Daily Blogg: Yea that Flu is a killer

Been ill, been very very ill, so ill infact that i have not been online for anything other than mild browsing for over 2 weeks.

To say this years seasonal flu is a killer may not be the understatement i had intended nor as jovial as i hoped. With a death toll in the thousands and millions bedridden and housebound due to the remarkably cold weather and the horrifyingly virulent nature of this illness towns and cites nationwide are still shockingly empty even in the midsts of the January sales.

As it stands i appear to have gotten off fairly lightly with only a 14 day convalescence and will be attempting a more upbeat Blog entry some time before the weekend.

Thanks again for keeping the hope fires lit with your hits, as always i appreciate them more than words can say and i wish you all a heartfelt abet belated Happy New year.

Daily Blogg: CHRIMBO GIVEAWAY!!!

So its the holiday season, its snowing and its -10 outside with a windchill that scares the hell out of the elderly, small children and ...er...me.....*cough*

this years chrimbo giveaway is kinda implied with the amazing piece of art above!

Thats right folks im not only giving away Scott Pilgrim Vs the World (on high quality .avi) but also the COMPLETE series on .cbr for your reading pleasure!

Happy holidays readers and happy new year!


Movie link:
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=4so4z9r2

Comic link:

[Scott Pilgrim 01 - Scott Pilgrim..zip (Scott Pilgrim 01 )]
[Scott Pilgrim 02 - Scott Pilgrim..rar (Scott Pilgrim 02)]
[Scott Pilgrim 03 - Scott Pilgrim..rar (Scott Pilgrim 03)]
[Scott Pilgrim 04 Scott Pilgrim G..zip (Scott Pilgrim 04)]
[Scott Pilgrim 05 - Scott Pilgrim..zip (Scott Pilgrim 05)]

All uploads are to Megaupload and relatively fast, how long they stay stable and viable is presently unknown so grab em while you can!

Now dont forget to tune in later this week for a happy holiday How Too! for those last second gift ideas for friends and family of the cheap and cheerless :p

Peace!

How Too: Make WoW gorgeous

Did you know World of warcraft only runs on its most basic settings even if you run the sliders all the way up to "Ultra" level? Did you know that most modern computers capable of running the "Ultra" level graphics are generally NOT showing the game at its full potential?

Did you know the already stunning look of cataclysm can be improved with a simple macro?

Thanks to the new modified UI you have plenty of control over WoW using the default video settings, which can be accessed from the main menu, but the limits of these sliders are lower than what the game is actually capable of . For instance, the Ground Clutter Density slider has an in-game maximum setting of 160, but the corresponding console command lets you push this all the way up to 256. The difference is pretty breathtaking too - with not only more vegetation, but higher and more lush plants at that. It also makes more stones, but that doesn't excite us quite so much.

We've actually set up two macros to enable us to stand anywhere and see how the rendering engine handles the highest and lowest details. In order to create a macro, simply hit the Macro button from the main menu (hit [Esc] a few times until it pops up). Give your macro a name and a suitable icon and then type in the commands below. Repeat the process for the second macro, then drag both to a free spot on your action bar. Stand in Terokkar Forest or Nagrand and hit one and then the other and grin like a loon.

Once you use these settings, there are times when you'll be particularly aware of the draw distance of the local objects. Unfortunately groundEffectDist is limited to 140, so there's nothing you can do to improve this value.

Get hidden settings

Create a macro inputted with the following to see WoW in a new light:

/console groundEffectDensity 256
/console groundEffectDist 140
/console detailDoodadAlpha 100
/console horizonfarclip 2112
/console farclip 777
/console characterAmbient 0
/console smallcull 0
/console skycloudlod 3

If your framerate takes a dive, then this macro will sort you out:

/console groundEffectDensity 16
/console groundEffectDist 1
/console horizonfarclip 1305
/console farclip 177
/console characterAmbient 1
/console smallcull 1
/console skycloudlod 1
/console detailDoodadAlpha 1

So there you go, a free graphic update for wow to push your computer to its limits, just dont forget to turn it off when going into towns as you will lag out.

Daily Blogg: oh anon u so krazy

Rule #1. Don't talk about 4chan

Yea.....not gonna be doing that because "somebody" apparently a member of the group Anonymous calling himself 'Coldblood', tells Jane Wakefield why he views its attacks on Visa and Mastercard as defence of Wikileaks.

Now i dont know who this guy is as i haven't trolled /b/ for a very long time but the various '_chans' are generally very quick to LOL while they troll and thus far this namefag has yet to turn up on any of the bigger boards as they tend to destroy 'Attentionfagging' at source with a speed and efficiency that borders on the psychotically obsessed. The simple act of taking on a name ANY name defeats the point of anonymous as a whole.

Heres the video link (not gonna sully the blog with it any more than this)

Link:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-11971259

Now i for one call bulls*it on this as an attention seeing fame hungry faker.
i may be wrong but this does not look sanctioned by /b/ to me.

Anonymous does not forgive, Anonymous does not forget, Anonymous is not gonna like this...

...because Anonymous is Anonymous for a reason.

Daily Blogg: It's Cataday!

At midnight tonight the World of Warcraft finishes its startling alteration to the new "old world" at the hands of Deathwing.

At 12.01am the servers go live and then everything go's to hell and we can start flying round the old world or start rolling furries and snot gnomes...er...i mean Worgen and Goblins and the world firster's and there teams of boosters can start grinding the hell out of the new content to the new shiny level cap of 85.

Now as for me i'll be starting a new shiny wolf man on my Alliance side server (Alonsus) and a new Goblin on my Horde side server (Saurfang) so i can play through the starting quests in the new noob areas and perhaps get into a new toon...

...perhaps a warrior or shaman...

...perhaps both.

oh well ill see you all in there, FOR THE HORDE!!

How Too: ok its been a while

For those of you keeping track i've been AFK for almost 4 weeks, the reason is we have just had a new addition to the family and this have been sleep deprived and exhausted.
But im back and thats what matters. BTW yes i am aware that my autpo poster took a dump again and am making efforts to fix it as we speak.

None the less i'm back in time for Azeroth to go to hell and due to the world ending (as we know it) i had a bit of a nostalgia well up over the old world and thought i should share it.

but as i said, i've been away...

...so i guess i had better come up with something amazing...

...how about your own World of warcraft server to play with?

...how about a sandbox server based on the ORIGINAL Alpha build?

...how about i make it under 4 gig?

...how about i shut up and post the links?

Files:

http://files.filefront.com/WoWAlphaA.../fileinfo.html
http://files.filefront.com/WoWAlphaA.../fileinfo.html
http://files.filefront.com/WoWAlphaA.../fileinfo.html
http://files.filefront.com/WoWAlphaA.../fileinfo.html
Server:

http://files.filefront.com/AbyssServ.../fileinfo.html
Readme

http://files.filefront.com/WoWAlphaR.../fileinfo.html

its this simple, make a Filefront account, download the zips and unzip em, follow the handy read me and go see what wow looked like prior to release!

be warned this is a ONE MAN SANDBOX!
-you cannot spawn anything
-you cannot engage in combat

to bring up the GM console press the "@" button (UK keyboard)

the commands available are

- speed ## (max 59)
- swimspeed ## (max 59)

er enjoy your new toy!!

Daily Blogg: cata gonna knock you out!

Oh yes yes YES! The sundering has begun and its ALLLLLL good.

Blizzard has started the Cata pre quest countdown to the sundering of Azeroth ans we get to take part by infiltrating the doomsday cult known as the Twilight Hammer. This naferious group of nay sayers believe that by helping the elementals of teh old world take over (and burn down our citys) that they will be elevated to elemental status themselves and survive the sundering of the planet...


....as a long time do gooder it will; be your job to plant your well worn boot in there collective ass earn a little gold and generally get in there way.

sounds fun right?

FOR THE HORDE!!

Daily Blogg: 60,000 Hits

And so it came to pass that this Blog has been viewed 60,000 times...

...bloody hell thats a lot of views!!

just 40,000 to go before big numbers start hurting my brain.

I would like to thank everyone of my readers who come here regularly to engage and ingest my insanity, without you all it would be very doubtful that my little corner of the internet would still be here

once again THANKS!

and let the hits keep on coming!

Daily Blogg: CATA INCOMING!!

So we have an official release date for the latest expansion for World of warcraft. Incoming on the 7th December 2010 Cataclysmic insanity hits Azeroth.

So what to do until then? well I for one am attempting to craft myself the Thunderfury Legendary weapon before Blackrock and Molten core is capped up to the 80's with the help of some friends in guild (Marcus, Steve, Rick, Helen & James) to grind the materials and grab some fun classic loot.

Now thats not to say we dont have a few things to do such as Hallows end and the 6th year anniversary event and lets not forget Wintervale to keep us occupied.

there is however one question that niggles at me...

...do i cap my 3 Lv80's to Lv85?...

...or do i roll a Goblin or Worgen?

time to flip a coin i guess

Daily Blogg: Been a while aint it?

What can i say about BT that hasn't already been said?

....nope....nothing come to mind....

...The failure of there customer service is surprisingly well documented in this blog and i have no desire to continue lambasting them in an open forum.
I will however say that customer care has been less than stellar yet again and i am in no mood to continue speaking about it.



now onto other news, First i would like to say a HUGE congratulations to Alan and Andrea on the birth of there lovely daughter who no doubt will now be wearing a Ewok costume and wielding a itty bitty lightsaber mush to the pleasure and cooing of her proud parents.




sadly the last few weeks have also been tinted with tragedy as another close friend of mine due to all out medical incompetence lost her own child while at the Ulster Hospital. Helen and Billy you have my heartfelt commiserations and you know ill do whatever i can to make this is easy as possible on you both.

so yea things have been a tad busy...

...blog took a back seat, judge me harshly if you will but real life has to take the drivers seat at times like this.

Daily Blogg: Achievement whore, the advanced class!

Yep im hunting for achievements but not on Xbox Live, that epeen is more than sturdy enough to stand up on its own...



thats right im heading back to Azeroth for more shiny titles and riding beasties!!!

So a few chaps (and a wench named Wenchy :p) set our sights on Ulduar last night with a Rusted protodrake in mind before the next expansion hits. This chevo should be easy to do with our current gear from ICC and with a little luck should be a bit of a laugh.
regardless its an excuse to finally take one of my favourite raids apart on my paladin meat shield.

Daily Blogg: ok that was...fun?

OK so im back online and with a relatively stable 4.9mbps connection.
do you care? no probably not but none the less internet functionality has been restored.

alright enough of that tot time for some tunes:



so anyway, as i said im back and will have a proper update as soon as i catch up on all the crap in my inbox and clean out the spam.

later folks!

oh before i go does anyone know a good legal specialist? im demanding my month and a half of internet back. i know its only about £40 but its the principal of the thing dammit!.

Mobile Phone Update: BT blues strike again

Yet again BT have decided to piss in my cornflakes. Due to there frankly startling level of incompetence when it comes to maintenance and service on there own lines.

I'm not going to get angry because if i'm honest this is simply par for the course when it comes to BT. I am however saying that this is the fault of one simple problem namely outsourcing and poor product knowledge. Yes i know it sounds racist but if your going to outsource to a 3rd world country then your going to get a 3rd rate service.

screw it im done with BT time to look for a new internet provider .

This post was donr on my goddamn mobile phone FFS, im paying £30 a month for broadband and im having to update on a goddamn mobile phone!!!

again sorry to all my guildmates on missing raids over this period of insanity, i promise it will be rectified as soon as possible.

Daily Blogg: New Blizz MMO project info

Ok here we go, this is a rumour mill spot but after months of research I am willing to spew into your little laps.

Here's what we got so far:

* It IS an new MMORPG.

* It appears at this time to be a singular world map currently approximated at 20 times the current size of Azeroth.

* It will use a more "realistic looking" gaming engine.

* The Blizzard "Hydra" team (formally the Diablo 3 team) are now almost universally working on this new project.

* This is NOT a world of warcraft project


ok so thats the facts as we know it so far, lets hit the rumours:

* The game will take place in a photo-realistic world and have only a single inclusive world rather than dedicated world and instance servers.

* It appears to have an "industrial age" style feeling leading up to some quite interesting tech and transport ideas eg: airships, auto-gyros, hot air balloons etc.

* Blizz are attempting to make sure at all WoW players and there current systems will be able to play the new game on minimum settings.


....and thats it....

...no seriously, Blizz have been so tight lipped on this that almost no info has got out.




...ok fine there is one more piece of scuttlebutt but somehow i doubt its authenticity because of the sheer technical enormity that would be required. There was a rumour regarding the new MMO being a fully phased world from the moment you log in.
So how this is rumoured to work is as follows: As you log in you join a phased timeline of your very own as you pass specific key points in the game meaning you will only be interacting with those in game that are at a similar level range to yourself. What this means is that ganking from high levels may well be a thing of the past as well as level 1 gold spam from trial accounts once you phase out of the starting zone.

ok now im really done, thats it, more info as i get it.

Daily Blogg: So i know these guys...

...yea anyway I know these two guys who we shall simply call Anon 1 and Anon 2...

So these two guys Marcus and Steve....i mean Anon's 1&2 *cough* are friends and guild mates of mine on the oh so very addictive MMORPG known as world of warcraft who have taken it upon themselves to take a nice long look into my little blog and its archives.

Now Marcus ...i mean Anon 1... has taken it upon himself to quit WoW until the end of August due to some personal stuff. Fair enough I say but you must take note that this wonderfully funny chap also happens to be the owner of our teamspeak server and much more importantly our raid leader!
So to him i wish you all the very very best and may chickens poop in your cornflakes...

...gonna miss gaming with you bud, ICC wont ever be the same.

Now on to Steve ...(crap)....i mean Anon 2
Mate you are possible the silliest and most resolutely inane person it has ever been my pleasure to meet, keep it up sir, keep it up.


so why the random post?

why the hell not!

....wonder what they will say on Teamspeak when they read this?

mewhahaha!

Daily Blogg: And on the 14 day

Finally my internet is back and fairly stable at a (still somewhat sluggish) 4.7MBps

Ok i had my totally justified and not at all bitter rant at BT a little over a week ago and because of there shenanigans i have missed out on a ridiculous amount of work and at least 12 shots at the Lich king on WoW with my 10 man group (that i fear may no longer require my services...) as well as movies, music and other streamed media that i have become depressing used to...

...i mean i found myself watching TV for gods sake!!!...

...i haven't watched TV in over two years!
Regardless it seems that BT are giving me my minimum service contract as of 02.00am last night and im willing to take it despite the fact that i pay for 12MBps broadband i will accept 1/3 of my service just to get the hell back online.

However this has slanted me somewhat and i will be looking for a new service provider as soon as possible.

Daily Blogg: No internet and no phone make Alan something something...

Six goddamn days! SIX GODDAMN DAYS!!

SIX GODDAMN DAYS!!!

Six days without a phone or internet has left me somewhat shaken and more than a little peeved with British Telecom to say the least.
I mean i understand that a nationwide service restart will always have hickups, and i understand that Northern Ireland is a relatively low priority when you consider London was cut off for three days during this "routine maintenance" but to be left for the better part of a week unable to communicate to the world when you work from home regularly is oh so much more than a kick in the pants that it staggers belief.

Over the last six days I have managed to loose no less than three closed timescale freelance jobs, I almost lost my damn job and worst of all I MISSED A RAID!
Ok perhaps priority's a little screwed up there but you know what i mean. This is truly unacceptable as far as customer service go's and to be frank i'm appalled that a service that i pay a premium for can be so easily put on the back burner for so long.

Now as all of you know i'm an equal opportunity asshole, to me everyone can be a tool regardless of race gender or creed...

...but i swear to whatever god you happen to believe in that if i am forced to attempt basic communications with a non EU non english speaking Indian national regarding tech support ever EVER again i think i may just have to go postal on some poor b*stard.

In short "Bangladesh Telecom" can bite my shapely pink ass! I will be changing service to another company as soon as my contract with those work shy idiots in the new Deli sweat shop that they have outsourced to is up.

screw you BT screw you within an inch of your idiotic lives!!!

Daily Blogg: Auto Update Utter Fail

So as some of you may well know i have a little automatic updater for this blog...

...and it sucks the big one...

...so yea it failed again and has somehow managed to delete the "How Too" post i had written for it.

i will manually update it a little later this week.

Daily Blogg: Poetic idiocy

Poem time. Why? honestly i dunno...

Daybreak:

Many muted and mulled musing quake the mind and its perusing's
deftly twisting from my slumber as i sleep in dreams they thunder,
A trillion words a thousand voices speak at once my brain contorted
as the words become distorted.
A shell of shattered images fill the cracks of conciseness
and as the twisted infinities attempt to put my soul at ease
I breath a gentle sigh and wheeze as i open my eyes...

....and feel the morning breeze.

Daily Blogg: Mal Explores the world

I have seen it all baby!
Yesterday my squishy little mage Malaus on the Saurfang server (EU) and proud member of the Son's of the Horde guild finally managed to saunter, stride, ride and fly his way across the whole of Azeroth and the Outlands to earn his "Explorer" title and shiny golden tabard.

Special thanks to Gavin, Steed and Vathos for there encouragement somehoe managing to "congratualte" me with ever singe achievement on this ridiculous world tour that i somehow managed to spit out in less than two days spamming the hell out of guild chat much to the frustration of my guildies.


so whats next on my list?

collecting tabard's OFC duh!