February 2012
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10 Things I Hate About Skyrim: #9 Weapons and...
Let me reiterate: I love Skyrim and all the Elder Scrolls games I’ve played. I think they’re great games. Indeed, it is because they are so great that any perceived problem stands out to me.
What’s #9 on my list? Weapons and armour. Read on to find out why…
Decisions, Decisions…
Have you played STALKER Call of Pripyat? When you’re wandering the modern-day wastelands...
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Good, Bad, Ugly: Halo Combat Evolved Anniversary
It’s been 10 years since the original Xbox came out. One of the launch titles was Halo: Combat Evolved, first game of the Halo series. Love it or hate it, it’s been a very popular franchise.
To celebrate this anniversary along comes Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, a remake of its namesake.
Metacritic gives it 82.
After the jump, my thoughts on the game.
The Good
A Faithful...
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WatchI love Media Watch, and I have a love-hate fascination with all things vox populi (such as internet comments, letters to the editor). And here they meet!
I could talk about this topic all day but I think the thing that intrigues me is the unholy deal news sites make when they accept unmoderated content from the unwashed masses. On the plus side, it keeps people on the page longer, reading and...
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Poor, Poor Hope Rinehart
Rich people. I hate ‘em. But some of the buggers manage to say and do things that make them exceptions to the rule. Take Dick Smith, for example, who said:
We’ve got to get it so it is an obligation if you’re wealthy to become a philanthropist. Otherwise we don’t want you in this country – rack off.
And he puts his money where he mouth is.
But compare and contrast. Hope Rinehart, a...
January 2012
6 posts
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SOPA may be an American problem...
…but that doesn’t mean those of us living in Australia should ignore it.
As serious as SOPA is, I don’t want to talk about it. There are plenty of other sources about that if you’re interested. Instead, I want to talk about similar overzealous laws in Australia. In particular, one such American law that “infected” Australia in 2004, and another law that might...
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George Clooney and the Plasmic Language
I just awoke from the most bizarre dream and must write it down.
It was presented as a movie. We open on some sort of posh school in the 1950’s. We see a janitor, played by George Clooney. Hay is scattered about the room. He attempts to clean it with a broom, but is overzealous and spreads the hay about just as much.
Unhappy with manual labour, the janitor decides to build a machine to...
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10 Things I Hate About Skyrim: #10 Bad Astronomy
(With apologies to Phil Plait.)
Before I begin, let me say that I love Skyrim and all the Elder Scrolls games I’ve played. I think they’re great games. Indeed, it is because they are so great that any perceived problem stands out to me.
What’s #10 on my list? The sky in Skyrim. It’s broken. Read on…
I was taken aback by how gorgeous the sky was in Morrowind. I...
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Why Are You Afraid to Believe?
why do you think that the subject of ‘religion’ stirs up so much drama in America?
- What is it about “religion” that gets people going?
- Why do you think that people are afraid to “believe” in a religion?
- Why do you think that Atheists usually get away with talking about their beliefs (or the absence of beliefs), but if Christians try to state what they know, they get...
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WatchThis is good. Found it on Friendly Athiest and had to share. Watch it before you read on, if you can help it…
It is not real. It is a Poe. I think one clue is how the boy, near the end of the clip, kisses his crucifix and makes the sign of the cross. Both are very Catholic actions. But stupid pop-culture-with-Christ videos are more of a Protestant thing. (I feel like I know too...
December 2011
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Margaret Court Defies God to Speak Against Gay...
WA tennis legend Margaret Court has slammed the push to legalise gay marriage, saying she wants to “protect families”.
The Rev. Court urged Australians to make a stand against gay marriage, saying no human law could ever change God’s divine laws.
— thewest.com.au
I think Rev. Court really needs to get her own affairs in order before preaching to others. She’s...
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November 2011
7 posts
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Parents Seek Contagions for their Children
That’s a pretty outrageous title, right? Am I just trying to score a read by having an inflammatory heading?
No. That’s exactly what’s going on.
…some parents have been apparently posting saliva-soaked tissues and licked lollipops to each other in an attempt to spread chickenpox among their children…
BBC News
If the serious laws against mailing diseases are...
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Yet Another "PC Repair" Scam Call
They’re coming in thick and fast today. I had particular success with a call I took earlier.
But I was in no mood to go through that whole thing again. Not so soon after the last one. Read on to see how it went:
The events:
The caller was an Indian-accented woman on a really bad phone line.
This time the spiel was that viruses got into my computer and multiplied many many times creating...
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Another Encounter with a "PC Repair" Scammer
I just got off another phone call with another “PC Repair” scammer. So much fun! This is why I don’t put myself on the do-not-call register. (Though mind you, would that even work against these kinds of scammers?)
Yes sir, I am calling from Microsoft. That is not a cow you hear in the background.
I’ve had this kind of call a few times before. Mostly, the conversation...
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Skyrim: Day Three
I’ve not been solidly playing since launch, but I’ve clocked up a fair few hours.
Here are so more random, disorganised thoughts regarding Skyrim. (See other similar posts by clicking here.)
Face Lift
I am pretty obsessive over how my characters look. Thank goodness there is (on the PC at least) a console command that lets you re-do the character creation screen. From memory, it...
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Skyrim: Day Zero
Skyrim was released today. It’s been getting tremendous reviews.
I’ve been playing it for a few hours now. I’m going to share my experiences in the hopes that people can learn more about the game and thus make a more informed choice regarding its purchase.
Are you stumped about buying Skyrim? I’ve logged a few hours in-game. Maybe my experiences can tell you if...
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Good, Bad, Ugly: Dragon Age Origins
It took some time, but EA eventually sold a Dragon Age pack at a decent price during a Steam sale. It took me even longer to play through it.
Metacritic gives it a 91.
After the jump, I write my thoughts on the game.
The Good
Excellent Story The best thing about Dragon Age Origins is the story. You feel as if you have a real effect. It’s not just an illusion either — I was...
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October 2011
9 posts
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Good, Bad, Ugly: Supreme Commander 2
Supreme Commander 2. Got it for a couple of bucks (literally!) during a Steam sale.
Metacritic gives it 77.
Here’s what I think:
The Good:
Excellent Command Interface Seriously, why can’t more RTS games allow you to so easily and so visually stack commands? Why aren’t all RTS construction units smart enough to do repairs while on patrol? Sadly it is not quite as advanced as...
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The Best Murder Simulators
Nobody tell Jack Thompson this, but GTA is pretty weak as “murder simulators” go. There are far better games for that.
Not that GTA did a bad job. You can gun down civilians and shoot cops for hours on end. But it is to simulation as H.A.W.X is to DCS: A-10C Warthog. It doesn’t capture the intricacies of murder.
Here are my two top contenders for “Best Murder...
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The Many Agencies of the USA
Suppose you’re walking along, minding your own business, and you come across something strange. Something you need to report to the authorities. What authority would — at least in theory — be ultimately responsible?
You found:
A hidden stash of drugs. Australia: State or federal police USA: DEA
An illegal armoury full of guns and ammo. Australia: State police USA: ATF
A bag...
September 2011
15 posts
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Moderate Christians: Where the Bloody Hell Are...
you know…
I’m really tired of people saying how homophobic Christians are.
Not all of us, in fact most of us, are not.
you hear that?
ARE NOT.
I have gay/bi friends and I love then so much.
I see nothing wrong with that.
And there are homophobes who aren’t Christian you know.
And you know what, I’m in a bad mood, so if you want to reply back to this with an argument, bring it.
—...
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Atheism is cool?
Is atheism the “new cool thing”, as Archbishop Rowan Williams reckons?
I’d say not.
Well, not entirely. It has elements of cool. It’s cooler to say “fuck God” than “praise Jesus”. But it’s cooler still to say neither. And I’m not talking about the arsehole factor.
If we take out any equivocation, and look at it straight, no —...
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Seriously. →
YOU BELIEVE IN GOD?
yes I fucking do mother fucker!
you don’t? why not? seriously? tell me why.
— cendremonstre
Because there isn’t compelling evidence.
Simple as that.
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Artemis 1.51 Review
Earlier this year I assembled a crew to play the game Artemis. (You can read about that original experience here.) We found the experience suitably fun that we re-convened for another session after the game had undergone some updates.
The Artemis and the Intrepid
Let me jump right in with the best experience of the day, when six of us tried to crew two different ships…
DS1 is in trouble. A...
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Good, Bad, Ugly: Metro 2033
Metro 2033. Played it on PC after buying it cheap during a sale on Steam.
Metacritic gives it 81.
Here’s what I think:
The Good:
Solid shooting game-play.
Impressive stealth game-play. And some good levels for you to use it in.
Detailed environments. Spooky tunnels, bustling settlements.
Good story. Writing, plot, voice acting — all solidly done. Your in-game allies are sensible...
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Fear Leads to Anger
There’s been a bit of controversy over the upcoming Star Wars MMO The Old Republic. Were there going to be same-sex relationships in the game? At first, their response was to say that the words “lesbian” and “gay” did not exist in the Star Wars universe. So, no.
(Personally, I find that silly. If they were writing a book or a movie, sure, they don’t have to...
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Prophecy Speaks: Tyre (Again), Sidon, Ashkelon
This is a continuation of a series where I critically read the book Prophecy Speaks. This book was sent to me by an anonymous person, presumably to convert me. You can read more about how the book came to me here, or find all posts in this series here.
(I hope any Christians out there who happen to glance upon this might read this post in full, or even the entire series. I know prophecy...
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The Flam from Snowy River
Something really annoyed me today and I am going to write about it, Goddamnit!
360 Documentaries must be in my podcast list for some reason. But a recent episode — Among Animals — was certainly not a documentary. More like half relaxation tape and half animal rights propaganda piece. (Not that I am against animal rights… but propaganda is propaganda.)
But the awful nature of...
August 2011
12 posts
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Prophecy Speaks, Tyre
This is a continuation of a series where I critically read the book Prophecy Speaks. This book was sent to me by an anonymous person, presumably to convert me. You can read more about how the book came to me here, or find all posts in this series here.
In this article I talk about two things:
How the book argues that bible prophecy is a valid way of proving Christianity.
The first prophecy it...
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