Clever boys…

29 November 2005

Awesome trailer for XBox 360. Unfortunately, it was pulled by Microsoft’s lawyers, presumably because it glorifies violence. Well, if pointing your fingers at people and saying “bang” is violence, I guess it does. It’s a lovely demonstration of what silly multiplayer FPSes are like. Also, it references a great moment in Spaced, and has a lovely punchline. Watch it!

And when you’ve done that, watch this Consolevania style ad for the new Prince of Persia. Whatever the game is like, the ad is delightful, and one of the best games ads I’ve seen in a while. Capturing the feel of gaming without in-game footage – and that’s exactly what I like about it.

So much more to say about the sublime Mario Kart DS, but for now, I felt some technical advice would help Google out a lot.

If you’re having problems connecting to Nintendo Wi-fi Connection through your Netgear DG834G router – as in, your DS can’t see your wireless access point, even if it’s public, insecure, the works – it’s worth upgrading to the latest firmware. You can download that from the “support” page on the Netgear site for the router. Once you’ve flashed the firmware (remember to do it via a wired connection, to avoid bricking the router), you should find the DS finds the access point (be it WEPed or not) first time.

Loud, autistic, and proud

28 November 2005

Most interesting article from the Observer magazine on autism, from two Sundays ago. Brings a variety of perspectives to bear on the topic, and talks to a nice cross-section of people. Some days are red-badge days for anybody, autistic or not.

Burnout: Revenge review

27 November 2005

Another game review from yours truly over at Pixelsurgeon: Burnout Revenge.

“… it’s worth forgiving for the stories you’ll take away from it: tales of near-misses, spectacular crashes, and the time you did a power-slide between two oncoming buses, and as was so excited as a result that you crashed into a wall. Give it a chance, and you’ll be rewarded with some of the best arcade racing in a while. It’s good stuff, but it’s not quite – DINGDINGDING – awesome, gold, or perfect.”

The quote will make sense if you’ve played the game – or read the review.

Agile Webs with Rails

22 November 2005

Quotation of the day, from a colleague walking past my desk:

“I wish we could find a way of developing agile webs. On rails.”

I’d left my copy of the Agile book out.

It’s.. the Visual Studio 2005 song! From Microsoft Korea; it’s catchy, awesome, and has a great flash animation. The product clearly can’t live up to the song. All together now: “Visual! Studio! Team! System!

project.ioni.st on storing sessions in your db. Succinct, handy, and goes straight on the “do not lose!” pile.