Anno 1404-A superb Game

anno1404titleIts not often that a game comes along and grabs you by the balls and keeps you entertained for more than 20 minutes but thats exactly what Anno 1404 does. Its quite simply a must have PC Strategy game which some amazing graphics and is so enjoyable you will get lost playing it, and thats a good thing.

The game puts you in charge of building a small colony and works it way up. Now the thing about this game that i loved that it was so easy to get started into, i started straight into the campaign and the game teaches yous lowly how everything works. The game features various characters that ask you do to certain tasks or quests that range from building, getting supplies or finding spies.

The building are wonderfully detailed and the sea just looks amazing.  I remember a few days ago i was losing gold in the game and going into debt big time, but i realised that id have to build up some peasant houses and meet there needs and tax the ass out of them of course to this succesfully meant building a cider orchard and lots of Taverns. The game narrows down peasants needs to getting drunk and having a chuirch to go to which made me laugh.  The game has sea-battles as you can build your own shipyard,trading routes.

This one of the best games ive ever played and id recommend it to anyone. Its a total joy to play and keeps busy all the way.

Official Website: http://anno.uk.ubi.com/

Official Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O36-q_w5SEY

Rating: 9/10

anno1404Anno-1404Anno-1404-Photo

Best of the Worst #1: Donald Moore

A few years ago i was reading a local paper thats free around town or maybe it was the sun, im not sure but an advert left me stunned, shocked and in stiches laughing. You see this advert was about a man called “Donald Moore”. Now if the photo doesnt scare yeah what he claims to do will shock you. This guy calls himself a “Miracle Healer” in the same fashion to Jesus i imagine. According to his advert Donald Moore can cure every disease,problem and condition known to man except A.I.D.s. Now why he stopped at Aids i dont know but he can even cure your Pet from any problems they have, According to his website he charges a whopping 300 euro for one hour session. A small price to pay for a man that cure anything but Aids.

Have a read at the advert for this guy and see if he can cure you!
donald more advert_600

eircom problems reveal eircom possably hacked

eircomIrelands largest ISP Eircom have been having some serious problems over the last few days resulting in users been sent to bogus/fake sites where possable spyware or malware could have been installed. It all started for me on sunday evening when it looked like my broadband connection had gone down as all webpages failed to load.  However i found out that it was only the webpage part of the broadband connection that had gone down and not the entire line or network by noticed that i could games online with Valves Steam.

After some frustrating few says i searched for a possable cause as it seemed very strange that the web had gone down but not the connection. It turns out that it Was a DNS (the computers that transalte www.bbc.co.uk into an IP Address) problem eith eircoms servers and further searching revealed that they had been hacked with loads of people posting the same problems on the boards.ie messageboards;

Eircom DSL – DNS Lookups Slow

The solution was to change the DNS server settings in your router configuration menu to those provided by opendns.org which are;

208.67.222.222
208.67.220.220

Sources for the Article:

Possible DNS Hack at Ireland’s Largest ISP

Eircom DNS Servers Compromised?

Eircoms response;

Update: Eircom has released an official announcement confirming the DNS problems. “Customers may have recently experienced delays in web browsing and may have been unable to access the Internet. In some cases, customers may have been redirected to incorrect websites,” it reads.

As far as details go, they remain scarce, the ISP only noting that, “This issue has been caused by an unusual and irregular volume of internet traffic being directed onto our network, and this impacted the systems and servers that provide access to the Internet for our customers.” It is yet unclear if this refers to a distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack, or something else.

GlastonBury: The Doves

I cant tell you how excited ive been since noticing that my favorite band has been playing the UK’s Best Summer Festival of music. They were heading the “John Peel” stage on friday night. And i stayed up, putting everything on hold in order to see them live. And despite me getting the time wrong by one hour as  “Bloc Party” started at 10.30 so, i waited patiently, as my dad sleeps in the sitting room these days due to ill-health, i didnt have long to record and watch the “Doves”, he told me 12.30 was my limit.Despite this i prayed the “doves” would be on soon and at 11.30 on BBC3 (Via BBC2 with the Red Button) they were on and it was the best live gig ive ever seen.

I want to say a huge thanks to my favorite Doves Blog http://dovesmusic.blogspot.com/ for the videos and music from the best night ever. Despite being totaly confused about the way the BBC were showing the Doves, i recorded the best i could. Which Seemed to 45-60 minutes  of “bloc party” then the doves and vice versa. Which i felt was unfair and very confusing on BBC Digital, despite checking many times who was next etc.

The gig was amazing in everyway posable, from the crowds cheering to Jimis interaction. You cant beat “g,g,g,g,glastonbury” as a great feeling for folks being there and him thanking all “you magical fucking people”.Not to mention the Doves played there absolute best tracks that night.

10/10

If only Slane in ireland was like this:)

Fore more Doves News Visit:
http://www.doves.net
http://dovesmusic.blogspot.com/

PC Gaming,too much hastle these days.

Its the weekend and id thought id relax by playing some new games. First up is the game “Americas Army3” which is FREE yes you heard me Free and you can get on steam.

Americas Army:
This game was made by the US Army for whatever reason maybe to brainwash americans into joing to US Army. Anyway the game doenst work at the moment which the developers claim is due to “overwhelming demand” on the games servers.

Last night i spent about 40 mins trying to get the game to work but it just crashes when you try to do the training. So a big sarcastic thumbs up for a company releasing a game that doest work.


Ghostbusters:

The second game that failed is Atari’s “Ghostbusters” a game that looks great fun. However the PC version of the game has some serious problems, the installer for the game seems to take forever and i mean that, its still running after about one hour now and from what ive read on the forums around the net there are some problems installing the game.

So another PC Game fails, PC Gaming is such a hassle these days. I was searching for a solution and i found a quote that sums it all up really;

Post by Maxszy
This is why I don’t PC game anymore. The issues that go along with it like this, are so “pull your hair out” frustrating that it just…ugh.

Though I suggest checking your windows updates and so forth. Could be something to do with that.

Link

The so called fix from Atari makes things even more confusing;

Install on drive other than drive C:

This game will only install correctly on drive C: unless workaround is followed.

Install on drive other than drive C:

  1. Use the custom install option to select the destination you would like to install Ghostbusters on your PC.
  2. Once the installation is complete please re-run the installer. This time select the C: drive as the destination location. The second install should only take a few seconds.
  3. When the second install is complete, copy the 7 files created in the “C:\Program Files (x86)\Atari\Ghostbusters” folder and paste them into the “Ghostbusters” folder you originally selected for your custom install.
  4. You will then be able to run the game normally.

Fuck Microsoft and there XBox 360 Live Gold – Auto Renewal!

About 6 months ago i paid for what i thought was just 3 months of Xbox Live Gold Membership. Well it turns out that the folks at Microsoft dont tell you that they “kindly” renew your subscription without telling you. In these times of recession and lack of money, the Xbox is one those things that i dont need nor want.

So i contacted Xbox support but ended up being told more or less that i had contacted the wrong “country” as i should have emailed there support department in Ireland. The email was simpathetic but not helpful so of course i left it for a month.

So today i log back into my xbox and see that there is NO OPTION at all to TURN OFF AUTO RENEWAL and yes thats in caps because the idea is crazy to me. There should at least be the option of “Auto-Renew”. So i send another emal this time to there Support in Ireland and i await an answer, id like my money back to be honest but i guess i left it too long.

This is [x], with Microsoft XBOX Support services.

As I understand it, you want to have a refund on the charges of the auto-renewal of your Xbox Live Subscription Account.

I know how disappointing it is that you’ve been charged on your account. I sincerely apologize for any inconvenience you have felt regarding this matter.

With regards to this, you need to call our phone support to have a refund on the charges on your card that you’re using on Xbox Live. Accessing your account information via email Support requires a high level of verification from you and we don’t allow to access for the confidentiality and security of your account.

Thank you for your time and understanding.

If you need to reply to this e-mail, please reply ‘with history’ (include any previous e-mail) or reference to Service Request Number 1100396440 so we can expedite our service to you.

If you would rather contact Xbox Phone Support directly for your console’s repair, you may call contact Xbox US and Canada Phone Support by calling 1-800-4MYXBOX (1-800-469-9269) at your earliest convenience, and we’ll be happy to help you. We are open everyday from 6am to 10pm US Pacific Time.

For international customers, please contact Xbox Customer Service in your local region. (To find the correct Customer Service number for your region first use this link http://www.xbox.com/en-US/ChangeLocale.htm to select the appropriate country and then use the contact number found under the support menu). You may also choose to call international assistance (direct dial to the US) by dialing 425-635-7180.

Thank you for visiting Xbox.com. If you should have future questions on Xbox products or services, please be sure to revisit our Web site as we are continually adding information to enhance our service.

Best Regards,

Microsoft XBOX Support Services

http://support.microsoft.com/

EDIT:
After Ringing up Xbox Live i got talking to a customer support person and i canceled the Auto-Renewal.

Best Tv Cop Show Possably Ever? The Wire

ep57_officers_506_01I love Cop shows, from the Bill to NYPD blue (which i love) to Law and Order Etc, i just love the idea of the good guys geting the bad guys.

Anway i was on some website a few months ago that kept mentioning “the wire” as a great show. At the time i loved “NYPD Blue” so it probably was something to do with this. So i ordered The DVD’s from Amazon and from the first episode the show was awesome. Maybe not as great as “NYPD Blue” but at least 2nd to that show.

The show ive seen was criticzied in the british press due to its “language” and reviewers not knowing what was said half the time.

Its kinda funny, the show is set in Baltimore,Maryland in the US, which is near a town we dont get to see called “Dundalk” which is where i live. From the TV show it gives the impression that this town is a Drug invested sewer, luckily the same town in ireland is not the same.

Not to mention that  two of shows characters came up with the name of a “fake infornmant” which they called “fuzzy dunlop” a name which made me laugh and that i use for some online games such as Valves Team Fortress 2. The main character of the show is a Detective by the name of “Mc Nulty” whos is an Irish-American Drunk with a good heart. The VEry Last episode in the 5 Series leaves “mc Nulty” in a Coffin and this great tune from the “Pogues”;

How To Fix: Windows Installer Hangs in Vista 64

windows_vista_logo.pngIve been using Windows Vista 64 since Vista came out and despite the reports of problems with hardware drivers ive found it to be quite stable. Well that was until When i went to install or Uninstall software that uses Vista’s “Windows Installer” where yesterday my PC keep Crashing or hanging. No matter which software it was, if it used “windows installer” it would just hang for over 10 mins.  So then i tryed out various registry repair tools such as Uniblues “Registry Booster” which i must say is quite good.

It also turned out that not only could i not install or uninstall some applications but windows “System Restore” kept failing so i couldnt revert windows back to an earlier time when everything worked. I also was unable to use my backup software “Norton Ghost 14” (which depsite some problems is a lifesaver for PC Problems) and i couldnt even run “chkdsk” (which can fix a corrupted windows drive).

Things we looking bad and i was looking a reinstall which is a nightmare in most cases. So i searched for a solution and most of them didnt as i couldnt do them due to the state of windows. Hard to fix a PC that wont let you;

  • System Restore
  • Run “Check Disk/chkdsk”
  • Restore a backup copy with “Norton Ghost”

This is where a “Multi-Boot” PC comes in handy, as a last ditch attempt i booted my PC into Windows Vista 32bit (which i keep in case hardware doest work, for example TV Cards) and Right clicked on the C: Drive (The drive with the problems i.e Vista 64) and Selected “Properties” then “Tools” and then “Error-Checking”. And Rebooted and hoped for the best.

Windows Ran the Error-Checking Utility “Check Disk chkdsk” and after about 20 mins all was well. So the lesson there is always keep trying. Just posted this in case it helps anyone else in future.

I should add that along the way i foudn a great website for Windows Vista 64 problems and discussion called www.vistax64.com which is a must for anyone using Windows Vista 64.

Music: Creating Amazing Music with Albeton Live 8

ableton_live7_boxIve found what i think is the most amazing piece of music software ever made. Its called “Ableton Live 8” and its just incredable.I was on youtube one night browsing videos and i found a video that was just incredable which demonstrated the software.

That video is below ive also added a video showing hot to make a trance track from those great folks at the sonicacademy.com a site which i joined straight away after seeing how superb there tutorials were on youtube, check out there youtube channel on;

http://www.youtube.com/user/SonicAcademy

Make music with Ableton Live

I love music and thats no understatement, i love all types from rock to dance and trance. Ive always loved to be a Dj or make some kinda of a dance song and this software lets you do that. My two favorite trance artists are “Paul Van Dyk” and “Dj Tiesto” so bearing that in mind i then found another amazing video from a website called the “sonicacademy.com”. This is an awesome tutorial showing you how-to make a trance track using the instruments in Ableton Live. Of course its not just dance music you can create the skys the limit with this software.

How To Make A Trance Tune – Tutorial 1

The Doves Live in Belfast-My First Ever Concert

Ive been a huge fan of this band since about 2002 since i heard the song pounding from their album “The Last Broadcast”. Since then ive bought every album theve released and followed them. The new Album “kingdom of Rust” is awesome and ive been listening to it since it was released.

Some time back in March i was checking out their myspace page and seen the UK Tour Dates and had the idea of going to see them in Belfast. So without thinking about booking the tickets i just said to myself “if i dont book these ill never get to see them live.”, So i booked the tickets got 2 seated for the gig in the Ulster Hall in Belfast.

Anyway booking those tickets was the best thing i ever did, the concert was fantastic, it was a small venue about 2000 people max i think and the atmosphere was electric. My sister took some photos and videos on my phone ive posted some below. The Doves were so good that if i could have i would have went down to dublin to see them the next day.

Theres a lesson in all this of course, sometimes thinking about doing something too much means you’ll never do it.

doves161 doves162