all talk and no action
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Call of Duty 5 and beyond
I love web forum comments. After it was revealed that Call of Duty 5 would return to a World War II setting, the general response was "yawn".
A forum poster at Digital Spy explained what the game developers should be doing:
COD5 - Falklands War. 80's weapons. Airstrikes and helicopters could be involved, naval ships too.
COD6 - Vietnam War but less linear levels than previous attempts.
COD7 - Set in 2020 with future (not laser guns but newer assault rifle prototypes etc) weapons and technology.
COD8 - set in 2040 and starting to look a bit more Halo-like with the weapons and vehicles.
I think the "not laser guns" bit is an important caveat.
A forum poster at Digital Spy explained what the game developers should be doing:
COD5 - Falklands War. 80's weapons. Airstrikes and helicopters could be involved, naval ships too.
COD6 - Vietnam War but less linear levels than previous attempts.
COD7 - Set in 2020 with future (not laser guns but newer assault rifle prototypes etc) weapons and technology.
COD8 - set in 2040 and starting to look a bit more Halo-like with the weapons and vehicles.
I think the "not laser guns" bit is an important caveat.
Monday, June 23, 2008
Searchable bookmarks in Firefox 3
I've just got around to downloading Firefox 3 and one feature that makes this a must-have browser for me is the way you can search your bookmarks from the address bar. (Apparently it's faster, too, but I can't say I've noticed a whole lot of difference.)
With Windows Vista, I've got used to being able to hit the Windows key and type 'photo' to launch Photoshop instead of clicking through the program menus, or to type a word that I know is in an email or Word document and get it to fast. This has been a massive time-saver and it's always frustrated me that I can't do the same with my bookmarks -- until Firefox 3 came along.
I also love the way that when I start to type a web address, web sites that I bookmarked years ago are revealed in the drop-down menu. Whenever I type 'hot' for Hotmail, for example, the first suggestion is a recipe for hot artichoke and spinach dip that I bookmarked ages ago and never got around to making. So now I get a daily reminder :)
By the way, I know you can search IE's Favorites straight from the Windows Vista Start Search box, which is conceivably even more convenient, but for some reason I haven't used it much. Handy as it is, I still launch a web browser and go from there.
With Windows Vista, I've got used to being able to hit the Windows key and type 'photo' to launch Photoshop instead of clicking through the program menus, or to type a word that I know is in an email or Word document and get it to fast. This has been a massive time-saver and it's always frustrated me that I can't do the same with my bookmarks -- until Firefox 3 came along.
I also love the way that when I start to type a web address, web sites that I bookmarked years ago are revealed in the drop-down menu. Whenever I type 'hot' for Hotmail, for example, the first suggestion is a recipe for hot artichoke and spinach dip that I bookmarked ages ago and never got around to making. So now I get a daily reminder :)
By the way, I know you can search IE's Favorites straight from the Windows Vista Start Search box, which is conceivably even more convenient, but for some reason I haven't used it much. Handy as it is, I still launch a web browser and go from there.
Friday, June 20, 2008
Blogging from the Windows Vista sidebar
Just trying something out: Blog Buddy, a Windows Vista sidebar gadget that lets you write directly to your blogger space.
It's pretty basic but if it works I might get round to posting a little more often.
*fingers crossed*
It's pretty basic but if it works I might get round to posting a little more often.
*fingers crossed*
Thursday, June 05, 2008
Before you send that email...
I've been enjoying marketeer Seth Godin's blog for a while now and today's email checklist had me nodding my head as I read it.
While many of the checks should come naturally, 36 is a bit much to expect everyone to remember, but there were three that are worth remembering:
Could I do this note better with a phone call?
Yes, often. And it gives your RSI-suffering hands a break.
Have I included the line, "Please save the planet. Don't print this email"? (If so, please delete the line and consider a job as a forest ranger or flight attendant).
Why do people include this line in their signatures? It's never made a difference to whether I print an email or not.
Could this email be shorter?
Yes. Delete the "save the planet" line for starters.
While many of the checks should come naturally, 36 is a bit much to expect everyone to remember, but there were three that are worth remembering:
Could I do this note better with a phone call?
Yes, often. And it gives your RSI-suffering hands a break.
Have I included the line, "Please save the planet. Don't print this email"? (If so, please delete the line and consider a job as a forest ranger or flight attendant).
Why do people include this line in their signatures? It's never made a difference to whether I print an email or not.
Could this email be shorter?
Yes. Delete the "save the planet" line for starters.
