Monday 28 July 2014

Xbox blah

Firstly... fuck you blogger app as you didn't save my last post. Ahem.

Right back onto it.

Back last year when the xbox one and ps4 were released, I knew I wanted to stay with the xbox brand, so I did. It took me a few months to gather up my pennies and purchase a few shiny (actually matt) xbox one, complete with my very own high res but still largely generic football title (FIFA).

Since then, I honestly have not been particularly impressed with it. Initially there were problems connecting to the internet, an update fixed them. Downloads and updates are generally HUGE and my snails pace connection really struggles (not after today bitches, FIBRE DAY!) to download anything.

Equally game quantities are not high, there are some good titles, I could just do with... more. some highlights so far...

Ryse: Son of Rome, excellent single player mode, really enjoyed to the point I was disappointed when I could see the end coming. Multiplayer seemed good, but with the lag on my piece of shit connection I could never get a game, or it'd have issues during (tomorrow...)

Rayman Legends: Wii U game originally but a good old school 2D platformer that looks very nice, yes please!

Forza: Pretty and controls well, can't ask for much more can you?

There's more too, the FIFA is decent (still not buying 15 though) but there have been disappointments in things like Murder: Soul Suspect, the Destiny beta (which my sadly deleted/not saved post was all about) which I was hoping for more from.

Prices don't help, I have probably missed a couple of good ones, but at 50+ quid a game (in GAME, please see Amazon for more realistic prices) you're not going to take a punt on some are you? 360 prices started high and then as games got older they fell, this better happen here or I'll not be happy.

Equally, while I didn't shell out the full price for my console and Kinect (gotta love a voucher code), not long after I bought it, the price dropped, then dropped again (with less hardware) which pissed me off. Microsoft largely ignored the shouts of early adopters objecting to this or requesting some kind of freebie to make up for it and just cracked on. Not the greatest at PR!

There's also a shockingly large amount of remakes of 360 (and equivalent) titles. Both Metro games are coming back out (which I kind of want), all the Halo games (which I kind of want), GTA 5. Write some new stuff!

There are games in the pipeline I want (apart from the Metro pack) such as Destiny (still), Far Cry 4, Fallout 4, so it will get better, but most of these are months away, so my big black VCR-a-like (which I think is a good look) will probably get dustier before it gets busier.

The whole snap thing was shite too Nice touch I can watch TV while playing, up for that, however having to have the xbox on whenever you want to watch TV. Stuff that, ad a deal with Scottish Power did they?

Now I mentioned Destiny above, I can't be arsed writing my previous post again, but in a shortened form, it played like a very good FPS. But I was expecting more somehow, maybe once I get into the story in the full release it'll be all good, but it didn't really feel much apart from Call of Duty, which I stopped buying 2 or 3 years ago.

I don't regret the purchase and I remain optimistic long term, but so far this generation has been a bit of a disappointment. Onwards and upwards though.

Friday 25 July 2014

Train folk

Public transport is a very strange place, especially when you're in a routine and tend to be on the same service every day. I say service, I use Arriva so service isn't a word they're familiar with but stay with me.

Most people get into a real routine, myself included, I generally sit in the same place every day (on the way there, the way back is a nightmare) and more often than not, the same people sit around you. I occasionally vary and if someone, some... non regular is in my space it's no big deal. However, I have seen people with genuinely no idea what to do if they can't sit where they always do. Panic stricken looks the works. Got to love a routine!

For all intents you spend at least an hour sat round the same people, weekday in weekday out, but chances are you will have never have said a word to them. it's quite odd.

After a while you start noticing if people aren't there, even though you don't even know their name. For example, the guy who is the most conversational, with himself, on the whole train hasn't been on this week. I do find myself wondering why! Not that I'm overly gutted there's a nutter missing, but you notice these things.

It gets more... odd (for lack of a better word) when you pass one of these people out of context. By that I mean, not on the train. There's a moment of mutual recognition, as if, oh ait, I know him/her. Then a realisation... wait no I don't. By which time awkwardness has already occurred.

To be fair it's not always like that. Many months ago I left my bright white headphones (classy!) on the train, I was unaware of this until the following morning back on the arriva express. But before I could moan, whine or whinge a guy, who I recognised as detailed above popped his head round the seat, headphones in hand. Hero!

Still don't know his name though, but he is sat, at this moment in the carriage in front of me!

Train folk are also a very diverse bunch, yesterday for example a somewhat robust guy sat next to me who basically then squashed me against the wall of the train using nothing but the size of... him. Today? I have a Chinese student listening to Daft Punk songs while an older lady reads Dan Brown almost sat on his lap...

Of course all this only applies to the mornings, in the nights the shambles that is arriva crams you into the smallest space possible, then gets you home 15 mins late. Suppose the standing is good for your legs though.

They tried to make me go to rehab... and I went

Well when I say rehab, it's not for my massive drink and drug problem as I don't have the cash or the time for a massive drink and drug problem. However, I do have a consistently body falling apart problem.

Let me take you back to October 2013, the sun was shining and i was suffering, I was 11 or so miles into the Cardiff Half Marathon, all set for an easy PB, when something just felt... tight in my knee, then it felt worse than tight, then it bastard hurt. My dreams of a sub 2 hour run died along with my ability to walk properly for the next week.

Undeterred I gave it some rest time and cracked on, became pretty obvious i was doing more damage than good and off I trotted to the doctors. he referred to hospital and I waited. There followed a brief spell on crutches, pain whenever attempted exercise and months of walking like a Monty Python sketch.

It also killed of my hopes of completing an ambition by competing at the London Marathon, sorry Diabetes UK

Eventually the time came and I went to physiotherapy where I was informed my hamstring was the main issue, not letting my knee cap run straight or smooth, causing all kinds of shit to go down inside my knee. The doc still thinks there may be a slight tear to something, but it's not bothering me so... didn't happen.

Physio came and went and after being bent, pulled and twisted in many ways, they then moved me on to lower limb rehabilitation class (or something like that). Today i completed session 5 of 6 and to be fair I do feel better. I can run free of pain, not done any proper distances yet though but at the moment, but I'll happily take that.

The downsides? Well so long without real exercise has messed my cardio up. I'm probably not even a third as fit as I was at this point last year. I'm heavier, I've shot back up to pushing 13 stone from just about 12, which is also counter productive on the cardio of course. That increase is chub too as anyone who has seen me... ever will testify, there's not a muscle on me.

So what do I do? Yep yesterday I submitted my entry to the very race that killed me off last year (and I did think permanently at one point), I'm running the Cardiff Half Marathon 2014. Not for time this year, I'll obviously try my best, but I've accepted now there will be no PB (2:03), no sub 2 hour, probably not under 2:15, but baby steps and all that. my practise race is as usual the Swansea Bay 10k, where I'm targeting 58 minutes (51 last time out).

I'll be doing the charitables as usual and any sponsor money I get is going to velindre, just click www.justgiving.com/driscoll (If that works, I'm using the app and it's not great).

More to follow of course!

Monday 21 July 2014

Fibre baby!

I live in a nice area, it's quiet, the houses are decent size, most everyone is retired or has a job (even me) and the last reported crime was in 1984 when Old Man Smith from down the road was caught worrying the sheep on Winchfawr (real word). All in all it doesn't meet the stereotype of Merthyr Tydfil where people are on the sick for 6 years for having a burny fart.

However, what is limited are things like Internet speeds (less than a meg quite a bit of the time), phone signal coverage, access to a cash machine, you know the kind of thing.

Well no more fr one of those things, no I haven't bought an ATM, today my order goes in for Fibre Optic Internet! Last week, my regular forlorn visit to Superfast Cymru's website didn't produce the traditional, "Fibre Not Available" result, so I did it again just to be sure.

No longer will every xbox download take 6 weeks, no longer will I not be able to stream Netflix and YouTube at the same time (2 different people). Imagine the luxury! Imagine all you want as I won't have to.

Booya bitches!

OK, it'll be 2/3 weeks getting installed which will undoubtedly be a torturous wait, but soon, really soon, my little slice of the Tyd will be one step closer to catching up with the world!Having said that, long contract and somewhat pricey are the downsides extra 10 baps on my (well the wife's, but I'l pay the difference) bill for a nice 72mps connection.

Got a feeling it'll be worth it though.

The return

Christmas 2012, so long ago, but was the last time I wrote on here. Yep dead blog. But no longer, I am here to resurrect!

Now I've not been inactive, my wares have been on display on xboxramble.com (now defunct), thetechramble.com (now defuct), ramblemedia.com (now defunct, stop me if you spot a pattern anywhere) and most recently keyboardwarriors.co.uk (not defunct! Yay!) where my current production is focused.

However, they currently have a bit of my work to catch up on, so there's no point adding to the pile, plus there it has to be on topic, I can't just wander off the way I used too on here, so let's get this get this show back on the road!