Darkest of Days demo, reviewed…

Benjamin SchollnickNo Comments

First, I\’ll have to try this demo… Darkest Days sounds like an interesting game…..
Second, Destructoid has reviewed the demo of Darkest of Days demo: \”

Darkest of Days has been on my radar for quite some time now, albeit with some reservations. Any game that could reasonably be described as \’Quantum Leap with assault weaponry and no Dean Stockwell\’ tends to have that sort of effect.

The premise is almost too good, too easy to screw up: your character travel through time to right chronological wrongs, relying primarily on era-specific weaponry and tactics (save for the occasional, anachronistic assault rifle rampage). As 8monkey labs released a remarkably long demo for the game yesterday, I finally got a chance to play out my most gratuitously violent Sam Beckett fantasies.

(View the rest of the article at Impressions: Darkest of Days demo)

Nuka-Cola vending machine vends Nuka-Cola

Benjamin SchollnickNo Comments

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It\’s for real now, Nuka-Cola exists, and we\’ve got the proof!
Read about Kotaku reader Tugrik\’s creation of a bona fide Nuka-Cola machine. You might remember the soda brand from your adventures in post-apocalyptic Washington, DC in Fallout 3. The soda has proper labels on it and if you check out the machine\’s site.

(See the Rest of the Story at Nuka-Cola vending machine vends Nuka-Cola.)

Will ABC Soap Derail Torchwood Season 4?

Benjamin SchollnickNo Comments

Russell T Davies has been quoted as saying that the Torchwood that returns next season may not be the one people are expecting to see… But is that because John Barrowman may be jumping ship to star in Desperate Housewives? Digital Spy is reporting that Barrowman told Radio 1 listeners in the UK that he\’s in talks to join the cast of ABC\’s once-popular soap opera, apparently saying,

I\’m off to Los Angeles on Sunday again. I probably shouldn\’t say this but I\’ve got a meeting with the execs of Desperate Housewives. Can you believe it – I\’m going to be a Desperate Housewife!

Geez, is the world ending? Can Torchwood survive, without John Barrowman? We\’ll find out soon….

A Home That Heats and Cools Itself

Benjamin SchollnickNo Comments

Let\’s all go back and do the Time Warp…. While cleaning out my email store, I found and recalled this article by David Pogue…
A Home That Heats and Cools Itself
Which discusses eco-friendly, and very literally green housing with relatively high tech designed log homes….

The grand prize ($25,000) went to something called the Enertia house, which was invented by an engineer and former log-home architect, Michael Sykes. It’s a design for a home that heats and cools itself, with benefits both the homeowner and the environment.
Two factors contribute to this effect. First, the entire house is made of southern yellow pine. According to Mr. Sykes, this wood is especially efficient at maintaining a constant temperature; it absorbs heat during the day and releases it at night.
Second, air circulates in a convection cycle from top to bottom of the house, constantly redistributing the heat.

Take a look at a Home That Heats and Cools Itself

What\’s this about Disk images?

Benjamin SchollnickNo Comments

Once again, we have some folks discussing how complex and difficult it is to install software on the Macintosh….
Namely:

But what I believe is missing here is a small feature that Apple implemented in the late 1990\’s, maybe very early 2000\’s.. Internet-Enabled Disk Images.
Continue reading →

Has your Windows XP or Vista system slowed down?

Benjamin SchollnickNo Comments

XP and Vista have the \’feature\’ of automated background defragmenting enabled by default, you might wish to disable this. 

How do I disable the Windows built-in defragger? 

  1. Download the free * Tweak UI utility from Micorosft.
  2. Click on \’General\’ and untick the \’Optimise hard disk when idle\’ box.


Windows Vista:

  1. Start -> All Programs -> Accessories -> System Tools -> Disk Defragmenter
  2. Untick the \”Run on a schedule (recommended)\” box.

Another possiblity is to check Windows Live Search…  That maybe building it\’s inital database for search usage…

  1. Check the hard drive, SMART, or manufacturer diagnostics
  2. Get the manufacturer diagnostics, and run a full hardware validation.  Don\’t forget your memory test (memtest, or equivalent).
  3. If all is clean, check for things recently updated – a bad update may be clogging things
  4. Check your anti-virus/anti-spyware software. Make sure it is update to date, both for program updates & antivirus definitions…
  5. Check for RootKits, either with RootKit Revealer or BlackLight.
  6. Check the Fan\’s, and internal component temperatures, if the system is running hot, the processor maybe underclocking to help reduce the temperature.

Feel Free to make any suggestions, comments or concerns…