Xorton's Rant

In this case Sgt. Pepper did not teach the band how to play... the Seattle grunge scene in the early to mid-90's wasn't really his thing. This is the 20th anniversary of the release of Nirvana's final studio album, In Utero . I can't compare it to The Fab Fours masterpiece other than to say, like Sgt. Peppers * before it, it was one among a list of albums that defined a generation, mine in particular. Others, including (to name just a few): Nirvana's Nevermind , Smashing Pumpkin's Siamese Dream and Pearl Jam's Ten ... are now going on their second decade after release. Anniversary's of many of these album releases often conjure up nostalgic memories of  those final fun years in high school... when I had more spares than actual classes and spent the time debating with good friends in the school library (or wherever we were out dodging classes) the merits of each new eagerly awaited release from our favourite bands. We'd scrounge up whatever l...

Humans are a funny lot. And not necessarily that "haha" kind of funny, more of the "oh, Lord no!" kind. I generally find in talking with people that they have all sorts of incredibly silly unrealistic expectations of things, which is understandable if the person you're conversing with happens to be six. After all, what six year old wouldn't want to grow up to be a rock-star astronaut that freelances as a professional Lego builder in their free time? Age (and the wisdom and experience that should come with it) proves to be no barrier though to stupid expectations... particularly when it comes to technology and when it happens to be a CEO or someone in the executive/managerial set. Part of these expectations have been set by the television and movie industry (that themselves have a hard time distinguishing reality from fantasy) that portray modern technology to be this fantastical, magical, thing that can fix any issue inside of a commercial break. Tha...

You will note that most of my blogs to this point have generally been of a less than serious vein and in regards to my actual vocation, I normally only reference to it with true anecdotes of amusing user mishaps. Do to a lack of writing material for the last couple of weeks however, I've decided to post a serious (for the most part... I still use amusing anecdotes and comments to emphasize my points) article on proper computer care and maintenance. I hope you techies will find it amusing... everyone else, I hope you read it, take it to heart and apply it (thus potentially making your IT support staff a little happier). So, without further ado: Proper Computer Care and Maintenance (or how I learned to love my computer) Maintaining your computer by observing proper home computer care will ensure that your computer is at optimum operating condition and provide you with many years of trouble free (for the most part) computing! The simple fact is that most people tend...

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...