My Random Blog
Snowdon
010 months ago
by Phlashman
in Random Posts
Me, Joe and Wayne
Yeah, 4 months later… So in the last 4 month’s I’ve lost a bit of weight, well, really quite a bit, 30kg (4.7 Stone, if you use medieval measurements). I’m going to blog about that in much more depth in the next few weeks. But today I did something I just wouldn’t of been able to do 4 months ago, I got to the top of Snowdon, the biggest mountain in Wales (1085m).
It was not easy, even more so given we took the longest route right from the very bottom (a lot of people start at least a 3rd of the way up, cheats). Steep doesn’t being to describe some of the climbs, the going was very rough and the ground in places was very loose. I certainly have a lot of respect for the people who do the 3 peaks challenge (of which Snowdon is 1 peak) in 24 hours.
By the end my legs were jelly, properly done, not an ounce more strength to do anything. So as I sit here pretty knackered about to get an early night, I thought I’d post some of the pictures with a few captions to give you an idea of my day. After all the hard work I’ve put into losing weight and getting healthier today was a real milestone and would of been totally unachievable for me just a few months ago. I’d like to thank my brothers, Wayne and Joe, for coming with me. Wayne for the lift and Joe for the directions on the way back. We were all knackered in the end, but it was a good adventure.
First, here’s the stats from my fitbit ultra (a super pedometer thing for measuring exercise which I’ll blog about in the getting healthy blog soon).
Stats for the whole day, it’s fair to say I have a few floors climbed in the bank now.
These are the stats from the moment we started out to when we got back to the car.
Wayne and Joe in love
Wayne had an odor problem most of the day.
But after a gust of wind it wasn’t that bad.
At this point I thought we were quite high up. We weren’t.
Still not very high.
Wayne though he could see Harry from One Direction.
Good job the barbed wire was there to stop people falling to their doom.
Not even slightly near the top.
As always I was waiting for Joe and Wayne to catch up.
Near the top, right? Nah.
“This is the top, right?”
“No.”
The Top! – Also crowded.
Extreme close-up at the top. Look at the people faking a picture at the top several feet below. The Shame.
Wayne got there too.
So that was it. Great day out, exhausting, but worth it.
Laters.
Ashley.
Quick update with a slight hint of Apple
01 year ago
So since my last blog Apple held an event announcing the new iPad… which is it’s name, not iPad 3, not 2S, it’s back to just “iPad”. Which makes sense, as soon all the numbers are going to get silly.
Anyway, it is pretty much what everyone expected. Retina display, extra grunt, extra camera goodness, extra battery. I went for the 64GB WiFi in the end and it arrives on or before this Friday. I really can’t wait. The people who’ve had hands time on say the display is really something to behold. I’ll blog my thoughts after I’ve had it for a few days.
Also announced was an upgraded Apple TV, with 1080p. As I’ve blogged before I’ve been waiting for that before buying, so I also have that on the way. I plan on using it mainly as a Netflix machine, I use a VPN type service to login to Netflix USA. It’s got a much better selection than what’s here in the UK. I’m paying Netflix so morally I’m happy with it. Just a shame a paying customer has to do such a thing purely because he lives in a different country to someone else.
Along with the Apple TV, Apple announced Movies in the cloud, which is a great step in the right direction. Basically any film you’ve bought from iTunes in the past is re-downloadable or streamable to your iDevices. The service also lets you stream any films that you got “digital copies” with, remember that leaflet in those triple play blu-rays? That. I thought I had a few of these, but it turns out I only have 2. At least forever more I’ll have access to Paul and Rise of the Planet of the Apes on my iDevices!
I rarely buy blu-rays, and now this is available, physically buying a film seems very unlikely in the future for me.
Still it’s not the perfect solution, as I’ve said before I’d quite happy pay £100 a month for a service that gives me access to the most awesome media library ever. Every film, TV show, album and single I can think of to stream in the best quality the device I want to watch or listen on can handle, with every song available. The music side is nearly there with Spotify, Netflix is a start on the TV and Movie front… but it’s not the future… yet.
Laters.
Ashley.
iPad for Beginners – Part Four: Games
01 year ago
by Phlashman
in Technology
Now, games. For me, in many situations the iPad is the ultimate game device. Sure, if I want to sit down for a few hours of Mass Effect or Call or Duty I’m going to want to play on my big TV and my Xbox. The iPad is not a home console replacement. But, for me, it does render mobile consoles useless (3DS/Vita). While they both have buttons and sticks to emulate the console experience on the go, gaming on the iPad isn’t really about that. It’s about simpler, quicker experiences to fill 5-30 minutes at a time. Not needing a 5 minute cut seen to explain why you’re about to kill everything in sight.
What I like most about iPad gaming is it’s a place where lots of game designers are testing out new ideas, bringing gameplay back to it’s very core. In my opinion the iPad (and iOS) is where all the most original game design is coming from at this moment. Whilst consoles are getting sequel after sequel, every week brings something new in iOS gaming. So while the guide below is a good start, keep an eye on my twitter for more suggestions and keep your eyes on sites like TouchArcade.com for the next big thing.
Sign up for Game Center and feel free to add me as a friend, ashley at this website’s domain is my email.
Before I get to the games I just want to also alert you to the fact there’s a lot of deals and price cuts that happen with games on iOS, it’s quite easy to get games that sell for £4.99 for £1.49 or even 69p if you play the waiting game. But every game I post here are well worth the price I’ve put here.
So, on with the games.
Beat Sneak Bandit – £1.99 (Download)
This came out this week, so it’s brand new and had a lot of hype. It lives up to that hype and then some, I’ve been addicted to it for the last few days. Basically, you’re trying to rob an evil person’s mansion of clocks that he stole from the town. But his house is all funky and every thing moves in time with the music, including you, the beat sneak bandit. Have a look at the trailer, I think it explains better.
Puzzlejuice – £1.49 (Download)
I love word games, and this is one of the best. Basically it’s Tetris & Boggle, you make a line and the blocks turn to letters, then you find words and the block disappear. Again the trailer below will probably explain it better. It’s awesome.
Puzzlejuice Launch Trailer from Asher Vollmer on Vimeo.
World of Goo HD – £2.99 (Download)
Originally made for Windows and WiiWare, then Mac and Linux, but it’s release on iPad feels like it was made for a large touch screen. This game is just beautiful, the music is amazing and the gameplay is simple but challenging. The aim is to use the goo balls to build bridges over levels. Note: make sure you get the HD version, which I’ve linked above.
Osmos HD – £2.99 (Download)
Another beautiful game with outstanding music. Think the early stages of Spore but more classy. There’s a range of different game modes, from a screen packed with enemies that you have to slowly absorb to become the biggest cell on the screen, to an game that involves plotting your orbit. Here’s the trailer:
Whale Trail – £0.69 (Download)
The last two games are pretty heavy, so now the happiest game I’ve ever played. Whale Trail is your simple everyday story about a flying whale that farts rainbows called Willow. The basic gameplay is a little like Tiny Wings, but more free style, you press the screen to pull up from a dip and keep flying, hold down and you do a loop. Simple right? Well, no. There’s two modes an “endless” style classic mode that just keeps going until you run out of rainbow fart. The second is a challenge mode, which has the same gameplay but the level is more challenging and has an end point. You have to get a certain score to pass the level and unlock new one. It gets extremely hard.
Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP – £2.99 (Download)
The multi-award winning masterpiece, I cannot type words that do it justice.
Jetpack Joyride – Free (Download)
So you’re a guy breaking out of a secret lab with a Jetpack. Simple gameplay has you seeing how far you can go, there’s a lot of ‘Freemium’ going on in this game, but it’s up to you if you want a jetpack that shoots out rainbows or not.
Tiny Invaders – £0.69 (Download)
This game is from some guys (Hog Rocket) who worked at Bizzare Creations (the Project Gotham Racing guys) before they went bust. Not that that would give you any sort of idea about this game. Very well made, great fun.
Collision Effect – £0.69 (Download)
I have spent hundreds of hours staring at this game. It’s a simple puzzle, you press one colour orb (called a Zybble) and all the orbs of that colour move towards it. But once you start including dozens of orbs in many colours it starts to get really hard. There’s also a classic mode that keeps throwing new orbs on the screen before you know it it’s geo-wars levels of craziness.
Contre Jour HD – £1.99 (Download)
This game reminds me of World of Goo’s styling, it’s gameplay is almost familiar too, a mash up of bumpy road and cut the rope. You move the ground and environnent to more ‘Petit’, a little ball like character, through a level. There are loads of levels, each one you’re scored out of three. While many iPad game have the same features, this game is the only one that brings the all together and so well.
Bike Baron – £0.69 (Download)
I went through a few games looking for an iOS “Trials HD” type game, some where alright but Bike Baron ended my search. So, it’s basically “Trails HD” for the iPad, what else do you need to know? Level editor included.
And that’s it for now. 10 great games, total cost: £17.20. As you can see I’ve kept away from the “big” iOS games like Angry Birds, Cut the Rope, Infinity Blade etc. etc. not that they are bad games or not worth what they cost, I just assume you’ll probably know of them already. I hope I’ve highlighted some games you might not of heard of. I’m going to try and post little updates when I find new games so keep tuned into my twitter and this blog.
If you’ve read all the iPad guides, I hope I’ve helped clear things up. As an iPad user now for 2 years I truly believe it’s the future of the PC, it’s changed my computing life. Thanks for reading.
Ashley.
iPad for Beginners – Part Three: Non-game apps
01 year ago
OK, on with the important stuff. Apps.
There are over 500,000 apps on the app store, over 160,000 are iPad specific and the fact is a lot of them are… well… shit. Apple do a half decent job at highlighting the good stuff, but it’s not perfect. So I’m going to run through my must have, most used apps. I mainly use my iPad at home and during lunch at work, I suspect most people will use it the same way, but if you’re using it more for work then you might want to look more into business and productivity apps.
Obviously, if you’ve already got an iPhone the chances are you’ve already got some iPad apps, as universal app have become quite standard (apps that work on both iPad and iPhone, with different interface for each). There are still a few times where developers put out “HD” versions for iPad at a bit more cost, but it’s happening less and less.
Anyway lets get started.
Twitter – Free (Download)
For me, the iPad is the perfect twitter device and the iPad app is awesome. There are other twitter clients out there, even good ones like Tweetbot but they cost and Free is a great price. It makes checking on your tweets during an ad break quick and easy.
Flipboard – Free (Download)
When the iPad came along it was hailed as the saviour of the publishing industry, everyone would start buying digital newspapers and magazines and every would live happily ever after. WRONG! Most newspaper and magazine apps are crap, nothing more than expensive PDF readers (looks at Future publishing). Luckily, someone got it right, perfectly right. Flipboard is a personalised magazine, you give it access to your twitter and facebook (if you have one) and it pulls all the links your friends posted and creates a magazine out of it. Just follow all your favourite sites and you’ll be set.
Wikipanion – Free (Download)
This is a prime example of an app that makes a popular site much easier to use on the iPad. The browser is great, but sometimes you notice sites weren’t really designed with touch in mind, or some clever clogs thought you should get the mobile version and you get some stupid super-sized mobile site.
IMDb – Free (Download)
Again, another better than using their site app. iPad is great for that “Who’s that guy? I’ve seen him in something else.” thing you get when watching TV. A good challenge is trying to “Kevin Bacon” you’re way to the film/show your looking for from the front page.
Comic by Comixology – Free (Download)
Digital comics, done right. Comixology is the Comics app. DC and Marvel both use versions of it as their apps, but no need to get the individual apps for each publisher as they are just this app, with the selection limited to just DC or Marvel. All the comics in those apps are available in this one app. They have some same day as print releases (though if you hang on a month or two you get a price drop) and almost every publisher going (DC, Marvel, Image, Boom! and IDW) the one big one missing is Dark Horse. Loads of free stuff. Just plain awesome.
Dark Horse Comics – Free (Download)
The only major hold out from Comixology, they do Hellboy, Star Wars, Conan and Mass Effect. I wish so bad they’d join Comixology.
iBooks – Free (Download)
Strangely this isn’t included on your iPad so you have download it separate. I prefer the reading experience on iBooks to that on the kindle app, but the truth is the selection and prices are better on the kindle, plus you’re not limited to iDevices for reading. But iBooks is worth having as there are more interactive books (see the recently released textbooks), it has the store built in (Kindle you have to through Amazons website) and it’s also a very decent PDF reader… but also get the Kindle app.
iPlayer – Free (Download)
Out of all the versions of iPlayer I’ve seen and used, the iPad version is the best. You know what it does, it does it extremely well. Also with the addition of an adapter or the Apple TV it’s easy to flick it up to a big screen.
Sky Go – Free* (Download),
Sky+ – Free* (Download),
Sky News – Free* (Download),
Sky Sports News – Free* (Download),
Sky Movies – Free* (Download)
So if you’ve got Sky, good news. They are awesome on the app front (* = if you’re a Sky subscriber). Ok, it’s the evil Murdoch empire but the fact is that if you want decent content in the UK you’re going to have to deal with Sky. Setup a Sky ID on their site, link it to your box and you get loads of good stuff. Set recordings from the Sky+ App and the Sky Movies app, watch from anywhere with Sky Go, get a good dose of right wing propaganda from Sky news or keep on top of the transfer deadline day stuff with Sky Sport news.
Ted – Free (Download)
If you’ve not heard of the TED talks then you’re missing out. Inspirational talks and presentations from awesome people, for free. If you’re bored you can use their selector to pick a talk to suit how long you’ve got. From 5 minutes to an hour. Awesome.
Domino’s Pizza – Free (Download)
Well, the pizza isn’t free. But it’s a cool way to order. If you’ve got mates round you can easily pass it around and everyone can order their own easily. Top tip: follow dominos_uk on twitter, they are always tweeting money off codes. All the deals on the website also appear on the app.
Rightmove – Free (Download)
I have to admit I’m a rightmove addict. I can’t stop looking at houses, especially looking at those £1m+ ones… you know, just in case I win the lottery.
eBay – Free (Download)
Another app to replace using a website. If you’re a big eBayer it’s simply a most have. If not, it’s a nice quick way for checking prices of stuff if you’re thinking of selling something.
My Xbox Live – Free (Download)
A simple Xbox live app from Microsoft. Allows you to watch some Xbox Live videos but more importantly lets you quickly check your friends list to see who’s online.
Tesco Recipes – Free (Download)
Surprisingly this isn’t really a recipes app. It’s the iPad version of their groceries app and it’s awesome. If you use Tesco online, you need this.
Google Search – Free (Download)
It’s a disguised version of chrome for iPad, normal search, voice search and access to all their web apps. If you use a lot of google services you’ll get some use out of this.
So wow, that’s quite a few to get you started. All free too. There’s loads and loads more. My biggest tip for buying apps is to read a few reviews or watch some Youtube videos before you put any money on the line as there’s still a lot of crap out there. But there’s some totally awesome stuff too. Speaking of awesomeness. I’ll cover games in my next and last blog of this guide.
Ashley.
iPad for Beginners – Part Two: Accessories and Setup
01 year ago
So after the last blog, you’re sure of what iPad you’re getting. Well done, you are now ultra cool.
Now, while that’s great and being ultra cool is getting you all the ladies (or men), a better job and generally making the world more awesome. There’s a few thing you could do with knowing to make the most of your new found awesomeness. So in this blog I’m going to tell you what the deal is about iPads and cases/covers, go over the various attachments you can get, explain the situation with Apple TV and tell you about some setup things and settings you won’t know about.
Cases/Covers
You need to protect your new precious. But not too much, it’s a strong device, it’s carved out of aluminium. You can throw it across the room… so long as it lands on a sofa or bed. It doesn’t need some kind of custom condom case that it lives in 24/7, but it will need something to protect it while it’s in your bag with other things. I’ve used a simple pocket like case from etsy.com (just search for iPad), it’s been great for my iPad 1. I might also pick up a smart cover this time round as it seems like it could be handy, proving a stand as well as an extra layer of protection. If you don’t intend on travelling with it and just using it around the home, you won’t need a case or cover at all.
Attachments
Now, Apple decided that the iPad doesn’t need SD card slots and USB ports and video out ports and power sockets… so all you get is the universal 30pin iPad/iPhone/iPod cable hole they’ve used for years and years. The good news is that this means lots of existing docks also work with iPad (if you can make it fit). The bad news is if you want to connect it to anything other than wirelessly you’ll need an adapter. Luckily Apple provide plenty of these over priced adapters. So there’s the Camera Adapter, which gives you a USB port, it’s designed for use with cameras, but has been used for other things, but don’t go expecting to connect your printer or scanner up and have it work. Then there’s the SD card Adapter, which like the Camera Adapter is really just a reader and pulls images off your SD card. Don’t expect to put an SD card in and access it from your apps to save documents and apps too. Then you’ve got the video and audio adapters, HDMI, VGA, Component and Composite all have their own Adapters to let you mirror the video and audio on your device. This can be used to create a poor man’s Apple TV Airplay type feature where you can mirror what’s happening on your iPad to a TV or projector… which leads me on to.
Apple TV
Apple TV offers a feature called Airplay, this lets you wirelessly send video and audio to your TV from your iPad. It offers the same mirroring as the Adapters, so you just see exactly the same as what is on the iPad, but it can also do one better. It can send content that isn’t mirrored, full screen. For example, you can be using the iPlayer app, you press the airplay button and it sends it to your TV, but on the iPad it still shows the controls, or another example would be Real Racing where it can send the gameplay of you racing to the TV, but have the track map and lap times on your iPad. This the Adapters can’t do. But where as an adapter will cost you £30-40 the Apple TV will cost you £100. My advice here is to wait for a 1080p Apple TV, it’s probable it could released along side the new iPad.
Setup and Settings
iOS (the operating system that runs on iPhones and iPads) hit version 5 late last year, it bought some upgrades that now lets you startup and setup your iPad straight out of the box. In fact it’s recommended you don’t plug it into your PC or Mac. If you’ve got an iPhone, the chances are you’ve already got your iCloud account setup, if you haven’t do so now, setting up it a breeze just enter your Apple ID email and password (the one you use to login to iTunes) and it’ll do the rest. As long as you’ve got a WiFi network you be setup in a few minutes. Yes you want Location Services, yes you want iCloud on, yes you want a daily back-up to iCloud and yes you want find my iPad and you’re done.
Well not really. There’s a few settings in the Settings app you want to change. The first one is in general settings, it’s to switch the side switch to Lock Rotation. This makes it so the screen doesn’t reorientate itself when you tip it on it’s side. I makes reading while lying down far better. Also right under that you can turn multitouch gestures on, this is also awesome. Also in the setting app you can also sign in with your twitter account to allow system wide twittering!
And that’s about all the basics covered. With regards to all the accessories, honestly… I don’t have any of them, bar a case I just have my iPad and have never felt I need any of the extras. My best advice would be to have your iPad and use it for a while before deciding on getting extras. I’m thinking of getting an Apple TV once they go 1080p.
If you’re going to get one iPad accessory, I’d get a nice sized iTunes voucher, because apps and games are what make it all so great. In my next blog I’ll cover the non-game apps and the last one will be about games.
So see you soon.
Ashley.
iPad for Beginners – Part One: Hardware
01 year ago
by Phlashman
in Technology
Hello, long time no post… blah blah blah. Let’s get to it.
So the iPad 3 is just about here, all rumours point to it coming in early March 2012 and I think quite a few people will be jumping aboard the iPad power boat of love. I myself have been on board since the iPad 1, I love it, I’ve held off getting the iPad 2 as I knew the 3 would be bringing all the stuff I wanted. So thinking there’s going to be a lot of people getting iPads for the first time I thought I’d put together a guide to my must know knowledge as a 2 year iPad owner and what apps and games you simply must get.
I’m going to split it up into a few parts. First, I just want to go over the rumours about the iPad 3 hardware so you can navigate the next few weeks a make decisions to what you want/will want. All the most reliable sources are pointing to a launch in the first week of March.
Nothing is official about the iPad 3 yet, so this is all based on rumour and speculation but some of it is extremely likely. The most likely thing is the new iPad will be the shame shape and size as the iPad 2, it might be a slight bit thinner or thinker but you probably won’t be able to spot the difference. Forget the idea of a smaller iPad or even a bigger one for that matter. All of the changes are going to be internal, but just because you can’t see it doesn’t mean it’s not important.
The put your mortgage on it, 99.999% certain upgrade is the screen being upgraded to a “Retina” display. Like the iPhone 4, the iPad 3 will cram 4 times the number of pixels into it’s screen, giving it display where it’ll be extremely hard to see the individual pixels. Why? Reading text, viewing pictures and video will be far easier on the eye. If you get the chance to look at an iPhone 3/3GS next to an iPhone 4/4S you’ll see the difference is night and day. For me if this was the only upgrade I would see it as a must buy.
But the good news is that’s not going to be the only upgrade! The more pixels means Apple are going to need to beef up the power of the iPad, so a better CPU and GPU (processor and graphic processor) will be almost dead certainties too. The CPU could easily double the performance of the iPad 2, which is far from a slouch, and the GPU could be many times faster (the iPad 2 GPU is 7 times faster than the one in the original iPad). In fact it should out power the chip Sony is using in their new mobile Playstation the ‘Vita’ which is made for games and getting rave reviews for the quality of the graphics it can display.
The last upgrade you can bank on is an improved camera. The one from the iPhone 4S is a prime candidate, HD video, stunning stills, it’s just the type of camera that can produce images that will look great on the new retina display.
Other less likely or unknown upgrades include 4G mobile technology (which will be pointless for UK users) and improved battery life (though the extra power might be needed to drive all the new stuff).
The last rumour is that the iPad 2 will continue to be made, but sold at a cut price and maybe available in just a single configuration. The rumoured price cut would be to between $299 and $399 (from $499 for the base 16Gb WiFi model) which should mean £225 to £300 once it’s over here and VAT has been added.
So crunch time? What do you get?
Assuming they’ll keep the same price and model structure I’m getting the 64Gb WiFi + 3G option. The top dog. Why? Honestly in two years I’ve never used the 3G, but I have used the GPS, which is only on the 3G models. If the WiFi came with GPS I wouldn’t bother with the 3G. But I don’t see it happening. 64Gb, well my 32Gb iPad 1 has 12Gb left, I’d imagine over the next few years I’m going to buy many more apps, games and comics which would put me above the 32Gb mark, so 64Gb it is. But recommending the best of the best is an easy thing to do, if money is tighter you’ve really got to consider the options.
A cheap iPad 2 would be a fantastic bargin, even at a year old it’s not been surpassed, and there’s so many out there it’s going to be a target device for years to come. A second hand iPad 1 (of which there will be many on ebay at great prices) I’d probably avoid, unless you are looking for a device to give to the kids. If you are torn between a cheap iPad 2 and base model iPad 3, my advice would be to go into your nearest Apple store and judge for yourself. The retina display will need to be seen to be believed.
For most people, the best recommendation will be the iPad 3 32Gb WiFi at £429, for most the 3G isn’t worth it and in my opinion 16Gb won’t last you more than 2 years of apps, even more so as app and game sizes are on the increase.
Oh, and get a black one.
So there you have it, my opinion on the hardware. If you have any question feel free to tweet me or leave a comment. Next I’ll look at apps and some tips and tricks so you can get the most out of your iPad.
Next up, I’ll be blogging about Apps and Accessories. Hopefully have that up tomorrow.
Ashley.
Snippet Posted: 1 year ago
Steve Job 1955-2011
Star Wars in HD is Here! I’m not watching it because…
01 year ago
If you’ve read my blog before then you’ll probably have seen my Star Wars rant. If you didn’t, basically, I wanted to watch Star Wars, I am a geek after all, but there was no way to watch it in HD at will, via the internet, legally and I was right pissed off.
Anyway, today marks a big day, the Star Wars Blu-rays have come out! Hell, I even held the box in my hand at lunch time in Morrisons. It’s 100% real. So why am I here blogging about why I’m NOT watching it this very second?
Well, where to start. First, I have to admit, I think I’m over physical copies. I have a huge amount of DVD’s in my living room. Several hundred, but really all they do is take up room. I probably haven’t watched any of them for years, I wouldn’t be surprised if some of them haven’t been played for the best part of 10 years. So as I look at my growing blu-ray collection I feel it happening all over again. I love the blu-ray quality, but I’m over having a disc and a box. Recently having switched to Mac, having all my browser settings in the cloud, I was setup in second, having all my music with Spotify in the cloud, again, I was setup in seconds. Recently an update to the comics app on my iPad wiped all the downloads I’d already got… but they where all stored on the cloud for re-downloading and on my fast connection it was a very quick and painless process. With the iCloud coming in a few weeks, buying it on iTunes and having it re-downloadable would of been the perfect solution right?
My DVD collection, busy collecting dust.
No, for me iTunes still isn’t the answer. HD films generally cost more than the blu-ray, and are at much lower quality… and Star Wars isn’t on iTunes. The same goes for all the other big download services, maybe on Zune/Xbox the quality thing isn’t an issue, I did watch Harry Potter 7 though it recently and was pleasantly surprised by the blu-ray like 1080p quality.
But all in this isn’t why I’m not watching Star Wars. So what next?
In the last few weeks as certain press people have been given access to the blu-rays, people started to notice George Lucas has been up to his old tricks. These are “Special” “Special editions”. A CG Yoda in Episode 1, no real problem with that (that turd needs all the polishing it can get), improving the brightness of Lighsabers in Episode 6, so they don’t look like they are going through each other… fine, not a biggie. Adding dialogue to Darth Vader, in probably the most pivotable moments of cinema history? Han still shooting last?
Someone needs to tell Lucas to stop. The scene with the added dialogue is the worst for me, as it was one of my favourite scenes and being near the end of the entire saga I’m going to be transfixed on that moment coming up throughout.
So am I being a hardcore geek and boycotting these versions of the films I love because George Lucas has ruined my childhood memories?
No. The reason why I’m not watching Star Wars right now is, I’m a bit skint until the end of the month and the day I’m getting paid I’m picking up the tarnished versions, in a format I really don’t want because I’m a geek and it’s still Star Wars.
And Evil old man Lucas will probably collect from me again when a proper Digital version is available.
Ashley.
Snippet Posted: 1 year ago
Got thinking last night about reclaiming my living room. Stripping it all out and have a just big sofa, big TV, gadgets (Xbox, blu-ray, Sky HD, speakers etc) and some nice art on the wall. I’d also change my bedroom to just a bed and TV, no xbox, no blu-ray, no surround sound, no other furniture except may a bedside table.
But I thought about it more and research what stuffed I’d need/want and it’s getting expensive, and I don’t want to do it on the cheap. So I think I’ll have to wait for a while and save, and by a while I mean like a year.
Snippet Posted: 1 year ago
Everything gets a Hitler Downfall video now, the new Star Wars Blu-ray are no different.
via @MJDodd