Kennedy was elected President in Year 1960.
What's so similar?
Both were particularly concerned with civil rights. Both wives lost their children while living in the white house.
Both Presidents were shot in a Friday. Both Presidents were shot in the head.
However, it seems to get weirder…
Lincoln’s secretary was named Kennedy. Kennedy’s secretary was named Lincoln.
Both were assassinated by Southerners. Both were succeeded by Southerners named Johnson.
Andrew Johnson, who succeeded Lincoln, was born in 1808. Lyndon Johnson, who succeeded Kennedy, was born in 1908.
John Wilkes Booth, who assassinated Lincoln, was born in 1839. Lee Harvey Oswald, who assassinated Kennedy, was born in 1939.
Lincoln was shot at the theatre named Ford. Kennedy was shot in a car named “Lincoln” made by “Ford”.
Lincoln was shot in the theatre and his assassin ran and hid in a warehouse. Kennedy was shot in the warehouse and his assassin ran and hid in the theatre.
Booth and Oswald were assassinated before their trials.
A week before Lincoln was shot, he was in Monroe, Maryland. A week before Kennedy was shot, he was with Marilyn Monroe.
Something strange? Hmm..
Now, take a US dollar note, and fold it into half , flip both sides facing up, which makes up a shape like a pencil tip.
Do you see the Pentagon on fire?
Now, flip to the other side, do you see the Twins Towers on fire?
Flowing, structured prose - it's overrated, frankly. That and it can be tricky when you're in a blind rage against something or someone. Yes, this week, Thor's Day tackles one of the biggest companies in existence, and won't calm down until it's wiped off the face of the Earth by nuclear devices (or Large Hadron Colliders... better get that joke in before it does actually destroy the entire world).
The "golden arches" that everybody knows
So here we go, with a list of reasons to hate McDonald's:
Scary clowns are a genuine phobia for some people, which makes for a disturbing childhood trip to the circus. Circuses are easily avoidable, showings of Stephen King's It equally so. But how do you escape from mega-franchise McDonald's, who feature a freakish clown as their mascot?
Bad grammar aggravates a certain type of person. I'm one of them. "I'm lovin' it" is absurdly bad grammar. It's a stative verb in the present tense, I think. Anyway, you don't need big words to know they mean "I am in love with it" or "I love it". You may say it's a nonsense problem, but imagine the look on people's faces if you tell them you "love that girl" or are "loving that girl". Fundamentally different, I think we'll all agree.
Globalization means that everywhere ends up looking the same. A quaint, English town has the same burger and chips that you'll find in Quebec. Where's the fun in that? Well, actually, Thomas Friedman pointed out that the fun to be had here is that no countries with a McDonald's have gone to war when they have both had a McDonald's. However, some other historians say this isn't true. Just look at the recent war over South Ossesstia...
People are becoming fat and many are content to lay the blame with McDonald's. It's not really the fault of one (albeit massive) chain, but you can't deny they haven't helped promote unhealthy lifestyles. Even their salads have huge salt content. And nobody even bothers with salads. For further assisstance in grasping this content, go watch Supersize Me.
"Get 'em while they're young" seems to be part of the Big M's marketing strategy. Not content with clowns (that backfires occassionally, see above), the Happy Meals grab little nippers instantly. In fact, because of the cheap, chokable plastic tat they distribute, McDonald's are the world's largest toy distributor. It's a ruthless, and cunningly effective, strategy.
Wrecking Line Rider is, as I've pointed out before, not entirely McDonald's fault. But when they feature the web's latest fun trend, it instantly becomes uncool. Yes, even with a specially produced version for their website. If it was salvageable before, no one wants it now the scary clown people have snatched it up.
Ignoring workers' rights is pretty low on the agenda of "nice things to do", but McDonald's don't care. Illegal employing of children and over-working child labour sounds like the sort of sloppy work of trainer-making sweatshops in deepest, darkest China. But no, it happened in London and saw the Golden Arches fined £12,400. As I said...they love the kids.
McPrefix That prefix of "Mc" before everything is just infuriating. Want a chicken nugget? Well, tough, because there's no chicken, and in any case, it's a McNugget. Work at the hell-hole where your friends will ridicule you for it? McJob, that is. Yes, hand in your McCV and get your McMinimumWage.
That's all I can come up with, which is probably just as well. I have only eight reasons to justify myself against when I next pop into McDonald's for a tasty burger.
Multiplay to distribute 50,000 Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning BETA keys. Multiplay's new downloads service swings into action.
Southampton, September 4th 2008, Multiplay - one of the largest gaming communities in Europe - is pleased to announce it has 50,000 beta keys for Electronic
Arts' upcoming Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning MMO. The keys are for the open public beta and will be available from Thursday 4th September 2008 from Multiplay's new gaming downloads site, www.fileplay.net.
Upon entering WAR, players must determine their allegiance and join an army. Those inclined towards the side of good may fight for the Realm of Order as an obstinate Dwarf, noble High Elf, or loyal human soldier of the Empire. Those inclined towards darker deeds may side with the sinister Realm of Destruction as a savage Greenskin (Orc or Goblin), corrupt Dark Elf, or marauding human worshipper of Chaos.
For the first time, players can engage in Public QuestsTM; these community driven Player vs. Environment quests help to advance the game's story and allow all allied players within a certain location to participate in an ongoing, multi-stage battle. This is an example of how every aspect of the game, including PvE content, is geared towards the greater war in some important way. Players are not required to participate in Player vs. Player combat, and may aid in the Realm vs. Realm war effort and enjoy the game in its entirety via PvE content.
Drawing from a quarter century of highly detailed source material, Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning brings Games Workshop's fantasy world to life in a way that will allow players to create characters destined for great deeds and glory on the field of battle.
First up, I'd like to point out that I've finally changed my profile picture for Blogger (and my social networking sites in general) to something more er... modern. Or at least taken within the past week or so.
Here's today's sites that you should be checking out:
http://mazzanet.id.au/ball.php: 'Click The Ball' is a fun physics game I stumbled upon whilst reading the Total PC Gaming forum; basically, the aim of the game is to bounce the ball in such a position that you can click on it. Sounds simple, right? Well yeah, but me and a friend couldn't do it, whilst his 8 year old sister could do it a load of times. Give it a shot!
Secondly!
http://www.ukresistance.co.uk/2005/11/blue-sky-in-games-campaign-launched.html: This 'Blue Sky In Games' campaign is basically a page dedicated to how games should return to their retro, fantasy style instead of being about gang violence or whatever else. The movement ties in nicely with an article of mine I'll post on The Three Rs next week (its already published on Game Revolution, if you've been following me there) in which I make my own case for how videogame violence can be a very bad and pointless thing.
Off the back of successful reviews of Slipknot and DragonForce I though maybe it's time to show that the Three Rs is not as metal skewed as those reviews show. So now, I've delved into my iTunes and decided to review 2006 album FutureSex/LoveSounds.
Off the back of "Justified" mega star Justin Timberlake released FutureSex/LoveSounds, which promised to bring Sexy Back... The Three Rs reviews.
The album begins with title track FutureSex/LoveSounds, evident in the song is the lack of jump from his first offering. The bass of the song is well constructed with the chorus, making sure that during the verse the chorus is infectiously remembered. Adding another element to the song.
Early in the album comes the strongest of the album, Sexy Back. A simple repeating bassline with a catchy spoken hook which has broke the gimmick stage and become a common phrase in our everyday life: "I'm Bringing Sexy Back." The song does warrant a purchase of the album.
Though the standard is dropped for third track Sexy Ladies/Let Me Talk To You Prelude. Not too far though, but the chorus just simply lets the song down. Something Mr. Timberlake must learn is that people don't like bragging when it's clear it's not in jest. I have no care that he "has Sexy Ladies all over the floor" to be honest if he didn't I would of been shocked.
Luckily the pace is recaptured in My Love which is just as well built as Sexy Back. However what Sexy Back excels in, My Love staggers behind. Though the chorus is well written, the "Drop it Like it's Hot" clicking of fingers and clocking of tongues makes it feel dated. It's this reusage of previous ideas is what is killing the pop/R&B genre.
My criticism of My Love is made hypocritical as LoveStoned/I Think She Knows Interlude reuses the human sounds idea but makes it feel fresh, which is the mark of a true music genius. But the genius of this song is in the latter half where the pace is dropped for a Coldplay inspired melody. This drop in pace is well placed with a guitar entering the album occupied with violins. The song drips in credibility with JT's ability as a singer.
What Goes Around.../...Comes Around Interlude doesn't try to hold it's own but rather showcase other more slow tempo work. A smart move. Though it does layer JT's voice the effect works with the lyrics, connoting the idea that cheating happens to many people all the time. The "Cry Me a River" of FutureSex. Unfortunately it's not all good news, the last 3rd is ruined by a spoken word rap.
Three 6 Mafia spoil the party. Next is Chop Me Up a horribly clichéd rap song, something Timberlake has done well to dodge for this long. However not only is this a decline in song standard but it marks the start of the decline for the rest of the album.
Damn Girl is soaked in mid 20th century funk but lacks any chorus except for the repetition of "Damn Girl" 10 times. And with a guest spot for Will.i.am whose words are said at a completely different pace to the music. Messy to say the least.
If Chop Me Up is the clichéd rap song then Summer Love/Set the Mood (Prelude) is the clear clichéd pop song. Disappointing that the album has dropped in standard this much. It's clear that all the creative juices went of the opening half of the album, leaving this half to scrap for the little left.
He goes on to explain how long this album feels at this point Until The End Of Time. The opening lyrics give the feeling of an R. Kelly Trapped in the Closet before moving into everyone's-going-to-die lyrics. Despite an opening explaining he has "Sexy Ladies" being preached to was the last thing I thought I would be hearing.
If the creative juices analogy is correct then Losing My Way must have stolen the remaining liquid. Ironically the title explains the songs around it, not it's self. The song is a simple melody with a simple chorus and simple structure creating a simple song which is honestly pleasant without being patronising.
Leaving finally (Another Song) All Over Again which begs the question was Timberlake listening to Alica Keys during the writing of this song as it's basically every one of her songs mushed together. The song leaves very little to walk away from the album with except the knowledge that the skip button is needed to enjoy the album.
Most people knew Justified would be a tough act to follow, and the opening half of the album makes you genuinely believe the album is going to be bigger and better but alas the second half destroys the hope. What's next for Timberlake? A mini-album may be better for him next time.
Justin Timberlake - FutureSex/LoveSounds: 2.5/5 - Maybe time to drop Timbaland and hire the Neptunes again.
Album Picks
- Sexy Back
- My Love
- LoveStoned/I Think She Knows Interlude
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Now I'm no shoe maniac, considering I only buy two pairs of shoes per year, but when I go out to buy shoes I want to make sure they're nice and sturdy. But what agitates me every time I go out to buy a new pair is that I practically have to argue with myself out of buying Velcro shoes.
You want to know why I would like to buy Velcro shoes? Because instead of sitting there tying your shoes for a minute I'm already out out the door in my new Velcro shoes. Yes, some people may call me lazy for not wanting to tie my shoes but I say, "WHY SHOULD I HAVE TO?" I mean, if I want to get my shoes on, Velcro them up quickly, then head out the door, what's stopping me?
(Above: HAHA ENJOY YOUR INFERIOR SHOES)
There was a time when Velcro shoes were popular, I remember it quite fondly. I was about 8 or 9 (or whenever Velcro shoes were popular) and I was loving the fact that I could get on my shoes and go in about 10-15 seconds. But now, (you know, today) you barely see them on the shelf at all.
(Its not laziness its called being pratical! )
To wrap this up I think Velcro shoes should become popular again, just so I can have an excuse to wear them. Anyone else share my opinions? Tell me about it in the comments.
The following is taken from DW's 'High Concept' blog; basically a collection of unfinished and short stories that he's come up with. I found it fascinating to read, and will hopefully satisfy some of you bored at work. Peace and love, y'all. Her blood sprayed perfectly, perfectly splattering the perfect white walls, perfectly pooling on the perfect oak floorboards. Ryan closed his eyes momentarily, and felt the blood splatter across his face and neck, it had all been so easy, and now she was gone.
He looked down at the scene in front of him; it hadn't been clean, despite his meticulous planning. In a twisted way, she looked almost beautiful, spread-eagled across the floor of her living room, the blood pooling around the gaping wound in her skull. The blood was darker then he imagined it would be, her eyes still and lifeless, skin already losing the healthy shine that made her so attractive to him while she was alive.
But she wasn't merely attractive now; she was a work of art, and he, the artist. He looked down at the wrench in his hand, Taken from the shed attached to the ground floor of the house, felt it suddenly become heavy in his hands, guilt creeping into the dark corners of his head.
There was only one thing worse then unrequited love, and that was regret, And what he was feeling now, well it was pretty close to regret. It had sounded so simple in his head, He forgot the most important part of it all, That he had loved her, and that maybe, just maybe, he would feel almost bad for snuffing out a flame that, undoubtedly burned brighter then average. He felt anger at himself, and that he should call the police immediately, turn himself in, that he should go to the kitchen, and hack away at his arms till nothing remained bar bloody wounds.
He shook his head, the guilt receding back into the darkest corners. Turned away from the scene. He needed a cigarette.
He stepped out of the back door to her two-bedroom house in a quiet suburb, away from the bustle of inner city London, where they had both worked. He lit the cigarette, hands shaking, and took a long drag. The voice in his head took on an almost mocking tone "Nice work, Genius." It said, the voice resounding off the inside of his skull, so loud he was surprised none of her neighbours came to their windows, curtains twitching. He stood in the dark, Silent, not a noise but the dull thudding of his heart against the inside of his chest. As he finished the cigarette, he realised he was still carrying the bloody wrench, in a white knuckled vicelike grip. He looked at it accusingly, and opened the back door, stepping inside.
As Ryan stepped back inside, the smell of death hit him for the first time, making him shake his head for a second time as he entered the living room. To his surprise, She was sitting up, perfectly calm, Eyes open. The bloody wound in her head clearly visible. "Guess I'll have to call in sick tomorrow, Eh Ryan?" she said, morosely. He blinked, Shook his head again, but when he opened his eyes, she was still there, Large as life.
"What the fuck?" was all he could mutter, his eyes locked to hers.
"I really didn't expect this. I hope your proud of yourself Ryan, You've definitely screwed it up this time, I hope you don't think I'm going to take you back now, Because its just not going to happen." She said, a hint of anger noticeable in her voice. Ryan shuffled his feet uncomfortably. "Sorry" he mumbled, His mind going into overdrive. "I didn't mean to.. I didn't want to… I don't know. It just happened. I'm sorry." She frowned disapprovingly, "Don't give me that, Sorry isn't going to bring me back to life is it? No. No its not. You've really fucked it all up. Your such a dickhead sometimes."
His temper snapped. He lunged forwards, bringing the wrench up again, To strike her, an almost animal growl escaping from between his bared teeth. "You fucking bitch, ill kill you again" he said, A red haze descending. He swung, once, twice, many times, a scream erupting from his lungs, until eventually, he stopped, Breath ragged, chest heaving. He looked down at her. She wasn't art anymore. Bloody chunks of bone littered the carpet, and there was nothing more. Ryan looked down at her, "Sorry" he murmered again, as he heard a sound worse then anything the voice in his head could produce. It was a knock at the front door.
Unfortunately still no snazzy banner for this section. But anyway time for this month's question, I've decided for another gaming question this month. Hopefully people will think this is topical unlike last months...
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