Supersword.com

I’m angry :).

I’m pissed off.

I don’t like Windows.

I hate the fact that if someting starts to go wrong with this operating system (XP Home. I know, I brought it on my self when I purchased Home instead of Pro. Partially anyway), the sad fact that so many people have to face is that fact that they need to reformat and start again to rid themselves of the issues they are having. Roll backs laugh in the face of the user when they do nothing but give you the impression that all the little demons installed on the machine, you use day in day out after the latest windows update, have been captured and destroyed.

I hate that when I leave my machine on overnight once in a blue moon to download or render something, I wake up to a machine that has restarted and is sitting comfortably on the login screen waiting for the trusty password to log into my account. What pisses me off even more is that fact that because I didn’t pay the extra whoever knows pounds to get a legal copy of Windows XP Pro, I am not provided with the option to change the amount of time it takes for our friend, the Windows Updater Reminder Doo-dah, to piss me off again after I click “Restart later” when I get told that I need restart as vital updates have been installed. Good to know that my system is now that extra bit more secure, just like it was last week when the last security update was installed.

I love how, last night, Windows decided that it was time to reboot half way through working on one of my websites and not be curtious enough to tell me to save my stuff. Don’t get me wrong, I love having to restart even though nothing new was installed but I especially love when I don’t get any notification.

I hate having to put up with crap like this when I just want to get my own work done. I hate having to face the fact that I am bound to one operating system because of the monopoly that is windows software and I especially hate the fact that even though I there are decent alternatives, there is always one Windows specific porgram that will always mean my Hard Drive will not be bare of the Windows somewhere down the line.

I have had nothing but problems the last few days with this operating system and I really want an alternative. I have been using Ubuntu quite a bit on another PC and despite a few issues I have come across, it’s fairly decent for a desktop operating system. I installed Wine so I could install and use a few different applications for Windows and they really do work well. If games worked well on it, I would switch right now.

I guess I better start backing up my data. It looks like I am reformatting. *sigh*

Anyway. Guess what. I have finished the first year of College. It seems like only a month ago I was writing about finishing school and complaining about the fact that I still have another two years of stuff to go through. I guess time flies when you’re having fun rushing to get get the work done. The upside is that I now have time to do some of my own stuff until this September when the last year starts:

Atleast it’s a huge weight off my shoulders for a while. Anyway, I have started playing Age of Conan. Thanks for the idea foyleman, I am addicted to this game. I am really ejoying it at the moment. Saying that, I did feel the same with other MMO’s and then they just sucked all of a sudden. Anyway, I’m liking it. Theres a really helpful lot in the New Player Chat channel and the gameplay is very nice. I’m playing as a Barbarian (I keep hearing it’s overplayed.. I guess I better be good at it then. lol) so I am slashing up people. It’s pretty gory for a game like this and I like it.

As for what I am working on in terms of projects, well I started a config builder for Call of Duty 4. I was helping a guy out of the MODSonline forum and he commented that there is no config builder for COD4 year. Ok ok, I know what you are saying. “Builders are lame, everyone makes them” and to that I say, touché. There are alot of builders but I wanted to do it so there.

The problem I have is that designing the thing is tricky. It’s a choice between having a menu which opens sub-forms that contain the detailed options or having everything cluttered but on the same page. Welshy has helped me quite a but with coding tips and we discussed the possibility of having a tickbox/button that toggles the form between Basic and Advanced. Thanks Welshy. Have a Cadburys Cream Egg on me.

That’s all I got for now. Muffin crumbs.

I am the sort of person who can be impatient at times. It used to worse when I was a little bit youger and generally I can make myself wait if I really have to. I recently ordered a pair of Ultimate Ears Headphones for my iPod. I take my iPod everywhere I go. I mean everywhere. I take it to work, to college, on the bus, to my neighbours, to the supermarket, to the town, to the toilet (I’ve done it….. I’m not joking), you name it I have taken it. I really enjoy listening to music so it makes sense.

Anyway, I bought these headphones because they were specifically recommended to me. I was using the old iPod headphones for about 2 and a half years. The ones that came with my Touch died so I decided I would get something nice. I was a bit skeptical about spending $80 on headphones but I know that they are very nice and the quality is amazing. We sell them at work for $120 so I got a nice discount when buying from Amazon. Anyway……. geez. I got to the final stage and I had to choose between standard First Class delivery through the Royal Mail (You get them within 1 - 2 working days) or Express Delivery (guaranteed next day delivery before 1pm). I was sitting here thinking, is it really worth another $10 for the express delivery. I decided no… even though I have used it before when I boguht Guitar Hero 3.

So I wake up today… at… errrn…. 12.30pm and see the the post laying by the door. Nobody was home and I instantly recognised the little “You weren’t in to get your item, come pick it up in x amount of hours from the collection point). I knew what it was and double checked the name. It was for me. I paid $4 for delivery apposed to $10 and got it next day as well as getting it before 1pm. Maybe it was just luck, but if you order before the final post collection, you are probably gonna get it the next day anyway.

I’m going to keep that in mind next time I order off of Amazon.

UPDATE:
The headphones are epic. The sound is so good.

I am terrible at staying on focus. I just can’t do it. I have been working on a little side project (yup. another project.) and I am already thinking about starting something else. This new idea is something I have wanted to do for the last year or so but I just lacked the knowledge of how to go about doing it. The thing is, I think it’s more of a group deal than a one man kind of thing. Atleast for me anyway.

I want to have a go at creating an online web based game where you can sign up, build up your army or something and then attack other people. I know roughly how to go about starting something like this but knowing me, I will probably stop half way through.

This is my problem. I just can’t stick to one thing on my own. I need to chain myself to a chair, then I can stay on focus. lol. I might have to have a play around with it tonight and see if I can get anywhere.

Yup. This blog just got it’s third home. I have been using GoDaddy for the last year. Yeah…… not doing that again.

I don’t know what it is about the service that I actually like. The system used for setting up e-mails is just stupid and they generally dont do much that makes me want to go back and use their service. I usually don’t bother with the “tell us why you are leaving” questionaires but I actually filled in one for GoDaddy and let them know what was wrong. I wasn’t rude about it, I just said what really bugged me about it.

So I am now using BlueHost who offer a really nice package around the price I am willing to pay. My transfers have gone smoothly (I just didnt have the time to sort the website content out) and everything is nice.

Good ol’ cPanel.

Google seems to be the source of everything wonderful sometimes. Have you ever wanted to get a review on a product and found that everything is positive? I have. For the most part, I will take the word of the people reviewing the product if I am planning on buying it. However, sometimes it’s always nice to see the other side, if there is one.

For example, I use PayPal when buying online (I feel safe paying through that than some other third party online system). The other day, I wanted to see bad press about PayPal and doing what I have done quite often, I googled “PayPal Sucks”. Wow. PayPal really pissed someone off.

It’s kind of cool to see someone go off on a rant about something. I wonder when my blog is gonna reach the front page when you search “Virgin Media Suck”. Heres a little list of things that suck.

Virgin Media

I hate stupid changes. Don’t get me wrong, everyone makes them and I am not saying that change is bad. I just hate things that change for no real reason or things that change to make something better, but never really does.

I just bought a new graphics card. I have wanted to do so for AGES and have needed to. My old card sucked so bad and would crap out on me all the time. I decided to bite the bullet and buy a BFG 8800 GT 512mb OC2 card at the current price. Now I was reluctant enough to go with another BFG card due to the fact that I know they are good, even if my last experience wasnt so great. The best thing is, if you are in the EU you get a 10 year warranty (not lifetime like the US, stupid EU regulations). I bought a cheap card last time because I was waiting for the 8 series cards but never had money when they came out. Now I was a bit more happy to buy something nice. Just don’t tell my Mum the price. So much for saving my money. lol.

So I have Vista Home Premium on a dual boot with XP. I was definatly not prepared to move over completely and for good reason. Vista hasnt exactly has it’s best time in the news and the general consensus (atleast from the people I know) is that Vista sucks.

Well. I have got to agree who heartidly. It’s not so much a stability issue for me but an issue of change. Example, my USB headset works fine in XP and the volume is very manageable. In Vista, the person that decided to add a digital mixer needs to be shot. I have Windows Media Player on 1% and the total volume on 4% just have it bearable to hear Ventrillo. If I turn it up anymore, the music will kill me and other sounds are very distorted. C’mon….

I am installing Flight Sim X right now and I’m gonna go and grab Crysis tomorrow. I am behind on alot of games because I just couldn’t play them. Bioshock, Fear, Crysis to name a few.

Overall though, I am very happy with the card and running it on XP still looks sweet. I just hope everything doesn’t die when I install games and try and play. Vista is going to be a DX10 only O/S. Im not doing anythign else on it. That’s why XP is there.

And for the record…. try before you buy. Not buy and cry over the crappyness.

I never knew how desperate people are to get to the sales….. the day after Christmas. Not only Christmas but New Years Day. In my mind, people should be recovering from the night before.

I would have killed to be in bed at 10am on New Years Day, yet some people do not share the same wish. I recently boosted my hours at work, just for the holidays, so I could get a bit more cash and to be honest, the place I work at needed the staff. I have one more day of extra hours, then it’s over. I am so tired, I have sold so much stuff and I am really bored of saying the same things over and over again.

As you may have guessed from my lack of activity anywhere (here, modsonline, GAMES!!!, sleep), I havn’t really had much time to get things done. I try to post here atleast once a month and since April 06, I managed it. I had absolutly no will to write anything here. You know when your mind has so much going through at once you cant organise your thoughts, well I was like that. To some extent I am still trying to organise what I need to do (i.e. college work that is still not in) as well as work and other bits and pieces. Manic anyone?

Also, I hope the 4 people that actually read this blog (I have to include the account named Dad) had a great Christmas and have a good 2008. Screw political correctness.

Ontop of all this, I have a HUGE rant coming soon. You don’t understand how royally fucked off I am with Sky. I’m probably going to take a few hours to get it just right. Oh boy. Something to look forward to. lol.

So I am still alive, to some extent. Ciao.

Wow. 2 posts in one day. I’m getting good.

OK so I ordered a hoody from CafePress on the 16th and finally got it today. International shipping.. I can’t complain. I took it out of the bag and tried it on. 14 days… and it was too big. I really wasn’t that annoyed because I wasn’t sure what to go for. I ordered a Medium for the height (I’m 6ft, so not amazingly tall) but the rest of it was huge. If you’ve ever seen Austin Powers, it’s the sort of the size that Fat Bastard would have.

I jumped on to Cafepress.com and filed for an RMA so I could get an exchange. Within 2 hours I got an email saying that they were dealing with it, and then after 1 hour, I got my response from a representative. They told me that they are ordering a replacement, smaller size and shipping it to me, free of charge. I’m also allowed to keep the one that doesn’t fit for free, they don’t want it back.

AWESOME!

5* for customer satisfaction from me. I’m so impressed.

56k - 128k - 512k - 1MB - 2MB - 16MB. Oh yeeeaah!

My house is finally getting a decent line put in which gives us Great TV, Great Broadband and Phone (I never use it, but it’s in the package). We’re ditching Virgin Media for Sky, all provided through an ADSL. The digital TV is so nice, so nice that I am forking out a bit of cash so I can get an extra box in my room. We actually got a Sky + box for free because we were invited by a friend. Thanks Kieran

The Sky + (Sky Plus) box allows you to get all of the normal TV channels that you subscribe to, but also has extra features that the standard, free, Sky box does not. For example, you are able to record anything you want to the built in HDD and a click of a button, pause and rewind live TV, set it up so a whole series of programming is recorded along with some other fancy doo-dahs. A really nice thing about it is that you can set this all up from home with the remote, an SMS text service or by logging into their website and scheduling it like that. Awesome.

The Broadband we are getting is also going to destroy the connection we have now. My biggest issue with my current cable connection is that it just drops for no reason, slows right down during peak times which change whenever they feel like and that the upload speed is horrible. I upload files at around 20kbp/s and download at 200-215kbp/s which is ok if it’s small files, but large files take forever. When I was uploading audio for MODSonair, it would take forever to upload. With the new connection, I’ll upload at around 750 depending on how close I am to the exchange.

So yeah… no more internet troubles for me.. I hope.

Also, if you have heard ‘Chocolate Rain’ (what do you mean you havn’t?), you should check out ‘Cherry Chocolate Rain‘, the Dr Pepper advert for their new product. The ultimate sell out…… brb, going to get Dr Pepper.

Read the rest of this entry »