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Radio XPD is live!

Yup, I started a streaming “radio station”.

No, you won’t hear my amazing voice as a live DJ.

What you will hear is over 6 days (!!!!!) worth of Amiga related music streaming 24/7.

Modules, remixes, musicians, you name it, it’ll play.

Game themes, demo tracks, party entries and more.

AND NO ADS. (OK, theres 2 that play at random, just encouraging you to share this cool stream)

And we have the pleasure of including remix tracks DIRECT from the infamous d4xx (aka daxx) of Scoopex/The Ravebusters/TRSI.

Huge thanks to d4xx for this!

So get in there and enjoy!

Click here for the stream page

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Lego Osprey – Why so much ?

Lego recently shipped a new Technics set to retailers – however have since recalled as many as they can……. the set – LEGO Technic 42113 Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey Helicopter.

Why ?

Because its “war/weapon” related – Lego has a policy of not releasing realistic war/weapon related items. Which is great to keep the image clean.

But somehow this one slipped through, because it is marketed as a Search and Rescue vehicle – however many anti-war groups have complained causing Lego to recall the sets.

For stock which is already in storerooms of retailers, they will be able to sell the set – we just wouldn’t be shipping any more copies.

For sets in our warehouses, we are currently working through our plans for the sets and will explore ways to reduce waste and reuse elements – that AFOLs are interested in them has been raised!

So of course, Lego collectors quickly hit the streets to find as many of these sets in stores as they could.

Now, because New Zealand is the “first” to see each calendar day, they were shipped stock of these sets, due to be released August 1st. But due to the recall etc, stores that had stock put them on the shelves early.

Retail pricing is $260NZD.

They are now being sold on TradeMe (NZ’s version of Ebay) for $1000NZD+ with a few being listed at $2000.

Now thanks to a good friend, I’ve managed to obtain one of the sets at retail pricing but the question is, do I flog it off while the craze is fresh, or hold it and maybe in a year or more, it will be worth even more….. ?

Who knows to be honest. Its actually quite a cool set, so I may just hold onto it and one day, build it….

So if you see one of these sets in a toy store for $200 odd, grab it, it’ll be worth it.

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“Get off the line…..”

Are you old enough to remember the good old BBS days ? If so the title above would ring some bells.

I honestly cannot remember how old I was when I got into BBS’s, but had my Amiga 500+ with a USR Courier 14.4k modem, and loved it.

The ability to ring a (usually) local number and communicate with other users from all around the globe (via message networks) was fascinating to me, and after a few months of visiting a number of Auckland based BBS’s, I decided to start my own.

With the help from a local BBS sysop (Cannot remember his name, but the BBS was “Central Suburbs”, based in Onehunga IIRC), I got my own BBS up and running – from 3 floppy drives.

880k per disc.

Disc 1 was the main BBS and door games (door = plugin)

Disc 2 was the message base

Disc 3 was a few handy files for download

The name of the BBS : Syndicate X

Syndicate being one of my favorite Amiga games, and the “X” from my handle, “XPD” (which as you can tell, stuck).

I ran the BBS in the above form for about 3 months, and surprisingly, it was very popular. The message bases and door games were obviously the most active.

Eventually I was asked by users where I kept the real files – I was honest and said that was it.

But I soon obtained a Commodore A590 Hard drive unit with a 120MB SCSI drive and 1MB of Fast RAM. “Ooooooo, ahhhhh”

I now had the ability to put a real file system for the BBS into play.

Things progressed as time went by – more users, more calls = dedicated line for 24/7 operation. I upgraded to a GVP A530 hard drive and RAM unit, upping the speed and RAM of the system hugely. 33.6k modems came to an affordable price, so faster transfers were now possible. And eventually a 56k Dynalink modem an appearance.

I had the BBS running extremely well, with some great doors to add functionality to the system.

Then one day things started to change….

BBS call numbers started dropping, message networks started going quiet, and file transfers almost became non-existent .

The “consumer” internet had arrived.

I knew what the internet was, didn’t think it would take off the way it did.

IRC replaced chats, newsgroups/forums took over message nets, and files could be obtained anywhere.

So I tried to change with the times, got on the internet myself, and rebooted the BBS as Amiga Unlimited, with files from the internet being downloaded and made available locally, saving some users on time limited internet plans their internet time. I also put a CD ROM online with Aminet CD’s sourced from Amiga Auckland.

I had some dedicated users that still called every day, but more for a chat than anything.

I eventually pulled the plug on the BBS.

Even to this day, I still bump into some of the old users on various social media platforms, “hey did you run a BBS years ago ?”

At least I no longer get paged by new users….

“Hey, do you have warez……”

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The Perfect Act

Over the years, games have reached (and in some cases surpassed) the quality of stories and characters in modern movies, leaving some players wanting more interaction with a certain character, and for those into it, cosplaying as that character.

I am NOT the latter – sorry. 🙂

Take for example the three primary characters in Grand Theft Auto V. There has been no other game I have played where Ive gone “wow, I wish they would make a TV series out of this”. The script, acting, action is all perfect (for me at least), and I actually felt some sadness for one of the characters, when I made a certain decision that resulted in their death in the storyline. Obviously I’m not going to say who and spoil it for those that have not taken that path yet….

There has been another character in an older game, that has impressed me.

Vaas from Far Cry 3.

The character is so perfectly sarcastic and evil, and his little rants are spot on for the occasion.

Some of his rants are based on other speeches/quotes made at stage in the world, but the actor giving voice to these words, nails it.

I’d love to see a game featuring more of Vaas, but sadly I doubt that will happen.

I’ll leave you with this great speech from Vaas….

Did I ever tell you what the definition of insanity is? Insanity is doing the exact… same fucking thing… over and over again expecting… shit to change… That. Is. Crazy. The first time somebody told me that, I dunno, I thought they were bullshitting me, so, I shot him. The thing is… He was right. And then I started seeing, everywhere I looked, everywhere I looked all these fucking pricks, everywhere I looked, doing the exact same fucking thing… over and over and over and over again thinking ‘this time is gonna be different’ no, no, no please… This time is gonna be different, I’m sorry, I don’t like… The way…
… you are looking at me… Okay, Do you have a fucking problem in your head, do you think I am bullshitting you, do you think I am lying? Fuck you! Okay? Fuck you!… It’s okay, man. I’m gonna chill, hermano. I’m gonna chill… The thing is… Alright, the thing is I killed you once already… and it’s not like I am fucking crazy. It’s okay… It’s like water under the bridge. Did I ever tell you the definition… of insanity?

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One Set Of Rules…except for you.

I use torrents to obtains some files I require (come on, who can say they don’t, regardless if its legit or not) and generally do not have any problems.

Except for one site I visit.

They employ a ratio system to ensure files are kept alive long as possible – you seed for 72 hours or 1:1.

It works, except when a new file is uploaded.

So Bob uploads file ABC to the site. He seeds for a few hours then logs off his PC. However no one in the time Bob was seeding, was able to complete the file, so no one else can offer it.

Bob comes back days later and continues seeding. Everyone finally gets the file completed.

Now, Bob has broken the seeding/ratio rule – and nothing happens to him.

Now I come along, obtain a popular file with dozens of seeders, download it, and seed it for 71.5 hours and accidentally remove the torrent.

I get punished immediately.

Its frustrating as hell – I know there’s probably a bit of give and take with uploaders, but come on, if those uploaders are not seeding it long enough for at least one other user to complete it, punish them.

Anyway, bit of rant. I’m done.

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Game Over for Gameplanet

A long time New Zealand based gaming site, Gameplanet has fallen victim to the hard times for media during COVID-19.

Gameplanet has been on life-support for a while now, as some readers may have observed. We’ve held out and sustained the financial losses for as long as we could, but there is, sadly, no realistic prospect of the business recovering, and so the decision has now been made to turn off the machine and put it to rest. The website will be shut down in the next few days.

https://www.gameplanet.co.nz/news/g5ea8aa13d2038/Gameplanet-is-shutting-down/

I have been a member of the Gameplanet community (although not very active I admit) pretty much since they started out.

Compared to other forums, it was bit of a free for all to a degree, but once you got use to the sarcasm and attitudes, it was full of some truly funny, and knowledgeable users in all sorts of different areas.

The forums are being moved to Tapatalk, however if it continues to keep the same feel about it, remains to be seen.

“Don’t be dismayed at goodbyes. A farewell is necessary before you can meet again. And meeting again, after moments or lifetimes, is certain for those who are friends.”

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The Case Of….

nothing. I just don’t have a case for my PC.

Think its time to poke around the house for some materials to build one. The current cardbox case is literally being ripped apart as I add components.

Last week :

mde

Today:

PS: Stupid head gear still on the go.