An overview of opinions and observations for the month.
Saturday, 30 November 2013
Thursday, 21 November 2013
Winter Survival Guide
After being hit with wintery weather over the last couple of days (alongside anticipating much more in the coming months), Connect have compiled this short survival guide to help keep you prepared and proactive this festive season.
Get in the routine of checking that you have topped up your coolant level with suitably concentrated antifreeze, and if possible cover the windscreen overnight with a frost shield - alternatively make sure you always have a can of de-icer and an ice scraper accessible. Using WD40 on your car door locks and Vaseline on the rubber door seals is a cheap tactic for preventing them freezing shut as temperatures drop.
Ensure you keep enough fuel in your tank over the winter months, as there are statistically more traffic and weather delays on the roads during this time of year. Now is also a good time to check tyre pressure and tread depth as these will directly affect your vehicle handling in icy conditions. It wouldn't hurt to replace your wiper blades if necessary either - smeared water on the windscreen can be dangerous when it causes the low sun to dazzle you, even if you wear shades. Also, be aware that old car batteries are one of the most common causes of winter breakdowns as they struggle to function in the cold temperatures.
Plan for the worst case scenario by ensuring you have the appropriate essentials with you on every journey. We recommend you have an in-car charger for your mobile phone, a basic first aid kit and any personal medication, and a decent torch with spare batteries. Additional suggestions include jumper cables for your car battery, a tow rope, a snow shovel, and de-icing salt or a bit of old carpet/thick cardboard that can be placed under wheels to help regain traction if you struggle on ice or snow. It wouldn't hurt to pack a sleeping bag or blanket either, and basic food and water supplies on the off chance you end up stranded for a while.
It would be much easier if we all had Ken Block's fantastic Subaru Impreza TRAX STI from his infamous Gymkhana, unfortunately, we do not. Hopefully, this guide can help in absence of snow cat tracks and rally spec dampers for the suspension!
Monday, 18 November 2013
Review - Bioshock 2
Having never played the original, and usually detesting water based missions in FPS's (the good old obscured vision, oxygen depletion and being shot at when you can't return fire or seemingly find cover of any sort) I was justifiably a little bit... how can I put it mildly? Pessimistic. I envisioned long repetitive and frustrating underwater sequences which would culminate in either rage-quitting or sending my PS3 controller through the TV screen like a gamer who can't handle conceding a 90th minute goal on FIFA.
Ironically, I was pleasantly surprised by the contrast of my expectations with reality. I watched a quick recap video on Youtube of the original title, and then jumped right in to assuming the role of Subject Delta. The storyline is engaging and the growth of the characters realistic, although as anticipated within about half an hour of playing, the twists of the plot became predictable.
I did find the mission structure a little rinse and repeat (stop at a station, get off, find and kill big daddies, harvest ADAM, get back on) but the variety in interior locale of Rapture was appreciated, the loadout range and customisability of the weapon system was reminiscent of Dead Space (definitely a good thing since I fucking adore that franchise), and the progression of enemy NPC's was proportionate to the protagonists own growth.
The atmosphere created by the musical score was that of a sunken vessel, the sort of music you imagine playing on the Titantic as it sinks to Davy Jones' locker in a depressive, haunting fashion ("I'll never let go Jack!" *promptly lets go*). Ahem. What the game did superbly for me however, was create an unparalleled sense of urgency and emotional attachment with Eleanor and the other little sisters. Perhaps this is due to being the Father of my own daughter, but I felt an unshakeable thirst for redemption, a need to be the hero and to rescue these poor innocent children from the grasp of some demented cult logic of sacrifice. Kinda like rescuing my daughter from the demented logic of some other people... but I digress.
In closing, I found the game to be both aesthetically satisfying, and emotionally rewarding - with each adoption and rescue I really felt I was making a difference and that I was the saviour of these precious little girls. The last few missions felt more of a victory lap than anything else, I was slightly OP by this point (picture Charizard fighting Bulbasaur) so it was more about the sense of impeding and inevitable success that rallied me through those final chapters, as I strode defiantly amidst the Splicers wielding an electric shock charged, incendiary round loaded shotgun that literally decimated them into screaming piles of charred flesh.
I'd definitely recommend giving this game a chance to any sceptics out there - though not my favourite in the genre, definitely a solid title. Fuck rating it out of 10 though, my scores would be too inconsistent for that shit.
Ironically, I was pleasantly surprised by the contrast of my expectations with reality. I watched a quick recap video on Youtube of the original title, and then jumped right in to assuming the role of Subject Delta. The storyline is engaging and the growth of the characters realistic, although as anticipated within about half an hour of playing, the twists of the plot became predictable.
I did find the mission structure a little rinse and repeat (stop at a station, get off, find and kill big daddies, harvest ADAM, get back on) but the variety in interior locale of Rapture was appreciated, the loadout range and customisability of the weapon system was reminiscent of Dead Space (definitely a good thing since I fucking adore that franchise), and the progression of enemy NPC's was proportionate to the protagonists own growth.
The atmosphere created by the musical score was that of a sunken vessel, the sort of music you imagine playing on the Titantic as it sinks to Davy Jones' locker in a depressive, haunting fashion ("I'll never let go Jack!" *promptly lets go*). Ahem. What the game did superbly for me however, was create an unparalleled sense of urgency and emotional attachment with Eleanor and the other little sisters. Perhaps this is due to being the Father of my own daughter, but I felt an unshakeable thirst for redemption, a need to be the hero and to rescue these poor innocent children from the grasp of some demented cult logic of sacrifice. Kinda like rescuing my daughter from the demented logic of some other people... but I digress.
In closing, I found the game to be both aesthetically satisfying, and emotionally rewarding - with each adoption and rescue I really felt I was making a difference and that I was the saviour of these precious little girls. The last few missions felt more of a victory lap than anything else, I was slightly OP by this point (picture Charizard fighting Bulbasaur) so it was more about the sense of impeding and inevitable success that rallied me through those final chapters, as I strode defiantly amidst the Splicers wielding an electric shock charged, incendiary round loaded shotgun that literally decimated them into screaming piles of charred flesh.
I'd definitely recommend giving this game a chance to any sceptics out there - though not my favourite in the genre, definitely a solid title. Fuck rating it out of 10 though, my scores would be too inconsistent for that shit.
Friday, 8 November 2013
Purpose
Tonight’s musings centre around the common problem we encounter on a daily basis in all walks of life, that of purpose.
Somewhere between the nostalgic memories of us as innocent children, and the stark realisation of the burdening adult responsibilities, we surrendered our ambitious dreams. We allowed ourselves to fall into the rut of security, the place where we count down days to the weekend, where we yearn for a holiday to escape the chore that has become existence.
Every once in a while we will find a moment where it almost feels like we’re alive how we were back as children, and then a torrent of worries, concerns and fears resurfaces to shatter our illusions. Somewhere, most of us lost our way. I’m sure that for many others, as I, it happened so subtly, that we obliviously allowed ourselves to become cogs in a machine of routine.
Most of people I know have so little in their lives, that their greatest joy is being able to go out and get drunk at the weekends, to party and take drugs, and most of all, for one night to not have to care. But then the very next day with a sore head, and an empty wallet, they reluctantly fall back into the systematic countdown to the inevitable next time. I won’t judge, until I had children and a little perspective, the aforementioned routine was all too familiar.
Even now though as I sit typing this, almost feeling preachy, I know that my life is not without fault. I have my daughter and Godson now, and I have a little more purpose than most I know… however time not spent with them is often time wasted. Too often I sit meandering aimlessly through the days, unproductively, and without substance. I have aspirations that I consciously subdue, rather than pursue; things that would be more beneficial to my life and the world around me than what I currently call my mundane life.
And yet I sit at work counting down the hours until I can go home, and then I get home and count down the hours until I go back to work, ticking off days in my internal calendar, counting down to those few precious moments with my children, the few hours a week where my time has a meaning.
For most of us life is for the most part pointless; we work to live doing jobs we don’t enjoy, and then what little time we have to ourselves, we often fritter away on inane retreats.
I feel like my life currently only has a purpose for 12 hours a week. Needless to say, something needs to change before I wake up one day, and another decade has crept by without me realising it.
I think Nathan Scott sums it up beautifully:
"It’s the oldest story in the world. One day you’re seventeen and planning for someday. And then quietly and without you ever really noticing, someday is today. And that someday is yesterday. And this is your life."
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Somewhere between the nostalgic memories of us as innocent children, and the stark realisation of the burdening adult responsibilities, we surrendered our ambitious dreams. We allowed ourselves to fall into the rut of security, the place where we count down days to the weekend, where we yearn for a holiday to escape the chore that has become existence.
Every once in a while we will find a moment where it almost feels like we’re alive how we were back as children, and then a torrent of worries, concerns and fears resurfaces to shatter our illusions. Somewhere, most of us lost our way. I’m sure that for many others, as I, it happened so subtly, that we obliviously allowed ourselves to become cogs in a machine of routine.
Most of people I know have so little in their lives, that their greatest joy is being able to go out and get drunk at the weekends, to party and take drugs, and most of all, for one night to not have to care. But then the very next day with a sore head, and an empty wallet, they reluctantly fall back into the systematic countdown to the inevitable next time. I won’t judge, until I had children and a little perspective, the aforementioned routine was all too familiar.
Even now though as I sit typing this, almost feeling preachy, I know that my life is not without fault. I have my daughter and Godson now, and I have a little more purpose than most I know… however time not spent with them is often time wasted. Too often I sit meandering aimlessly through the days, unproductively, and without substance. I have aspirations that I consciously subdue, rather than pursue; things that would be more beneficial to my life and the world around me than what I currently call my mundane life.
And yet I sit at work counting down the hours until I can go home, and then I get home and count down the hours until I go back to work, ticking off days in my internal calendar, counting down to those few precious moments with my children, the few hours a week where my time has a meaning.
For most of us life is for the most part pointless; we work to live doing jobs we don’t enjoy, and then what little time we have to ourselves, we often fritter away on inane retreats.
I feel like my life currently only has a purpose for 12 hours a week. Needless to say, something needs to change before I wake up one day, and another decade has crept by without me realising it.
I think Nathan Scott sums it up beautifully:
"It’s the oldest story in the world. One day you’re seventeen and planning for someday. And then quietly and without you ever really noticing, someday is today. And that someday is yesterday. And this is your life."
If you enjoyed this post, please consider sharing it with your friends on social networks using the buttons below, and please leave a comment with your thoughts;
I love hearing from my subscribers!
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