Xorton's Rant

Released : June 24, 2011 Publisher : Squad Developer : Squad Platform : Windows, Mac, Linux Type : Space Flight Simulator Graphics : Narly Game Play : Narly Originality : Narly How many hours I’ve wasted : Narly Kerbal Space Program is an exciting and relatively new game I've been introduced to*. While it's not on my list of all time favourite games yet, it may very well soon be as I'm currently devoting most of my waking hours to it.  On that basis, it has been added to my girlfriends list of least favourite games of all time. Kerbal Space Program is a sandbox type game, which means there are no predefined goals and you can build and do pretty much whatever you want within the parameters of the game (Minecraft being another example of this). I enjoy these games because of the creativity they allow... it's like Lego, but for adults with a lot more flexibility and you don't have to worry about running out of pieces (or running out of cash buying pi...

...And here's the long awaited final chapter of our holiday saga. It's been a great deal more difficult writing about this last portion of our trip as much of it was spent racing around in a car... or drunk... or lying on the floor moaning after overeating too much great food. Loch Lomond Beautiful, crisp and clean... except for the odd plastic bag drifting along its banks. There's plenty to do around scenic Loch Lomond, although we didn't stop long as we were trying to push as far north in one day as we possibly could. Spoiling a great vista: Visitors please pick up your rubbish! Glen Coe Driving up and into Glen Coe is a breathtaking experience. The scenery is simply overwhelming and at times rather ominous. Glen Coe is of course best known for the brutal massacre that took place there in 1692. A good lesson for everyone: never be late, particularly when swearing your loyalty to new monarchs. What you don't see is here in this otherwise lovely p...

You know you can safely throw out old software when: Your computer doesn't have a drive for the media.  The media included has a size of 512KB or less.  The product has DOS, or mentions DOS in the recommended hardware requirements. The original packaging doesn't have a website or email address printed on it. 

Released : March 3, 2009 Publisher : SEGA Developer : The Creative Assembly Platform : PC, Mac Type : Turn Based Strategy, Real Time Tactics Graphics : Narly Game Play : Narly Originality : Narly How many hours I’ve wasted : Narly The Nostalgia Factor : Nary Empire Total War is an excellent RTS/Turn based strategy game and probably the best of this type I've ever played. It's also one of the few games I play that's been released within the last five years (as most people have probably noticed, most of the games I've reviewed so far, predate the Pentium processor!) Empire Total War focuses on the historical colonial period leading up to the French Revolution and the Napoleonic wars, featuring several theatres of conflicts including: North America, India, Europe and North Africa. Players can play in either single or online multi-player mode, and the game features a veritable bounty of nationality choices to play from, each with unique military un...

As an IT professional (and a cheap bastard), it infuriates me when I see people being roped and lured into spending hard on cash on expensive software solutions when there are a multitude of open source, free alternatives readily available on the internet. Stop throwing your money at greedy corporate executives who certainly don't need yet another fancy chess set (that they don't even know how to use) carved out of some endangered species or another ocean going yacht to add to their fleet. Why spend hundreds of dollars when you can pay nothing at all (most of these software projects accept donations, which I would strongly encourage). You'll feel a lot better donating ten bucks for some fabulous software and keeping the free software revolution going, than lining the pockets of the above mentioned corporate goons. Here's some stuff you'll find useful at home: Gimp : A flexible and comprehensive alternative to throwing hundreds of dollars away for Adobe Photosh...

User: "Do I need to plug the UPS cable into my hard drive for the printer to work?" Me: "Despite the inaccuracies laced throughout your question, I have been able to deduce the intent. The answer is: no, it works by friggin' magic".  Okay, I didn't actually say that, but I've never been so sorely tempted. 

"They" say that nobody travels to Scotland for the weather. "They" have never met me. I travel to Scotland almost exclusively for the weather. It's one of the few places I don't have to slather on several layers of spf 600 sunscreen and I'm in no danger of sunstroke or heatstroke. Such are the hardships for those with a complexion of pasty pale blue. Of course there are many other compelling reasons to visiting Scotland in addition to the weather, such as the best fish suppers in the world, and the best drink in the world: Irn-Bru *. It's the only country on the planet where Coca-Cola is not the best selling soft drink. Oh, and there's a bunch of scenic places, sites of historical interest and cultural stuff too: Coldingham and St. Abbs Coldingham Bay It's not the first destination people have in mind when they visit Scotland, but I have family there and I also love quaint wee sea-side villages. Additionally, it's quiet, h...