Blog

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

The Horrific Reality Behind Yoshi’s Woolly World

Categories Gaming, Rants

Yoshi carnageIt's no secret that I am a fan of Yoshi, but it is only recently that I truly considered how absolutely horrifying the concept of the Yoshi games are.

Yoshi enters a world with the main aim of getting to the end. Along the way he encounters primarily 'Shy Guys', who as their name implies, often aren't even doing anything other than walking around minding their own business, and sometimes even just sitting down doing nothing.

Angry YoshiDespite these innocuous creatures posing an almost completely negligible threat to the dinosaur/dragon that is Yoshi, he proceeds to tear through the … Read more →

Pebble: *Time* for a Sequel

Categories Geekery, Technology

Pebble Time

I got the original Pebble smartwatch in November last year, and since then it has become an invaluable tool in my day-to-day tech world.

When Pebble announced the colour e-paper Pebble Time via a Kickstarter campaign, I backed it immediately. I was totally sold on the colour e-paper screen, but also the built-in microphone for dictating text replies to messages.

I received my Kickstarter Edition black Pebble Time a few weeks ago, and overall it has been a stellar experience.

Pebble have been fast in rolling out updates to the watch, too; in a recent update they've already responded … Read more →

Plexing with a NUC

Categories Geekery, Technology

Intel NUCFor the past 6+ years, a WDTV has served as the trusty media player for our living room: firstly playing stuff off an external hard drive, and then off our NAS.

Although the latest one is still going strong after almost 4 years, I recently saw a Plex Home Theater setup running on an Alienware Alpha, and was impressed at the great visuals and easy experience of the platform, as well as the 'on deck' items when watching through a series.

Despite the Alienware Alpha being an impressive living room gaming PC, it is way overkill for what … Read more →

Windows 10 Tech Preview

Categories Rants, Technology

Windows10-StartMenuAfter receiving the 'Free Upgrade!' notifications this week, I downloaded and had a quick peek at the upcoming Windows 10.

After my scathing preview of the Windows 8 Beta, which although slightly over the top but still mostly accurate, it was interesting to see what Microsoft was going to do after the very lukewarm reception of that iteration of their OS.

Although the .1 update made Windows 8 stomachable, it seems that for Windows 10 they've gone and made it what I think Windows 8 should have been all along.

Sound familiar? It's pretty much what I said for … Read more →

Back to Cable & New Router

Categories Geekery, Internet, Technology

Asus RT-AC68UIt took almost three months of laborious, will-testing, patience-stretching torture, but I have finally bested the beast. We are now back on Telstra cable as our internet connection.

The reason for the move back to Telstra (whom I have no love for), was initiated by TPG's takeover bid for iiNet (owner of Internode), which the iiNet board has recommended. There aren't many companies in the world that I would say I am mortal enemies with, but TPG is one (and the only other would be Samsung).

Although I have loved the five years I have spent with Internode, there … Read more →

Arsenal Win Another Trophy!

Categories Football

Arsenal win the FA Cup 2015Well, well, well. After years of being made fun of for not winning anything, Arsenal won back-to-back FA Cup titles this morning.

After barely mentioning the Invincibles season back in the first year of this blog in 2004, I've since vowed to mention every Arsenal triumph.

It was a dominant, fully deserved win. The Alexis Sanchez goal was a cracker, right up there with the Parlour and Ljunberg goals from the 2002 final. It was definitely worth staying up for the late 2:30am kickoff.

ARSENAL!… Read more →

New Mouse (G502) & Avenging Again

Categories Movies, Technology

Logitech g502-proteus-coreIt's been a while, but now I have the excuse of taking care of a new life and attempting to get some sleep at the same time! 😉

I bought a new mouse this week. My last mouse, the G9x, has performed superbly over the past four years. However, recently the rubber coating on the mouse has started to oxidise and get sticky, so I thought it was time for a new one.

I picked up the Logitech G502 on sale for a very cheap $49, and it hasn't disappointed. It's amazing how much cheaper these top-tier mice have … Read more →

Everything Changes: I’m Now a Dad

Categories Life

AnastaciaTwo weeks ago I became a Dad! Des and I welcomed into the world our first child, Anastacia.

I'll try not to fill this post with lots of new parent clichés, but most of them ring true when experienced first hand.

It's hard to describe in words how in a single moment everything in your life changes. Some things in expected ways, such as the loss of sleep, structure, and quiet around the house. Others in unexpected ways, and that is where her name, which has the meaning of 'resurrection', is fitting both in terms of the time … Read more →

Comics & Star Wars Canon

Categories Geekery

Marvel_Comics_Star_Wars_2015Following on from the recent peer pressure in buying a Wii U, the same perpetrators at work have also revived a long-lost interest of mine: comics.

I didn't have too many comics as a kid, but the ones I did get I enjoyed. Specifically, the first issues of the Itchy & Scratchy and Bartman comics, and the occasional  Simpsons and a few Star Wars ones.

The Star Wars ones in general were mostly underwhelming. I didn't like the stories, especially ones like Dark Empire. This issue was further compounded when the Star Wars prequel movies were released, as the … Read more →

2014: Year In Review

Categories Life

Another year gone in the blink of an eye! Overall, it was a great year. Settling into a job I love with great people, spiralling out of control into a Lego addiction, as well as taking the first steps of procreation!

Blog writing was very thin this year, but nevertheless, here is the highlights of this year's blog posts:

January

  • 10 Years of Blogging!: Big milestone! Also a great summary of the history of this website (and my life too!).

March

  • Game Endings: A good rant on why video game endings don't have to be happy and conclusive,
… Read more →