I think any journalist in the online world expects to receive a fair bit of flack. There's something about the anonymity of the internet that promotes people to feel freer in their views - and, frankly, I generally think that people are more than entitled to say what they want.

 

It does begin to rank a little, however, when you get criticised for, say, not including a character in a run-down of video games icons WHEN YOU ACTUALLY HAVE!

 

At the end of the day (and when all's said and done) it's an opinion. You leave X out and put Y in and you'll get criticised and if you put Y out and X in you'll still get an equal amount of criticism.

 

So far, so fair enough.

 

But when you get a plethora of people criticising you for leaving out X and he's actually already in  the selection you do begin to wonder if people are getting past the headline before wading into battle.

 

Take a look through my gaming icons message board and you'll get some idea of what I mean

 

Post 6: "I think one of the most favorable games ever is zelda - orcarina of time, i dnt c link thou...???"

Post 17 - a much appreciated response from Jake-man "...Link is on there third row."

 

Fine, I thought, someone has done my job for me, but...

 

Post 37: "Link from the Legend of Zelda series should be on it! Ocarina of time was a great game that changed gaming, Link is a legend!"

Post 41: "Have you actually read the list, Links in there !!"

 

Post 51: "...secondly, where the hell is link? or some reference to the legend of zelda? As ocarina of time was a revolutionary game."

 

*Sigh*

 

Oh well. There are a few that I WOULD have included given a second run. Ryu from Streetfighter was cruelly excluded and the general consensus is that Aerith/Aeris should have been out and Sepiroth in from the Final Fantasy series.

 

Crash Bandicoot, Picachu (was he in a game before game cards?) Prince of Persia, Spyro, Space Marine from Doom (I left out deliberately because he was deliberately non-iconic so you focused on the game). All good suggestions...  

 

 

 

As you may have spotted my posts over the days have been somewhere between slim and none. It's a sign of the times that sick days for me now don't mean actually stopping work; with laptops and mobiles the sick day means a retreat to the sofa and a slightly reduced service.

 

Even through my gummed up eyes and dribbling nose I still can't let ITV get away with a terrible abuse of the humble apostrophe. Thus my enjoyment of the original Die Hard was spoilt (a bit) by their bumper saying:

 

Action hero's: Die Hard.

 

Apparently the colon belongs to the Action Hero, and there's only one of him.

 

Finally, back to site things (hey what kind of official blog IS this?), it's been six months since Microsoft launched Windows Vista, and I'll be taking a look at how everything is going on Monday.

 

Tomorrow is the launch of the iPhone - and I will be starting the day with my reasons why I'm NOT that excited.

 

 

Here are the promised photos...

Have you ever seen a dramatic chipmunk?

I had a lovely trip out to Goodwood on Saturday to the Festival of Speed - where Hewlett Packard were showing off their new printer by giving us 10 megapixel cameras and letting us print out our best photos on it.

 

So, obviously, I have wealth of amazing photos to produce BUT, Monday being Monday, I forgot the memory card so you'll have to make do with a couple of camera phone shots until I retrieve it tomorrow.

 

We rolled into the car-park in my Dad's little Corsa (The event invite means a Father's day present was sorted!) and parked up amongst the most glittering array of cars I had ever seen. As you can see from the photo below, BMWs looked a little passe alongside the Porsche and Ferrari arrivals.

 

Of course our Corsa looked like we were being ironic...

 

In fact, I don't think a car has ever been more secure than ours was that day. Who needs an alarm when you park next to a car worth more than my flat?

 

Printer was very impressive (honestly!), it whizzed out a very professional looking finished product for my best shot of a bike going under the bridge in two minutes. Everyone seemed very impressed with my photography skills, so I made sure they didn't see the 15 shots of my knees I took whilst getting to grips with the camera.

 

I'll show you mine tomorrow....

The iPhone arrives a week away and you'd be forgiven for thinking it had been out for months by the amount of column inches it has received.

 

Apple's latest baby is likely to storm into the public consciousness and become the hottest gadget around for a good few months. You never know, it might even still be popular in the US when Apple finally get round to releasing it in the UK!

 

I'm going to be doing a week of iPhone coverage, starting on Monday and building up to US launch day on Friday. BUT, not content with all that excitment I will also be getting my hands on Alienware's latest laptop in all its Dual SLI gorgeousness to explain why gaming notebooks are hot property.

 

At MS towers our year runs starts in July (seriously) so keep an eye out over the next month or so for some sweeping changes to T&G, including a major revamp of our reviews, some seriously brilliant changes to our Tech & Gadgets News AND some columns from some of the UK Tech world's foremost writers (and little ol' me too).

 

 

Wow, when I wrote the Manhunt story yesteday I had no idea that it would be the topic du jour in the Newspapers. It's almost, but not quite, overshadowed the rather horrific news that CCTV footage of Jamie Bulger being led away to his death has been included in Law and Order: Double or Nothing.

 

I can only imagine this was a horrible, stupid oversight by someone and not as callous as it sounds. When the church complained that Manchester Cathedral had been used in a shoot-em-up I erred on the side of the game. It's just a building, after all - and hardly likely to bring down the clergy.

 

But when an image like the Bulger one - which is obviously going to cause major distress to his family - is used in a game it is difficult to defend.

 

Thankfully, the game has been removed from shelves, but the damage is done.

 

It's a genuinely shameful moment for the video games industry.

 

Speaking of which: I have written a piece called - Have computer games gone too far? I've tried to keep my opinions to a minimum, in the hope that I spark a debate on the message board that I can then bring forward into an article to show how people actually feel about this controversial issue.  

 

EDIT: The more observant amongst you (thanks Dom) may have noticed the computer games article you were reading was actually cunningly disguised as a gallery of 'USB craziness!' Of COURSE this was a deliberate attempt to bring 'USB Craziness!' to a wider audience and not just me screwing up the link...

So Manhunt 2 has fallen foul of the BBFC - with suggestions that ‘unremitting bleakness and callousness of tone’ makes it a whole hill o' beans worse than the original.

 

I've not played the game so I can't comment too directly on the violence, although my general view of these things is no secret.

 

I do, however, wonder if the sequel is THAT far away from the original, or if the fact that the original was implicated by the parents of a murdered child after the BBFC had granted it an 18.

 

(Of course nobody mentions that the police dismissed the links to the killing in the original case)

 

Let's put aside the whole 18 game blamed for 17-year-old's actions for the moment; the BBFC found themselves under criticism for granting the original a certificate and have refused the sequel an 18 classification because, according to director David Cooke "The game's unrelenting focus on stalking and brutal slaying and the sheer lack of alternative pleasures on offer to the gamer, together with the different overall narrative context, contribute towards differentiating this submission from the original Manhunt game."

 

The original game had you killing off 'Hunters' one by one in horribly gruesome fashion, using a variety of weapons. You can read a plot summary on wikipedia.

 

Is the sequel any worse? Really? If the BBFC don't feel they can grant the game a certificate then that's their decision. But, I am afraid I have severe doubts as to whether the sequel is really worse than the original, or just that they can't admit they got things wrong first time.

 

 

 

There's a Virgin Media advert on my route home from the station - and it annoys me. I shall explain:

 

Advert reads:

 

Our choice of the week's best television available to view."

 

Get that? OUR CHOICE??? Not the viewers, Virgin Media's choice.

 

So to answer the first question on the poster; Virgin Media themselves are saying viewers can't be choosers. Unless they opt for a different company.

 

Of course, even that is fraught with problems. Take Sky, for instance, who have recently integrated their anytime TV into the box, recording all manner of 'choices' for their viewers to watch.

 

Of course there are politics (and possibly money) in the choices of all these companies. Want your TV show to be a big hit? Then try to get it on our TV Choice!

 

I have Sky at home, and I have yet to watch one thing that has been selected on 'my' Anytime TV - it generally includes one documentary, two undecipherable kids programmes and one film (and that's the highlights) which I've already seen. Great.

 

A few years ago I owned a TiVo, which was quickly surpassed by the brilliant Sky+. However, the one thing that TiVo did offer was a ratings system which meant it could begin to guess at things you might like to watch and record it on your behalf.

 

Now, some of the choices were far from accurate, but it was occasionally on the button with plucking out new TV shows or introducing me to repeats of things I might well have watched had I spotted.

 

But, on the majority of occasions I KNOW what I want to watch and I record it. This half-baked between-two-stools anytime TV concept is horribly flawed.

 

Either make it personally adaptive, so that I don't get a load of teenyvision, or make it full VOD so I can genuinely access the TV I wanted but missed out on when I want to.

Hey I picked up some mega language skills without realising it!

 

The Norwegian MSN site are obviously big fans of my work, and have co-opted a gallery of mine (toys for big kids) into their mother-tongue; proving that big kids (store barn?) are available in most countries.

 

I may be mentioning my new language capabilities in my pay review (do I get double pay for that day's work?).

 

"Denne dingsen kobles til USB-porten og styres fra PCen, og kan skyte små skumplast-missiler på tilfeldig forbipasserende."

 

So say we all!

 

 

I have to admit I never really understood the attraction of listening to concerts over the internet - I mean recorded live music is never going to capture the magic of being there is it? But then I was told that I should listen to the Kings of Leon stream, and I was blown away.

 

Since then I have quite often stuck a concert on in the background whilst I'm working and merrily got on with other things.

 

 

Is the link to the video section and all the different concerts are down the side - I fully recommend the Gomez and BRMC ones.

Brilliant news from the Wii where EA have announced that people who buy FIFA 08 will be able to unlock a custom Ronaldinho Mii for the game.

 

The press release says: FIFA 08 cover athlete Ronaldinho, one of the most talented and recognizable athletes in the world, will become the first professional football player to appear as a customized character exclusively for the Wii™, Electronic Arts Inc. announced today.

EA has created a unique character of the celebrated Brazilian International football star that will be playable in FIFA 08 on Wii. The Wii-exclusive Ronaldinho will host a game mode designed and created exclusively for Wii called Footii Party with Ronaldinho. With this mode, EA introduces unique party games - including Table Football and Shoot Off – where you can play as your self-created Mii™ character to unlock Ronaldinho and take on the champ. Each Footii Party game is created as a multiplayer, social experience designed to engage and entertain fans of all ages.

 

“My character looks like he enjoys playing football and shares my passion for the game," says Ronaldinho. "This is important to me. Whether you are playing football on the pitch or my party games in FIFA 08 on the Wii, it should be a fun and enjoyable experience.”

Of course you could re-create the Ronaldinho Wii yourself, although you may need third-party 3D modelling just for the teeth. I'll be very disappointed if the Wii-version Ronaldinho doesn't showboat at the table football by looking one way and passing the other.

Father's Day is fast approaching - which means the requisite gallery of stuff you could buy your dad (HA! he'll have a card and be glad of it!).

 

The quandry I had was whether it was okay to include nasal strimmers, which, frankly, are one of those useful things that every man 'of an age' (in my case sub-30) needs to get rid of the embarassing protrusions of a hairy kind .

 

Of course - I included them.

 

The gallery also includes possibly my favourite self-penned caption of all time for a Toshiba memory stick.

"In your Dad's day, 2 gigs was a comedian's weekend" Oh I laughed...

 

There was also a heated discussion (midly warm anyway - it's too muggy to get het up) about whether Father's Day or Fathers' Day is correct. Technically you could make a case for both - it's the day of your father (singular) so father's BUT there are multiple fathers being referred to so it could be fathers'.

 

At times like this we have a 'style guide' bible to tell us what the Chief Editor thinks (and is obviously therefore correct *doffs cap*). So it's Father's Day and Dad's Day Desirables.  

 

It's only taken me three months, but I've finally managed to get some triple A batteries so that I can resurrect my evil mouse. For those that have poor memories, or can't be bothered trawling through the archives to find out why it's an evil mouse, it's because it's a *deep breath* Microsoft Notebook Presenter Mouse 8000 which means, basically, that it has a laser pointer attached to its head. Which was so Dr Evil from Austin Powers that is spawned the nickname.

 

Now I mention this for two reasons a) I love my evil mouse (but not enough to make much effort on the battery front) but also to point out that b) it is probably a good note for mouse manufacturers that batteries are not good when you haven't equipped the thing with a recharger.

 

On that exact point: at home I was using a Logitech MX1000 wireless mouse which, shock horror, has even won over my other half, BUT after two years it has now decided not to charge and is dwindling away to nothing.

 

I was never a big fan of the mouse's dock; right from the beginning it was a pain to align the contact with the charger contacts - but it's galling that I am now switching to a corded mouse because of 4 tiny contacts. I may have to resort to getting my dad to fix it.

 

Anywho, I am now back on an Intellimouse Explorer, and it's already helped my aim on computer games. Maybe more wires IS the way forward :)

Well the latest Steve Job's keynote is out there and his big 'and finally' was that Safari was coming to Windows. This means another browser to compete with IE and FireFox and with all the bells and whistles that you would expect with an Apple product.

 

Now I'm all for competition in the market, so I think it's a genuinely good thing that Apple are joining the party; it's really interesting from a tech point of view as to how the two products compete.

 

Then there's the security point of view: suddenly Apple will be putting their security record on the line with a browser - something that Microsoft have had to battle with for years with mixed success.

 

My question is: will Apple's Safari prove to be as secure?

 

Interesting to keep an eye out - even if the early stories are all about the exploits - I think it's worth giving everyone a few weeks to get things ready before we analyse the situation.

 

 

 

Not since referee Graham handed out three yellow cards in a match has a Poll had so much impact!

 

Okay, maybe I'm overplaying it, but the fact is that we have finally added polls to T&G, meaning I can ask for a public opinion on anything I so choose.

 

I've started out with the iPhone, which is obviously rather big news in the coming few weeks, what with the US launch on the 29th of this month.

 

So, mosey on down and cast your vote - it's free you know.

Shoulders that feel like they've been tenderised by a particularly overzealous butcher, back that feels like it's randomly being attacked with needles and arm tendons that feel tauter than piano strings - yep, you've guessed it, I'm Wiinjured.

 

What started out as a fairly decorous dinner party descended into a group of people in their late twenties bouncing around and screaming as they tried to catch ladybirds on a hat whilst avoiding odd little green things.

 

Although boxing proved my forte (hence the aches and pains), I was soundly beaten at both snowboarding (my wife-to-be proved to be a natural) and the ladybird thing (not too worried about that one). Which goes to prove that the Wii takes all gaming experience out of the equation and levels the playing field.

 

The less said about the tennis the better...

 

It's a worrying dsign of modern time, however, when a typical hangover not only consists of an aching head and heaving stomach, but also the kind of muscular strains that are normally only present after a over-exuberant work-out in the gym.

 

Still, as a 4am finish testifies, the Wii is genuinely world class fun, even if you might regret it the next day.

And possibly more games...

 

I've been doing a gallery of the most hotly anticipated games of the moment and compiled a mammoth gallery of 28. To that end I am now seeing double and have a vague headache.

 

Still, the bright side is that I will be unveiling my list of games next week (probably Tuesday but it depends on some other factors). The usual suspects are all in there - and I left the likes of Spore and GTA 5 in despite not having an announced release date; I figure it doesn't make them any less desirable if they've slipped a bit.

The BBC has announced that it will be using Microsoft's whizz bang photosynth software to map major landmarks in Britain.

 

For thos of you that haven't seen photosynth in action, take a look. Basically it maps people's photos in three dimensional, so each photo adds its data to the overall picture and creates a 3D map.  

 

I've had a play around with this application before and it is fantastic. You can scroll round looking at photos of the object and the more photos that are uploaded the more detailed the picture becomes.

 

When I want writing my article on Virtual Reality I touched upon the concept that a virtual world could easily draw from the data that is currently being built up and stored on the internet.

 

Now, software like photosynth is what drew me to this. If you think that something like all the photographs in Flickr or facebook could be converted (minus the people) to help create a photorealistic 3D map of the world then you are starting to get into some seriously cool territory.

Tomorrow sees the release of Forza 2 on Xbox 360, and it certainly looks the part.

 

I bought my PlayStation for the original Gran Turismo (and I still hold that it's recing games that are the true kings of consoles), and quite enjoy blasting round a track with the sun making those little circle things on my screen, so I may well be trying to track down a copy for launch.

 

In the meantime - here's a screenshot to set the mood.