Blog

The thoughts, opinions, happenings, and just plain ramblings of a seemingly boring person.

Rants

The Best and Worst of 2013

Categories Gaming, Movies, Rants

It's my usual 'Best and Worst' post time! For those not familiar, I summarise the best and worst movies and games that I have watched and played this calendar year. These are only from the movies/games that I have personally watched/played, so it's definitely not exhaustive.

Movies

Keeping in mind that I have only seen one movie out of those that were released over the Christmas/Boxing Day period, here is a list of the movies that I have watched so far this year.Django Unchained

Best Movie: Django Unchained

Usually a movie will jump out at me as one of the … Read more →

Windows 8.1 Thoughts

Categories Geekery, Rants, Technology

After being on Windows 8 since I built the new computer, I was quite eager to see how Windows 8.1 would improve upon the deficiencies that I have previously criticised.

As a whole, I think it is a bit of a mixed bag. There are some good improvements. For example, the implementation of a 'Start' button goes some way to easing the transition for Windows users, and provides a visual cue of functionality that was previously only an unmarked 'hover' corner. But really, it is only a square that does the same thing as the Start key on … Read more →

The End of My Affinity for Google: Reader to be Shut Down

Categories Internet, Rants, Technology

Google Reader Shut Down

Today it was announced that Google will be shutting down its online RSS-feed aggregator, Google Reader. Ironically, I first found out about the announcement through Google Reader as I am subscribed to the Official Google Blog through it.

To say that I am disappointed with this news is an understatement. Along with Gmail and Google Calendar, Google Reader is one of three Google products that I use all day, every day.

After trying to find a suitable RSS aggregator almost seven years ago, I eventually settled on Google Reader and have been using it every day I've been on … Read more →

Expensive HDMI Cables are a Rort: Don’t Be a Sucker

Categories Rants, Technology

HDMI cableI've been wanting to write this for a while, and keep on forgetting.

Yesterday my parents got a WDTV, and as a result, needed a new HDMI cable to connect it to their TV. Being  around the Carindale Westfield, we decided to try and get the HDMI cable from there, so we went to a couple of the electronics retailers to try to buy a reasonably priced 1+ metre HDMI cable.

JB-HiFi had a generic brand 1.2m for $30, Dick Smith's had their own DSE generic brand 1.5m for $40, Harvey Norman had Philips 1.5m for $50 and a Monster … Read more →

Why Football Will Never (properly) Take Off in Australia

Categories Football, Rants

Football On TVTime for my first rant of the year!

Football has come a long way in Australia. Not just Australia, but in other western countries where the game has not been traditionally popular (think USA, Canada, New Zealand, etc.), its popularity both in participation and attendance has largely been on the increase in the past couple of decades.

However, as much as it pains me to say it, football will never properly take off in Australia, or really in any westernised country where it isn't already entrenched. In my opinion there's one very simple and very significant reason why it won't: … Read more →

The Best and Worst of 2012

Categories Gaming, Movies, Rants

Like last year's 'Best and Worst' post, this year has been a bit lean gaming-wise. Finishing off building our house and moving in in the first quarter, and planning and taking holidays in the latter half of the year go someway to explaining it, and the aging console generation might too,  but I'm beginning to fear that I might be moving away from gaming.

Also continuing on from last year, we saw a lot of movies. My count is 32 released in this calendar year.

Anywho, here is my critical wrap of 2012.

Movies
(see here for a … Read more →

Is Google Becoming Evil? Free Google Apps No More

Categories Internet, Rants, Technology

Google Apps Not FreeI'm a big Google user; and by that, I don't just mean that I use their search engine.

Over the years, I've increasingly centred my online life around the company's products: I use Gmail for email, Google Calendar is now my organiser, I have an Android phone that syncs to both, and recently I also used Google Docs (now 'Drive') for collaborative docs and spreadsheeting during the house construction, and so on.

But in considering all that, probably the single product that I've voluntarily advertised, espoused, and assisted friends and family in terms of setting them up with, is Google … Read more →

Aus. Government Abandons Internet Filter Plans

Categories Geekery, Rants, Technology

It was 'shelved' as a policy prior to the last Federal election, but now the Australian Government has finally publicly abandoned its quite stupid policy of implementing compulsory internet filtering. I have been a quite vocal opponent of the policy since its announcement in 2008, and am not surprised by this backdown.

Since Julia Gillard's toppling of Kevin Rudd, following the 2010 election the implementation of the filter was never going to happen. Poll after poll showed its unpopularity, and internet experts and technology industry insiders' continuous criticism on whether it could be practically implemented, let alone be effective … Read more →

Compulsory ISP Data Retention

Categories Internet, Rants, Technology

Government internet spyingFor all the goodwill that this government has generated among IT people with the NBN, it always seems to have something up their sleeve that goes way too far in terms of people's "safety".

Previous plans for compulsory internet filtering have thankfully (and hopefully permanently) been shelved. Now the Government seems to be proceeding with plans to make ISPs and telecommunications providers compulsorily store and retain customer usage data for two years. Whilst it hasn't yet been revealed specifically what 'customer data' will be retained, one can presume that for ISPs it will contain customers' internet browsing histories.

This type … Read more →

Shambolic Ch9 Olympic TV Coverage

Categories Life, Rants

Ch9 Olympic Coverage Fry MemeThere's probably one thing that most Australian's will remember about watching the London Olympics, and it's not London, the athletes, the gold medals, or anything like that.

I think what most people, including myself, will remember is the absolute disastrous Channel 9 free-to-air coverage.

Disastrous might even be an understatement. There's so many things that have been wrong about the way 9 has covered the second-biggest sporting event in the world (everyone knows the biggest is the football World Cup :P), it's hard to even coherently put them into words, but I'll try.

In my opinion, there are two main … Read more →